Page 10 of Strike A Chord

“Thought you could use a fan. Well, that Chaotic could use a fan.” Did I recover quick enough? Shit, I nearly stuttered. Jason grinned like a fool, but Josh studied me like he didn’t know what to think. Jason had that gleam in his eye that spelled trouble and most likely it was for me.

“Five minutes, Chaotic Abyss,” some random guy announced as he passed us.

“Showtime, guys.” Jason, Josh, Marley, and Nigel collected their stuff and pushed forward.

“Can I help?”

“Here,” Nigel handed me his cymbal stands. “You’re our roadie for the night.”

I wasn’t opposed to helping however I could, but I had zero clue where anything went or how to erect it. “Um?” There I stood, hands outstretched, a stand in each while Nigel laughed as he set up the rest of his kit.

“Thanks, stud,” he winked then took the stands and finished up.

“Where should I go?”

“Front row, right in front of me,” Josh whispered from behind me. Chills raced down my spine. Fucking hell, I hoped he didn’t notice my reaction.

“Okay.” My whisper was but a ghost of my usual voice, so low it was heard by only me. Without a second glance, I walked away toward the front of the stage but stood a couple bodies back. Josh’s eyes still found mine like a beacon tracking that which it sought. There was a shift between us tonight, and I wasn’t sure how to react, let alone feel.

Periodically, Josh scanned the crowd as he played and always found me. It was almost like he played just for me though I knew better. I sang along with the crowd and whistled and cheered at the end of Josh’s guitar solo. He was nothing short of amazing. Fantastic. Brilliant. All the wonderful things I hadn’t allowed myself to see in him before came to light as I watched him play.

How was I supposed to handle this new knowledge, this wave of unexpected feelings?

His career was just taking off as was mine. Neither of us had time for a relationship and one and dones weren’t my style. Even in college I struggled with that and instead chose to bury my head in books. Casual monogamy? Were either of us capable of that?

You’re getting too far ahead of yourself, Reagan. Deep breath and don’t panic.

Panic attack? Who’s panicking?

Was it getting hot in here or was it just me?

The show ended and I hopped back on stage to help. “Great show, guys!” We exchanged high-fives and then I helped Nigel breakdown his kit.

“Yes, great show indeed.” Collectively, we turned to face the man who said this. Josh paled and stepped back, while Jason ran over to shake the guy’s hand.

“Sal, glad you could make it.” Jason was far more excited to see this man than Josh was, not a good sign.

“The manager offered his office to us so we can speak privately. Grab your gear and follow me.” Whoever he was, he exuded power and the way he turned and walked away spoke highly of the control he knew he had.

“Who was that?” I whispered to Josh.

“Sal, the owner of Masterson Management.”

Masterson Management. Why did I know that name?

“Given I don’t fuck this up for the band, I’ll explain later. Can I meet you back at the bar?” Josh was clearly uncomfortable and I think my being here only made it worse.

“Yeah, sure. No problem.” As I turned, Josh grabbed my sleeve.

“Thank you for coming tonight. It meant a lot to me.” The sincerity in his words nearly knocked me on my ass.

“You’re welcome. Great show. You guys kicked ass. I’ll see you in a bit?” Hmm, an unsure question. Yup, I definitely wasn’t myself right now. Alien invasion? Attacked and unknowingly bitten by headbanging zombies? That was a possibility given the full house I was crammed onto the floor with. Being back at the bar and out of Josh’s presence might help clear my head. Or only serve to further confuse me.

Josh grinned. “Yeah, I’ll be there.” The awkward nod we gave each other was quite comical, we were being ridiculous yet cute at the same time. We were grown ass men for fuck’s sake, we could handle our attraction. I hoped…

Even though the ride back to SeaTac took forever, with my mind off on another plane, we pulled up to the hotel before I realized how close we were. “Welcome back, boss. How was the show?” I swear, Daniel had eyes everywhere and that was saying something given the place was nearly at capacity.

“For lack of a better term, they rocked it.” That was putting it mildly. The crowd was wild, and security kept breaking up mosh pits. “Anything interesting going on here?”

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