The spotlights above us go off and on, and the background behind us changes to one showing city lights.
The guitarist strums the guitar, and the percussion joins in.
I stare into Kellan’s eyes as he lifts the mic to his gorgeous lips and begins to sing, the voice beautiful, raw and sexy, each verse sending shivers down my spine as I just stand there, mesmerized—enthralled by the words and his beautiful voice.
You’re the reason I stay
You’re the reason I wait
Behind this shell, you set me free
In your smile, I come undone
You become a mystery
To me
You twist and tear this life apart
These walls that were there from the start
You cast a light into the night
You break it up, this breathless heart
Under the starry night, I didn’t mean to fall
Time passes by and now you’re gone
You become a mystery
To me
This man of yours is going down
This man of yours is rising up
Behind this shell, there’s only you
Life’s looking up, but I’m going down
In the webs of love, in the traps of life
One day I’ll get caught
There is no doubt
But if I fall, I want to fall
With you
I hold my breath as Kellan lets go off my hand and walks around me until he’s standing behind my back, his lips and the microphone so close, my skin begins to prickle.
I’m drowning in the ocean of your body
I’m lost in the beating of your heart
I’m falling as you laugh
And yet, you walk away from me
You walk away from me
Under the starry night
You walk away from me
Days have passed
Soon the weeks will turn into years
I’ll always remember you with silent tears
With a prayer on my lips that I’ll see you again
Kiss your lips, hold you tight
Coz you’re the one I want to know
You’re the one I don’t want gone
The percussion takes center stage, and the melody changes. My heart slams in my chest. The sudden change in rhythm is more truculent, and it’s throwing me off.
Yoooou said…
I’m not interested in you
Not now. Not ever
But I know you’re lying
A liar spots a liar….
Behind this shell, you set me free
Sheeeeee said…
I’m not interested in you
Not now. Not ever.
But I know she’s lying
A liar spots a liar….
Behind this shell, she sets me free
Yoooou said…
I’m not interested in you
Not now. Not ever
I know you’re lying
A liar spots a liar
Behind this shell, you set me free
Sheeeeee said…
I’m not interested in you
Not now. Not ever
But I know she’s lying
A liar spots a liar
A liar spots a liar
Behind this shell, she sets me free
As Kellan continues to sing the last line, the crowd chimes in. I don’t know when the song was released, but he must have sung it before because people know the lyrics; they’re familiar with the rhythm. He stops singing, but the guitarist continues to play.
The crowd starts to chant, “TAYLOR! TAYLOR! TAYLOR!”
But instead of turning to the crowd, he turns to me and cocks a sexy eyebrow.
A smile tugs at his lips. And then he leans forward and clasps my chin between his fingers as he kisses me on the lips in front of the audience.
My breath hitches.
My head’s swirling.
My heart’s pounding.
At some point, the song ends. Kellan lets go of me and says something into the microphone. But I can’t make out his words. It’s like the world around us has dissolved into nothingness. From the periphery of my mind, I know that a security guy is ushering me back to my spot, while all I can do is focus on making it down the stage without taking a tumble.
I feel Mandy’s shock a moment before she whispers in my ear, “What the hell, Ava? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I open my mouth to explain that I had no idea, but the words remain trapped on my tongue.
I need to get away.
Numb from the shock, I take off, squeezing through the crowd, until I’ve reached the back of the tent. I need the distance and for Mandy to stop her questions.
The band continues their set. I get an hour of watching him. Of listening to his magnificent voice while he sings one song after another. An hour during which my shock is slowly subsiding, making room for a throbbing sense of suspicion and anger.
Once or twice, I think I see his eyes roaming over the crowd, probably in search of me, but I can’t be sure. I hide in the shadows nonetheless, out of his view. I don’t want him to call me up there again.
A cowboy turned rock star!
I shake my head.
What. The. Hell.
And I was stupid enough to fall for him.
That was about the worst move I could have made in my life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Are you okay?” Mandy asks for the umpteenth time, her concern growing with each second that passes. When I nod, she whispers, “You didn’t know, did you?”