Free Lost in Us by Heidi McLaughlin

following your dreams, taking risks and getting lost in love. I have my dream job. Hadley is definitely a risk. Getting lost in love with her is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.
    “Come here,” I say as I beckon her with my finger. She stands and walks over to me. I push my chair back and place my hands on her hips. I guide her to stand in between my legs and let my hands caress the back of her thighs. “You’re dangerous for me, Hadley, but I can’t stay away. I tried. I thought if I ignored you, you’d go away, and I could just push away these feelings, act like they don’t exist, but I can’t. With that said, it scares me that after a few months, I was able to move on, or try to move on. I don’t want to feel like that.”
    “I don’t either.” Her fingers push through my hair, a feeling that I’ve missed.
    “Will you move to Boston?”
    She nods. “Yes, I will.”
    “Will you be my girlfriend? Can we date, be together and see where things lead us? I don’t want to rush into anything.”
    “I’d really like that, Ryan.”
    I stand quickly and pull her to my lips. The sensation coursing through me is new, almost as if we’ve never kissed before. I have an uncontrolled storm rolling through my body right now, and she’s the umbrella that’s going to keep me dry.
    When I pull away, I rest my forehead against hers. She’s breathing heavily, while I’m barely hanging on.
    “Sorry, I just had to know,” I whisper against her lips, unable to keep my lips off of her.
    “Know what?”
    “If you’re still the one for me.” My words linger in air as my smile grows wide, assuring her that yes, she is the one. The only one for me.
    If her smile is any indication by how happy she is, I’d say she’s on top of the moon… or charts in her case.

I t’s been six months since I moved to Boston, and I have no regrets. The spring weather quickly turned humid and at times unbearable, but I managed to get through it with my trusty air conditioner. With fall approaching, I’m seeing more and more tourists flocking to all the right locations.
    A favorite of mine is sitting on the park bench at Faneuil Hall and watching the street performers. A few times, I’ve brought my guitar and sang, but it’s not too often that I can do that unless I set up some type of security.
    The one thing I haven’t grown accustomed to is a true Bostonian accent. The words they say often result in me staring bug-eyed at them and shaking my head. There’s a group of them that sit behind Ryan and me at each ballgame. They get rowdy and sometimes throw their beers at unsuspecting Yankee fans. It’s a love/hate relationship.
    I’ve become a fan of the Renegades and while I’m still learning the game, it’s enjoyable to watch. Most importantly, it’s giving Ryan and me some much needed time to be together. My tour will start in the spring once Ryan’s back to work. We agreed that I’d tour while he’s working, only one month overseas and nothing after the month of October. I owe it to my fans, the ones I cancelled on, to finish out the tour. The press hounded me for about two weeks into my stay in Boston and I finally came clean, appearing for the first time in years without my engagement ring.
    Ryan and I opted to donate it to charity. He said if we’re to travel the path of an engagement again, he’ll get me something new, something that’s not tainted with bitterness and anger. We still live in separate apartments, and I think that’s something we needed. When we got back together six years ago, we started living together right away. No dating, no courting, just together and sharing everything. This time around, things are different, better. We talk more. We make plans to see each other. We surprise each other at work. We’re more spontaneous and not acting like we’ve been married for years.
    I’m back to writing music and recording almost daily, but only while Ryan’s at work. I’m renting a small studio near