AllFreeNovel
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They all agree and we walk out of the room. We stand on the side of the stage while the roadies set everything up for us. This is one of my favorite moments, waiting to go on. The fans are screaming, the lights are down and the excitement palpable. It never gets old and I still get butterflies in my stomach before rushing out.
“Are you ready for Renegade?” Tony, the owner of our label yells into the mic. The crowd goes insane and he laughs. “I can’t hear you. I said are you ready for Renegade?” It gets so loud with the screams, whistles, clapping and stomping, that if Poppy didn’t give us a shove, I’d have no idea we were supposed to go.
We rush onto stage and the spotlights hit us. The level of noise gets louder, and I didn’t think that was possible. While the guys get set up with their instruments, I pick up my guitar, place the strap around my neck and sling it behind my back. I smile looking out at the huge crowd. It always amazes me they’re here for us, truly amazing. When the level of noise goes down just a bit, I grab the microphone and tap it.
“Hello Los Angeles,” I yell into the mic and they scream again. I laugh and slowly walk back and forth across the stage. “Are you guys ready for a great show?” They once again get to a deafening level and I look back at the guys. Each of them is smiling as big as me and I nod my head, just to acknowledge how fucking proud I am. “How about we start with a favorite,” I say and clip the mic back on the stand.
We play a few of our older songs, ones that are still some of their favorites and then we play a few off our new album. I’m already dripping with sweat and ready to pull my shirt off. I do it at every concert and the crowd goes crazy, especially when I toss it into the crowd. I figure we’ll do another few songs before I do that though.
“Before we go on, let me just introduce the rest of the band.” Turning around to the guys, I introduce each one and they play a bit before standing and taking a bow. It makes me happy when they get the attention they deserve up here, because it’s sure as hell not just about me. I wouldn’t be here without them. I might be the front man, but these guys always have and always will have my back.
Looking out into the crowd while we play another favorite I watch them singing along. It’s an indescribable feeling, to see them sing word after word with me. It makes me so fucking proud. Scanning the crowd you can’t believe the different people. Some are young, some older, couples, friends, big dudes and geeky nerds. Our music is listened to by just about everyone. I chuckle when a bra lands on stage and when I bend down to pick it up, the wind is knocked out of me. For the first time in my career, I simply stop singing. For a brief moment, I’m back in New York and the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen are locked on mine. Brooklyn.
With my heart pounding, I try to quickly recover and just finish off the song, never once taking my eyes off of Brooklyn. It’s unfucking believable that she’s here. Seeing her again, it’s like she never left. I want to end this concert and pull her onto the bus with me, worship her body and finally listen to the sounds she would make. I want to hold her in my arms and never let go. Shaking my head to clear these thoughts, reality hits, remembering she’s got a boyfriend and she’s the one who walked away from me.
When I finish the song, I put the mic on the stand. “We’ll be back in a half hour,” I say and rush off stage. I know it’s a song early, but I just need to get my head on straight before I continue. Seeing Brooklyn has me all fucked up and I can’t be like that out on stage.
“What the fuck, man? Why did you do that, we had another song,” Ethen says, rushing off behind me.
“Shut the fuck up, Ethen. Fitz, what’s wrong?” Nate says, wrapping his arm around me as we go back into the small room.
I grab a water and down the whole thing, trying to wrap my head around seeing Brooklyn, my Brooklyn. I close my eyes and squeeze the back of my neck. “Fuck. I’m sorry guys,” I murmur and look up at them. “Brooklyn is here and it kind of fucked me up.”
I hear a collective round of ‘fucks’ before Ralph wraps his arm around me. “Alright, so now what?”
“Now we have security remove the problem,” Ethen says, taking a sip of his beer.
I slowly raise my eyes to look at him and I know he can see the anger in them. “Don’t ever call her a problem again. She’s not the problem, I am. I need to get my shit together,” I growl at him.
“Whatever,” he says and turns his back. “You di
dn’t seem to care so much when you were fucking those blondes,” he whispers, but I hear him loud and fucking clear.
I’m all over the place and he just crossed a line. I rush toward him and right before I get a swing in, Nate wraps his arms around me, holding me back. Ralph stands between us, but my face is still close to his. I’m so fucking pissed, it’s rolling off me. “You better shut the fuck up. That was a fucking mistake and I told you that,” I seethe.
“If you want Brooklyn, than stop being a pussy and go get her. I’m sick of watching you act like you died since she left. You haven’t been the same, and fuck, I know you’ve tried, but damn it.” He shakes his head and the anger has left and he pushes Ralph out of the way. “Fitz, go out there and sing that song. You two belong together. Fucking fight for her.”
I push Nate off me and go to the other side of the room. He’s right, I’m being a pussy. I’ve never let a woman get to me like this and she got to me. Until this moment I didn’t know how to deal with it, but Ethen of all people, has a point. It’s time for me to fight for her. I don’t give a fuck about her boyfriend, he’d never be able to give her everything I can. There is no way he feels the way I do or he wouldn’t have let her go to New York alone or to this concert alone. He’s a fucking fool and I’m about to steal her away.
Right as I’m about to tell them, Poppy rushes in. “What the fuck happened out there?” she questions, looking right at me.
I clear my throat and shove my hands in my pockets. “Brooklyn is here,” I say.
A huge smile breaks out on her face. “She is?” she asks, but I suddenly feel like she knew.
“Did you know she was coming?” I take a step toward her with my eyebrows raised.
She taps her finger on her chin and looks around. “Hmm, did I know? Well, no I didn’t know for sure if she was here, but I did send her the ticket. She’s been miserable,” she says, looking generally sad.
“That’s about to change.” I look around at everyone and they grin, they know. “Let’s keep the set how it is, except add the new single at the end. It’s only fitting tonight it’s heard for the first time.”
After we relax for a few more minutes, Poppy tells us it’s time to get back out there. I take a deep breath to prepare myself for performing in front of Brooklyn. It’s ridiculous that being in front of hundreds of thousands of people doesn’t rattle me, but being in front of Brooklyn does. We get back out and I check to make sure she’s still here. She is and with a huge smile on her face when I look at her. Damn, she takes my breath away.
We continue the set, just like I said. Singing song after song. I took off my shirt and threw it into the crowd, causing a bit of a fight. I keep them engaged by talking every few songs and if they are having half as much fun as we are, it’s been a great night. Although now singing the song that leads up to the last one, well I’ll admit, my stomach is in knots. This could go either way, and I sure as fuck hope it goes in my favor. The thought of watching her walk away again, is too much to bear.
When we finish up that song, I rush off stage to put on a new t-shirt and run back on. I get a few boos and I chuckle. A stool is brought out for me and before I sit down I grab the mic. “Los Angeles, you have been fucking amazing. Thank you for coming out and spending your night with us. It was a fucking blast. I’ve got one more for you and it’s going to be a bit different. This is a song I wrote and it holds a lot of meaning for me.” Locking eyes with Brooklyn, I continue, “I fucking hope you all like it.”
While they all scream, I sit down on the stool and pull my guitar around, playing a few cords. I stop and wipe my sweaty hands on my jeans and look out at the crowd, look out at Brooklyn. We lock eyes and I swear my heart almost bursts out of my chest. Suddenly, everything goes black and I take a deep breath. The spotlight hits me and even though I can’t see her, I feel her eyes on me.
