AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tilly
1996
Singing on stage was the biggest thrill I had ever experienced. Even more electrifying than scoring the winning goal against our biggest rivals. It took my breath away, and yet, it fed my soul in a way that nothing ever had before.
It’s where I belonged.
The only feeling that matched it was the feel of Wyatt’s lips on mine, his breath hot on my skin, his hands gripping my ass. It was the only thing in the world as equally rousing as being on that stage.
And yet, I was denying myself the absolute euphoria that Wyatt’s touch brought me. Since returning to campus, I had avoided him—knowing that if I let him get too close, I’d fall under his spell and be his to destroy.
And I couldn’t let that happen. Even though the part of me that wanted to throw caution to the wind was growing, I was still in control and was able to stay away. At least for now.
Instead, I decided to focus on my singing. Our a capella concert was finally here after months of work. I’d been drinking nothing but herbal tea since arriving back at my apartment. It wasn’t my favorite, but it kept my throat and voice box happy.
The other members of the group were buzzing around me as I applied sparkly, pale green eye glitter. Our costumes for these events were basic—crisp, white button-down shirts and black pants. Boring as hell as far as wardrobe goes, so we all expressed our personalities through our hair and make-up. And for me, it was all about the glitter.
The stage manager walked swiftly toward us. “You’re up next, ladies. The guys are finishing up their set.”
“You guys ready?” Diana, who was an upperclassman and our leader, asked, running a brush through her long, brown hair.
Adrenaline rushed through my body as I powdered my nose one last time and hopped up from my seat. “Let’s do this.”
Our first song went off without a hitch. Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose”was the most coveted song for the spring concert, and we had been lucky enough to draw the shortest straw. The audience had applauded, some even whooping loudly from their seats. Our second and third songs were solid. The audience wasn’t quite as impressed with them, but I was really hoping we would knock their socks off with the last one. Diana turned to us before we began the final song of our set.
“This is it, ladies,” she said, her smile wide, before blowing on her pitch pipe and giving me a wink.
It had taken a lot of convincing, but I’d worn the girls down, and they’d agreed to let me arrange an a capella version of “1999” by my beloved Prince. It had taken weeks for me to convert the instrumental melodies into notes for us to sing, and once I taught it to the rest of the group, it took another several weeks for us to get it just right. But all of that work was worth it as we started the song, our voices harmonizing beautifully.
Halfway through our performance, dozens of students rose to their feet and clapped softly along with us. With a satisfied grin on my face, I scanned the crowd. One of the people clapping in the front row was my new friend, Naomi. She and her boyfriend, Ben, had requested tickets for the concert, and I had happily obliged. To my surprise, though, Sully, Wendy, Emmett, Marley, Hannah, and her boyfriend, Dan, had all joined them and were taking up the entire first row. Beaming with pride, I fed off their energy and support, finishing the song on the highest note possible.
As the rest of the crowd rose to a standing ovation, Diana patted me on the back. “Step forward. This was all you.”
“No!” I protested, then Marissa pushed me forward.
“Take a bow, girl!”
Reluctantly, I stepped forward, bowing to the audience and holding back tears of pride. It was then that I saw him.
Wyatt.
And the look of pride on his handsome face took my breath away. Completely.
I could no longer hide from him as our eyes locked, and I smiled. He pressed his hand to his heart and beamed as I stepped back to join the rest of the group, and my heart soared to the top of the auditorium.
I hadn’t invited him to the concert. In fact, I couldn’t remember if we’d even discussed it. But he was here. On his own accord, and he was proud of me. Of that I was certain.
My resolve was crumbling as we exited the stage and hugged, congratulating one another on a successful performance. “Oh, my God, I have to admit, I was so not sure about your song.”
“Me, too,” Marissa said, clenching her teeth and wrinkling her nose. “But it was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”
“Did you see how many people were on their feet? That never happens during these performances—they usually wait until we finish.”
“They really liked it, huh?” I asked, trying to catch my breath. Not only was I overwhelmed by the audience’s response, but seeing Wyatt pushed my adrenaline into overdrive.
“Hell yeah, they did! Maybe we should put you in charge of arrangements from now on,” Diana said, and my mouth dropped open. As a sophomore, I would never have presumed to arrange songs for our performances on the regular. I just had a strong desire to perform one of my most treasured songs.
“Are you serious?”
