“Only if you credit me.” I smirked.
“So, what do you say?” Grey asked. “Can I see you tomorrow?”
Grinning, I felt the last vestiges of anger fading away. “I’d be happy to go. I mean, how often do you get a backstage pass to a Dreamscape concert?”
Chapter 19
Backstage at Your Show
The next night came in the blink of an eye—partially because I was busy with end-of-semester festivities, but mostly because I was incredibly nervous. Now that Grey and I were talking to each other after our stupid stalemate of second-guessing ourselves, all the questions I’d been asking myself since the wedding were once again thrown wide open. Not to mention—and I’d only realized this after I’d had time to think about it in excruciating detail—this would be the most public display of any sort of “us” that existed at this school. Everyone we jointly knew would be there. And judging by everything Grey had told me, that likely included Carina.What will she think of my presence? Does she know about the dance or us sharing the same bed? Do I care?
By the time I was pulling my shirt over my head in view of my bedroom mirror the night of the concert, I’d decided that I didn’t care. My hair had grown during the semester, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten it cut. It was now doing the wavy thing away from my face that I’d hated as a teenager, but I was growing content with it.
Josh and Kellan weren’t at the apartment to give me shit or worry over me seeing Grey at a concert his girlfriend wouldlikely attend. I’d all but forgotten their absence until I walked out to the living room, bracing myself for the looks of concern. But they’d already gone home for the break. I would be following them to my own hometown in the morning.
The concert was my last hurrah on campus for the calendar year, and I wasn’t about to let Carina ruin that for me. Even if she technically had more claim to Grey than I did.
My phone notified me that my Uber was waiting for me, so I hurried to pull on my jacket, checked myself one last time in the mirror over the dining table, and rushed downstairs.
The drive wasn’t long—just around ten minutes. We pulled to a stop in front of the Nocturn. It was probably the largest venue Grey had performed at so far. At least it was the largest since I’d been paying attention. The music could be heard from the street as I approached the building and went to the front of the line of people waiting to get in.
I walked straight up to the bouncer as Grey had instructed me to do over text earlier in the week, and I gave him my best totally not-nervous smile. “I’m Ethan Cooper. I should be on the list?” It felt like such an odd thing to say.I should be on the list.My name had never been anywhere within a five-mile radius of a list before in my life. But the bouncer didn’t question my words, and I must’ve been on his list because, the next thing I knew, he let me into the club.
I was motioned to go down a hallway separate from the one that would let me into the Nocturn proper. Whatever song was playing had been reduced to its incessant beat. Percussion hit rhythmically all around me, rebounding off the walls in a chaotic cacophony. I could only hope that the song sounded better to those inside the club. Once I made it to the end of the hallway, I was asked for my name again, which security verified with my driver’s license. Then I was let in.
The room was small, cozy even. It looked like a dressing room from TV. I recognized Dae and the rest of the band. They were in the middle of putting on stage makeup and barely looked up to see me enter. I guessed they expected me.
A couple of bored-looking girls scrolled on their phones with one hand, holding seltzers in the other. They hadn’t even looked up when I came in. In front of them was a low coffee table with a bucket full of ice and liquor next to some glasses—all of it untouched.
It was impossible to miss the complete absence of Grey. My face grew warm with embarrassment despite no one being particularly intrigued by my presence.
“Grey will be back in a minute,” Dae said. He’d finished his makeup and turned around. “He had to see to some last-minute sound checks.”
“Oh,” I said as Dae waltzed over to the liquor bucket and poured himself a vodka shot.
He gave me an appraising look then poured me one as well. I took it from him gratefully.
“Welcome to your first time backstage,” he said with an impish grin.
I was curious what he meant by that, but he held up his plastic cup to cheers me, so I tapped mine to his.
“Hopefully, it’s not my last,” I said with a nervous laugh.
Dae didn’t comment on that, but something in his eye gave me pause as we both drank our drinks. Any thoughts on what that might mean were immediately scorched from my mind as my esophagus burned from the vodka. I closed my eyes until the raging fire turned to a tame flicker of a flame that sat warmly in my stomach.
It was then that the door behind us opened, and I whirled to see Grey walk in. The moment I laid eyes on him, it was like therest of the room melted away, and my whole body was taken over by the warmth in my belly.
How does he still do this to me? We’ve seen each other enough over the semester that the feelings stirring in me should be calming down, not intensifying, right?
If Grey was wearing stage makeup, I couldn’t tell. Then again, his eyelashes were already dark and long, his light-brown eyes always seemed to pop, and his skin was perfect, smooth, and clear.
His gaze landed on me, and he grinned. “Ethan, you’re here!”
I opened my mouth to respond when I finally noticed Carina trailing behind Grey, a sour expression. When she met my gaze, her eyes hardened into a glare.
“Y-yeah,” I stuttered, shaken by Carina’s presence. I cringed. Lame. So lame.
“We’re just about to go onstage for a sound check. You can stand backstage to watch. If you want.” He added the last part in a rush, almost nervously.
