Suddenly his words click in my head paired with Tristan’s name. “Wait, who’s this other guy?” Can it be my Tris? Has this dick been keeping information about him from us all this time? Could we have found him already?
Before Dare can answer, Izzy walks into the room. “Carmen is about to go on stage.” She holds her hands up, indicating she wants us to stay where we are when we move as one to make our way to the stage. Anxiety rips through my stomach, worried about finding out what other songs were stolen.
“I have Gill watching, ready to take notes on any other new songs she introduces, but I don’t want you to let this affect you.For now, pretend nothing is going on. It’s business as usual.” She gives me a tight smile like she knows how difficult of an ask this is.
“Nash, Keaton, Darius, and Blake,” she turns to my bandmates, her eyes earnest. “You guys need to be there for Raina on stage. I don’t care how much this is tearing you apart. On that stage, you’ve got each other’s backs, okay?”
I can’t help but smile at her giving us an admittedly much needed pep talk. It’s crazy that I still get caught off guard with how supportive she is. I can only wonder where my career would be now if she was in my life from the start. Shaking my head, I have to wonder how this woman can make me feel any spark of happiness right now.
Sounds of agreement fill the room, but it does little to calm the turmoil inside me—what if she ruins another one of my songs?Nash manages a wry smile in my direction, his hand squeezing my shoulder in assurance. Blake and Keaton simply nod, their faces hardened with resolve, the latter spinning a stick between his fingers.
“You’ve got this, Raina. Focus on your love of music, let it fill you as you’re on stage.” She reaches out and squeezes my hand.
As Izzy strides out of the room, the silence that follows hangs thick in the air. This isn’t a simple performance anymore; it’s a battle - a battle against lyric poaching enemies and unspoken fears.
It’s time to entrap hearts with a spellbinding performance.
Easy.
A familiar rush of adrenaline tingles at my fingertips, my heart thudding wildly against my ribs. I’ve got this. Totally.
“Raina...” Darius’ voice is soft next to me, his fingers threading through mine with a gentleness that belies the storm raging within us all. It makes me whip my head to look at him. I knowout here we’re supposed to act like a couple, but I’m not used to it at all.
“Yeah?” My voice sounds hoarse even to my own ears.
“I meant what I said before about getting out of your head,” he says, his thumb tracing circles over my knuckles. “All you need to do is sing your heart out, okay? Forget the world. Forget everything else.”
My stomach swoops and it feels like I’m free falling into his gaze. “Why is your riff being used in her song?”
The question is out of my mouth before I even think about it, almost like a knee-jerk reaction from the overwhelming emotions coursing through me. I can’t let myself get too close. We aren’t dating for real; it’s all fake.
My question seems to summon the others. They crowd around me, practically breathing down my neck. Darius looks up, drawing my attention in the same direction. I find Keaton standing behind the couch, his arms crossed with a menacing scowl across his face.
It’s something they all want an answer to but have been waiting for me to be the one to ask.
Dare’s striking greenish-blue eyes land on me again and he winces. I can feel the immediate tensing of Nash, anger rolling off him. I’m surprised he holds himself back, waiting to hear what the man has to say.
“I failed to anticipate the possibility of someone stealing our work from the videos we posted. It’s the only way I can think of them getting it. I’ve never played it before that day. Not out loud, at least.” With a gentle movement, he raises our still joined hands into the space between us. “I failed to see it when assessing any negatives, so in that I take the blame.”
“You didn’t give it to them? Bring their attention to it in any way?” Blake asks, his tone calculating. As bad as the topic is, I’m glad he’s distracted from his stage fright.
Darius pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath before leveling a sharp gaze on each of the guys. “I thought we got beyond the mistrust. How many times will I have to deny I’m not some sabotaging spy?”
The words hang heavy in the air, a question, a declaration, and a plea. His gaze finds mine again, his expression earnest. He wants so much to be included and I can’t help but wonder what his true reason is. It can’t only be because he’s a fan of mine.
His eyes suck me in, making my heart flutter, traitorous little thing.
When the silence draws out into uncomfortable territory, he stands, our hands falling apart. His tall silhouette towers over us, his jaw clenched in frustration.
“I’ve said what I had to say. If you still don’t trust me... there’s nothing more I can do,” he mutters before he strides out of the room, leaving behind his disappointment and the sensation of crushed dreams. His footsteps fade and silence descends once more.
I open and close my fist, frowning at it. There’s a tingle of warmth left from his touch, yet I feel like something was ripped away from me. I shouldn’t have such an emotional reaction to a fake boyfriend. Not when my actual ones are here with me.
Nash is the first to break it. “Raina, he—”
I shake my head at him. “Save it Nash.” My voice is colder than I intended, but I don’t have the energy for a confrontation. I want us to all be one, to not have to navigate through contentious relationships between my band members.
Izzy was here only minutes ago with a pep talk uniting us together and now it feels like we’re closer to self-destructing than ever before.
