Heart Shaped Spotlight

Then I looked up to the brightly lit stage area just as Nate’s head turned and his stunning eyes met mine. His gentle smile looked relaxed, but I knew those eyes. He was absolutely delighted.

Fear flooded me as I wondered what he was going to do. But he just gave a nearly imperceptible nod as Rosie introduced him.

“Today on Hum 103.1 we have the latest Love Rocker winner, Nate Roberts in the studio with us. Nate, the contest just finished two days ago. How are you handling everything so far?”

Nate smiled at her, then his eyes flicked to me. “I am absolutely wonderful, thanks.”

Chapter Eight ~ Nate

* Interview *

It was her.

It was my Trisha.

A rush of heat flashed through me. My fingers began quivering, and I felt revved up as if I had just eaten a bowl of candy and slammed three coffees.

It was really her.

From the second I walked into this strange indie radio station, I'd been checking every corner for her. Now that I realized she was in the room with me, my heart couldn't seem to find a consistent rhythm.

The tiny corner of my brain that was able to remain professional answered Rosie’s questions about the excitement of the contest, how wonderful the other competitors were, and whether I knew from the start I was going to win.

I had to refocus and laugh at that. "One thing that I learned with my previous band is that you can never please everyone," I said. "I had no idea what the judges were looking for. It could have been anybody's game."

"Tell us a little about your old band,” Rosie said, batting her eyelashes at me. "They were called Violet Circles, right?"

“Yeah, it was a great project. We produced one album, and had countless amazing shows. But people sort of thought we were another party rock band, and I need to be something more."

"Why did the band break up?" she asked.

I couldn't help wondering if she would be so flippant about asking people about other intensely personal relationships. Yet that seemed to be considered news these days.

"It was just our time, I guess," I shrugged. “The drummer was going to university, and everyone suddenly realized we needed to move on." She seemed to react well to my biggest grin. "It's nobody's fault of course," I said, my eyes flashing for a split second to the darkened corner.

"Yes, sometimes these things just happen," Rosie agreed. "So tell us about the new band."

Another wave of energy surged through me from knowing Trisha was in the room. I was going to find a way to talk to her in just a few minutes. Dave and I had tried to train my fidgety nature to calm itself during interviews so that I didn’t look mental, but it was extra tricky at the moment.

"It's a truly amazing group of people," I said. “Hemlock and Emeralds is the team I've been dreaming of since I first picked up a guitar. We're still figuring out a few details, but it's all coming together really well."

"Well, the promotion from your big win certainly can't hurt," Rosie giggled.

“I hope so. I guess that's the main reason I went on the show in the first place."

"What about your long lost girl?" she asked.

I chuckled, trying desperately to seem casual as I glanced around the room. Poor Trisha was peeping over her monitors, and looked frozen, as if she were holding her breath. It almost looked like she was trying not to cry.

I shrugged. “I have some leads, so I’m hoping I can chat with her soon. She’s a very private person, and it was a truly tasteless move on my part to mention her on TV at all.” I flashed Rosie the smile that tended to help me change the subject. “Love songs are based on the most dramatic moments, but real life is sometimes quite different. My band’s upcoming album is going to be focused more on stories of literature, movies, and other media.”

“Interesting,” she nodded, leaning closer. “Do you have a title yet?”

I battled through the same questions I was always asked, trying to put a slightly different spin on them, and mentioning my hometown of Toronto as much as possible. When I finally dared to glance at Trisha again, she seemed to be breathing more normally.

The interview wrapped up, and Dave gave me his nod of approval. The host and station manager disappeared as if they didn’t want to seem clingy.

I did my usual circle of the room, thanking the camera guy, and one of the assistants. Then I carefully made my way to the back corner.