Page 94 of Broken Instrument

No. That shit wasn’t sex.

It was more.

It was opening the door to our future and closing the door from our pasts. Or at least, it’s what I’d thought. Somehow, my past caught up to me anyway. And there’s nothing I can do to change it.

“Fen.” The word is nothing but a whisper, and I’m not sure how it cuts through the crowd, but I hear it. The soft lilt. The breathy, strained syllable. I’d recognize it anywhere. It’s been haunting me for weeks.

Her voice.

I turn around, convinced I’m going crazy, when a curvy brunette grabs my attention through the heavy black curtains hanging on the side of the large platform.

The guitar slips from my fingers, landing with a reverberating thud. Pixie’s ears perk, and she searches for what spooked me. When she sees Hadley, Pixie races toward her, her butt wiggling from side to side. With a grin, Hadley crouches down to greet the beast while my feet stay planted, positive I’m seeing things.

What the hell is she doing here?

She hates me.

I screwed up.

She shouldn’t be here.

I watch as Hadley scratches Pixie behind her ear and almost falls on her ass as the dog crowds Hadley’s personal space, desperate for more attention and an opportunity to lick her face, her hand, or anything she can come in contact with.

My heart beats faster, practically galloping in my chest, but still, I don’t move. I can’t. It’s like a spell’s been cast, and it’s one I don’t want to break. If I move, she’ll disappear. I’ll be alone again. And any spark of hope that hit when I saw her standing next to Hawthorne will dissipate into wisps of smoke. I can’t let it happen.

Oblivious, the rest of the band joins me on the stage, and the lights flip on. Blinding me. Convincing me I’m hallucinating, and there’s no way in hell the love of my life is here. Not after she left me.

I turn to the audience, shielding my eyes and blinking slowly before turning back to Hads. My Hads.

She’s still here.

My new band watches me curiously, waiting for me to greet the crowd and play the first song in our set, but I’m too stunned to do anything but stare. I watch as Hawthorne leans down and murmurs something to Hadley. She shakes her head but takes his offered hand and stands up. He says something else, though I can’t hear a word over the cheering audience.

With bright red cheeks and scuffed up black converse shoes, Hadley’s gaze connects with mine as she walks toward me. On the stage. In front of thousands.

And I can do nothing but watch. Her swaying hips. The short wisps of hair framing her face. The way her white teeth dig into her lower lip as she looks at the ground instead of her surroundings. Like she’s anxious. Shy. I can’t figure out if it’s because she’s on stage in front of a massive crowd or if it’s because of me. Because of how we left things. How I screwed up. How she broke my heart.

When she reaches the center of the stage, she takes a slow, unsteady breath and looks up at me. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?” I rasp, my words echoing throughout the stadium, and I realize the microphone is only a few feet from us.

I sigh, remembering where the hell I am, and take a few steps away from it.

With her arms folded, Hadley follows me, looking small and vulnerable. “Hawthorne wanted me to tell you, you’re kind of supposed to be performing right now, and we can sort our stuff after.”

“And he sent you out here to tell me that yourself?”

Her tongue darts out between her lips. “Yes.”

“So you’re not going anywhere?” I ask.

She shakes her head, the first ghost of a smile causing her lips to slant as she peeks up at me again from behind her black frames. “Sorry, Fen, but after a short conversation with your brother and a long-ass flight all alone, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

“Is that right?”

She nods and steps closer to me, closing the last bit of distance between us. Her fingers are delicate and unsure as she cups the side of my face and rubs her thumb along my cheek. “Yeah. I’m sure we can get into this when we don’t have an audience watching our every move, but I love you, and I’m so sorry for abandoning you and for not being willing to listen. I was scared. And I know it’s no excuse, but I’m here now. And I’m not––”

I slam my mouth onto hers, and the crowd goes wild. Cheering. Clapping. Whistling. But it all fades away until I’m left alone with nothing but Hadley and the feel of her curves pressed against me, the soft sweetness of her lips, and the knowledge she isn’t going anywhere. Not anymore. Not after everything we’ve been through.

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