Page 6 of On The Edge
My jaw drops in surprise as I turn my eyes to the bassist and see the same—ithasto be the same—smirk that Kai was known for in school. The same fucking smirk that made every girl, single or not, fall at his feet.
Myself included.
This can’t be happening.
My chest starts to tighten uncomfortably, but I can’t help it. I turn to the guitarist. Markus.MyMarkus. He’s grown his hair out and it’s fuckinggood. It looks so damn good on him. He’s got it pulled half-back so I can see his face while the rest of it falls down his broad back…God.
The lead singer—Reis,apparently—still has the dreamiest, raspiest, sexiest voice I’ve ever heard. The voice that’s haunted my dreams, but it’s like he’s reached a new depth.
I can’t believe I didn’t put it all together before. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize Reis’ voice.
Looking up at them from the front of the crowd, I feel the undeniable urge torun. Leave them before they can leave me.Again.
My eyes shoot back to Reis. Cataloguing all the similarities, it’s hard for me not to see the same sweet, nerdy guy who Icrushed on throughout high school. One of the guys who saved me.
The dark hair, the sharp cheekbones, the square jaw. The guy onstage is built, muscular and freaking vascular as hell, an artfully crafted five o’clock shadow covering his jaw but it doesn’t hide the shape at all. His hair is neat, lush and flowing over his forehead even though he looks like he’s sweating. The black T-shirt clings to his body and meets the waistband of his jeans with just a little sliver of skin showing.
No wonder all I heard around me before the concert started was how ‘fucking sexy the band is’, and how anyone–all of them–could spit in their mouths and they’d say thank you.
I get what they were talking about now. But I knew how amazing these guys were before all this fame.
My guys left Haven, a small town a few hours from Tulsa, and I never heard from them again. Couldn’t find a single one of them online. They all changed their numbers and it was like… like they just disappeared.
I never thought, or let myself believe, there was a possibility I’d see them again.
They’re so different from the boys I knew. But one thing hasn’t changed: the way their passion for music seeps into everything they touch, everything they are. Watching them on that stage… I’m amazed and breathless.
Crash!
Pain blooms as someone knocks into me hard. My chest hits the metal partition before everyone backs off for just a breath and I’m slammed forward again. This time, it’s with the weight of the whole crowd behind me. It repeats in strong waves I can’t pull myself out of; each one relentless and more powerful than the last.
“Stop!” I scream, but no one pays attention to me. “Please, fuck! Stop!”
My eyes widen in fear as I look around. Everyone else is going with the flow; I seem to be the only one being crushed. How do I get out of this? A few more hits like this and I don’t think I’ll still be standing.
No one’s going to help me. There are security guards right here and they’re just letting this happen?Goddamn it,I can’t breathe.
I’m actually really fucking scared now. I can’t catch a full breath and I can’t move. There are so many people pushing against me and this one moment of hesitation costs me greatly.
“I want to know// does he see you how I do?// does he see beneath the surface?”Reis belts out like a siren just as my vision starts to fade and my head feels fuzzy.
What am I going to do?I panic. And I know the panic makes it worse.
The world starts to turn as I lose consciousness, but my last thought is how it looks like Reis sees me, too.
I hearthe raspy voice I never thought I’d hear again breathlessly ask, “How long do I have?”
“Maybe five minutes,” someone I don’t recognize answers.
“Fuck, okay. I’ll be there in a minute.” It’s Reis. He’s here.
Where am I?
Pulling my eyes apart is so much harder than I thought it would be. But when I finally get them open, I’m pretty sure I’m still dreaming.
Reis is right here, standing over me. A few hairs hanging in front of his forehead are wet with sweat; his cheeks are flushed,like he ran here to check on me. He smellsincredible, like clean sweat and man. I don’t know how else to describe it. But it’s intoxicating.
“Melody?” he asks. His dark eyes are looking at me with worry, extremely guarded and a hint of disbelief.
