Page 127 of Ghost Note

“Come on already. Quit stalling. Let’s go and make Danny’s dreams come true.”

With a breath for strength, I followed where Halo went. Julia was waiting in the wings, her excitement obvious. It was good that one of us was looking forward to this, I supposed. As much as I wanted to live for the moment, as Halo had been hinting for me to do, I couldn’t deny that I wanted this over, too.Then the nerves would be gone, and Danny’s arms would be around me.

Jules replaced Halo by my side when he walked ahead, out onto the stage. There was a walkway that jutted out fromthe stage and into the middle of the standing floor space. It looked like a giant T. Archer was on the raised platform at the back, already beating his drum pedal and his drumsticks down in idle movements while he waited for Halo’s return. The three guitarists, however, were on the walkway, taking centre stage, sauntering back and forth with their guitars in place, in no rush to go anywhere fast.

Everyone but Danny knew what was going on, and the eyes of the ones in the know kept seeking me out before they’d look away with a little smirk on their faces. Everyone loves to be in on the secrets when they’re not the ones being lied to. It gives them a sense of power.

They’d been rehearsing all day, after Julia, Billie—yeah, even she was in on it—and Halo convinced Danny to include a classic track. One which happened to be Ocean Colour Scene’s,You’ve Got It Bad.

It had been one of his favourite songs to practice in his parents’ garage, and it had been a song I could never forget him singing at the top of his lungs while driving around Devon together. He always leaned over to me during the chorus, singing about how bad I had it for him.

Now it was my turn to sing it back.

Peeking out from the curtain made the nerves ball together in a tight knot until I had to rub my stomach to try and rid myself of it.

“Can you see him?” Julia asked from a small gap in her mouth, not looking at me as she stood on the side of the stage, watching over their rehearsals.

He looked more handsome than ever. His hair was a shaggy mess, and he wore blue jeans and a baggy white T-shirt that hung low on his chest, revealing licks of his dark tattoos and the defined muscles there. “I definitely see him.”

“He’s clueless.”

“Oh, God, Jules, what am I doing?”

“The right thing. Now, get ready.”

Halo walked over to the microphone, his hand curling around it as it rested in the mic stand at just the right height. The five of them talked idly among each other, but it was mainly Halo and the others going about their business, while Danny strummed silent notes over his strings with his scowl in place.

“Yo, dipshit!” Halo called out to him, but Danny was in his own headspace, which meant that Fletch had to walk over and punch him in the shoulder to get his attention. Danny rocked forward, blinked wildly, and looked up at Halo.

“What the fuck was that for?”

“We need you here with us, not back there in England, sucking your girlfriend off.”

“Fuck you. I’ve been ready for twenty minutes. Areyouready?”

Halo laughed, bouncing on his toes. “Am I ever.” With a glance over his shoulder, he made it out as though he was looking at Jules and offering her a nod, but we both knew it was for me.

The intro to the song roared to life, the energy of it electric, making it feel like my veins were hooked up to a current, and it was running through me at an unstoppable rate. Danny played the guitar effortlessly, but you could see his face light up as soon as the beat kicked in, and each musician fell in sync. Archer was alive on the drums, his arms and knees flailing around before it dropped into the first verse.

Halo’s voice matched that of the lead singer of Ocean Colour Scene. He mimicked the rise and fall of his tones with ease like a vocal chameleon, giving it his everything as he stood there with his hand wrapped around the mic.

The first verse passed by too quickly, and I was certain I was going to shake my head at Julia and run in the opposite direction… but I’d come this far, and one glance from her when Halo hit the chorus, I knew what I had to do.

Danny’s head was down, focused on his guitar with his back to Halo as he walked down the centre of the protruding stage, no doubt imagining himself there later that night with twenty thousand people surrounding him.

Halo glanced over at me, and it was my cue to go.

Blowing my nerves out in one long exhale, I walked on shaky feet and went to him as coolly and as calmly as I could… which wasn’t very cool or calm at all. I could feel my nerves in my kneecaps as they bounced up and down uncontrollably. Halo’s eyes lit up, and I cast a glance at Danny, who still had his back to me. As soon as I reached the mic, Halo fiddled with the stand without much effort, and the mic dropped down to my level in less than a second before he secured it in place.

Then, I started to sing.

My mouth opened, and the words to the second verse poured free. I got two lines of lyrics out before Danny woke from whatever daze he’d been in, and he spun around, his head snapping up to mine, and his body freezing as he took me in.

That, right there, was a connection, and it made my body sing, and my smile break free.

I loved him.

We lost the lead guitarist to his own surprise, but the other two carried on. Archer held the beat of the tune behind me until we hit the verse and my stupid grin broke free at the sight of Danny standing there, gobsmacked.

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