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“I’m giving you time to yourself so you can eat and work out your nerves.” I turn to look at her, and I can’t help but grin at the chocolate still in the corners of her mouth. Adorable.
“No. Stay, please.”
She sounds so desperate, so vulnerable right now, that I can’t help but obey her request. I stride back over to her side and place my hands on the back of her chair.
“Alright, then,” I say with a mischievous gleam in my eyes. “But I don’t want to just stand here awkwardly while you put on makeup.”
She meets my gaze in the mirror and laughs. “Fine. I’ll walk you through the process, then. Have you ever worn makeup before, Xavian?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Do I look like the kind of guy who goes around wearing Weaves and makeup?”
“You have amazing bone structure. I bet if we contour a little, you’d be a total smoke show. You should let me do your makeup.”
I roll my eyes. “Um, no. Sorry, princess. No can do.”
“Aw, come on. Here, sit down, and I’ll just put a teensy bit on!” She waves the makeup brush around in front of me, and I let out a groan of exasperation. After a long moment, I finally kneel in front of her. “Oh, so youcansubmit, after all. Good to know!”
My brows slam together, and I scoff. “Now, hold on just a damn minute! I didn’t say anything about submitting to you. It just so happens that there aren’t any other chairs in here.”
Kallista giggles again, and there’s a pinch in my heart.Fine. I can give in to her demands for a little while. Yes, I’m going to be her makeup guinea pig, but if it makes her happy, so be it. Seeing her smile, hearing her laughter, makes it all worth it. She just better not insist on taking any pictures once we’re done. That’s where I draw the line.
20KALLISTA
Ihate to admit Xavian was right, but he was right. Dancing, singing, and twirling through the sky is infinitely easier now that I’ve eaten. I’m sweating profusely, but at least I’m not nearly fainting as I tumble through the air amidst the twinkling lights that are supposed to represent stars. They’re pretty, but anyone would be able to tell they’re fake.
As I land gently back on the main stage, the harness is removed from my torso by my backup dancers, and I bring my mic up to my mouth. Time to bring it home. Sweat drips down my forehead as I belt out the high note that ends the song, and I’m rewarded with riotous cheers from the crowd.
I pump my fist into the air as fireworks set off behind me. The crowd turns into a deafening madness of writhing bodies and screams. The lights drop, and the sparkling stars reappear, dancing through the air and distracting the crowd while I scurry off stage to do another quick costume change for the encore.
I gotta hand it to the lighting team this time around. They really came through with the special effects. And while I was dubious about my rhinestone bikini, it turned out to be extremely comfortable. Especially when I was sweating like a sinner in church up there. Holy heck, I’m going to need at least three showers tonight.
I race backstage and, without thinking, shimmy into the red micro-bikini set I’m handed. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Xavian standing watch behind some of the production crew with his arms over his chest. His eyes rake up and down my body, and suddenly, I’m flush with a feeling I don’t recognize. The way his gaze takes me in hungrily, the way he bites his bottom lip and forces himself to look away … was I just imagining that? Was I only seeing what I wanted to see?
Shaking off the moment, I let one of my assistants snap the bikini halter into place and fluff up my lavender ponytail. Then I’m good to go, and I’m being ushered back out on stage so I can perform again for my adoring fans. Everything so far has gone off without a hitch. I wasn’t hungry, I didn’t bloat up like I thought I would, and I had more energy than ever before.
And better yet? None of my fans booed me off stage. None that I could hear from where I was performing, at any rate.
Everything was so perfect. Tears roll down my cheeks in fat rivulets, and I’m helpless to stop them. Luckily, I don’t think anyone can see me cry. I force myself to smile through the sobs that rip through my frame, threatening to double me over. I’m lifted in the air by my male backup dancers, and while they spin me around, I try to focus on getting lost in the music. The music that I wrote once upon a time when I was a lonely little girl sitting in my bedroom on Luna.
This is why I wanted to be a performer. Not for the money, or the fame, but for the high I get when I can share a song with others. A song I wrote myself. This is my reason for everything. Sure, they only let me write three songs for this album. The rest are over-produced garbage. But the final number? All mine.
Once the music finally fades away and my backup dancers place me back down on the stage, I lift the microphone to my trembling lips.
“Thank you so much! I love you all!”
Everyone in the crowd loses it, and I’m escorted off stage for a final time.
That was … electric. Still buzzing, I run past the security guards, backup dancers, even Margot, and race into my dressing room. I’m so hopped up on adrenaline that I can’t imagine anything,anything, could possibly bring me down again.
“This is why people do drugs!” I yell into the mirror.
A throaty laugh from behind startles me. I spin around, gripping my vanity, and find Xavian standing in the doorway. His eyes are smiling along with his mouth. It’s a gorgeous sight. Not that I’d ever tell him that, though. Of course not.
“Yeah, maybe best if other people don’t hear you say that,” he quips before moving to my side.
I’m blushing, but I can’t figure out how to make myself stop, so I pretend there’s something very interesting on my desk instead. I shove my makeup into my bag and snicker. “That was just … probably the most fun I’ve had in a while. I thought tonight was going to be a disaster, but it wasn’t.”
He leans against my vanity and crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Why a disaster? You were brilliant. Now, I’ll be completely honest … it’s not my style of music, but even I can’t deny that you are insanely talented.”
