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CHAPTER 34
Asher
"That's the last of the interviews for today," Dita says as she wraps her arm around my shoulder. "You were phenomenal."
I was adequate. I've grown accustomed to the shallow on-air discussions I have with entertainment reporters before a concert. It's a piece of the promotional puzzle that Dita puts way too much faith in. She still doesn't understand that my fan base isn't si
tting in front of television sets. They're online and if she put more thought into it, she'd realize that a video clip of me posted to my website, answering questions my fans ask on social media would be a better investment of both my time and hers.
I indulge her though. I need to in order to keep the waters from being choppy. She's set in her ways and whether or not I always agree with them isn't relevant at this point. She's pushed my career into high gear, which is something my former manager never accomplished.
"Have you seen Falon?" I glance over Dita's shoulder down the empty corridor. We're backstage, readying for the show. It starts in less than two hours. Falon's flight landed more than an hour ago. I texted her but I haven't gotten a reply yet.
She turns her head to look in the same direction I am. "We sent a car to the airport to get her and her assistant. I'll shoot the driver a text to see what the delay is."
My stomach tenses. I've spoken to Falon on the phone at least three times a day since I left New York last week. It's been hell being away from her but I needed to get my head back in the game.
I was going to surprise her by showing up at her studio a few days ago. That changed when I called her and she told me that her schedule was overbooked. She's been doing one shoot after another since I left. As much as I hate the time apart, I know it's giving her the space she needs to get her work done and I've been able to finish one of the songs I've been working on.
"They're stuck near the terminal. There was an accident, the road is blocked." Dita's head is bowed towards her phone. "He'll do what he can to get them here before the show."
I exhale in a rush, tugging my hands through my hair. "Fuck."
"Don't let this derail you, Asher." She pushes on my shoulder. "Go to your dressing room. Sit by yourself if you need to. Call one of your brothers or try Falon again. Get it together. I need you at your best when you hit the stage."
My phone rings. I glance down and Falon's number lights up my screen. "It's her. The sound of her voice is all I need."
***
"The other lane is blocked completely," she says quietly. "We have to wait for the traffic on that side to clear before we can go."
I ease myself back into the couch in my dressing room. It's not plush. Hell, the thing isn't comfortable at all, but it's a reprieve from standing. I've been pacing all day. It's always this way the day I have a show. I want to give everyone who comes out a night they'll remember. I put that pressure on myself but it's a good thing. It means I'll surpass even my own expectations.
"How was the flight?" My leg twitches. I grab my knee to slow the tempo. "You flew first class, right?"
"No." She laughs. "The tickets cost so much and the flight wasn't long. We flew economy."
I don't want that for her. I want her to have the best of everything. I told Dita to factor first class fares into her fee. I should have known she wouldn't take advantage of that. Nothing about her screams excess. She's one of the most down-to-earth people I've ever met.
"Asher?"
My breath stalls when I hear her say my name. I miss her. Fuck, how I've missed her. "What is it, Falon?"
"A woman called me." She pauses. "I missed the call because I was in the middle of a shoot. She left a message."
My throat closes. The tremor in her voice is all I need to know that this has nothing to do with her work or her family. This is about me. I bury my face in my hand, trying to calm my own breathing. There are too many things I haven't told her about me. They're all things I keep close, shit that I don't share with the public. She's not the public though. She's my Falon.
"Tell me about the message," I say in a constricted voice. I feel as though the past is being choked out of me, confession by confession. I missed my fucking chance to tell her all of that. Now, someone else has beaten me to it. I feel like I'm fracturing into a million pieces.
"She said that she knew you." She hesitates and I hear voices in the background. "Oh, we're moving now, Asher. Finally. I should be there soon. Can we talk about this when I get there?"
No, fuck no. I want to talk about it now. I want to know who the hell called and what the fuck they said to her.
"We can talk about it now." My hand shakes on my knee. I fist it to quiet the movement. "Tell me what she said Falon."
"I brought my friend, Maya, with me to Philadelphia. She's going to assist me tonight." She ignores my request and then explains it immediately. "I can't wait to be alone with you."
I close my eyes, tightly, as I lean my head back. "I can't wait either, Falon. Tell the driver to be safe."
