Page 30 of Poison's Promise

It’s just me and the memory of her—Polly—the girl who turned my world upside down once upon a time.

“Hey, you good?” another voice interrupts my thoughts. It’s Jake, my bassist, looking at me with concern.

“Yeah, just... thinking,” I say, pushing off from the wall.

“About her?” he asks, eyebrow raised.

I’ve had a couple of nights on my tour bus, drinking with Jake, explaining what’s been going on lately in my personal life.

“Always about her,” I admit, shaking my head. “But it’s showtime.”

“You’re gonna kill it, man,” he says, clapping me on the shoulder before heading toward the stage.

“Thanks,” I mutter, but my gaze is already shifting to the side entrance where I know she’ll be watching.

“Two minutes!” someone shouts, and the crew buzzes into action.

I roll my shoulders, trying to loosen the tension coiled there.

This isn’t just another gig. It’s a charity concert, something that needs to be on point.

“All right, Asher, you’re up,” my manager signals me.

“Time to rock ‘n roll,” I whisper to myself, stepping toward the blinding lights and deafening cheers.

As I walk out, the energy hits me like a wave.

Fifty thousand people screaming my name, their hands reaching out as if they can touch the music.

I raise my arm, the microphone catching the gleam of the spotlights. “How are we doing tonight?” I shout, my voice echoing across the sea of faces.

The response is a deafening roar, and I can’t help but grin. This is my kingdom, my sanctuary.

You think over time I’d get bored of it, but it’s just as exhilarating as the first time I ever stepped on a stage.

“Tonight,” I begin, pacing the stage, “I’m gonna start with a song I wrote a few years ago. It’s about a woman who changed my life. This one’s called ‘Magnetic’.”

I strum the first chords, my fingers moving instinctively over the strings.

The melody flows, and I let myself get lost in it.

My eyes drift backstage, and there she is—Poison, standing still, her gaze locked on me.

She knows this song. She knows it well.

“Like a magnet, you pull me in,” I sing, my voice rough and raw. “Can’t escape, don’t even want to.”

Our eyes meet, and for a moment, it’s just the two of us in the universe.

Her expression is unreadable, but I can feel the connection, the invisible thread that ties us together.

“Every time I try to leave, you pull me back,” I continue, the lyrics pouring out like a confession.

She doesn’t look away, and neither do I.

The crowd fades, the stage dissolves, and it’s just me singing to her, pleading with her to understand.

“You’re my magnetic force, pulling me closer, never letting go.”

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