Page 98 of Tortured Tones

“Good evening, LA. Glad y’all could make it...”

I scanned the VIP section, searching for our family and friends. There, in the front row, Charlotte stood on her chair between Sutton and Hannah, with her headphones covering her ears. A big grin slid across my face and warmth rippled through my chest. I waved at her. Her little eyes widened. She clapped and waved back. Fuck. That stole my heart.

After Flint had flirted and chatted with the crowd, hyped them up and commented on some banners, he dialed down his voice and injected a ton of sultry charm into it. “Alright, folks...Does anyone object if we slow things down a little? Set a little mood lighting?” The auditorium lights dimmed, and a blue wash flooded the stage. Flint clutched his mic. “I want y’all to take out your cell phones, turn the light on, and wave them in the air, like this.” He swung his arm from side to side above his head. Flickering to life, a sea of lights filled the venue as the fans switched their phones on. “Yes. That’s fucking awesome.”

The cheering shook through the walls and prickled my skin. So cool.

Flint pointed across the crowd. “This one is for all the lovers out there. To those of you who are in love. Looking for love. To my love.” He blew a kiss toward Sutton. “But to those of you who are afraid of love. . .” Shit. Flint had gone off script. He glanced over his shoulder at me, jutted his chin in my direction, then spun to face the audience again. What was that about? “...Stop being a fool. Love isn’t always easy. It can mess you up, big time. But when you find someone special, make it work—don’t let them go. We all deserve to be happy. There’s no better feeling than being in love. Trust me.” He grabbed his mic, lowered his voice, and swooned sexily at the audience. “So who here is down for being hopelessly in love?”

The crowd whistled and hollered as they waved their cell phones in the air. On cue, I pressed down on the pedals and tapped my drums, churning out the slow steady beat of our song “Hopelessly in Love.” Ava stood on the side of the stage with her hands folded in front of her. Her eyes were on me.

My skin tingled. My stomach cinched.

Flint was wrong.

I wasn’t being a fool. I wasn’t in love. Wasn’t looking for love. Didn’t want to be in love ever again. Did I? No...nope...no way. Well...maybe one day in the very, very distant future, but not today.

Slip churned out the haunting electric riff on his guitar. Lewis blended in with his bass. Flint seduced the crowd with his soulful raspy voice:

You came to me in the dark of night,

Like a summer’s breeze, you felt so right.

Your eyes, so bright, like a star-filled sky,

Your touch, so warm, made me feel so high.

I wasn’t looking for this, thought I was out of my mind,

I’d been hurt before, thought I was lost in time.

But you asked me to dance and took my hand,

Never thought my heart would beat like this again.

I wasn’t looking for a lover, I was set in my ways.

Now I’m watching the clock, counting down the days.

Until I see you,

With me,

Dancing beneath the stars.

Just you,

And me,

As one.

Holding you in my arms,

So hopelessly in love.

Giving you all my heart,

For now and forever, oh yeah.

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