Say Yes (Nostalgic Summer Romance)

“So you’ll be speaking Italian soon?”

“I wish,” I said on a snort, and then after another gargantuan bite was in my mouth, I nodded at Liam. “What about you? Where did you grow up?”

Liam stopped mid-bite, his face expressionless. “Connecticut,” he finally answered.

And that was all he answered.

“I’ve never been.”

Liam shrugged, finishing the last of his sandwich before he chucked the wrapping in the trash can. “Not much to see. I’m going to find a restroom. Be right back.”

He was up and halfway down the bridge before I could swallow and acknowledge his declaration, and I could sense the sour shift in his mood. I frowned, eating the rest of my sandwich and wondering if I’d said something wrong. But all I’d asked was where he was from, the same question he’d asked me.

I still hadn’t figured it out when Liam returned, but when he did, he wore a smile again, and it was as if the whole thing never happened.

“You finished?” he asked, nodding at what little was left of my sandwich.

“I think if I eat another bite, I’ll burst,” I said, patting my belly. I frowned. “You never did tell me what this is.”

Liam smirked. “Cow stomach.”

I blanched. “What?!”

He laughed, gathering my trash and throwing it away for me. “If I would have told you beforehand, you wouldn’t have tried it, would you?”

“Definitely not.”

“And did you like it?”

I sighed. “Yes. I did.”

“Don’t you love yes night?” Liam asked with a satisfied smile.

“Not as much as you love being right.”

“It really is my favorite thing.”

I stood on a chuckle, as ready as I could be for whatever came next. But before we could even take one step, an older man approached us.

“Excuse me,” he said in perfect English. “I’m sorry to interrupt, and this is going to sound strange, but… well… I bought tickets to the Dave Matthews concert at Tenax for me and my daughter. She’s your age,” he added with a smile. “Alas, she’s not feeling well and is recovering in our hotel. And if I’m being honest, this band isn’t really my taste of music.”

He smiled, shifting nervously.

“I was wondering if maybe you two would like the tickets? An unexpected date night, perhaps?”

“Oh, we’re not—” I tried to say, my cheeks aflame with the insinuation, but Liam interrupted my correction.

“How much?”

“I don’t expect you to pay for them,” the man said hurriedly. “I would just love them not to go to waste. And for someone who would enjoy the show to get to attend, as opposed to an old man stuck in the 70s.”

“Hey, that’s a great decade to be stuck in,” Liam joked. He looked at me then, arching a brow. “What do you say, babe? Up for a concert?”

I fought back a smile, shaking my head at how he was playing along like we were a couple. But then Liam gave me a look, the look, the one that said hey, it’s yes night, and if you want to loosen up and live a little, here’s your chance.

I smiled at him first and then at the older gentleman. “Absolutely. And thank you, this is so kind of you.”

The man beamed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two tickets before handing them to Liam. “It’s my sincere pleasure. The show started about an hour ago, but there was an opener, I believe, and you know bands never start on time, anyway.”

“We’ll soak up whatever we can,” Liam assured him. “Thank you again.”

“You kids have fun,” the man said with a wave.

And then for good measure, Liam threw his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go dance.”

The giggle that came from me was unlike any noise I’d ever made in my life. I wasn’t sure it belonged to me at all. But it wasn’t fake, and neither was the crimson flush that found my cheeks and neck once we waved goodbye to the man and turned to walk in the direction of the club.

“Yes night just got a whole lot more interesting,” Liam said when we were off the bridge, withdrawing his arm from around my shoulder and offering me a grin.

“Yeah,” I said on a breath, and when he looked away, my fingers traced the warm spot where his lips had pressed against my cheek. “It sure did.”

I was a sweat-soaked mess by the time we left the Tenax club two hours later.

We’d crammed into the already-packed venue just as Dave Matthews was taking the stage, and to my horror, Liam had pushed us up to the very front, thanks mostly to him claiming to everyone we passed that we’d gone to the restroom and our friends were at the front.

Once we got past the grumbling concert-goers, we were close enough to the stage to see the setlist taped on the floor in front of each member of the band.