AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s all over the Internet,” Stephen said as he steamed milk for my latte. He made his voice serious and announcer-like as he said, “Callum Jones breaks away from the Horizon!”
“The video already has like a million views on YouTube.”
“Did he really announce that?” I asked, still running through the concert in my head. I knew he premiered some new music, but he never talked about leaving his band.
“It was sort of implied, wasn’t it?” Maura asked. “Callum Jones books a show in his hometown without his band? And then premieres a whole bunch of new music? Just him and his guitar! It was pretty magical.”
Yes, the concert had been magical. And the events after the concert had been pretty exciting as well … I pushed images of Callum’s dressing room aside. As much as I had enjoyed it, I wouldn’t let it happen again. Callum wasn’t here for long. And if he really was breaking out on his own, he would soon be busy with TV appearances and interviews all over the country.
“I didn’t know it was such a big deal,” I said, taking the cup Stephen handed to me.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “The world’s going crazy over it. It’s a whole new era for Callum Jones!”
“Speaking of!” Maura squealed, sending her eyes to the door of the cafe. I turned to see the very man they had been talking about waltzing through the door.
“Look who it is!” Stephen said as customers at the cafe looked up. I saw people whispering to each other and Callum’s name buzzed around the room.
“Welcome to The Cozy Mug!” Stephen called out, and Callum’s eyes darted to the counter where they instantly locked with mine.
“Hey there,” I said. There was no way to avoid an interaction. Unless I wanted to run behind the counter and hope for a back door, I was stuck in the small space with him.
“Darcy,” he said. He sounded surprised, and maybe a bit nervous to find me here.
“What can I get you?” Stephen asked eagerly.
Maura elbowed him in the side.
“Relax,” she whispered, though Callum and I could hear them. “We don’t need to scare away the only celebrity who’s come through those doors.”
“Just a coffee,” Callum told them, smiling. He turned back to me. “I was out for a walk. When I saw the cafe, I figured a bit more caffeine could serve me well.”
It was like he was apologizing, trying to make it clear he hadn’t come here to seek me out.
“Not much sleep?” I asked, but all at once I realized my mistake. I knew this question would send Callum’s mind directly back to our time in the dressing room last night, as it did for me. I had been eager to make casual conversation, hoping to maintain distance between us. Instead, images of Callum standing naked in front of me now flooded into my head.
“You could say that,” Callum said, his eyes dark as they scanned my face. I looked away. I needed to get out of there. I couldn’t stand in front of him, thinking of all the ways he had touched me last night. It would only make me want more.
“Here you go.” Stephen handed Callum’s coffee across the table. When Callum tried to pay, Maura stepped in.
“It’s on the house!” she said. She scanned the customers at the tables, many of them with phones carefully posed in Callum’s direction. “The publicity’s bound to bring us some business!”
I didn’t miss the slight wince on Callum’s face, the way his shoulders dropped. Was he upset about the attention? For someone with so many pictures on the Internet, I didn’t expect him to be shy.
“You should tell them to tag the place in their posts,” Callum said.
He looked back at me as I eyed the door, desperate to excuse myself.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked.
I wanted to say no. If we had been alone, I might have. But Maura and Stephen were watching us, listening to every word. I couldn’t start any town rumors that I was rude to the great Callum Jones.
“Alright,” I said.
“Outside?” I caught the way Callum’s eyes scanned the room again, very aware of the attention his presence was getting.
I nodded and made my way to the door. I saw Callum drop money in the tip jar on the counter before he followed me out. Without speaking, I crossed the street to the park. Callum didn’t seem in the mood to run into many people today, and I knew the park would be quiet at this mid-morning hour.
“Sounds like there’s a lot of buzz about you this morning,” I mused.
