We all met outside the O2 and went to Wagamamas restaurant for dinner, then headed inside to the VIP section of the venue. We showed our tickets to the stewards and rode the escalator that took us up to a red carpeted area on the floor above the main concourse.
There was a bar situated in the center of the foyer immediately outside the door we were allocated to enter into. The gray door looked like a broom closet.
When we opened the door, it was a corporate box on the side of the stage. There was a flat area to mingle in at the back of the box, and a flight of stairs, dropping down with tiered seating towards the stage at the front.
The view of the stage was fantastic, and it was the perfect place for us to celebrate the end of the old year. Crakt Soundzz had been given the choice of tickets on the first tier near the stage or a corporate box.
They had chosen the box for all of us, so they could join us when their set was done. It was a brilliant idea, and we even had our own attendant who cooked snacks and fetched drinks for us.
There were no crowds to deal with, and we could move around, either dancing in the space at the back or sitting near the front. There were about twenty seats, but we only made eleven including Maddie.
It was great that she could join us. There was no way she would have been able to in her condition if we’d been down in the seats at the front.
Jack and Elle organised our drinks, and we all chose where we were sitting. I was feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement, and if I was honest, a lot of pride. Alfie was an incredible artist, and I personally thought Crakt Soundzz was fantastic as a band when I saw them a couple of months back.
I hadn’t heard Alfie sing or perform with them until the night he’d invited me to Orlando. When I witnessed their talent though, it scared me, because apart from Alfie telling me that he couldn’t love me, I knew I’d fallen in love with the worst type of guy going, a rock star.
Seeing them perform in front of a huge crowd of fans, I could see they had already started to build quite a fan base and their performance was so polished, it was as if they’d been doing this for years.
They were shit hot. From that first moment I had watched them from the wings, I was convinced beyond any doubt that I was witnessing a band that was rising to the top. I felt it would only be a matter of time before they were signed.
Being asked to support a band as big as Cobham Street was a huge deal, and this gig, or one soon after, would be all it took before they were offered a record deal.
There we were in a corporate box, sipping cocktails, and the banter between us was great. It felt fantastic to be among my closest friends, and to have Alfie here with me as well. The lights in the auditorium dimmed, but not to the level that said something was imminent.
There were loud whistles and jeers, the odd fan calling out some lewd comment for one of the members of Cobham Street. Then raucous laughter rang out.
Eventually, the lights were lowered indicating the gig was starting, and a hush spread across the crowd. My feelings were different than the last time I saw them. I was waiting like everyone else in the audience.
I guessed that what I was feeling now was what every other fan felt about their favorite band, and I wanted to help make this the best gig of their lives by supporting them in the audience. The only difference was that I wasn’t just a fan. I was in love with the lead singer.
The MC’s announcement was really brief. “We are honored here tonight to have a brilliant support band all the way from the USA, these guys have been getting bigger and bigger, and this is their first visit to us across the pond here in London.
“Most of you won’t have heard of them before tonight, but let me tell you guys, you’re definitely going to be telling people that you saw them here first. Please give a warm London welcome to Crakt Soundzz.”
The crowd went berserk, giving them a rowdy welcome, all ready to be warmed up for the main event they had booked to see, Cobham Street.
The auditorium fell silent, and I heard the familiar count of the drumsticks as Andy counted the band in. Suddenly the stage came to life, with bright lights and a loud bass beat rumbled through the venue. Alfie bounced around on his toes and grabbed the microphone, as they played one of their best songs. ‘Fierce.’
The crowd swelled in the standing area and went wild; they were screaming, arms in the air, mimicking Alfie, and hair was flying everywhere as heads bobbed and thousands of fans played air guitars to each other.
The music blared loudly through the sound system. The bass amps made the whole place vibrate with the beat of their music as Drew’s guitar solo reverberated throughout the vast space.
Alfie finished the song, and the crowd cheered loudly, “Hello London!” he screamed. The crowd roared louder back at him. He turned and shrugged at his band, and they shrugged in return. He turned back to the fans again, cupping his hand around his ear. “I didn’t quite hear that. Hello London!” he screamed loudly again into his mic.
The audience screamed louder, and as I looked up at the large screens on the side of the stage that let us all see his gorgeous face close up, he smirked. “Yeah, much better,” he confirmed to them nodding. “We’re newbies in town, guys, but all we want to do is give you guys a great fucking time tonight.”
