by Theresa Jane
“Where’s Liam?”
“Martin,” Daryl nodded at my other shadow, who swiftly left my side in search of the elusive rock star.
I waited beside Daryl, continuing to clutch his hand tightly until finally, I saw Martin’s blond locks come back into sight. Immediately, I felt my chest deflate as I noticed Liam wasn’t by his side and judging by the look on his face, he wasn’t coming anytime soon either.
Martin leaned close to Daryl’s ear and muttered something before they both turned to me with expressions that only worked to deflate my chest further.
“Mr. Henderson is busy, Miss Freya," Daryl began, and I felt my eyes drop to the floor, letting my hand fall from Daryl’s. “Do you want to go back to Mr. Henderson’s dressing room until the concert begins?” I hesitated for a moment before I nodded numbly. I followed obediently when both Daryl and Martin began to lead me from the backstage area.
I hadn’t noticed how tired I was until I slumped back on the couch in Liam’s dressing room. Daryl sat stiffly beside me, at my request, while Martin stood stoically by the door. They were babysitting me like I was a child.
I was snacking on the food that had magically appeared in Liam’s room while we had been away as my thoughts started to consume me. I needed to get out of my head. It wasn’t Liam’s fault he was busy. This was his job, and it was selfish of me to be upset that he wasn’t spending any time with me. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to join him on this trip, at least I thought I had.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, I placed the plate of food on the low table beside me and curled up on my side on the couch. It was freezing in here, and I could feel my teeth chattering as I tried to save all my body heat. I could just hear the band warming up through the walls of the arena.
Harri’s drum pounded like a heartbeat as if the arena had somehow come alive. I found my eyes drooping closed and I couldn’t be bothered fighting it any longer.
Just as I was about to doze off, I felt someone place a warm jacket over me, and immediately my body relaxed in relief as the heat seeped through my skin. I looked up to see Daryl looking at me strangely. I mumbled, incoherently, something that resembled a ‘thank you,’ and then succumbed to the fatigue.
* * *
“Miss Freya,” I heard Daryl’s voice, and I slowly pried my eyes open. Daryl still sat beside me, and Martin remained stoic by the door as I pushed myself up into a sitting position, removing Daryl’s jacket from my shoulders.
“The concert is about to begin, and Mr. Henderson is looking for you,” Daryl informed me, getting to his feet and extending a hand for me to take.
“Oh, okay,” I mumbled, rubbing some of the sleep from my eyes. I guess Liam finally realized I had been missing.
“Come on, Miss Freya," Daryl smiled warmly, his white teeth standing out against his dark skin. He leaned behind me for a moment and then I felt his jacket resting around my shoulders again.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
I followed after both Daryl and Martin, pulling my phone out of my jeans pocket when I felt it vibrate. Frowning at the unknown number standing out among my brother’s messages, I opened the message curiously.
You looked breathtaking tonight. Can’t wait till I see you again, sweetheart.
Feeling my veins run cold, I stared down at the message with fear poisoning my heart. I suddenly snapped my head up, looking around as if I might catch a glimpse, as if they might be watching me right now. I knew it was illogical, but I looked anyway.
I hadn’t realized I’d stopped until I felt two people slide up beside me.
“Miss Freya?” Daryl began. “Is everything alright?”
“What?” I asked absently, still looking frantically around the deserted white corridor. I felt both of their eyes focused on me, but I couldn’t control my panic. I couldn’t focus on them, not even for a second.
“Miss?” I heard Martin ask in concern and I felt a hand wrap around mine, which still held the phone tightly. I jerked back, my eyes widening even further as I tried to keep the message from their view.
I was overreacting. I knew it, and I didn’t want them to think I was losing my mind. For all I knew, this could have been a wrong number; maybe a girl gave a guy a fake number because she didn’t want to see him again. I was being overdramatic.
“What’s going on, Miss Freya?” Daryl prompted again, and I tried to step away from both of their concerned looks as I worked to calm myself.
“N-Nothing,” I stuttered. “Just a wrong number, I think.”
“Are you sure, Miss?” Martin asked skeptically as I shakily stuffed the phone in my back pocket.
“Yes, it was a wrong number,” I answered firmly, shutting out any other possibilities in my mind. It was just a wrong number.
Both Daryl and Martin shared a knowing look before they turned back to me with determined expressions on their faces.
“We should get going,” Daryl instructed, turning and placing a comforting hand on my back and gently edging me forward.
We all remained silent until we reached the backstage area again. The madness had only seemed to increase since the last time we came, and I instinctively tried to step back out into the hall, only to be held still by Daryl’s hand on my back.
Insanity reigned in every corner as people rushed around with last minute jobs, checking lights and reapplying make-up to the band. I could see the paisley flurry that was Ryan as he flitted from place to place, putting the finishing touches on his masterpieces.
Underneath it all was the sound of the building crowd just a few meters away from me. I could see a section of them by the stage milling around, waiting for the main event. Their excitement was palpable, pulsating through the arena and brushing up against me until I felt my own heart flutter with a strange excitement.
