Playing (Inked Hearts 2)

"Not a thing." She smiles as she plays with her seatbelt. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere you love."

"Which is..."

I put the car in park and pull onto the street. "A surprise."

Kaylee's laugh fills the car. "How long will it take to get there."

"Depends on traffic."

"Hmm. That's not the best hint."

"What if I tell you something else?"

"If it's something good."

"I got tickets to a show."

"Oh, tell me, Brendon the name dropper. Who are we going to see?"

"Hey, if you don't want backstage passes—"

Her eyes light up. "Really?"

"And I'm the celebrity obsessed one?"

She nods.

"Dangerous Noise."

"What?" Her eyes go wide. Her jaw drops. She stammers something incomprehensible.

Kay is actually speechless.

Fuck, it's adorable.

Slowly, she presses her lips together. Nods. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Her voice jumps higher than I've ever heard it. "Me, you, and Em?"

"If it works for her schedule."

"That's so... Oh my God. I can't even... When?"

"In a few weeks."

She nods. "I just... I need to get tickets to Jersey. So I'll make sure it's not the same dates. You can tell me when I buy them. Tonight, I think."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No. This is good. And we... you... I want to think about happy things for a while."

I want to ask about her Grandma. To know how that's going. To help her work through all the messy shit in her head.

But this is good.