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“Hi, Pete. How’re you?”
“Good. Are you good?”
“Yes, I am.”
“That’s what Mariska tells me. I asked her,” Pete told me as if I didn’t know.
“I asked her about you too. Are you enjoying your summer program?”
“Uh huh. I made a tie for first place in the spelling bee contest!”
“That calls for a treat. Tell Mariska I said so. And tell Mrs. Muldoon that I said hello when you see her.”
“You’ve made his week,” Mariska said as she got back on the phone. “Take some photos of them if you can.”
***
The silver print-out tickets Chase had purchased enabled Brianna to have valet parking. The elevators took us to the theater on the fifth floor of the Double Dulce club. Triangle lights surrounded the border of the room; shimmery black curtains covered the spacious stage.
“This is sweet!” Brianna said. We scanned the rest of the space together and saw employees setting up, checking the mics and instruments.
While I liked that Brianna was here with me, I wished that Chase were here too. This wasn’t a concert in an arena. This felt more personal than an arena would. Each member came out from the entrance we’d used as the curtains opened. Ari and Renner came down the left aisle, while Sage and Austin walked down the right aisle.
I pulled Brianna back down to her seat. I had stopped myself from leaping out of my seat before I reached for her. When they were all on stage, Sage went in front of the mic, made a signal, and only a few lights from each corner of the wall and the ceiling stayed on. We could still see them, but it had a calming effect on the crowd.
“Thanks for coming. This means the world to us.” Her makeup was more neutral tonight and she looked absolutely perfect. The top of her dress was strapless and fitted on her bust, but was loose from the waist to the highest part of her thighs. I’d rarely seen her in a dress on television, online, or in any of their photos. I couldn’t tell what color Renner’s eyes were tonight because he had so much eyeliner and gray and black eye shadow on. “I’d told the boys tonight that I was starting this show, sing something close to my heart. This song is a reminder that when your love, even in your friendships feels stagnant, and if indeed it is, you may just need to remember that love is not just a feeling. If the love inside you doesn’t translate into congruent actions, ‘A Little Rewind’ could be in order. ‘A Little Rewind’ can get you to where you need to be before the love is lost for good.”
Austin and Ari stood on either side of Sage and sang along with her for the climb portion of her song, while Renner’s plucks on his guitar was powerfully tempered by Austin’s zeal on his. Tears brimmed my eyes. A torn expression started on Sage’s face. I felt the power of being so close to Tainted Virtue, of having emotions poured into the crowd and recycled back into them. I’d remembered how Cindy used to rest her head on my lap when we’d said that we’d be there for each other forever, no matter what. And I missed her deeply right now because she was my mom, my first love, my first heartache, and someone I knew I wanted to return to me. She was with a married man, and even though it still angered me, it made me feel me desperate for her. Desperate for her not to forget that I hadn’t forgotten how much she loved me. Deep down in my heart, I knew that she’d like Chase, maybe even be a little envious of how great he was to me. I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to with Chase to make him interested i
n me, like she’d said I’d have to do to be with a guy. It was not only the fact that I wanted Chase to be nothing like the guys Cindy had dated. I was really beginning to believe that he was his own person.
Four songs later, Brianna and I had jumped from our seats and danced in the aisle like some of the other fans. As it occurred to me that I was moving as if no one was around me, I flicked my eyes and saw that other people were dancing without a care in the world. Couples near us were lost in each other through Ari and Austin’s sultry voices. Ari teased that some babies would be made tonight, but I couldn’t help but think that it was true.
Usually, I was the last in line for almost everything. I could enter the department store first, or be blocks ahead of people and end up at the end of the line, but now I pushed through a bunch of people who shoved me and even tried to trip Brianna and I. I didn’t care if I pissed some people off, like I had other times in my life. This was my first concert and Chase had obviously spent a lot of money so that I could see my favorite band. He’d been so selfless in letting Brianna take his place tonight. We were far from the end of the line. Ari, Austin, and Renner granted some girls a kiss on the check, and of course one had to roughly pull the back of Ari’s head and try to kiss him on the lips, but one of the guards intervened at the right moment. Smirking, Ari had made a gesture like he hadn’t wanted to stop her, but the guys stopped giving kisses to fans on the sides of their faces afterwards, which had resulted in some disgruntled females. Ari knew that he was gorgeous and made no attempt at acting modest about it.
***
Brianna and I got to meet every member of Tainted Virtue. We’d gotten their signatures. She might never wash her shoes or that shirt again. She and I were only able to get one photo taken with them. Afterwards, we’d been whisked away by their guards.
“Austin actually let me touch his head!” Brianna’s green eyes shone. “I was kidding when I asked him.”
“That’s why he brought his head down for you to touch it. How was it?”
The sides of her face quirked up shamelessly. “Smooth, soft, and a little shiny!”
***
Chase: Good afternoon, beautiful. Heard you two almost became groupies last night.
Me: We had a blast. Thanks again. It did wonders for Brianna. I’ve got some signed bookmarks and stationery for you.
Chase: Not big on autographs. I want a copy of the photo you and Bri took with them.
Me: Ok. I’ll get it to you.
Chase: Look forward to it.
Hearing the sound of a door close drew my attention. I left my phone on the night table and shot up from bed. I opened the door and looked as Cassidy went down the stairs.
