Page 65 of Forever Flames: Padraig & Stevie
I spin her in a circle right there in the middle of the Showbox floor, and kiss her like I’m starving. She tastes like mint and heaven. When it’s gone on a beat too long, she laughs into my mouth, clutching my shoulders. I don’t care who’s watching. We’ve spent too many nights apart.
When I finally let her go, Liam’s smirking behind me. Linus stands beside him with a quiet, welcoming smile.
“About fuckin’ time you got here.” Liam tugs her into a hug.
“Welcome home,” Linus adds, kissing her cheek.
Felicity doesn’t move from where she’s sitting on the edge of the stage. She watches us like she’s daring Stevie to get comfortable. The moment Stevie catches her eye, Felicity’s mouth curves into a smile full of venom. Staking her territory. Letting my girlfriend know she’s not welcome.
Stevie stiffens next to me, so I take her hand in mine and squeeze. “Come on, we’ve got dinner reservations.”
We duck out the side door into the brisk night air and cross the street to Pike Place Market. Matt’s glows with a soft light above the cobblestones, and I hold the door open for her.
“Matt’s? Ohmygod.” She squeezes my hand.
I press my hand on her back lightly as we’re shown to a table by the window overlooking the Market and Puget Sound. “I figured you’d be starving.”
By the time our food arrives, my stomach’s too knotted to eat.
“You’re not touching your food.” She sets down her fork. “You don’t go on for a couple hours, you should have time to digest.”
I shake my head, staring at the untouched plate in front of me. “I know. It all hit me today. I’ve realized Felicity has to go.”
“Wow.” Her eyes widen, then she laughs. “You’ve always been the one who insisted on keeping her. If I didn’t trust you so implicitly, I might have been worried about what it meant.”
“I know.” I rub the back of my neck with something resembling shame. “All this time, I thought I was protecting the band. Keeping it together. But I’m not. I’m holding it back.”
She reaches for my hand across the table. “I’m glad you finally see it. You’ve carried too much on your shoulders, baby.”
I swallow, which feels like dragging glass.
Stevie changes the subject to our plans for the weekend. She wants to see her parents, maybe visit my family if they’re around. I want to disappear into a hotel room and make love to her and let the rest of the world fall away.
We settle on a combination of both.
By the time we get back to the Showbox, the venue is packed and buzzing. I lead her over to where Connor and the guys from Less Than Zero are setting up.
“Stevie.” Connor’s eyes light up as he bear hugs her. “Let me introduce you to the lads. Tyson, Zane, Jace—this is Stevie, Padraig’s girlfriend…or should I say, wife? You’ve been together for, what? Eight years?”
Tyson, the frontman, is shy. He shakes her hand with a soft smile, blue eyes bright with a quiet charisma he can’t turn off. Zane, full of bouncy energy and effortless swagger, waves as he tunes his guitar. Jace offers a nod from behind the kit, sticks tapping against his thigh.
I watch the easy way Connor laughs with his bandmates, and my chest aches with a mix of pride and something darker. Jealousy. They have a chemistry Fireball doesn’t have anymore.
When LTZ takes the stage, the room filled with our fans erupts. Ty’s voice is a force, deep and textured, pulling every person in the crowd closer. Zane’s guitar weaves in and out of it like they’re connected in some way. Connor’s bassline is solid and sure, and Jace’s drumming drives it all forward with precision.
It’s tight. Polished. Pure magic in a bottle.
I glance at Stevie standing next to me. Her eyes glow, caught in the current. I feel a twist of bitterness again. Envy for what my brother has found.
When it’s our turn, the difference is impossible to ignore.
Felicity steps up to the mic, tosses her hair and panders to the audience in the most inauthentic manner. Her voice is technically perfect, but her presence is all hype. Liam’s playing is sharp but detached. And me? I’m phoning it in. Every beat I hit feels heavier than the last.
The difference between our bands is stark. I can’t pretend we have a chance in hell. I’ve given up my life with Stevie forthis. Fireball’s nowhere near the standard it needs to be. A hollow shell compared to LTZ. All because I’ve been too afraid to listen to Stevie and my brother and make the hard call.
What has it gotten me? Fealty to a woman who’s been trying to drive a wedge between me and Stevie for years. And I took her side.
My hands grip my sticks harder. I thrash and pound, trying to drown out the realization clawing at my chest.
