"Hey everybody, just wanted to stop in and do one song for ya guys," Luke Bryan says.
Hazel's eyes grow wide, and then she turns to me. "That's Luke Fucking Bryan. I must be dreaming. No way he is here right now."
I pinch her. "He's here. Stop being a psycho groupie."
She stands up and yells, "I love you."
Everyone laughs, and he starts to sing one of his best hits. I don't recognize the song, but I am not someone who listens to music all the time either. Hazel seems to know it and I watch her idolize over him for about three minutes until the song is over.
"Thanks for listening. Have a good night everybody."
What are the chances that he would walk into this place out of everything in Nashville and just play a song? Hazel is one lucky girl.
"Here's your steaks," the waitress says, and then asks us to cut them to make sure they are cooked right.
"Perfection. Thank you."
We practically eat our food without chewing it seems like because within fifteen-minutes we are full and fat. Hell, I don't think I've ever eaten so fast in my life.
"I'm almost reconsidering going anywhere else. Pretty sure I just gained like ten pounds," Hazel says.
I jokingly tell her she's still the most stunning woman in the room. These little things I am getting to experience with her means a lot. Sometimes, people get caught up in the big things and forget about all the small things that give us joy, like enjoying a nice dinner with someone you love. Or, watching her fan-girl over a famous country artist while on a date with you. Sure, I could get jealous, but I'm the one she's going home with tonight.
The waitress brings the check, and I hand her my debit card before she even sits the billfold on the table. "Thank you."
"So, what's next?" I ask.
"Country Music Hall of Fame?" she says, her shoulders going up.
She's so cute, and I know she's scared that I'm going to go say no. And I could, but who knows when she is going to get another opportunity to come here, so I pull myself together, and will find somewhere that sells coffee. I'm not going to keep her from doing anything.
The waitress brings back the check, I leave a thirty-dollar tip, and we head out onto the street toward the Museum, which conveniently has a Starbucks on the corner. It's like they know me so well. I ask her to wait while I grab a cup before we head in. If I didn't get some good caffeine in my system, I'm not going to last much longer.
The line is about six deep to order, and so instead, I pull up their app and do a mobile order, hoping it will be faster than waiting in line. I go basic with some regular coffee plus cream and sugar. It takes about five-minutes for them to call my name, and I run out of there to find Hazel. She is standing in front of a store window, eyeing a dress.
"If you want it, just go buy it."
"It's not that simple. It's like thirty-five hundred dollars. Maybe someday," she says.
My first thought is to walk inside and buy it for her, but with things going with moving, and Jake coming into my life, I should save my money since I don't know when I will be getting a call back on a job. Normally, I wouldn't even think about stuff like that, but I must now.
She takes my hand, and buys the entrance passes to the museum. I won't say I love country music, but I'll listen to it if it's playing. This is more for her, but I'll make sure to show some enjoyment throughout the place. It's huge, and has halls and halls of famous country artists that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Many of which I've never heard of. Hazel is so excited every time we walk into a new room, almost fan-girling about everyone. She's so cute like this.
"You know, if I had known this would get you hot and bothered, we'd have come here a long time ago," I say.
"Haha. So funny."
We continue dipping in and out of halls until around an hour had passed, and we are at the end of the museum. She seems bummed, but I'm overjoyed at the thought of shutting my eyes for more than a few minutes. We walk out of the museum and head back to the hotel room. Hazel snuggles up next to me once inside, and its light out for us.
***
After being scaredawake by my alarm, we have been on the road all day, and only have ten minutes until we hit Cambridge. The traffic hasn't been obnoxious thus far, and hoping it continues that way. We found some new artists to binge like Green Day, Blink 182, and Journey. They keep us company all the way to Hazels' house. God does it feel good to finally be able to get out of the truck. My legs feel like putty.
"It felt like we were never going to make it."
Obviously, I know, I'll be staying in the guest bedroom, and I don't mind. The last thing we need to do is be stuck in the same room as each other twenty-four-seven. I don't want to become a mooch and have her get sick of me or anything.
I leave all my boxes in the truck, and only grab our luggage to drag inside, and then up the staircase. Hers is dropped off in the master bedroom, and then I roll mine to the guest one. I don't even wait to see if she needs anything, instead I turn off the light, take off my pants, and slide under the covers. It's been a long ass day and I don't have much energy for anything right now.