AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hadn’t heard from him since the night we slept together—and I kind of hated him for that. It didn’t matter that we didn’t get along or whatever it was between us…but he didn’t even check in.
That’s how a one-night stand works.
And that’s what I kept telling myself. It was the first time I had ever let myself do something so stupid, and it was showing. My emotions were a total mess.
“All right, so the camera crew wants you up front,” Melissa, my boss, said to me, catching my attention as I entered the place. “The band isn’t here yet.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“You don’t look very excited.” She furrowed her brow. “What’s up? Do you feel okay?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. It’s just been a long week. I’ll be all smiles for the camera, don’t worry.”
“Perfect.” She patted my shoulder and gestured to the very front row. “Right down there will work the best.”
I followed her instructions, joining a group of students already sitting in the front row. The place was fairly crowded, but the school had limited it to only students who were a part of the summer program. The students sat in the front section and the parents were in the back to give a more intimate experience for the kids.
Sipping on my third iced coffee for the day, I flipped down the seat of the chair and took a seat next to Aliyah. “How are you this evening?” I asked her, forcing a smile.
“Oh, I’m good,” she told me, wiggling her brows at me in a way that made me laugh. I swear, kids were the perfect solution to every shitty day I’d ever had.
“Great—”
“Good evening,” a deep voice said into a microphone, sending my head swirling all over again. I hadn’t even noticed that the band had walked on stage, and slowly I lifted my eyes to the short stage right in front of me.
And there he was.
Jackson wasn’t looking at me, but he looked as good as ever in a black Henley rolled up to his elbows and a pair of black jeans. He was in all black.
And damn, did it work for him.
He was like a moody, sexy rock star—all the things I swore I wasn’t attracted to—but my mind went wild, flashing with intimate images of the night we’d shared a little over a week ago.
Ugh.
“Are you all ready for us to put on a little show for you?”
The whole auditorium erupted with applause, but I didn’t budge. Cameras were pointed at Jackson, not me. I didn’t have to pretend to be happy to be there until there was a lens in my face, and now that I was in the middle of it…
I wasn’t sure if it was something I could fake.
Keeping my eyes down on my lap, I didn’t look up as the music began to fill the auditorium. Aliyah jumped up from her seat, like most of the other kids had, and I let out a sigh, knowing that Melissa might have my head if I didn’t join them. Slowly, I pushed myself to a standing position, wishing like hell she hadn’t put me in the front row.
My eyes floated to the kids, watching them dance to the music. They were smiling and singing along, and honestly, it was infectious.
“Isn’t it so wrong, isn’t it so wrong, for this to feel so right?” Jackson’s voice sang with the heavy chorus, and I finally got the nerve to look up again.
And this time, I was met with his intense gaze.
I swallowed hard as he sang the words again, telling myself that the song had been written long before he ever met me—and not even by him. It was written by his bandmates.
I’m just one of many one-night stands.
The thought rooted me back in reality, and I turned my attention back to the kids, ripping my eyes from his. He didn’t deserve to get the vulnerable side of me anymore—that’s what I would keep telling myself.
“Dance with me!” Aliyah grabbed my hands, jumping up and down. “Please!”
I laughed, at first shaking my head.
