Chapter 20
Elli
Idon’t know why I’m nervous, I’m not the one that’s performing tonight.
Matt insisted I come, refusing all of my half-assed excuses and picking me up to make sure I didn’t bail.
I want to see Wes perform more than anything, but we’ve barely spoken since Friday and I don’t know if he even wants me to be here.
Instead of bailing, I put on the outfit I bought on Saturday with Robin and Savannah.
The denim skirt makes my butt look really good, if I do say so myself.
I’ve paired it with a blue ditsy floral spaghetti strap tank top that gives a hint of cleavage, and some brown strappy sandals.
It may be simple, but I love it. It’s different from what I would normally wear, but I feel good in it, and I need confidence tonight.
“What if he doesn’t want me here, Matt? He didn’t even mention it to me.” I sound pathetic, even to myself.
Matt gives me a sympathetic look as we park in the parking lot behind the bar. “Elli, trust me, please? Wes wants you here.”
“Okay, I trust you.”
Robin and Sean are waiting at the front entrance of The Voiceless Piano, the bar where Wes is performing.
“Hey, guys! Sav and Drew are saving us a seat inside. Wes is on in ten minutes, so we can get drinks and settle in before he starts.” Robin says as she intertwines our fingers and pulls me in with her into the bar.
The bar isn’t what I expected. I don’t know what I was thinking, probably something small and intimate, but this place is pretty big.
It’s got an industrial vibe to it. The walls are all light gray with a big mural of a piano behind the raised platform of the stage.
The floors are epoxy and the bar is a big cement slab that spans the length of the entire place.
Liquor bottles line shelves upon shelves behind the bar on shelves that look like exposed pipe.
The bar is filled almost to capacity, we have to weave through the sea of people until we find Sav and Drew nuzzling into each other at a table twenty feet from the stage-right in the eyeline of the performer.
Matt offers to get everyone drinks, and as much as I want something to give me a buzz, my stomach is already in knots and alcohol would probably make me feel worse, so I opt for a Shirley Temple.
“Are you ready for Wes’s performance, Elli?” Drew wiggles his eyebrows at me, and Robin shoots him a glare.
“I mean, yeah. I’ve seen some of his stuff on Instagram, but it’ll be good to see him live.”
“He was really excited for this show, said it’ll be one of the most important ones yet.” Sean adds.
Matt returns with our drinks before I can ask him to elaborate, taking the empty seat next to me as the lights flash twice, indicating the show is about to start.
As the lights in the bar dim and the ones facing the stage turn brighter, my nerves grow.
The knot in my stomach turns into butterflies as Wes steps on stage like he owns it, looking like a fucking wet dream.
He’s wearing his usual black jeans and black boots, but instead of a t-shirt he’s wearing a light gray button-up shirt with the top three buttons undone, and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He has half of his hair pulled into a ponytail, the other half hanging down over his shoulders.
He sits on the stool in front of the microphone and leans forward to say, “Hey guys, I’m Wes Jones.
Thanks for coming out tonight.” Earning him a round of applause.
He clears his throat as the applause dies down and the first strum of his guitar reverberates through the room, causing goosebumps to rise on my skin.
Before I know it, he’s sung at least four songs and the ice in my completely untouched Shirley Temple is almost completely melted, condensation dripping down the sides. It’s like his tenor voice is magic, putting me in a trance. I’m only brought out of trance because Wes starts talking again.
“This last song is a new one, the first one I wrote after a stint of writer’s block. It’s really special to me, and for a special girl, who helped me get out of my rut.” I feel Matt squeeze my shoulder, and I look around the table to see excited, knowing looks pass through the rest of the group.
What is going on?
The melody is soft and beautiful and he locks eyes on me as he begins to sing.
My palms start to get sweaty
My cheeks begin to heat
I’m always thinking of you
Even when I sleep
There’s only one balm for this illness,
The honey from your lips
Hold my hand now darlin’
We both know what this is
Can we stay in bed forever?
Will you kiss me back to health?
Catch this lovebug with me,
I don’t want anyone else
You’ve been on my mind now,
Every minute of every day
My heart keeps beating faster
So baby, what do you say?
Can we stay in bed forever?
Will you kiss me back to health?
