The Red Song

Chapter 13

I still have my eyes closed when I feel a warm ocean breeze coming in from my window and the sun warming up my hotel room. I've been in Miami only a few days, but this room is starting to feel a lot like home, even though I didn't really sleep here on the night before. And to have Ian Thorne sleeping by my side in my hotel bed feels... exquisite. I have a little smile on my face, until I open my eyes and realize I'm the only person in my bed. I stand up, taking a look around, trying to make my eyes focus, but there's no one in the room but me.

Perhaps he's in the bathroom again?

I get out of bed and head straight to the bathroom, but there's no one there. I take a look around the empty room in front of me and I feel my stomach turn around when I spot a note on the night stand.

The note.

I never thought I'd be this nervous to look inside of it. I mean, I should've seen it coming. But the truth is... maybe, deep in my heart, I had a feeling I wouldn't get one of these. After the week that we had... and the things he said to me last night.

Wait... He invited me to go to L.A with him. Would he just change his mind? Especially... after the night we had?

I take a deep breath and decide to finally look inside the note, with hopes the perhaps, it wasn't what I was thinking and it was what I was expecting it to be.

                                           "Sweet Ariel,

I had to go get ready for the festival.

  Soundcheck is early and I didn't want to wake you.

I can't wait to have you by my side tonight.

I'll have someone picking you up at 8 p.m. 

                              and I'll meet you there.

                                               See you soon,

                                                                Ian."

Well, this definitely wasn't what I was thinking it would be.

My heart was totally coming out of my chest before I opened it, and now, it feels like it's melting inside.

I keep forgetting how sweet he can be and keep picturing him as this total monster girl-eater. Even that awful Ariel joke was sweet.

I laugh at the thought.

But seriously, how wrong could I be? After everything that happened, the way he treated me before, the way Dominic treated Claire.

But maybe it's time to let it go and finally realize that perhaps... Ian is nothing like Dominic. Perhaps he actually feels something for me, even though I have no idea why.

Could I be that lucky?

And... it's actually this even luck?

Argh.

You know what? I'm gonna stop overthinking all of this. I gave him a chance and he's done nothing but prove that I wasn't wrong by doing it.

Maybe it's time to accept that this really sweet, funny... and extremely hot... guy might actually like me.