Remember When...

Chapter V

You carry romance in the palm of your hand

~ Drove Me Wild (Tegan and Sara)

The first thing about her that struck me were her eyes – her brilliant, hazel eyes that were framed with thick, dark lashes. I internally gasped and my heart lifted just a teensy bit.

No freaking way . . .

Damon gave me a warm hug, in which I nearly melted. I could feel the way his shoulders moved and how his arm muscles gripped me close to him.

My god, he was a phenomenal hugger.

The beautiful girl smiled at me. “Is this the girl you’ve been talking to me about the entire time?”

Damon chuckled, and I could tell he was a little bit embarrassed. So, so adorable.

The girl laughed, which sounded like a peal of bells, and introduced herself.

“I’m Damon’s sister, Raechelle. You can call me Rae.”

She was shorter than me, had tanned skin, and the same eyes as Damon. She suddenly gripped me in a vice-like hug which led me to believe that the Saunders were generally all fantastic huggers.

I laughed, all of my silly worries disappearing into thin air. Maybe Cass was right after all.

“I trust Damon has told you all about me?” She smiled mischievously.

“Of course,” I beamed at her.

“You like adventure I’ve heard?” Her face lit up.

“Yes! I love exploring new places, and this beach is absolutely stunning. I love the little forest near the water, and I take tons of pictures there.”

She touched the camera that hung from her neck. “As you can tell, I’m a bit of a photographer.”

Just then, Damon leaned towards me. “I’m about to go on now,” he murmured, “Wish me luck.”

Then he started jumping up and down, shaking his arms and rolling his neck. He looked kind of crazy, but it added to his charm. He noticed me looking, an amused expression on my face, and he laughed along with me.

“It’s how I get ready for a performance,” he explained.

I nodded, still giggling. “I’m sure it is.”

I then pointed to our table. “If you wanna hang out with us after the performance, we’re table 2.”

“Of course we would! Right, Dames?” chimed Rae.

Aw, Dames was his nickname?

“Of course,” confirmed Damon with a smile. 

As I walked back to my seat, I heard the emcee introduce us all to the special event. He started with some comedic schtick, then Damon started.

“First off, I’ll be singing Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg. This is dedicated to a very special birthday girl.” He looked at me, and I even heard a few “awwws” in the crowd.

To add to that, Ariel was poking me in the shoulder while “oooh”-ing. My face now matched my dress as I looked down, flattered and shy from all the attention. I smiled nervously, biting my lip.

Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop? It couldn’t be . . .

I shook my head. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high. I was the kind of person who over-analyzed situations and read too much into them.