Catch this lovebug with me,
I don’t want anyone else
You say you’re immune, but
I don’t think that’s true, and
I don’t think it’s too soon, so
Say you feel it too
I can feel your palms get sweaty
I can see the way your cheeks heat
Say you think about me,
Even when you sleep
We’ll stay in bed forever
Kiss until we’re cured
We’ve got the love bug baby
I hope they never find the cure
I’m frozen. Completely unable to do anything as applause and cheers sound around me.
The fact that this tattooed, pierced, long haired, cinnamon roll of a man wrote a soft, romantic love song for me? Makes me feel so many things.
First, it makes my heart burst, it feels like it’s literally going to beat out of my chest in equal parts anticipation, joy, and anxiety.
Second, it makes me laugh remembering the night that inspired this song.
Third, it makes me extremely aroused. I’ve been trying to subtly squeeze my thighs together the entire time he’s been on stage because watching his fingers move across the fretboard and his forearms flex with movement? Uggggh.
Panty melting.
What a combo to feel so fucking aroused and so touched you’re almost in tears.
“What did you think of the song, Elli?” Matt says, bringing my attention to him as Wes says some final thank yous and exits the stage.
“I loved it. Did you guys know? That he wrote a song for me?” I look around the table, and everyone nods enthusiastically.
“Well, you must be the lucky lady Westley wrote that song about.” Says an older woman, who looks vaguely familiar. She has curly brown hair streaked with gray and pinned back to one side, and brown eyes.
“I-I guess so?”
“Sorry, how rude of me. I’m Jess. Luke’s mom, Wes’s…aunt?” She says, extending her hand.
“Oh! Hi, I’m Elli. Izzy’s sister.” I shake her hand and she gives me a small smile.
“Izzy’s good for Luke. I’m glad they found each other. Thank you for all you’ve done to help them.”
I wave her off, “Oh it’s no problem. Luke’s good for Izzy, too. He’s good to her.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Well, have a good rest of your night, maybe you can come to dinner sometime and we can get to know each other better?”
“I’d love that, Jess. Thank you. You have a good night as well.” I say.
“Meeting the parents already, Elli?” Robin teases, nudging my shoulder.
I roll my eyes, “No. I do think it’s good that I’ve finally met Luke’s mom though! She seems nice.”
“She’s the best.” Wes’s voice says from behind me.
“Wes! You were amazing!” I squeal, throwing my arms around his neck before I can overthink it. “I thought your Instagram reels were good, but they don’t even compare to live.”
His strong arms wrap around my waist with no hesitation and he squeezes me before pulling back to give me a panty melting smirk. “You been stalking me, Elli?”
My cheeks flush in embarrassment, but Wes just chuckles and squeezes my hip. He leans in so his lips nearly brush my ear. “Let me say goodbye to these knuckleheads and then I’m taking you home. Deal? I think we have some very important things to talk about.”
I shiver, and nod my head in agreement. I think he’s going to step away from me to say goodbye, but he keeps a hand on my hip as he fist bumps and hugs everyone else, accepting their praise and compliments, before saying goodbye.
Robin and Sav give me hugs goodbye, and Robin whispers “good luck” to me before she pulls away.
Wes grabs my hand and gently guides me to the back door of the bar and out the door into the humid Texas summer air. As soon as the door shuts behind us, giving us privacy, I pull him to a stop so he’s facing me. “Wes. Was that song really about me?”
He steps forward, closing the distance between us so our chests are touching and I have to tilt my head up to look him in the eye. “Yes, Elli. I’ve spent the last four days writing songs about you. That one was just the one I wrote first.”
“Did you… did you mean it?” I whisper.
Wes tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, leaving his warm palm on my cheek, his thumb brushing back and forth gently.
“You have no idea how much I meant every fucking word Elli. You’re like the first flower of spring breaking through the snow.
It’s like my heart was barely beating until I met you and you brought me back to life. ”
My lips part with a gasp, unsure what to say to that. He stares at me a little longer, leans in and kisses me on the forehead. Then pulls away, intertwining our fingers again, and leading me to his car.
He opens the passenger side door for me, but before I can get in, he leans forward and says, “I will kiss you Elli. But not until I know for sure where you stand. So we’re going to go to your place and talk, but know that I’ll be thinking about your lips and what they’ll feel like the entire time.”
Another shiver works its way down my spine before I get in the car and he closes the door.
It’s like the sweet, shy, quiet Wes I know is meshing with this dominating, confident Wes that knows what he wants.
I just can’t believe he wants me.