I don’t say anything because Raven takes over. “Ladies you are very observant. It is Declan Collins.”
Shrieks fill the air and the four of them crowd us. I’m very uncomfortable still sitting, so I rise bringing Raven with me. One of them tries to push her to the side, but I firmly pull her back to me.
I answer a few questions and sign whatever paper they throw in front of me, I think one was a tampon cover. With all the noise, a crowd starts to form. I thank the girls politely and slide through a hole in the pack tugging Raven along. They follow us, but we get to the side gate quickly and flash our badges. I don’t fully relax until I get to a chair in our roped off section and have Raven back in my arms.
“That was interesting.”
“You need to text Charlie to get the passes to Gabe and them. No way is either of us going back out there.”
She agrees and sends a message to Charlie. I get us a beer, and we go to the tent in the back.
“Shit!” Raven yells.
“What?”
“Those girls already started posting pictures to Facebook and the one they took of me is terrible. I’ve got to hand it to them though, one of them was able to get an angle where it looks like you had your arm around her.”
“You’re kidding right?” I look over her shoulder at her phone.
“Are you two looking at porn? If so, I wouldn’t waste your time. I heard the sounds coming through your door this morning.” Blake comes up behind us.
I punch him in the arm and watch Raven’s face turn red.
“Here are the passes, douche.” I shove the folder at him.
“Hey no need to get snippy, at least someone got laid this morning.”
It’s not funny, but I laugh anyways. He may say the most inappropriate things, but he’s still one of my best friends.
“To answer your question Blake, we were looking at Facebook. Declan was recognized in the crowd and bombarded. They’ve already tagged pictures online.” Raven tells him.
They leave to get the rest of our friends, and we find Cooper and Nate waiting in our section with several girls. I’m actually glad when Charlie and the group arrives. I wouldn’t want to leave Raven alone with them.
We look over our notes one more time and get ready to hit the stage
I pull Raven into a passionate kiss and don’t let go until someone taps on my arm. I ask Gabe to keep an eye on her and saunter out to the stage where the band is waiting. The crowd is huge, and clearly excited about Sayge. There are more people that I have ever seen crammed into the area roped off for dancing.
Our sound and energy is amped. Blake’s solo once again draws the largest response. When we’re on out last song, I look over to see Raven dancing on the side stage with her friends and Gabe and Brian watching them protectively.
We thank the crowd, and I stalk to my girl. I hand my guitar to someone in the group and pick her up, kissing her with all the energy I have. She clutches at my scalp holding me as close as she can. I forget about all that’s going on around us as we get lost in each other. She slows our kiss and pulls back.
“You need to do autographs then the blogger interview. I already told them you would be there quickly.” She says breathlessly.
“Not sure I’m ready to put you down.”
“You have to. I’ll be waiting when you get back here. Don’t forget to mention the release next week and the launch of the video. It will go on the website after the launch party. I think it would be a good idea to invite a few of the bloggers to the party.”
“Yes ma’am, anything else?” I tease her.
She shakes her head, and I put her down, ready to get this shit over with.
It takes almost an hour but we’re finally done with the after show obligations. The band goes back to our area, and Raven is missing. No one knows where she is, but Charlie mentions the bathroom. Shit! Raven and bathrooms don’t go very well together. Looking around the area for the facilities, panic sets in. I know it’s ridiculous, but I can’t stand not knowing where she is.
“Hey, calm down. I’ll go look for her. You wait here.” Harper says softly and pats my arm.
Her and Kendall disappear and come back a few minutes later with Raven laughing. Chill Declan, she was in the bathroom, I tell myself over and over.
We all head into the tent for more food and drinks and stay until the place closes down. Mike calls Raven and she gives him a play by play of the show. He makes plans to meet on Monday. Cooper gives me a look that I understand completely; we are so fucking glad she handles our calendar.