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My body fails me and I sit heavily in my chair. This can’t be real. It’s just a birthday gift. Bobby must have paid a damn fortune for those tickets for this treatment.
Within seconds, a big security guy stops in front of me. Not Shane, and not Mike, either. A third huge man that Lila seems to keep tucked away for herself. He extends his hand, and though his eyes say ‘I’ve seen things, man. I’ve seen bad, bad things,’ his twitching lip says ‘I’m just fuckin’ with ya.’
“Take his hand, Kit, I want you to join me up here.”
I shake my head. She has a multi-something-dollar sound system and microphone stuck to her head – and I don’t – and yet, I still shout, “No!”
“Ms. Reilly.” The‘I’ve maybe seen things’guy smirks and takes my hand in his. I look up at Bobby to save me.
I’m not a damsel, not usually, but the one time I want to be saved, he looks a thousand times more scared than I am. “Please come with us, ma’am. This show is dependent on timing. You’re pushing us out.”
“So just let me go! Go on with the show.”
He chuckles and pulls me forward. “No can do. Lil says I have to take the pretty blonde from B2, then I take the pretty blonde from B2. I have kids. You don’t want me to get fired and the kidlets to go hungry, do you?”
I narrow my eyes. “You’re a monster. You don’t even have kids, do you?”
He barks out a laugh, but he tugs me forward anyway. “Nope. Not even close.”
I turn and snag Bobby’s shaking hand before I’m dragged too far away. I refuse to let him out of this. It’s his own damn fault, and sick face or not, if I have to go up there, then so does he.
That’s love, right?
It takes us a few minutes to reach the stage, and in that time, Lila talks to the crowd to keep them entertained. I know the fans mean well, I know they’re just excited, but the enthusiastic back pats and touches hurt before we reach the halfway point.
My ribs are still tender. My shoulder still messed up. My body tenses with every touch, and the excitement and fear I was feeling just minutes ago turns to dread for the next pat.
My red face washes white with pain and nausea, and when Bobby notices, he snaps out of his humiliation and steps in until his body presses against mine as a shield.
Finally, we reach the stairs at the bottom of the stage, and concentrating on each one, I begin up with a hammering pulse.Don’t fall. Don’t fall. Do not fall!
Lila stands at the top of the stairs in her giant shoes with an extended hand, and as soon as it clasps around mine, she pulls me onto the stage and into a gentle hug. “Are you okay? You look sore.”
Her words aren’t projected over the crowd. They’re just between her and me. Not even Bobby or the big guy hear, though they’re barely a foot away. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
She presses a sparkling microphone against my chest and transforms to superstar Lila. “Kit, welcome! Look at all these beautiful people here tonight!” She gestures to the cheering crowd in front of us, and though I try to look, the lights abusing our eyes stops us from seeing anything. If it weren’t for the camera flashes and fake candles – and the noise – it would almost feel as though we were here alone. “So, Bobby has requested a song for you.”
“You already sang it.”
She grins. “Okay, Bobby requestedtwosongs for you. He gave me full artistic freedom to choose this song, but with oneexpresscondition that it have a happy ending. Which is kinda cute.” She scrunches her nose. “Bobby, in five words or less, why did you request a song for your beautiful girlfriend?”
Someone on Lila’s staff runs out and presses a second sparkly microphone into his hand. His eyes swing between Lila’s and that traitorous microphone deliverer. “Um… Because I love her?”
The crowd beyond the lights make the ‘aww’ and ‘ohh’ noises, which only sends Bobby’s ears a delicate pink. “Right. I thought you might say that.” Lila laughs. “So, onto your song request. I took my time deciding. I had months to think it through, and I know not all my songs end well. I agonized over this, I even considered writing something special for y’all, but I ran out of time for that. I couldn’t find anything decent that rhymed with ‘Bobby.’ I wanted to pick the perfect song for you guys, so in the end, in the spirit of friends new and old, I decided to invite a friend of mine along tonight. He loves crashing my parties, so why not, ya know?”
She turns toward her crowd – she’s selling to them, after all. “Everyone, it’s my pleasure to introduce my very best friend to the stage. Please give him the love he deserves. Teddy Diego, come on out, toots.”
Bobby’s mouth drops open, and he shouts, “No fucking way!”
… into his microphone…
… making the crazy cheering crowd,andLila,andTeddy-fucking-Diego, stop and laugh.
Teddy finishes his lap across the long stage and stops in front of Lila. Taking her in his arms, they share a private laugh that they have to share with a hell of a lot of people. Teddy turns back to Bobby and I, and throws a shy wave. Two deep dimples dig into his cheeks, and I struggle between wanting to swoon, and wanting to pat his hair.
He shakes Bobby’s hand first, then as gently as though I were a china doll, he takes me in his arms and presses a soft kiss! … on my lips!
Teddy Diego kissed me on the lips! Oh… my…. gawd.
