The Last Encore (It's Always Been You Book 1)

by Elodie Colliard

“I love you,” he said, running his hand through her hair. Her heart squeezed inside her chest like a stress ball. I love you, too. So fucking much I’m scared I won’t survive it. But all she did was kiss him, and hope with all her being that she was conveying what she couldn't yet articulate.

Aww

Josh's words were still buzzing in Avery's mind. It was true that their past, the fact that they were best friends above all else, deepened the bond they had today. There wasn't another person on this earth who knew her better than he did, who could read her as well as he could. Most of the time, she didn't even need to speak for him to already know what she was feeling, what she wanted. And Avery had been surprised at how comfortable and natural being intimate with Josh had been, when she would have thought that the years of friendship would have made it awkward.

Aww

It was as if she'd opened a door that had always been there, but that she'd never dared to step through. And now that she had, she couldn’t close it again. Josh saw her for exactly who she was, her qualities, her strengths and talents, but also her flaws, her fears, and her insecurities. And despite all that, despite the fact that he knew all those sides of her, he was still here. He helped her be who she truly was deep down, and it made her feel like she could have and do anything she wanted. She couldn't wait to get to him and wrap her arms around his neck, shower him with kisses and never let him go. To tell him that she loved him deeply, and always had. That she too saw him for who he truly was, an impossibly talented, caring, handsome and passionate man. Ecstatic, she made her way through the crowd, looking for him. She found him just outside the barn doors, one hand to his ear and the other holding his phone. He hadn't seen her coming, and when she realized he was talking to someone on the phone, she backed away slowly. She didn't want to eavesdrop on him, but the excitement in his voice was too evident to ignore.

Aww

“We're not over, baby. We can never be. As long as I’m breathing, my heart is yours. It always has been.”

Aww

But tonight, Avery realized she had been looking at it completely wrong. It wasn't that she was unlovable, it was that she wasn't worthy enough to sacrifice anything for.

So sad

“I love you. I love you like I’ve never loved anybody, and that scares the shit out of me. I’m scared to lose you, to give my all to you and lose myself along the way. I’m terrified of so many things, but I love you more than the fear that weighs on me constantly. I’m coming to LA with you. I don’t know if the company who wants to work with me has offices there, but I don’t care. I’ll start over if I have to. I need to trust in myself and my talent. And above all else, I need to trust you.”

Aww

Their love story reminded her of encores artists did during shows, leaving the stage for a while, the crowd going wild, only to come back with one final song that

would end the evening on the highest note. That’s what this was. Their last encore. One last song that would last for the rest of their lives, after an eventful, thrilling, heartbreaking show.

Aww