Page 96 of Reckless

Chances were, they wouldn’t on the same tour bill again. Maybe big, multi day festivals in the future, but he had the distinct feeling Above Me was going to be the one having opening acts on their next tour rather than being an opening act again.

From now on, they’d both have to make a different sort of effort to stay connected. A new step in their relationship, but he realized how totally okay he was with that.

They came offstage but the lights stayed low to let the crowd know there’d be an encore. That’s when Miles saw Richie coming toward them, his guitar tech at his side. The look on Harlow’s face as her smile transformed her concentration, brow furrowed, to total joy seemed to sing through the air.

Miles stepped back and simply watched Richie Martin fist bump his daughter and then strap his guitar on.

The crowd roared when Nora bounded out and back to her drums. Brian followed and then Harlow, holding an acoustic guitar. Then there was a hush as they wondered what Above Me was going to play.

Then she started playing the open to Monster Magnet’s, “Space Lord” and Brian began to sing. Richie waited in the wings and then stepped out as he began to play, and the fans went apeshit.

Including the whole backstage area that erupted into wild cheers as they all hit the first chorus and the song exploded.

Miles’s dad showed up at his side, bumping his shoulder a moment before they both just watched Richie hit that guitar bit at the crescendo of the song and shred the fuck out of it as Harlow sang along and moved her body.

“Richie Martin, everyone!” she said after the song had ended. Richie made a bow and then pulled his daughter into a hug before they all took one last bow and headed offstage for the last time on this tour.

As the crew loaded off Above Me’s gear, everyone seemed to congregate in a huge knot of excited people, congratulating them on their performance and being wowed by the new song as well as Richie’s appearance at the end.

“Quite a surprise,” Miles told Harlow as he hugged her. “I hope you three are proud because I’ve watched you play nearly every day for three months and tonight’s show was your absolute best.”

Harlow didn’t say anything. She just hugged him again.

“Going to be hard to top that,” Silas told them.

“Somehow I think you kids have a future in the music business,” Harlow teased. “All joking aside, I really can’t wait to see what Earthquakes has in store.”

He grinned. He was pretty amped up about it too.

And then Miles walked out on stage as the lights swiveled up and created an aura of blue around him and the anticipation and excitement in the air hit his lungs like a drug. Fuck yes. This.

This was an addiction he could be okay with. This and Harlow. And there she was, instead of backstage, she’d taken a seat up front and bounced around, dancing as the band ripped intoBeg Me.

“Well how the hell are you?” Miles asked the audience once the song had ended. He looked side to side to lock eyes with Omar and then over to Maddie.

“It’s good to be home again after being away for months. We’re going to have to work hard to top Above Me tonight.”

The fans cheered at that.

“We’ve been lucky to have them opening for us this tour. And we got bonus Richie Martin. Score,” Miles said.

People in the crowd started to shout Harlow’s name and Miles just grinned at them all. “Well, she’s my bonus too,” was all he said.

And then Maddie started the opening to “Collide”, a song Omar had written for her to sing.

The rest of the show had been a blur. They’d synched in with one another and had run with it. They’d already decided on the setlist the afternoon before, and it seemed to click with the audience in a magical way.

They sang every word. They cheered and were so loud before the second encore it had echoed into his gut.

And then it was time for the double whammy of a final encore as another drum kit and several more mic stands were placed.

Ezra, Vaughan, Damien and Paddy Hurley waited, Maddie next to them as they all got their monitors set.

Adrian caught up to them and tipped his chin at his son and they went out to the stage, first just Earthquakes. “This is a special place for me to play. It was the first time I’d ever played for a crowd other than for jazz band in high school.”

There was laughter and Miles grinned at the memory. “The first time I was here, I played this one.” He began the bassline to Radiohead’s, “Creep.” The first song he’d ever learned to play with his dad.

Then Adrian came out and began to play and Miles had to force his smile away so he could sing.

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