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When the intro finishes, Serena and Derek begin to sing. They look so perfect together. He’s wearing a matching black ensemble and moving closer and closer to her. I’ve seen them sing together before, on YouTube. I know this is part of it, but it stings all the same. The crowd goes crazy, and Serena plays into it, running her hands on his body.
He lets her, of course.
I die inside a little bit as I watch it. Emma is lost in the performance, dancing around and screaming. Derek gets so close to Serena; their bodies are practically welded together. I decide to turn my attention to Aiden. He looks so happy playing his guitar and bopping along to the beat that Brent is providing. It’s actually great that she included the whole band in the song. She could have used her own. I wonder if that was part of the deal Derek struck. I make a mental note to ask Aiden later.
“Your brother is so fucking hot!” Emma yells in my direction.
I make a face and turn my attention back to the performance.
When the song ends, Serena and Derek both take a bow.
“Alright, since the guys of Crave were so nice to come out here and sing this song with me, I thought I would let them sing two of their own songs. Would you all like that?”
The crowd goes wild. I join in because yes, I want to hear them sing some more, especially if Serena won’t be a part of it.
“Take it away, Crave,” she yells, backing up to stand on the side of the stage. She doesn’t leave it, but she’s just far enough away to let them take center stage.
The boys play “The Cure, and we all dance along. And then I hear the cords for the song Derek was singing last night. The one that made me think he was singing right to me. I get warm all over, and Emma bumps me with her hip.
Derek begins singing, scanning the audience. I wave my arms in excitement, hoping he finds me. Once he does, he sings the words to me, and I melt inside, getting lost in his voice. I feel like he could have written it for me, because it’s about a girl who truly sees a man in a way that no one else does. And I think it’s almost a perfect fit for us.
But the moment is ruined when Serena comes over as the song finishes and kisses him right on the lips.
It shatters me. I stand there dumbfounded. He puts his arm around her and squeezes her to him. The crowd goes wild, and I die inside.
“Fuck me, Aud. I’m sorry,” Emma says.
But I don’t respond. I just stand there watching them. Derek is smiling at her, like he welcomed the kiss.
“Thank you everyone for a great night,” Derek tells the crowd, then he turns to Serena. “See you backstage.”
The words are like a gut punch as I watch Crave leave the stage. I don’t register anything that happens for the rest of the concert. I just stand there in my own world while Serena finishes her show.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The surly security guard comes back for us and leads us backstage. I don’t even want to go back there. I don’t want to see Serena and Derek together. I just want to go home. But the boys are our ride home, so I have to. Plus, Aiden would think it was strange if I avoided going back to see him. I know he’ll be excited to see me. I just know that I don’t want to see Derek. I want to punch his stupid face instead.
We’re led back into a room that smells like sweat and smoke. A few of Serena’s band members are smoking. There are bottles of alcohol being passed around, and I immediately wanna grab one and chug it down. I see one that looks like the bottle Derek brought for us the night in the lifeguard stand. I want to chug that bottle. I head straight for it.
Aiden intercepts me on my way to it. “Hey, what did you guys think?”
He’s so excited and I feel like an ass for having my own personal crisis right now. The guys are hyped. The show, while shorter for them, went so well. I can’t bear to bring him down now. “It went great, Aiden. I’m so proud of you. You were incredible.”
“Thank you.” He picks me up and spins me around in a hug. I’m laughing by the time he puts me down. “Emma!” he calls, placing me down and picking her up.
His excitement and laughter are contagious as he hugs Emma and spins her around in his arms too. She’s grinning from ear to ear, looking like she hopes he never puts her down.
Brent makes his way over, and there are more congratulations and hugs given to him as well. I look over and see that Derek is standing by Serena’s side. His arm is around her waist, gripping her hip. I look away the second he catches me watching them.
Derek doesn’t come over to us. He just stays with Serena while all of her handlers come in and out of the room. There are a few fans that got a backstage meet and greet after the show. She’s asked Derek to be a part of it. There are times when he calls the guys over for a group picture. To her credit, Serena obliges every fan request for a photo with Crave, never seeming to mind the attention the guys are receiving from her fans.
A giant table of food is set up in the center of the room. I make my way over to it. I’m starving and it looks like it has some tacos, nachos, fruit, and drinks all over it. I need a drink, that’s for sure, but I also need something in my stomach, so I don’t make an ass out of myself. Like start crying uncontrollably because Derek hasn’t stopped touching Serena since they got backstage.
I take a plate and start putting a few of the nacho chips and fixings onto the plate. My stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t really eaten too much today, so I grab a few strawberries and a seltzer, then turn to make my way back to Emma. But I’m blocked.
Serena is standing right in front of me.
“Hi,” I stammer out.
