Page 147 of Saved By My Buyers

Struggling harder, I annoy the man who is hurrying Gareth along, and he back hands me in his impatience. I try not to allow the darkness that’s pulling me down, as Gareth walks through the door the man is holding open. It’s dark in here too, and somehow that pulls me further into unconsciousness.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Dahlia

It feels as if just after Bee left, a staff member was ushering me up to get ready to go on stage. I’ve been sitting for so long, my tailbone has fallen asleep, and I’m ready to go home. Seeing Sullivan, I frown as I walk up to where there’s a curtained off area.

“I thought there were more people before me,” I hiss, confused.

“The snowstorm is keeping students from making it here,” Sullivan says under his breath. “We’re trying to keep things moving, and hope no one flips their shit on me. So you’re going next and we’ll wrap this up.”

Taking a deep breath, I shake out my hands, hoping the nerves will be just as easy to expel.

“You got this,” he grunts, stepping up on the stage to announce us.

“All of this special attention,” Ivan says behind me, startling me. I thought I was the only one back here, but as I look around, I see that Pilar is here as well. They must have just come up.

“Everywhere I look, you’re cozying up to the director. Should I tell your boyfriend you’re cheating on him?”

God, I wish people would get out of my vagina’s business.

“I don’t really care what you think, but if you fuck up this recital, you’re going to regret it,” I say, forcing a natural looking smile as Sullivan calls us.

Pilar snorts in amusement, and we walk out onto the stage together. We almost look like a united front if you didn’t know how much Ivan and I have fought. My eyes immediately look for Jack, to see if Bee has returned yet.

His sharp eyes meet mine, and he shakes his head. I want to tell him to go find her, to just get up and leave, and I hope my eyes say more than I currently can before I turn back to focus on what’s happening on the stage.

My heart pounds with anxiety, now for Bee, as I sit down with my guitar, struggling to stay in the moment. My dress has pockets, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. There’s no way I would be able to keep a bag with me throughout the recital.

As it is, I left my bag on the chair I was sitting on earlier. I can feel the weight of a pocket knife that Jack bought me for Christmas in my pocket, helping to ground me. He spoiled us so much, but they were also practical gifts too.

I’m safe on this stage, but I don’t know if Bee is.

As much as I want to tell the people on stage to go fuck themselves, I can’t, because it would make my friend and boss look bad.

Taking a moment to settle myself, I open up my music, quickly meeting Pilar and Ivan’s eyes. They nod, and Ivan and I begin to ease into the piece. Ivan plays the piano the way he does everything else it seems, with intense concentration and energy.

Thankfully, it works perfectly for the song, so when Pilar’s violin joins us, it’s perfect.

My eyes find where Jack was sitting again, only to find him gone, which gives me a sense of relief. I don’t need anyone to sit in the audience for this. I’m here because it’s mandatory, which is why I’ve put so much effort into it.

I do, however, need my girlfriend to be safe, even if she locked herself in the bathroom and can’t get out.

Smirking at the thought, I take a deep breath and begin to sing a song that will probably go over all these rich assholes’ heads. But the words flow freely as they soar through the notes of our music, exactly the way I imagined they would.

So I find myself singing for my past, my present, and the two people that I love with all my heart. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Arina watching enviously, but the bitch can choke for all I care.

Jack

I didn’t want to leave Dolly, but fuck, I can’t shake this feeling in my stomach. There’s no sign of Ciara or Thomas, either, and I’m one step away from freaking the fuck out.

“Hey,” I say, catching a staff member. “Have you seen a woman with red hair in a braid and a blue and green dress?”

“Ah,” the man looks at me like I’m crazy, but a woman overhears me and nods, coming over.

“I did see her not too long ago,” she says. “The bathrooms by the ballroom were busy, and she appeared to really need to go. I sent her around the corner, since I knew it was empty.”

The staff member is elderly, and doesn’t appear to be hiding anything. Forcing myself to breathe evenly instead of the fire breathing dragon that I feel like, I nod. It’s not her fault I’m so on edge.

---