Page 17 of Four of Hearts

“Yeah, one of the guys helped her down,” Watson said, peeking around the curtain.

The guys were our roadies. Well, that wasn’t their official name, but we had no other word to describe them. They were the guys who helped with the stage lighting, the music, and with the show overall. And they also helped us set everything whenever we had a show out of town.

So, I guess, they actually were kind of like our roadies.

“Let’s go shower and get a drink,” I suggested.

After every show, the women stayed and had some more drinks and food, and while we didn’t stay every time, we occasionally joined them and talked a little before heading back home.

I was too tired after most shows, but I’d make an exception tonight. I wanted to make sure Lola was okay, and that she truly enjoyed the show.

I just hoped that we wouldn’t make fools out of ourselves, hoping to be the first to talk to her.

“Remember, boys, we’re not high schoolers anymore,” I said, warning them not to make a scene because of her.

WATSON

I took my time taking a shower and getting dressed, and when I headed out to the bar, I had my hopes up high to get another good look at Lola. She looked beautiful sitting on that chair, letting us dance for her.

I felt something between us, and I wanted to find out exactly what it was. She fascinated me. Intrigued me in a way no woman ever had, and I simply wanted to know if that was all her, or also the fact that I wasn’t the only one interested in her.

There had been times before where one of the other guys and I had the same crush on a woman, but once I found out about it, I lost interest because I didn’t want to fight for a woman’s attention. This time, with Lola, it felt different.

It felt worth fighting for her. Or even sharing her if that’s what she was into.

My excitement grew the closer I got to the bar, but it faded when I didn’t see her sit at the table she had spent the evening at. Her friend wasn’t there either, and I looked around the room to see if they had simply gotten up and moved.

“Looking for someone specific?” Elia, our bartender, asked.

I looked at him and nodded. “Yeah, the two girls who sat right here during the show.”

“They left.”

I frowned. “When?”

“Right after Lola got off stage. She looked horrified.”

I didn’t like Elia’s annoyed tone, but what I disliked even more was the fact that he knew her name. “You know her?”

He shrugged. “Met her today.”

I clenched my jaw, scanning the club carefully to make sure he wasn’t lying. He had no reason to lie though. I looked at him again.

“Horrified? Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Pretty much. She was all confident when she walked in here earlier. She was like nothing I’d ever seen before. But the second she got off stage, she bolted.”

“Motherfucker,” I muttered. Without saying another word, I walked right back to our backstage are.

Leo walked out of the change room, looking like he was on a mission, but I stopped him from walking any further. “She left.”

“What? No…”

“Yeah, Elia just told me. He said she looked horrified after she got off stage.”

Kline appeared behind Leo, and his face wasn’t happy one bit. “We overwhelmed her.”

Bennett joined us in the narrow hallway, and we all looked at each other, knowing we had messed up. We were way too excited to have her in the audience, and we went and messed it all up for her.

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