“Freya,” I heard someone say beside me, and I looked around just in time to have Liam press a desperate kiss on my lips. Shocked by the sudden contact, I tried to pull away from him, the taste of whiskey on his lips.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, stepping out of his arms and crossing my own over my chest.
“Kissing my girlfriend,” he chuckled, taking another step toward me with a lazy smirk on his lips. I stepped back again, and his smirk quickly changed into a frown. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I answered quickly. “How long until you’re on?”
“Ten minutes, they’re just resetting the stage after the openers.” He shrugged, stepping closer to me again, and I allowed him to rest his hands on my waist, drawing my closer.
“Are you nervous?”
"I’ve done this a few times before," he answered, amusement dancing in his slightly dazed eyes.
“Right,” I muttered, looking down awkwardly, not sure what to say next.
“However, I’m sure a good luck kiss from you would make my night infinitely better.”
"Smooth,” I muttered, an amused smirk playing on my lips as he rested a hand beneath my chin, gently tilting my head upwards.
“I’ve been working all night on that one,” he feigned hurt.
“Try harder. I can’t believe that level of charm would work on anyone.”
“It worked on you, didn’t it?” He smirked, inching his head closer to mine.
“I’m not anyone.”
“No, you are definitely not just anyone,” he answered softly, all amusement disappearing from his voice. His eyes flickered from my eyes to my lips, and I felt myself swaying closer until finally, his lips brushed against mine.
Unlike moments before, I felt a sense of warmth, comfort, and safety wash over me as he moved from gentle kisses to something deeper. All thoughts disappeared as the world seemed to fall away, leaving nothing but him and me trapped willingly in our own little world.
As he reluctantly broke contact, I felt my head spin and my lungs contract painfully. He rested his lips against my forehead for a moment before pulling back and
lifting his hand to run it gently down my cheek.
“Duty calls,” he muttered, never taking his eyes from mine and I frowned for a moment, lost in his words. One glance around told me that we were still backstage, a detail I had forgotten after his lips had met mine. I realized the crowd was starting to get restless as an announcer started to speak before the lights began to dance across the audience, sending them into a frenzy.
Liam took my hand, nodding at Martin and Daryl, who quickly fell into the spaces at my sides. He then led me through the chaos of the backstage area before stopping just before the actual stage.
“Stay here, all right?” he instructed. “I want to be able to see you.”
“Okay,” I muttered, slightly dazed by the thumping energy emanating from the thriving crowd. Glancing past Liam, I could see their faces. They were such a passionate mix of emotions it was hard not to be wrapped up in the hype of it all.
“Thank you for coming tonight, Frey," he whispered in my ear, sending chills down my spine as I reached out for him. Tugging on his perfectly selected dark shirt, I pulled him down until his lips were on mine again.
“What was that for?” Liam smirked, running a hand through my hair before letting it rest on the back of my neck, keeping me close so it felt as if even among all the chaos, we were the only two people in the world.
“Luck. I think you might need a little extra.”
“Oh really, in that case, how about one more-”
“Hey, boy wonder,” Harri shouted, shattering our illusion from where she stood, tapping her sticks on a hyped James. He was too focused to notice. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
“Well?” Liam prompted, looking back at me, or more accurately my lips. He began to lean down, but I quickly dodged his advances, giving him a mischievous smile.
“You can have it when you’re finished,” I smirked as his face fell. “Think of it as an incentive. You better give me the performance of your life, Liam Henderson.”
“You’re wicked, Freya Coleman," he scolded, leaning down in an attempt to reach my lips. Instead, his lips met my cheek, and he let out a frustrated groan as the crowd began to lose their minds in anticipation.
“Dance monkey,” I quipped, stepping out of his hold as he glared down at me. A stagehand quickly came up and handed him a guitar as the crowd’s noise began to grow. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
“You better be,” he warned, leaning over to me again before I had the chance to step back. “I’m going to kiss you so thoroughly you won’t be able to remember your own name, Freya,” he growled in my ear, his warm breath snaking down my neck and sending heat directly to my cheeks. “Enjoy the show, beautiful.” Then he disappeared out onto the darkened stage, the first strains of the opening song met with unimaginable cheers and hysteria.
Girls in the front row were almost in tears as they shouted for their beloved rock star as others shouted and screamed so loudly it was obvious they would lose their voice by the end of the night. However, I wasn’t paying them any attention; my sole focus was the man standing in the middle of the stage, his eyes never leaving mine.
The music began to build, and the lights started to illuminate the stage but still his eyes stayed on mine, and for that moment the rest of the arena didn't exist. For that moment, I was the only person in his world, and he was the only person in mine. Then he started to sing. The music swelled, and the audience rode it with him until they were in such a frenzy I saw no way for them to ever come back down.
Liam’s eyes broke contact with mine as he sang to his audience and despite a sudden hollow feeling in my chest, I couldn’t help but be swept away in his intoxicating voice. I never wanted his voice to stop, my heart expanding with every note, every silent beat a moment of suspense, waiting for his voice to return.
It was like a drug, an addiction I wasn’t prepared to give up. One I had never seen coming, and now I was so entwined there was no easy escape. My heart was his, whether he knew it yet or not.
