Page 142 of On The Edge
“FIVE songs?!” I snap, setting the water down quickly. “She’s been gone for five fucking songs and you guys are just telling me now?”
“I just found out after the last song,” Markus growls. I can tell he’s as on edge as I am. I flip around and look up at Adam on the scaffolding, throwing my hands up in a “What the fuck” gesture. His jaw is clenched, and I can see from here that he’s barely keeping it together.
“We have four more songs,” Markus tries to reason with me, gesturing with his eyes back to the crowd and my hackles rise. My shoulders inch upward. Everything, every move we make, is going to be recorded and posted everywhere.
I nod, understanding what he’s trying to do—trying to calm me down—but that just means I have at least twenty more minutes until I can get my hands on her. The lights change overhead, giving us all the cue to startSunset Skies.Markus' nostrils flare with his quick intake of breath, his eyes narrowing, because he knows, just like I do, that our hands are tied for the next twenty minutes.
Without bringing attention to it, Markus starts playing the intro toSunset Skiesand I take a deep breath.
“Four songs and then we’ll find her,” he promises.
“Four songs,” I nod and take a deep breath before humming the first line. Absent-mindedly, my eyes look to the side I know Melody was standing, and my heart drops now that I know she’s gone.
What happened?
Did she realize that this life, us, our life, was too much for her? That we definitely don’t deserve her?
She… wouldn’t have run, would she?
Kai steps up next to me, strumming his guitar exaggeratedly and bumps my shoulder. He’s got that pretty boy smirk on his face that he usually dons for work, but his eyes are menacing.
He turns his back to the audience and mouths,“I’ve got it,”at me.
“Did you ever like the way the sun hits the horizon?/ You always smiled so sweet when the sky turned gold”I sing loudly, passionately. My eyes close as I imagine Melody laying on the plaid blanket under our tree house in the back field. If I keep my eyes closed, keep singing, keep the music going in my monitors, I can… almost imagine I’m back there with her.
When my eyes open, forcing myself to come back to the present where thousands of people are watching me, watching us, and I have to stay here—front and center—while something is wrong with my girl. While something is wrong with the love of my life.
My attention is pulled when Kai leaves my side and walks to the place Melody started the concert at.
There’s movement, and for a split second, I think it’s her.
But then all my hopes are dashed when Louis' stupid face, complete with a shit-eating grin, is illuminated by the stage lights.
These might be the longest and most rushed four songs I’ve ever sang in my life.
Kai’soff the stage first, basically throwing his guitar at the tech while Adam’s close behind after throwing his sticks to the crowd. There are attendants cleaning our neon masks and putting them in storage so we can fly to the next venue. Markus and I hustle as fast as we can. I really pity the fool who stops us for anything other than telling us what the hell is happening.
Kai picks up the pace and starts to run towards the dressing room, pushing the doors open so hard they hit the wall with echoingbangs.
We all tumble in, expecting—hoping—to find Mel on the couch asleep, but instead we find a blonde in a tight black dress with too heavy makeup crossing her legs in a way that says she hopes she’s being seductive.
“Who the fuck are you?” Kai growls and stalks forward, metaphorical smoke blowing from his ears because he’s so mad. I’m a little worried that he might actually throw this bitch across the room, but not so worried I’m going to step into this line of questioning.
“He asked a question,” Adam snaps when the blonde doesn’t immediately start talking.
“I, uh,” she stammers and sits up, uncrossing her legs and letting her knees fall slightly open. “I heard you like to share.”
“Get the fuck out,” Markus says, softly enough to be considered polite. When she doesn’t move, instead, looking at the rest of us, Markus loses his shit. “Get the fuck out of here before I call security and sue your dumbass for entering! We’re taken! Fuck off!”
Each word he says is punctuated with a clench of his hand or one of his hands running through his hair, like he needs to keep moving or this anxious energy will win.
“Are you serious?” She scoffs. “I was told if I came in here, you’d all want to fuck.”
“And who, in their right fucking mind, told you that lie?” I roll my eyes, crossing my arms. “Like he said, we’re taken. In love with a woman and don’t even want to look at anyone but her. So first, tell us who brought you in here, and then get out of our sight.”
The blonde stands up with a huff and brushes her dress down.
“Some older guy. Louis? Larry? I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’m leaving now.” She starts walking towards the door, too slowly—as if she thinks we’re going to stop her and beg her to stay. When none of us do, she stomps her foot and storms out.