The crowd screamed appreciatively again and someone shouted, “I want to have your babies, Alfie.” He smirked again. “Kinda busy for that right now, honey,” he teased back. The audience laughed and Alfie nodded to the guys, and the next song intro played. “This is one of my favorites, hope you like it too, guys.”
Crakt Soundzz played another number with a very catchy bridge, which the fans sang along to by the second verse. They followed this with some faster paced stuff and then a slower ballad.
Everything they sang was a hit with the fans. Jack turned to me. “They’re sick, Lily, your stalker is a fucking rock-god.” I smiled proudly, high praise indeed from Jack, considering he didn’t like Alfie after learning of his treatment towards me.
Elle was mesmerized, staring at the stage. She hadn’t spoken once since they started playing. I tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She was sitting in front of me. “Are you enjoying the gig Elle?” She turned as if she was having difficulty dragging her eyes away.
“Yeah, these guys are better than The Script. Their music is similar though.” Damn, she was right, I knew they sounded kind of new, but familiar at the same time. I could hear exactly what she meant, she was spot on.
David leaned over and flung his arm around me. “You did the right thing going to study over there, Lily. If you can learn from guys like these, it will give you the confidence to do what they do. You’ve got it in there honey, we’ve all seen it.
“The only difference between you and Alfie, Lily, is confidence levels.” I wondered if David was drunk, because he was talking bullshit, but it was nice that he had the loyalty to compare my little attempt at making music with someone as talented as Alfie.
The band stopped and the crowd fell silent. Alfie spoke sincerely. “Thank you, London, for your kind hospitality and for allowing us the opportunity to come here and entertain you tonight.” The crowd shouted for more, and one girl shouted, “Marry me, Alfie.”
Crakt Soundzz prepared to finish their set, and I guessed they were one last song away from being done. They had performed amazingly.
Alfie smiled and bowed low at the waist, then introduced the band as they played the intro to the song he was writing the day I met him at college, ‘Insatiable.’
CHAPTER 14 – ALL LOVED UP
Alfie held his hand up and silenced the crowd. “We want to finish with a special song I wrote a few months ago. I was struggling with this one, until the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on came to my rescue. She gave me the perfect line for the bridge.” He turned his head and looked up at where we were sitting. “And Lily, this one is for you, honey.”
My mouth dropped, and my legs almost buckled. An adrenaline rush made my hea
rt beat so hard in my chest. I was stunned to hear him dedicate the song to me in front of all these people.
Jack, Elle, and Maddie turned their heads at the same time, all smiling at me. My breathing was staccato as I stared back at them. The fact that he’d pointed me out made watching him even more special.
The emotion in his voice as he sang sounded amazing, and his tone was so rich I could have listened to him forever.
Towards the end of the song he spoke softly into the mic. “Are you listening to how I feel honey?” He pointed up towards our box, and I knew he was talking to me.
I smiled automatically, but really, I didn’t get it at all. Was he just playing to the crowd? When they finished, the noise levels of the crowd were insane, they were cheering so loudly. A girl threw a bra, which landed on the end of Drew’s guitar neck, earning her a wide cheeky grin from him.
All of us literally bounced around the corporate box, clapping with excitement. Everyone was proud of them. “Fan... fucking… tastic!” David contributed by way of a critique. “I would definitely buy their album. I bet there’ll be a few music scouts wanting to talk with these guys after that.”
David should know what he’s talking about, he’s a sound engineer for a famous record label here in town. On a technical level, he was one of the best and had been involved in the production of many platinum albums.
As we got back to our normal conversations, my eyes continually flicked up the stairs towards the door at the back of the box. I was waiting for Alfie to get here, and I felt as nervous as hell.
I couldn’t concentrate on anything going on around me. I walked up the stairs to the back of the box and asked the attendant to get me a mojito. I don’t think I tasted it as I threw my head back and drained the glass.
The guy looked at me like I was a lush, it probably took a lot longer to make than for me to drink. It didn’t do much to settle my nerves though.
I asked for shot glasses, two bottles of tequila, and a bottle of Jack for the guys. My hands were sweating, and I had a palpable pulse in my neck as my eyes kept flicking towards the door in anticipation.
When the door opened, my heart stopped, but it was only hospitality bringing in some platters of food and champagne for the Crakt Soundzz guys, who were yet to get here.
Jack called me over, and I began to walk down the stairs to him. I didn’t hear Alfie come in, but as I reached Jack, his eyes looked past my head, dropping down to focus behind me.
