Page 189 of Next to Everything We Wanted

When we arrived at his apartment complex and walked up the stairs, Gavin faced me. “Can you pretend that you’ve never been here before? To make it feel like your real first visit?”

I blinked, feigning confusion. “I’ve been here before?”

He chuckled, a beautiful sound that made my stomach flip. He unlocked and opened the door, revealing a small hallway with wood floors. I took in the clean smell, pretending that I was there for the first time. It definitely didn’t smell like three guys lived here.

Gavin led me into the living space, where a blue sectional couch and wood dining table sat. The small kitchen had wood counters with a marble finish on top, having ample counter space. A bookshelf sat on the same wall as the balcony. Everything was put in its place, except for a few cups in the sink.

“This is so cute,” I said, squeezing Gavin’s hand. It fit so perfectly in mine. “I thought a place full of guys would look like a trainwreck.”

Gavin laughed. “I told you we take care of the place.”

“Can we go out on the balcony?”

He nodded, and I followed him onto the balcony. The evening breeze greeted us, nearly making me shiver. Or maybe the chills were from the excitement of being here.

Gavin turned on the lights, and we sat in two comfy chairs. “This is where I work on songwriting,” he said, locking his fingers with mine. “I love playing my guitar out here, especially during the day when nature is out.”

“It’s beautiful.” I closed my eyes, taking in the sound of crickets. “I love it.”

Gavin pressed his lips on my forehead. “Maybe we can write a song here the next time you visit. You know, if Forrest or Phoenix won’t be around to barge in on us.”

I giggled. “I doubt they’d want to see us do this.” I kissed his mouth, savoring the taste of his soft lips. He gasped as if he hadn’t expected me to kiss him, and he pressed a cool hand to my cheek. Shockwaves of heat traveled from my head to my toes, butterflies stirring in my stomach.

Gavin pulled away after a few kisses. “Let’s finish the tour before we continue.”

“Okay.” I kissed him one more time before following him inside and down the hallway.

“This is our band room,” he said, opening the last door in the hallway. “It’s supposed to be the main bedroom, but werenovated it into a band room.” He pounded on the white walls. “It’s soundproofed so we don’t annoy our neighbors.”

“This is so cool,” I murmured. The room had a drum kit, two guitars, and what looked like a recording place. “So, this is where you record your music?”

He nodded, though his face dimmed.

Oh, right, he wasn’t in a band right now.

“Hey.” I squeezed his hand. “You’ll be back in here soon.”

He gave me a smile, his eyes glistening with an emotion I couldn’t pinpoint. “Do you want to see my room? Or is that too much?”

“Not at all.” I traced the lines of his cloud tattoo. “It’s not like my dad has hidden cameras in here.”

“I’d hope he doesn’t.” He chuckled before leading me to his room.

The room was tidy. A desk and guitar rested against one of the poster-covered blue walls. A brown teddy bear sat in a chair, holding what looked like a journal. I smiled at it. And gosh, his room smelled just like the beach. Just like him.

“I love it,” I breathed, taking in the place. I grinned at a selfie of us at the Whiteout concert, sitting in a blue frame on his nightstand. We’d taken it minutes before our first kiss, not knowing what was ahead of us. “How long have you had that?”

Gavin beamed, turning on the CD I’d given him. “I just put it up.” He looked into my eyes, his blue ones sparkling. “I want to see you smile like this whenever I wake up.”

My heart hummed in my chest. “Good.”

He sat on his bed, looking at the painting of a beach that stood behind it. “This is what the tattoo on my back looks like,” he told me, nodding to the painting. “I wanted something that reminded me of home.”

“I love it,” I said as I joined him on the bed. “You know, you’ve never shown me your tattoo. The one on your back.”

His lashes fluttered. “Are you trying to get me shirtless? After what your dad said?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Whichever way you want to see it.”