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The soft tickle of his breath on my neck made me shiver, and my stomach flipped. I tilted my head to look up at him and his eyes were soft on me, the way they had been the night before. I wished we were somewhere a lot less public so I could find out if anything more would have happened next, but he pulled back and a chill swept around me as he released me from his hold.
As Ellie and Drew finally broke apart, Ellie rushed towards me and I gave a squeal of delight as she hugged me tight. “Missed you!” I told her.
“Missed you too! How’s it going? Are you okay?”
I laughed. “I’m more than okay. I’m having the best time ever!”
“I wanna hear all about it! What do you say to some girl time later?”
“Of course!”
That was exactly what we did, after having lunch with the rest of the band on the tour bus. It was so much fun having everyone together again. By the time the gig rolled around, I was flying high, and so excited for Drew’s proposal. Ellie and I behaved like real groupies, and shoved our way to the front of the stage for the show. Thankfully, the Vienna crowds weren’t too raucous; it would have been awful if Ellie never made it to the end of the gig due to being crushed against the barriers by over-enthusiastic rock fans.
Between the two of us, Ellie and I had been to more Razes Hell gigs than we could count. But that night in Vienna was one of the best, and as the lights dimmed for what should have signalled their exit from the stage, a shiver of anticipation rushed over me. The crowds around us continued to cheer because the guys hadn’t left the stage, and Ellie cast a questioning look at me. Usually by now they’d have made a dash for the dressing room. I shrugged, doing a stellar job of keeping my face neutral even though my insides squirmed with joy.
The lights came back up and Jason caught my eye and winked before stepping back up to the mic. “This is our last show in Europe for a while, and normally, our set would be over. But we do have one more song for you tonight. This song is a special one, and it’s never been played live before, but… it’s not really for me to introduce.” He turned to Drew who had risen from behind his drums and began to make his way to the front of the stage.
“What…?” Ellie murmured in my ear, and I laughed at the confusion on her face.
“Just wait.”
Jason slapped Drew on the back before stepping back and taking his brother’s place behind the drums. Drew cast his eyes nervously over the crowd as he placed his hands on the microphone Jason had left in the stand for him. His hands trembled, and I silently willed him to relax and do what he needed to do. Ellie couldn’t take her eyes off him, and as his gaze met hers, he smiled.
“I don’t come out here very often,” he said. “Truth be told, I’m a lot more comfortable at the back playing the drums, but tonight there’s something I want to say.” He took a deep breath. “A year ago, you may remember, there was a lot of drama within the band. I don’t want to dwell on that because it’s over, but I couldn’t have got through it without one particular person. Those of you who have followed the band for a while already know who I mean.” He smiled again, casting his eyes back to Ellie. “My Ellie.”
Ellie stumbled a little, bumping into me, and I laughed and linked my arm through hers to keep her upright.
“Ellie has been my rock, my strength, my best friend, and the only person in the whole world who knows everything about me. Weirdly, she still loves me.” A small ripple of laughter echoed around the room. “Ells, I couldn’t do any of what I do without your support. Can you come up here?”
Her eyes widened and she looked at me. “What do I do?” she hissed.
Laughing out loud, I said, “Go!”
Knowing how Ellie felt about being in the spotlight, I understood how tough it was for her to climb onto the stage, but it would be worth it, even if she didn’t know that yet. The audience cheered loudly as she stood beside Drew and he kissed her then took her hand.
“A year ago, you were going to do something amazing for me, Ells. And I should have done this back then, to show you how much I love you. I’m going to do it now instead.”
He grinned at her before turning to Mack and giving him a brief nod. The opening to bars to Nobody Knows began and Ellie gasped, covering her mouth with her free hand. Again, shivers rippled through me, and when Drew started to sing, my goose bumps multiplied. His voice was amazing. Deep and husky, but in a different way to Jason’s. Jason’s voice was designed for rock tracks, but Drew’s was softer. Ideal for ballads like this. It wasn’t just his voice that made the moment special, though. It was the twinkle in his eyes when he looked at Ellie, and the tears in her eyes as he sang the lyrics that meant so much to them. My own eyes prickled with tears as I watched them; the perfect couple with the perfect relationship. Or the relationship that was perfect for them – I doubted any relationship was truly perfect. But I knew for sure they were meant for each other.
I felt Jason’s presence beside me, and I turned to him, blinking away my tears so he wouldn’t think I was a wuss. He chuckled and took my hand, weaving his fingers through mine.
“You big softie,” he whispered.
I nudged him hard in the ribs. “How can you not be moved by this? It’s beautiful.”
He nodded, and when I looked into his eyes I knew he saw it too. “It sure is.”
We turned our attention back to the stage and watched as Drew finished the song, and the crowd once again erupted into loud cheers. Ellie wrapped her arms around Drew, and he clung to her for a moment before stepping back to the mic.
“One more thing. Then I promise you can all get back to drinking.”
The crowd laughed and raised their beer bottles in appreciation, and Drew once again turned to Mack. Mack placed his guitar on the floor and went to the side of the stage, grabbing something in his hands and carefully bringing it to Drew.
“Oh my God!” I threw my head back when I realised what it was.
Jason squinted, trying to figure out what the misshapen object was. “What in the name of hell is that?”
“You’ve never seen that before?” Jason shook his head, still staring at it, tilting his head sideways as he tried to figure it out. “It’s… art.” I snorted out a laugh when Jason looked at me like I was crazy. “Ellie and Drew attempted to make pottery a while back. When they first got together. They apparently got distracted, and that ugly thing was the result. Ellie said she couldn’t bear to throw it out, but she thought it was tucked away in her bedroom cupboard. Drew stole it so he could do this.”
