Page 70 of Save Your Breath

“You two, stay out here,” I said, sliding the glass door open and plopping Mia down in one of my cushioned chairs. “Check your phones or take a nap or whatever you want. I’ll pick out the ring.”

“But—”

“Hey, it doesn’t really matter, right?” I asked Mia. “If it’s not real?”

She blinked several times, opening her mouth and shutting it again. “I… I guess not.”

“Then let me do it. It’ll be a fun surprise. Besides, you make decisions all day, every day. Let me take this one off your plate.”

I held back the fact that I really did want to surprise her, to shop those rings as if I had an actual shot in hell of her ever saying yes to marrying me.

I wondered if I could pick out the right one, if I could open that box tomorrow when I was on one knee and elicit a genuine gasp of a reaction from her. I remembered a lot about the jewelry she wore in high school, and even looking at her when she got all dolled up for show appearances or live performances, I could tellwhat she’d picked out, what was her choice versus the choice of her team.

I didn’t miss the bit of relief that came from Mia’s sigh as she conceded, and I knew then that I’d been right.

Even if it was fake, she didn’t want to pick out her own wedding ring. It took the magic out of it all, and if I knew one thing about Mia, it was that she loved to hold onto the magic life had to offer.

“Okay,” she said. Her little finger snapped up to point into my chest next. “Butdon’tbe a funny guy about it, okay? I swear to the Beatles, if you get some unicorn-looking gargantuan thing—”

“So pink, purple, large…”

She smacked my arm. “Aleks.”

“Mm, I love when you say my name like that, like you’re not sure if you want to kill me or kiss me.”

Isabella snorted a laugh as Mia narrowed her eyes at me. Then, she was kicking my butt with her bare foot, ushering me inside. “Go before I change my mind.”

I was still smirking when I ducked back into my condo to rejoin Mr. Bachman.

And after just a few more minutes of browsing, I knew exactly which ring to pick.

• • •

Isabella excused herself shortly after Mr. Bachman rolled up what rings Ididn’tpurchase and went on his merry way. She was delighted, showing us the photos that were already circulating and the videos from fans losing their ever-loving minds with what it meant.

She particularly loved an edit that was made to one of Mia’s newer songs from the album about leaving her window open for the right man, knowing he’d come one day. The video wasa montage of photos and videos of us over the years, including one from when we were kids. I was pretty sure they only got that one because Mia had posted it on her Instagram before she was discovered. It had one of the old filters on it, the two of us leaning in for a selfie.

Mia smiled brilliantly while I barely crooked a grin, but I remembered that photo. I remembered how I felt in that moment, just days before our graduation, knowing we were about to go our separate ways.

When Isabella was gone, it was just me and Mia in my condo, the silence falling over us as soon as my front door snicked shut.

I slid my hands into my pockets, turning to find Mia typing away on her phone. When she looked up at me, she let out a long sigh and shrugged on a smile. “Well, mission accomplished, I guess.”

“I don’t think you can say that until after tomorrow.”

She tilted her head side to side, still smiling. But then, her lips evened, her brows folding over her sharp blue eyes. “You’re sure you’re okay with all this?”

“A little late to back out now, don’t you think?”

“It’s never too late, if you want out.”

I thought I heard a touch of vulnerability in her voice when she said that, and I knew why.

Her album had blown up. It was breaking records evenshedidn’t expect. And this one was real to her, it was close to her heart.

A big part of her still wondered if Garrett and the other critics could take that from her.

“Hey, I’m not stopping until I play my big bad wolf part and send you riding off into the sunset of the most successful music tour of all time.”