Page 57 of Love Me Steadfast
“Fine,” Morgan and I say in unison. Morgan’s giggle gets swallowed by a blast of sound from the stage.
Dad leads us down the narrow, dark hallway to the stage door. “Nic’s just finishing up,” he says before pulling it open.
I’m hit by a wall of sound and the cool air of the club. Gooseflesh ripples down my arms. The powerful sound vibrations rattlemy bones. Then the music stops, and the band members all start talking at once.
We’re standing at the back of the stage, in the dark open area reserved for the equipment and lighting setup. Morgan and I have goofed off up here before when the club is closed and we were stuck waiting for Dad, but this feels totally different. My tummy flips so hard I press a hand to my chest and force a full breath.I will not hurl.
Standing in the center of the stage, his back to us, is a guy in ripped jeans and a black sleeveless T-shirt, one hand on the microphone and the other limp at his side. His black electric guitar hangs from a strap slung over his right shoulder. He turns partially away from the empty club to say something to his drummer. They banter about a technical detail, then the bassist chimes in.
While the drummer and bassist argue, the singer’s gaze drifts to the back of the stage.
Next to me, Morgan sucks in an inhale. She grips my arm. “Holy hell he’s hot,” she says in a low tone only I can hear as the guy’s brown eyes lock with mine.
He flashes a smile that’s disarming, but it doesn’t completely erase the feeling of raw vulnerability. Like I’m a mouse scurrying across the open prairie while a hawk contemplates if I’m worth his precious energy.
I try to stare back like I’m a champion knife thrower who never sleeps. He shifts his gaze to Morgan, and his quick appraisal flushes cold needles down my back.
Chapter Seventeen
WILLIAM (AGE 16)
Theoand I get to The Limelight just as the pumped-in music coming from the windows slanted open along the top of the wall fades, replaced by the twang of guitar strings being tuned.
“Thanks for coming out tonight,” Morgan says from inside the club. She sounds confident, eager.
I fight my own nervousness with a full breath. It’s like game day, only I’m not playing. Is that normal?
Scattered applause from the audience. Though muffled, thanks to the cement wall separating us from the stage, I recognize Sofie’s cheer and Sawyer’s hearty “Wooo!” Zach’s on shift tonight or I’m sure he’d join in.
Morgan laughs softly into the mike. “Looks like our fan club made it.”
A few windows down from us on the sidewalk, Wren, Emmie, and Emmie’s mom give a hearty cheer that I hope Charlotte can hear.
She confessed to me how nervous she gets when she sings. How she’s more confident with her violin and trumpet or singing in a group. But she said she’d go through with it tonight for Morgan,who has been so busy practicing and scribbling out lyrics and testing out chord progressions for new songs that she’s stayed out of trouble.
“You okay?” Theo asks, shooting me a curious look.
“Fine,” I reply. “Just…stoked for them.”
He gives a half-smile. “Yeah.”
From inside the club, guitar chords ring out. The song is “Ho, Hey” by the Lumineers, only they’ve slowed it down. Morgan’s voice is strong and so pure it kicks my heart up into my throat. Then Charlotte joins in, sending a wave of gooseflesh down both my arms.
Charlotte asked me why I don’t call her Charlie, like everyone else. It’s because her full name sounds like music. Like a harmony I’ll never get tired of hearing.
In the middle of the second song, Crosby has a guitar solo. He’s confident and flawless and even though I can’t stand the guy, his skill is undeniable. Charlotte said Theo didn’t have a problem with her and Crosby being together. Why the fuck does Crosby get the green light? Is this why?
Their final song is fast and catchy, and from inside the club, people start clapping along. Then an earthy, rich melody from a violin cuts through the rest, and my heart starts to hum inside my chest.
It’s Charlotte.
Now Ireallywish I was inside. I’ve never heard violin like this—the notes precise and rich, quick and fun. I close my eyes so I can take it all in, but the song ends too soon. I jam my fingers against my curled tongue and whistle. I’m sure Charlotte can’t hear us over the crowd inside, but it doesn’t stop me from trying.
Morgan calls out a thank you over the applause. “We’re Boxcar Doves.”
A bit later, after Sawyer, Sofie, and her friends join us outside, Charlotte, Morgan, Crosby, and his dad emerge from the club, and everyone heads to the diner for celebratory milkshakes.
Charlotte’s distracted by her friends crowding around her, giving me a moment to take in how pretty she looks. Her silky hair hangs inloose curls and her glossy lips match her raspberry red shirt. I’ve never seen her wear a skirt before, and it’s doing things to me. Or maybe it’s the cowgirl boots. Fuck.
