Chapter Three

 

 

I was becoming quite the expert at concert venues. I knew the layout of most of the big ones around the country – not to mention Europe, thanks to touring with the band last summer.

This one was no different. It held thousands of people in the main arena and the backstage was a maze of corridors and small rooms.

Cole was in another band meeting, trying to talk some sense into Luke and convince him to stay. The stress was eating away at all the boys, tension rippled through all of them that morning when I had seen their weary faces.

Waiting around for Cole had to be one of the most boring things on the planet. I made a mental note to bring a book next time I visited him, I would probably get through it by the time I went home.

My idle wandering led me to the stage. It was all set up for the night’s performance. The band’s logo was hanging at the back, unable to be missed even in the back rows.

I stood in the middle of the stage, looking out at all the empty seats and pit area. I tried to picture what it would look like full, what Cole would see when he stood in that same spot.

It would be amazing to see a crowd of people, all so happy to be there hearing you sing and perform for them. Cole had told me once before that it was like a shot of energy that he received from the crowd. I believed him.

Double checking nobody was around, I grabbed the microphone and started pretending I was the huge rock star. I did all the moves as I started singing one of the band’s songs.

I was only goofing around but the sound echoed around the room like I was a professional. It was silly, but so much fun. I got right into it, copying some of the dance moves I’d seen Cole do a thousand times before.

I imagined all the seats were filled with screaming fans, all cheering for me. It would have been amazing feeling all the positive energy coming toward me.

Something crashed just off stage and I immediately shut up. Moving away from the microphone, it still teetered in place when Scott, the band’s manager, stepped out.

He looked around, his eyes darting everywhere. “Who was just singing out here?”

I shrugged. Scott and I didn’t exactly get along. I wasn’t about to admit to something that would get me into trouble. Especially not to him.

He was still looking around when he continued. “So you saw nobody? This is a closed area, no-one is supposed to be out here.”

“I didn’t see anyone.” Not technically a lie, I didn’t see anyone besides me. “Maybe it was the radio or something.”

“I don’t hear a radio, do you?”

“Not now. Maybe someone turned it off.”

He eyed me suspiciously, assuming I was lying. He never believed a word I said, which made lying to him like a sport. If he didn’t trust me anyway, what was the point in being honest?

The rest of the band rumbled down the corridor to join us. They broke our staring contest, distracting Scott from my interrogation.

Cole slid his arm around me to rub my back before he kissed my forehead. “Everything okay?”

“Just peachy,” I replied. Now Cole was there, everything was better.

“We’re going to rehearse the set and check the sound. Can you hang around for a little bit?”

I gave him a kiss on the lips. “Of course. Can I watch?”

“Sure can, cutie.”

I found a seat in all the thousands of empty ones – front row, of course. The boys took their positions, moving in perfect synchronicity, like they’d done it a million times before.

Scott took to the audience too, sitting a few rows behind me. He would never have sat next to me, he despised me too much. I never really understood what his problem was.

Two Dimension started playing, running through their set for tonight. I loved watching them perform. Even though I’d seen them so many times before, it never got old.

Cole was absolutely outstanding, a rock star that glittered with magic. He was beautiful and hot, everything about him came to life as he sang and played the guitar. I was so lucky to have him in my life.

The whole band were doing great, except for Luke. He seemed to be a beat behind everyone else for most of the set. He wasn’t playing with as much heart as the others.

If what Cole said was true, and he was trying to leave the band, it seemed he wasn’t going to be around for much longer. It was like he’d already mentally separated himself from the others.

It was so sad to see.

Luke had everything being a member of Two Dimension. The world was at his feet and he was throwing it all away. A part of me was angry at him but another part had nothing but sympathy. He was obviously struggling with something.

Scott stood up mid-song. “Take this song from the start again. Luke, get your head in the game or get off my stage.”

Luke shot him daggers but didn’t move. They obediently started the song again. He was a bit better this time around, keeping up with the others for the most part.

Later on, I was watching them again. This time from the edge of the stage. All the seats were full now, thousands of screaming fans having the time of their lives in the audience.

