Page 121 of Starstruck
He finds my gaze in the dusk as he adds, “I hope you enjoy—here’s ‘Trouble.’”
My jaw falls open as the title of the song falls from his lips, the intro music beginning. I stand there, frozen in disbelief, just listening to the lyrics, trying to figure out when the hell he wrote this song.
As the first chorus hits, Paige, Sadie, and Isa all look at me.
“Is this about you?” Paige asks, her brows furrowed.
I do nothing but nod as I keep my eyes trained on the stage, on the man who won’t tear his eyes from me either.
She’s got eyes like the devil, she’ll swallow you whole.
She’s a dangerous temptation with a break in her soul.
She plays with fire, wrapped in leather and lace.
Just a look and he knew, they were one heart misplaced.
The song continues, and with each word, I become increasingly convinced that maybe this really has been a game to him. He was using me—us—as inspiration. He wrote me a damn love song,which had to have been written sometime in these past few weeks once he realized how badly he fucked up in losing me, and now he’s singing it atmybenefit concert in front of sixteen thousand people as a ploy to pull me back in.
That has to be what this is.
“I have to go,” I say to my sister and best friends. They call after me, but I don’t stop as I make my way out of the VIP section and head toward backstage.
Finding Jeremy immediately, I rush over to where he stands with his husband, Kevin, who also happens to be Baxter’s manager.
“Lennon!” Jeremy begins, but I interrupt him.
“Jere, I need you to close the show for me once Baxter’s done. Please.”
His face falls as his brows pull together. Noticing the panicked look in my eyes, he simply nods.
“Sure, no problem. But is everything okay? You don’t look too well.”
I glance from him to Kevin, who has an apologetic look on his face.
“No. No, I need to go. Just please thank everyone for coming out, and tell them I’m sorry. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Jeremy nods. “Sure, Lennon. Drive home safe, okay?”
I tilt my head down before heading to the green room to collect my things. Grabbing my purse and leather jacket, I say goodbye to the few performers still hanging out back there, and then I head out to the parking lot.
Once I’m safely inside my car, I give in to the tears that are fighting to fall.
Then I go home.
[55 ]
MILLION REASONS
BAXTER
“WHATEVER IT TAKES” BY LIFEHOUSE
The whisky burns my throat as I swig back a third shot. I’ve been craving a drink all day, but I made a promise to Lennon that I’d be sober for the concert, so that’s what I was.
The last thing I wanted was to make things worse than they already were between us, and yet everything I did today might have done it anyway.
I knew getting Lennon to perform with me would be a risk, but it was a risk I was willing to take if it meant there was a chance that she would forgive me. And when that didn’t work, I hoped singing “Trouble” would. As soon as she broke my eye contact and left the crowd, I hoped she would be waiting backstage for me when I was done.
