Page 47 of Counterpoint and Harmony

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ritornello:a recurring passage for orchestra in the first or final movement of a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus)

Charlie

Waking up in Damian’s arms again is bliss. Unfortunately, it can’t last. It’s early enough that I should be able to dart back to my room without being seen. And since the show is tonight, if someone does spot me and word gets out, it’s not as big of a deal now.

I carefully extricate myself from under Damian’s arm, biting back a groan at the loss of his warmth. After using the bathroom, I plan to give him a soft kiss, but he’s stretching and blinking at me when I come back into the room.

“Hey. What are you doing?” He props himself up on his elbows and puts on his glasses, wisps of hair sticking out on the side of his head where it escaped from his ponytail in his sleep.

I smile. He’s so adorable, I can’t help it. Leaning a knee on the bed, I give him the soft kiss I’d already planned, but pull back before he can do more than rest his hand on my waist. Bracing my hands on his shoulders, I hold myself back when he exerts gentle pressure, trying to bring me in for another kiss.

“I’ve got to get back to my room. Busy day today.”

He drops his hand. “Right. Of course. The show.”

With a nod, I stand up, running my hands through my hair and pulling my hat back on. We slept in our clothes, so I’m still dressed. “Yeah. I’ve got to meet with Natalie over breakfast and finalize things. Then we’ll be at the venue to make sure it’s all set. I want to check the piano, too. Even though this isn’t a big performance with lots of costume and set changes, I still need hair and makeup and all that jazz.”

He grins when I hold my hands out, fingers spread, making jazz hands. I smile back, happy that my attempt to lighten his mood seemed to work. After our conversation last night, and then falling asleep with him, I’m still not certain where we stand. He’s still so ready to think I just want to throw us away, despite the fact that I was never the one who wanted that.

But I squash down that line of thinking. If I follow it to its inevitable conclusion, I’ll just be mad and hurt all over again, and if I want him to move on, accept me and my life for what it is, then I need to do the same. Not hold past mistakes against him. With one last smile, I head back to my room, darting down the hall.

A door opens and closes behind me, but I don’t turn, so I don’t know if they pay me any attention or not. Probably not.

The day passes in a blur, filled with all the things I told Damian about and then some. And the venue is packed by the end. A cute little theatre with painted ceilings and a proscenium stage, framed with giltwork and complete with a red velvet curtain.

As usual, I play a mix of old favorites and new songs. The ballad gets me a standing ovation. Everyone has been responding to the new songs. There were even people singing along with the chorus of the song I debuted in Spokane, which means people are finding bootlegged YouTube videos of these concerts and watching them enough to learn the lyrics.

I love my fans. And I tell them so from the stage, the bright lights shining in my eyes making it hard to see, but their energy a palpable thing. “Thank you so much for coming on such short notice!”

Their screams fill the auditorium.

“I love you guys so much. Your support means the world to me. It’s because of you that I get to do what I love the most.” More applause, whistles, and catcalls. “Seriously. I’ve always maintained I have the best fans in the world. And every one of these pop-up shows proves me right.”

At the end of the show they’re screaming for encores, so I play the one song left in my pocket. My throat is raw from singing, my voice getting rougher, but this was one of my first hits, so I can sing it on autopilot, doing the dance number by myself since there are no backup dancers for these little shows.

But I don’t need that. Everyone sings along, their collective voices almost louder than mine. And when I hold the mic out to them, they sing even louder.

With my final bows complete, dripping in sweat, I jog to the little dressing room backstage where Natalie brings me room temperature water and a towel.

“You were amazing as always.” She beams her bright smile at me as she sets a second bottle of water on the table next to me. “I’ll go get Damian and Lauren and bring them back. Then we’ll get all three of you some food.”

I pause in gulping my water. “You’re awesome, Natalie. Thank you so much. I’m starving.”

With a wave, she disappears, letting the door shut behind her, leaving me in relative silence for the first time in hours. I finish the bottle of water and take several deep breaths, recentering myself after the show, letting the adrenaline dissipate from my bloodstream.

A great show is invigorating but exhausting. I’m still amped up right now, but I’ll crash hard in an hour or two. The nice thing about these quick little shows is that there’s not a big crew, no scheduled meet and greets, and no expectation of any kind of afterparty.

After a snack, I’ll go out and sign some autographs and snap a few selfies with the fans that hang around and wait for that. There’s a table set up in the lobby for it, so I know there’ll be a crowd when I go out. But for now, I’m relishing the quiet.

Minutes later as I sip my second bottle of water, the door bursts open, admitting sound in the form of Lauren, Damian, and Natalie. The sound, of course, is Lauren, who throws her arms wide, her face a picture of excitement. “Oh my God, Charlie! That was even more amazing than the show in Spokane!” She flops onto the couch and gives me an enthusiastic hug, almost making me spill my water. Laughing, I return her hug with one arm.

She pulls back, her hands gripping my upper arms. “And that ballad. Oh my God. That was just so … I don’t even know how to describe it.”

“It was beautiful, Charlie.” Damian’s voice, low and sincere, such a contrast to Lauren’s exuberance, draws my attention to where he stands in the corner, his hands in his pockets.

“Thank you. Sit down. Natalie’s going to get us something to eat. She found a great sandwich place this afternoon and had food delivered earlier.”

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