vibrating in his chest since we were so close. “I mean, soon they’d put two and two together and before I know it, everyone would figure out that I’m the mysterious man behind @ariannasbiggestfan and then my cover would be blown.”
I laughed. “What a tragedy that would be.”
“I have a manly image to protect.”
“Yes, you do.”
Incognito finished the second verse and started singing the bridge, which was my favorite part of the song. I just loved all the emotion he poured into the song—a story about a guy who was in love with a girl who didn’t see him the way he wanted. The unrequited love story was both heartbreaking and super swoon-worthy, because even though the guy in the song was too scared to tell the girl he was in love with about his feelings, it always sounded so romantic to think about what it would be like to have someone adore you so much that they would move heaven and earth to be with you.
As Incognito belted out the chorus in his deep, hypnotic voice, I rested my head against Cole’s chest and just soaked in this perfect moment.
Cole’s heart beat next to my ear, and the steady thumping was so comforting.
His cologne was absolutely heavenly.
I sighed. “This is nice.”
“Yes, it is.” His arms tightened around my waist as he pulled me closer into him.
I sighed again and let myself completely melt into his embrace.
It really was the perfect moment.
I was wearing the most beautiful gown and shoes I’d ever worn. My stomach was full of yummy food and wine. And I was dancing with one of the best guys I knew to my favorite singer’s melodic voice.
“Your future wife is going to be so jealous when she finds out about this amazing date,” I mused, the words coming out lazily as I felt the wine I’d drank earlier finally hitting me and taking me to a fuzzy, happy place.
“You think so?” Cole asked, his voice low against my hair.
I nodded. “So jealous.”
He smoothed his hands along my back, his fingers causing heat to spread across my skin where they touched. “Then I guess we better not tell her about this then.”
I ran my thumb and pointer finger across my lips in a zipping gesture and whispered, “It will be our little secret.”
28
Cole
I knew Arianna had had a little too much to drink when we’d been dancing for thirty-minutes and her words started slurring and her singing got worse and worse as she sang along to Incognito’s final song of the night.
“I think you’ve done a good job of letting Incognito know you enjoyed his performance,” I whispered to Arianna when her clapping and whooping had gone on for about a minute. “But it’s getting late and I think he has a plane to catch.”
“But it can’t be over already,” she whined. “It’s just getting fun.” Then she put her hands to the sides of her mouth and yelled out, “Best. Concert. Ever.” Loud enough that everyone in the kitchen could probably hear her.
Man, she was sloshed. I didn’t think she’d had that much to drink, but her extreme enthusiasm over tonight definitely showed what a lightweight she really was.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the concert,” I said, putting my arm behind her to guide her toward where Incognito and his bandmates were unplugging their guitars and equipment.
“It was amazing.” She pinched my cheeks. “You are the bestest friend I’ve ever had.”
And when she covered her mouth and started a giggling fit, I knew I’d lost her.
This was silly Arianna—while she was definitely entertaining to be around, I knew I needed to get her back home before she fell asleep in some corner.
“How about we thank Incognito for his performance and get out of here?” I put pressure on her lower back to guide her forward, fully prepared to support her whole weight if she needed me to.
She took a stumbling step forward, and that was when I realized what a hazard her heels were going to be. So I bent down on one knee and helped guide them off her feet so she could at least have somewhat solid footing. Then carrying her shoes in one hand and offering her my other arm for support, we walked over to thank the band for their performance.
“Thank you so much for coming to—” I started to tell Incognito when we reached him, but before I could finish my sentence, Arianna said, “This is my boyfriend.” She tightened her grip on