Kate walks over and takes my hand. “You do deserve it, El. Just… just don’t expect much. I haven’t seen the guys a lot, but they’ve changed. It’s different here, they’re different.” She frowns at the thought.
I snatch my hand back from hers. “I’m not expecting anything, Kate. And after everything I’ve been through, I can handle it, so don’t worry about me.”
I’m certain she sees right through my false bravado, but she lets it go, grinning instead. “Then get prettied up, gorgeous. We have to get moving if we’re going to catch the show.” I can see the smile on her face, but the lump that forms in my throat warns me that her smile is a front that she’s putting up for my sake.
* * *
I follow Kate out of the taxi and gasp at the line that wraps around the side of the club. “Holy crap! We have to wait in that?” I point at the crowd of people. “We’ll never get in.”
Kate smirks and takes my hand, yanking me towards the burly bouncer in a tight black shirt. She confidently approaches him as he gives her the once over and lifts an eyebrow at us.
“We’re on the VIP list, under Davies,” she says confidently, not caring one bit that the people in line are glaring at us, if not wishing us dead for skipping the enormous queue.
He frowns and checks his clipboard. “Alright.” The big man unhooks the rope and allows us to enter.
Kate never lets go of my hand as she tows me through the crowded club, weaving towards the bar. “See,” she says, “it pays to know someone. They didn’t even check our ID’s, if
they did, we’d be out of luck getting in. You have to be twenty-one to drink in the U.S.”
“You didn’t mention that you still spoke to Dax.”
“Didn’t I?” she says innocently.
“No.” I cross my arms over my chest, “you didn’t.”
“We’re not best mates or anything, El. We text now and then. Really, I haven’t seen him in weeks.”
“I’m not mad, I just feel left out. You get to be here with them, and I’m… ” I stop and take a deep breath, willing myself not to cry.
She puts her arm around my shoulders and squeezes, “You’re here now, and we’re going to see our guys play. Plus, Dax said some movie crew is here tonight partying and it’s a big deal or something.”
I do my best to smile and seem excited, but the nerves in my stomach are making me feel ill. “I need a drink,” I blurt out. This is exactly why I wouldn’t let her tell the guys I’m here. In case I lose my nerve and leave before I see them, which I’m dangerously close to doing.
“That’s something we can definitely remedy.” She turns and flags down the bartender, ordering vodka tonics for each of us. “Cheers!” Kate holds her drink up and we clink glasses. I finish mine way faster than I should, desperately needing my hands to stop shaking and my mind to stop racing.
“Wow!” Kate stares at my already empty glass with wide eyes. She gets me another and we mingle through the crowd, chatting and smiling at everyone. She’s braver than me, walking right up to some of the crew from the movie she said would be here, introducing us and letting them know that we’re friends with the band.
By the time the lights dim and we turn to face the stage, I’m half-pissed on vodka and having a great time. When the guys come out and take their places, I become immobile, my feet feeling as if they’re made of lead. We’re only a few meters from where the man that I love is standing, introducing himself and the other members of the band.
The music starts and Adam sings, his beautiful voice resonating through the club. The rest of the crowd vanishes and it’s only me and him, just like it was when he used to sing to me during practice at the DK, or in my bedroom after we made love and he’d whisper lyrics in my ear while I played with his soft hair.
I’m suddenly lightheaded and have to forcibly remember to breathe. My entire body vibrates from his nearness, remembering every touch, every promise ever made, every feeling he ever pulled from me with his mouth and hands.
Adam’s voice is haunting, sadder than it used to be. The words are of loss, of pain. I blink and a few tears escape, running down my cheeks before I can swipe them away.
“Here you go.” A kind man around my age with an American accent hands me a napkin to dab at my face.
I take it gratefully and give him a small smile. “Sorry, I guess the music is just really moving,” I say pathetically, not wanting to spill my guts to this handsome stranger.
“Don’t worry about it.” He nods towards the stage. “They’re good, that’s for sure. I’m Drew.” He holds out his hand and I shake it, glad that he’s not making a big deal of my stupid crying in the middle of a rock concert.
“Ellie, nice to meet you.” I look up to meet his incredible green eyes. Bloody hell but he’s good looking!
Drew’s dark eyebrows scrunch together, those sharp eyes giving me a puzzled look. “Are you friends with the band? They’re British too, aren’t they?”
He’s intelligent as well, putting that together based on my accent. “Sort of. We went to school together. Well, Adam and Dax and me, not Gavin or Hawke.”
Drew nods in understanding. He waves at a large group nearby as they shout his name. “My friends are calling me over. Have a nice time, Ellie.”