Page 126 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
“Yeah, I am.”
“Oh my god, can I get your autograph?”
My eyebrows and nose scrunch, and I have to swallow back a laugh. “Me?”
“Yeah! Please? Here, you can sign my shirt.”
How fucking weird. Fake date a celebrity and suddenly their fans start asking you for autographs. I look at Craig and he shrugs, so I shrug.
“Yeah, sure.”
Craig pulls a black marker out of his pocket, something I’ve noticed all the security details carry, and hands it to me before I slowly close the distance between the girl and me. She turns around, giving me her back, so I smooth out the part of her shirt on her shoulder blade.
“I’m absolutely obsessed with your sound. Do you think Caveat Lover will get back together? Maybe tour with Heartless? That would be so fucking cool. I’ve downloaded all your songs. You’re on my constant repeat playlist.”
I freeze just as I put the marker to her shirt. “Wait...what?”
“Your music! You guys are so good. I really hope you release some new stuff soon.”
I flick my eyes to Craig, and he grins before jutting his chin toward the shirt, reminding me that I need to actually sign the thing. The ink bled into the fabric, making a small black dot, so I move beneath it, so it’s positioned just above theiin my name. I sign an autograph for the first time in a long time, and then I pose for a picture. By the time the girl goes back to her friends, I’m stunned speechless, and Craig laughs.
“I scrolled your band’s social media page. You might want to prepare yourself for that happening more often.”
“Really?” I shake my head and look back toward the stage. “It’s weird.”
He shrugs. “Weird, but real.”
I huff out a laugh. I feel like that can be used to describe a lot of shit in my life all the sudden. The thought makes me blush. Torren says it’s real between us. He says it’s always been real for him. But what about for me?
I know I’m attracted to him. I always have been. He makes my stomach flip and my heart race, and I can’t pretend like his touch doesn’t conjure dirty thoughts in my imagination. I know the way mybody reacts to him is real. I also know I find him to be fascinating and extremely talented. But beyond that? I’m not sure.
Where do I stand with Torren King now that I’m not burning with barely repressed hatred for him? Now that I don’t loathe his very existence and blame him for ruining my music career? I can’t just go back to the girl I was at ArtFusion. That girl worshipped the ground he walked on and thought of him more as a god than a man. And even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. That’s not a healthy balance in a relationship. If we’re evenina relationship...
I groan and drop my head back, tilting my face to the darkened sky and grumbling into the air. “Why can’t shit be easy?”
Craig laughs again, but he doesn’t answer. I sigh and push any further thoughts out of my head just as the stage lights signal that The Hometown Heartless is about to take the stage. As usual, the crowd starts to lose their damn minds, and the bodies surge forward, and I watch it all from the safety of the tent. It’s madness.
“People get wild.”
I look up into the face of Sav’s boyfriend. He’s watching the crowd, too.
“They really do.”
“It’s like this everywhere, too. Doesn’t matter where they play. It’s...well, it’s kind of amazing.”
I laugh at the awe in his voice. “You were on the first leg of the US tour, right?”
“Yeah.” He grins slightly. “You looking forward to the Canadian and European legs?”
The question catches me off guard. I thought Levi knew about my contract. I thought for sure Sav would have already filled him in on everything.
“Um...” I purse my lips. “Sure.”
“Sure?” He turns glittering eyes on me, his smile growing. “That’s not convincing.”
I force a laugh and roll my eyes. “Well, I just don’t know that I’ll be around for the Canadian and European shows. A lot can happen between now and then.”
He nods and looks away. “Suppose so. But just so you’re prepared, Savannah’s got it in her head to make us skydive in every country.”
