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A low growl left Jareth’s mouth before I could respond.
I touched the back of his hand that rested on the bar. “We haven’t talked about it yet.” I had such mixed feelings when Avery Wolfe texted me an update this morning.
When I pushed and asked why everything had taken so long she finally admitted that Jareth had authorized upgrades to the house. Another thing he and I needed to discuss. Fear skittered through me, twisting my stomach in knots. While slightly irrational I worried that if I moved back to my own place our relationship would change and not for the better.
Niki shook her head and placed a bottle of water on the counter in front of me. “It’s almost time for you to get up there.”
I grabbed it, knowing I’d chug most of it before I got on stage. In the seconds before I started, I alternated between my mouth being super dry and wanting to dry heave, but once I was up there and in the zone, I was fine.
“Break a leg, Sunshine.” Jareth brushed a lock of hair back. The light touch allowed me to push away the turmoil racing through my mind.
I pursed my lips. “So you already knew I did this?”
The smile on his face dropped. “I did.”
“I thought I was going to share something special with you, but… ” It shouldn’t disappoint me that he’d been here for one of my performances, but it did. I had wanted to see his face when I got up on stage for the first time. To see his genuine reaction.
He dug his fingers into my hips to draw me closer to him. “Last time you had no idea I was in the audience. Tonight will be like the first time I’m seeing you on stage. When I was here before I was too full of rage and jealousy to fully appreciate how amazing you were. Today though, I’ll get to see you shine. I’ll be your number one fan. Okay?”
I tilted my head to the side. “Okay.”
He lifted his hand and rubbed his thumb across my cheek. “I can’t wait to see how you wow the crowd.”
I smiled and lifted my chin. “Good luck kiss?”
“Yes to the kiss.” He pressed his lips to mine in a light gentle kiss. “But no to the luck. You don’t need it.”
The person currently on stage was finishing up their last song and I needed to hurry so I could prepare for my time slot. I patted the lapel of Jareth’s suit jacket and swung my gaze to Niki. “You two get along while I’m up there.”
Jareth grunted, and Niki didn’t look like she was going to go above and beyond to make that happen. I shook my head, knowing they’d need to work it out and that Niki would grill me later.
I pecked Jareth’s lips and put the weirdness between Niki and him out of my mind. I needed to get in the zone. I waved to the other singers waiting their turn backstage as I dropped off my coat and purse in the small green room first before handing the sheet music to the pianist who was waiting for the next person to begin. Then I hurried back to run through my warm-up exercises. Many were ones I’d used throughout my childhood. The second Gran heard me sing, she enrolled me in voice lessons. First, I started out in a group class, but as I surpassed the other students, my teacher recommended private classes.
“Hey you. It’s time,” Lacey called out from the doorway.
I abruptly stopped and ran to her. “I missed you!”
She grunted when my body slammed into her and I threw my arms around her for a big hug. “I missed you too. I can’t wait to hear about Bali.”
“Speaking of Jareth. Did you know that… ” I trailed off.
“That Jareth was the guy here that night? No way.” Niki must have jetted to the kitchen the second I left.
“I really wish I’d come out that night and saw him now.” Lacey grinned.
“He thought I had a date,” I explained.
She chuckled. “Oh I’ve heard about his stalking. I’m not going to lie. I’d have loved to see a jealous Jareth. He’s always so formal. So austere. Like he hides all his emotions.”
“He’s not really like that.” I wasn’t sure if Jareth would ever show what I liked to think of as his true personality to anyone but me.
“Maybe with you he’s not, but to the rest of us, we should be grateful in his presence.” Lacey was exaggerating, but not by much. Jareth’s demeanor was not open and friendly on a good day.
The alarm on my phone went off, reminding me it was time to get on stage. I turned it off.
“We’ll finish this conversation later. I need all the details about Bali. I’m guessing that you and he… ”
Heat raced across my face. “Yeah.”