* * *
My face hurt from smiling so wide, and each time he looked at me, I didn’t think it was possible for me to get any higher than I already was, but then he would look at me again. He would glance over at me, his eyes colliding with mine for only a moment and in that moment, I felt like I was the only thing that mattered to him in the world. It was so easy to fall under his spell.
After several songs, I allowed myself to glance out at the audience, my eyes slowly sweeping across the masses of fans as they moved with the music, many singing the words as Liam did.
They watched him like he was a god. Awe and worship were written across every face as they reached for him. I watched as he interacted with the crowd, his own energy feeding theirs, driving them to the point of insanity. I watched as he sung words of love to the girls in the front row, and I felt an uncomfortable shift in my chest. It was hot and devastating. Every time he shared a moment with a new girl, I felt something twist deep inside my chest as if it was a moment, a piece of him I was missing out on.
“It’s not real. Freya,” someone said beside me, and I slowly turned to face a pensive Ryan watching Liam as he held the hand of another scantily dressed girl.
“It looks pretty real."
“The star outshone the man long ago,” he answered cryptically. I continued to watch Liam and the girls in the front row, tears pouring down their faces as Liam walked past.
“Liam doesn’t let a lot of people in, Freya," he tried to clarify but still, I was confused.
“They love him, Ryan," I muttered, never once taking my eyes off him.
“They don’t know him, Freya. Each and every one of those girls out there is in love with a guy who doesn’t exist. Each one sees him as what they want him to be.”
“Then who is he?”
“What does he mean to you?” he asked, and I let the question wash over me. What was he to me? What was I to him?
“He just looks so…untouchable, when he’s out there, with them,” I stuttered.
“It’ll get easier; you just need to remember the way he looks at you,” he answered wisely, and I let his words hang between us as Liam continued to move fluidly around the stage.
I couldn’t fight the doubts that were swirling in my mind. I wanted to know they were false. I wanted to know that I would always be Liam’s choice, but watching him and watching the audience, it just seemed like an impossible wish.
‘What if I’m not enough?’ I whispered as the band transitioned to a slow song, Liam sitting down on a stool and strumming his guitar, his brow knitted in concentration.
“You, my dear, are more than he has ever had. If you could only see what everyone else does, you would never question where his loyalties lie. Never doubt that, Freya.”
We both fell silent after that, my mind a mix of unresolved thoughts as I allowed Liam’s music to drift through me, trying to block out all the rest.
* * *
“Freya,” came a familiar voice. “There’s my favorite troublemaker.” I turned to see Raven walking up to me with the widest smile on his face, his dark green eyes alight with mischief.
“Raven, what are you doing here?” I smiled as he sidled up next to me, filling the space Ryan had vacated a couple of songs ago.
“I’m multitalented, Red. When I’m not behind the board, I’m on tour with our leading man making sure his equipment is all up to scratch.”
“Red?” I frowned.
“Too obvious? I know, but I thought I might get hurt if I called you freckles,” he smirked, poking me playfully on the nose, resulting in me batting his hand away.
“Severely maimed,” I scowled, crossing my arms tightly over my chest.
“Red it is,” he chuckled, bumping his shoulder against mine as we both looked back out at the stage. It appeared Liam was almost finished. The crowd was chanting, calling out for more as the final song started. It was one of his older ones, and I was certain the roof ne
arly lifted off the stadium with the excitement pumping from the crowd.
“He’s something else, isn’t he?” Raven mused, shouting to be heard over the screaming fans.
“This is all so…I don’t even know,” I said, shaking my head at the insanity of it all.
“It’s a lot to take in. I don’t know how he does it. All those people, I’d be a nervous wreck. Probably curled up in the corner sucking my thumb.”
“That’s an image,” I chuckled before letting my eyes fall back on Liam. I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes away from him for more than a few seconds all night. Everything about him was so captivating and mesmerizing, I couldn’t help but be drawn in.
Just as the song was winding down, Liam’s eyes fell on me, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. The intensity behind them almost stopped my heart. I watched as a slow smile spread across his lips, and I felt as if he was singing the song just for me.
He got a dangerous glint in his eye before he gestured for me to join him.
“I think the superstar is calling you out,” Raven spoke, pushing me gently in his direction. I felt my mouth drop open before I turned back to Liam, shaking my head emphatically as he gestured again for me to join him.
Raven shoved me a little harder this time and suddenly, I was trapped in front of thousands of fans, frozen. The bright lights of the stage were hot against my skin as I glared at Liam. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t force my feet to move. This was a terrible idea. I found myself looking back at Daryl helplessly, but he was as stoic as ever. Although I think I caught the slight hint of an amused smile.
When I glanced back at Liam, he had moved closer to me, and I knew the song was almost at its end. Just a few more steps and he would reach me. I wanted to physically hurt him for making me do this.
When he finally reached my side, he wrapped his warm, sweaty arm around my waist and pulled my unresponsive body to his side. He turned back to sing the last words of the song to the audience. I didn’t dare look at them, instead keeping my glare on Liam.
