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I nod, feeling the weight of her words settling over me. This is going to be harder than I thought.
As I make my way out of the dressing room and into the crowded hallway, I can feel the eyes of the fans on me. They're all smiling and clapping, their faces lit up with excitement from the concert. But I can't shake the feeling that something is off. That there's something lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce.
Alana
Theshowwentbetterthan I was expecting, and watching Javi work was wonderful. By the time we’re done, I’m exhausted and all I want to do is go to bed. But there’s still plenty to do: there’s a meet-and-greet to attend, an afterparty with VIPs to get to. Johnny Baskets isn’t the reason most of the public is here. Everyone–almost everyone–is here to see Javi.
We talk about how we sounded while we make our way inside, the energy of the fans pulsing through me. I’m really surprised at how receptive they were toward our music, but it’s been a really nice surprise, and it’s hard not to get caught up in their enthusiasm.
Javi catches my gaze and smiles at me, waving toward me. Londyn stands next to him, her head cocked as she spots me. I try not to read too much into it. Javi seems like the kind of person who knows how to keep a secret.
“Ohh,” Bryony says into my ear. “He likes you.”
“He’s just being nice,” I reply.
“He’s beingreallynice to you,” Bryony says.
She’s been uncharacteristically quiet this whole time. I think she’s been a bit nervous about starting the tour, but I can’t say that it’s nice that she’s gone back to her normal self.
“Don’t tell anyone,” I say. “Please.”
“Oh, so something did happen,” she says.
“Bryony,” I say, grabbing her by the shoulder and stopping her from walking. “I promise I’ll tell you everything, but not yet. Just give me a little bit of time, alright?”
She raises her eyebrows at me, but says nothing.
“Please. I was going to tell you. All of you. I just…the time hadn’t been right yet.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“After the tour?” I offer, whispering into her ear. “I don’t know. Devon told me not to get involved with the talent. That was the plan and then…well, I got sidetracked, okay?”
She looks him up and down from the corner of her eye. “He’s hot.”
“Dude.”
“I won’t say anything. But you’re going to have to tell the rest of the band sooner than you realize, because they’ll, you know, notice. You’re not the world’s most discreet person.”
I roll my eyes. Out of all the girls, I’m probably the most discreet one, but that isn’t saying much. None of us are good at keeping secrets, especially ones like this. But I can't help the way I feel about Javi.
I’ve been thinking about it a lot and…well, I think maybe I’m kind of falling for him, particularly when I just see him hanging out.
He’s always so kind and talented. Maybe it’s my imagination, but he genuinely seems to genuinely care about me.
As we make our way through the meet-and-greet, I spot Javi talking to some fans. One of them hands him a piece of paper, and he smiles, tucking it into his pocket. My heart sinks a little bit. Is he already getting numbers from fans?
I tell myself this is none of my business. What do I care if he’s getting numbers? We’re nothing to each other. In fact, I should be happy for him.
Londyn catches my eye and gives me a small smile. I don’t think she knows anything yet, but if Bryony knows, it won’t take everyone else long to catch up. I make a mental note to be extra cautious from now on.
Eventually, we make our way to the afterparty, where the VIPs are waiting. I try to mingle and make small talk, but my mind is elsewhere. I keep stealing glances at Javi, watching him as he moves through the crowd. He chats with fans and poses for pictures with them. As the night wears on, it seems like every time I try to approach him, someone interrupts us. A fan asks for a picture, a roadie needs something, a member of his band wants to talk to him about the music.
Finally, as the night starts to wind down and most people have left, he pulls me aside. “Hey,” he says. “Do you want to get out of here?”
He’s so close to me his breath is hot on my neck. It sends a shiver down my spine.
I crane my neck to look at him and nod, my heart pounding in my chest. We slip out of the party and into the cold night air, walking through the end of the property where the balcony sits on top of the big mountain dropoff.