The band always performed better when they had an audience. Even Luke was doing his part to entertain the fans into a frenzy. Their screams were deafening.

I watched the whole concert and waited patiently for the boys backstage when they finished. Cole emerged from his dressing room in his regular clothes and made a beeline for me.

He wrapped me up into a hug. “Do you feel like doing something naughty?”

“Okay,” I replied. His version of what constituted naughty could have been anything.

He twined his fingers with mine and led me down the corridor. There were two cars waiting to take them back to the hotel. He jumped into one and pulled me in after him.

Cole said something quietly to the driver who then started the car. He drove straight through all the traffic of the venue and headed into the city.

The driver stopped in the middle of an ordinary street. “I hope you’re hungry,” Cole said. I slid out of the car, still with no idea of what we were doing.

Then I saw it.

An all-hours ice cream parlor. Cole took me straight there. My eyes bugged out of my head when I saw how many flavors the place had. It smelled like waffles and hot chocolate fudge.

I chose Fudgeberry Swirl, Cole chose Triple Chocolate. The lady behind the counter blushed a deep shade of red as she spoke with Cole, obviously recognizing him.

Cole had two types of fans. The screaming, I’m-going-to-die kind, and the shy oh-my-god-I’m-talking-to-Cole-Newton-act-cool kind. This girl was of the second variety. She wouldn’t actually confess her fandom but would tell everyone else who she just served about a second after he left.

She would also take a photo covertly when he sat down instead of asking for a selfie with Cole. I made sure I looked reasonable as I ate, just in case I ended up in the photo too.

“What did you think of the show?” Cole asked as we took a seat in the back – better for privacy and it reduced the risk of being recognized.

“It was great, as usual.”

“You always say that.” He grinned, showing me his dimples and stealing a spoonful of my sundae.

“I always mean it,” I replied. “I always enjoy watching you perform. I’m your biggest fan, remember?”

“I’m your biggest fan, Melrose Morgan. Have I told you how cute you are? And how much I like you?”

“Not in the last ten minutes.”

He stole another spoonful. The thief! I took some of his Triple Chocolate in retaliation. “Well then, Miss Melrose, I think you are the cutest, hottest girl in the world. And I love you.”

I kissed his ice cream lips. “And I love you too.”

Cole wasn’t supposed to be outside the hotel without a team of security so we didn’t stay longer than we needed to. It would only take one fan to scream about his presence in the ice cream parlor to make it impossible for us to leave.

We took a cab back to the hotel, the driver guiding the car through the crowds of girls still waiting to catch a glimpse of Two Dimension.

Someone spotted Cole in the cab and started screaming, throwing herself at the window. The cab had to inch forward after that, making sure not to run over any of them.

The security guards noticed the trouble we were in and started to pull the girls away from the cab. They were absolutely crazy, putting themselves in danger just to get a glimpse of Cole.

I understood the zealous girls, mainly because once it would have been me and my best friend Dallas doing the same thing. But even we had limits.

Reaching the door to the hotel was a relief. Cole made sure I was safely inside before he turned back to the girls. “If you all form a line, I’ll meet every one of you.”

The girls screamed.

I knew I wouldn’t be getting Cole back for a long time.

He gave me an apologetic look before he started signing and taking photos with the girls. It was sweet of him to do it when he didn’t have to. He could have ignored them and just gone to bed.

But he didn’t. Which was one of the reasons I loved Cole so much. He really cared about people and he treated them nicely.

I went back to my hotel room and took a hot shower, continually checking out the window to see if the crowd had reduced in numbers. When they all disappeared I would get Cole back.

He knocked on my door after midnight. “I’m so sorry, Melrose. I didn’t mean to cut into our time and leave you alone.”

I grabbed him by the shirt and planted a kiss on his lips before dragging him into the room. I closed the door with my foot, making sure he couldn’t get away again.

He looked a little startled when I let him go. “Don’t say another word of apology. You did a nice thing. Now it’s my turn.”

We curled up on the bed together and fell asleep within minutes. My head was on Cole’s shoulder, the perfect place for it.