Page 73 of Hard To Leave

Chapter 24

Chloe

“You ready for this?”Carly yelled into my ear, trying to be heard over the screaming females. It was getting close to showtime, and the fans seemed to be pouring in from every angle. The size of the crowd was growing by the second.

The opening act just finished their set as the overeager females started to squeeze their way as close as possible to the front of the stage.

Brogan sent Carly two VIP passes that placed us directly in the center of the front row. Literally, the best seats in the house. The generous bastard also added a couple backstage passes for after the show, almost ensuring that we would end up having to talk.

I tipped my beer back, feeling the nerves build up in my stomach. “As ready as one can possibly be.”

She squeezed my hand, giving me a burst of courage. “I think what you’re doing is very brave. It takes a lot of guts to come here tonight.”

My eyes trailed over to the stage where Brogan would be making an appearance any minute. “Yeah, well, I don’t feel very brave right now.”

I was panicking.

The lights started to dim, and the crowd started to grow crazy. I looked around at all the smiling faces, feeling a sense of pride. He really did it. He followed his dreams and made them happen.

“Hello, Charleston,” he shouted into the microphone, as he entered the stage. His deep voice stirred a familiar pang inside of me. It was a feeling I thought I had left behind years ago.

Carly squeezed my shoulder. “You okay?”

My head nodded, but no words came out.

I stood there, mesmerized as the strobe lighting shined right over his head. His full body was displayed on the thirty-foot-tall video screens at each end of the stage.

His hair was darker and longer than I remembered, at least from what I could see from underneath his baseball cap. His face was gorgeous, and his smile said that he loved what he did and had a good time doing it. His skin was tan, and the sleeve of tattoos covering his right arm had piqued my curiosity.

When we were together, the only ink he had was my name tattooed over his heart. I found myself wondering if he still had it. I guess I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.

When I allowed myself to really look at him, it was hard to turn away. He looked familiar but different. When he started to sing, the sound of his voice was like a punch in the gut. The raspiness, along with the deep growl, was as powerful as I remembered it to be.

As soon as his eyes met mine, my entire body froze. He blinked in surprise, and his mouth stretched into a grin.

The way my heart sped up at the mere sight of him confused the hell out me. Why was I reacting like that if I were truly over him? There was a tiny voice in my head telling me not to overthink it because I was in love with someone else.

Two beers and nine songs later, I was proud of myself for making it through his whole set without trying to escape back to the car. His band disappeared backstage, as the crowd began chanting for an encore song. After taking a couple minutes to towel off his hair and grab a drink of water, the lights went back on the stage, and the girls around me went nuts. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them fainted.

Brogan sauntered to the middle of the stage, and a giant, single spotlight illuminated his tall frame.

He looked out across the throng of fans and grinned. “You guys were awesome tonight.” The crowd went wild. “Tonight is a very special night for me. There is someone in the audience who has always been very important to me.” Carly’s arm came around mine for support. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her, but this girl…” He laughed. “She’s in every song I sing and every line I write. She is the inspiration for all my songs, and I wrote this just for her.”

The arena went black as he started playing his very first hit, “Take Some Time to Heal.” He sang about a man chasing after his dreams, leaving his girl behind, wishing she were with him sitting by his side. I’ve heard this song a million times. I knew deep down that it was meant for me, but having him admit it caused my heart to shatter into a million pieces. I allowed myself to feel the words and imagine his pain as he sang about losing his best friend. You could hear the emotion and the break in his voice like he was reliving the memories and the moments that lead to that song.

One of his greatest triumphs was born out of his greatest pain.

My head reeled in confusion. Whatever excuses I’ve used in the past didn’t matter now. He was different; I could see it in his eyes. They were bright with color instead of clouded over from booze and drugs. He looked healthy and so comfortable in his own skin, and that pleased me beyond words.

As soon as he was done, he thanked everyone for coming out and exited the stage. The bright lights came back on, letting the crowd know that the show was really over and they all started to head back to the parking lots.

“Are you okay?” Carly asked, giving my shoulder a squeeze. My finger swiped the lone tear that had fallen.

“I’m not sure? I didn’t expect to feel this way.” My eyes were glued to the stage; I couldn’t peel them away. I wish I could say that hearing that song didn’t affect me, but it did.

Carly’s eyes scanned the thinning crowd. “I know this isn’t easy for you, but try not to overthink everything. Talk to him and just hear him out. You don’t have to have all the answers tonight, and you don’t have to tell him about Tanner if you’re not ready.”

I ran my sweaty palms down my jeans. “I’m just overwhelmed.”

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