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“I guess I should get ready.” Skylar must have noticed the time as well. When her hand left Elena’s back, Elena instantly felt the coldness. She longed for a longer touch from Skylar but knew she had to keep her mind on the show.
“I’ll see you out there.”
“I look forward to it.”
Winking, Skylar tucked her hands into her pocket as she walked away. They’d all planned their entrances, with half of the band coming from each side of the stage. That meant that Elena and Skylar were on opposite sides of the stage to start. Gordon and Erica joined Elena on her side of the stage, while Michael and Andy joined Skylar.
The lights in the concert hall dimmed, and the crowd’s cheering grew louder and louder with each passing second. Elena could almost feel the excitement as she eagerly bounced on her feet. Through the opening in the curtain, Elena watched Johnny walk out to introduce them.
As he spoke, Elena’s eyes locked with Skylar’s across the stage. She couldn’t register anything Johnny was saying. Something about how excited the band was to be back together and be playing for their fans again. The parts Elena heard sounded sentimental, and she knew if she’d actually paid attention to them, she would mean them too.
But Skylar’s blue eyes were holding her captive.
Johnny introduced the band, and they all made their way out onto the stage and into their designated positions. Elena found the X marked off in painter’s tape that showed where she should stand in front of the microphone. Almost exactly five feet away was Skylar, standing at her microphone stand as Gordon counted them in for their first song.
Not only was the crowd electric but so was the chemistry radiating between Skylar and Elena. By song four, Elena was completely back into her groove with Maine Event. She was so in the groove that when Skylar closed the space between them and joined her at the microphone while they belted out “Heartless Nights,” Elena didn’t think anything about it. In fact, it wasn’t until Skylar stayed at Elena’s microphone for the next song that she wondered what she was up to.
She tried to telepathically ask Skylar as the band played the intro to the next song. Skylar winked as she joined in on her guitar as the song got started. Elena was torn between being pissed Skylar had broken the five-foot rule or that Elena wanted her to be even closer. Her mind was a jumbled mess, and it took every ounce of energy she could muster to stay focused on the words to the songs.
Their chemistry stayed palpable for the rest of the set. When the lights and curtain finally went down, Elena lingered on stage for a moment as she looked at Skylar. They were both sweating from the lights and the energy the show required, but Elena couldn’t remember a time when Skylar looked more beautiful. It was as if they’d been transported back ten years, and nothing had changed. They were still Ellie and Sky, and nothing else mattered.
Skylar set her guitar on the stand as she exited the stage. Still frozen in place, Elena watched her walk away and tried to convince herself to go after her. She could use the guise of asking her while she’d decided to change up their positions and use the same microphone.
Yeah. That would work.
Following Skylar off stage, Elena immediately ran into Johnny.
“You all were amazing.” He high-fived her as he handed her a bottle of water. “Having Skylar join you at the mic was genius. Such a callback to the old Maine Event days. I loved it. This tour is going to be great.”
Elena wasn’t in the mood to tell him she didn’t know Skylar was going to do that, but she decided against it. After all, if Johnny liked it, they would probably keep doing it. Especially since the fans seemed to love it, too.
The whole situation threw a wrench into Elena’s perfectly planned plan to stay away from Skylar. With Skylar no longer staying at her house, Elena assumed the temptation would be over. Sure, being on stage with Skylar was bound to stir up some feelings. But Elena had been resolved to ignore them. She’d naively hoped it would be easier than Skylar was making it out to be.
Sighing, Elena looked around the backstage area for Skylar. She found everyone else and decided to check the dressing room for her. Their names were scribbled on paper signs on each door, and Elena knocked twice on the one with Skylar’s name.
Skylar opened it almost immediately. She licked her lips as she looked Elena up and down.
“I figured you’d show up to yell at me.”
Elena pushed the door open and walked into the dressing room. Closing the door behind her, Skylar put her hands on her hips and shrugged.
“So, go on. Yell at me. Tell me I screwed up, and we shouldn’t have been that close together on stage.”
“We shouldn’t have been,” Elena barely managed to say with the lump in her throat. The electricity between them seemed seconds away from bursting into a firework display not seen outside of a Disney theme park.
“But?” Skylar asked, cocking her head at Elena.
“You could have at least told me you were going to do that.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because you would have talked me out of it.”
Elena knew she couldn’t protest that. That is exactly what she would have done. If for no other reason than she didn’t want to rekindle the rumors that she and Skylar were together.
But, dammit, if Elena didn’t want to rekindle their love once more.