Strong arms wrapped around me from behind lifting me up. Alfie ran with me to the corner of the box by the balcony. His hands felt amazing wrapped around me, his warm, hard body so close. He just wanted me alone and away from everyone for a few minutes.
His eyes shone brightly, just like they did after we had a heavy sex session, except he wasn’t relaxed, he was wired. It was cute to see him like this.
His mouth broke into a shit-eating grin, lighting up his whole face, his dimple making him look so fucking sexy. Alfie was sex-on-a-stick for sure. I was breathless and speechless under his gaze.
He smelled of a mixture of musky sweat and bodywash, beer and spearmint chewing gum, which he took out of his mouth, and dropped into an empty glass near one of the seats. He leaned in and crushed my mouth with his, and the sensation he gave me sent goose bumps racing all over my skin.
He picked me up, and I automatically wrapped my legs around his waist, and at that moment, I didn’t care about all the shit we’d been through. He was demonstrating his feelings after giving the performance of a lifetime, and he’d chosen me to share those feelings with me.
“You’re so fucking sexy, you know that, right. What did you think?”
I smiled and kissed him again. “My legs are wrapped around you, Alfie. Do you seriously think they would there if I thought you were crap?” I teased.
He chuckled and nuzzled my neck. “This has been my best year ever, Lily.” My smile faltered at his declaration. I only wished I could have said the same.
What had started out for me to be full of excitement and striving towards my goal of studying in the states ended up with me going on an emotional roller coaster; one that I still had to figure out how to get off of.
I shook off my negative thoughts. I needed to get past all that. Alfie had been great since we’d gotten together in the UK. I needed honesty from him for one more thing, which would decide how we went forward, but I couldn’t put that out there tonight.
“I’m gonna get rid of the ‘suit’ at the back before the band comes on. I want some privacy so that we can let our hair down.” Alfie gestured towards the attendant who’d been taking care of us tonight, and I kind of felt sorry for him, he’d been very attentive towards us. I hoped he still got to see the band from somewhere.
We did some tequila shots together and ate from the platters. I got pretty tipsy, but not like Jack and Elle who were much more far gone than me.
Every time I looked at Alfie he was watching me, a slow smile on his lips. The lights in the auditorium dimmed and Cobham Street rocked out in no time. The noise levels were off the chart.
Alfie took me in his arms and swayed to the music, whilst the others all did that crappy hanging-onto-each-other-and-bouncing dance that was unique to my drunken, uncoordinated friends. Alfie pulled me close to him.
“Happy?”
I was until he asked me, then I wasn’t sure. “Yeah, I think so.”
He pushed me away, his arms stretched as he held me at arms length. I tried to smile my feelings away. “Lily?” I swallowed hard determined not to spoil his night.
“I’m fine, just a bit emotional at seeing you up there tonight. It was kind of a huge deal.”
He pulled me into his chest, hugging me tightly, inhaling deeply. “I really care about you honey.” His voice rumbled into my cheek as my head leaned against his chest, his heart beat was strong and steady.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
He led me to the back row of seats, and pulled me down on his knee. “Nothing is coming between us tonight, Lily. I mean it,” he said scowling. “We need to be together. I promise we’re going to have a night to remember no matter what, right?” He smiled affectionately at me.
I couldn’t figure out what his deal was, the messages he gave me were drowned in ink, and I couldn’t read the words for it constantly washing them away. Alfie stared into my eyes.
He held my heart in the palm of my hands as he did it. “I need to be with you, honey, like I need to breathe right now.” He continued to stare at me, no words, just silence between us.
It was so intense. In his eyes, I could see both pleasure and pain. His feelings were alternating, making mine do the same thing. I had an overwhelming feeling of love and an equally difficult feeling to deal with, want.
I pushed my feelings back hard and broke the stare by leaning in to kiss him. I kissed him with everything I had, and I was. Alfie kissed me back with equal passion. He broke the kiss and nuzzled into my neck, his voice husky as he spoke into my ear. “Fuck, you are so amazing, my little Lily. I am so happy right now.”
He smiled and continued talking. “You being here with me, makes tonight so much more than it already was.” My heart stuttered at his candid words about his feelings. This was the most open I’d ever heard him about anything. I can’t explain how I felt hearing that, ecstatic doesn’t really cover it.
“C’mon.” He pushed me up and stepped in front of me, pulling me to the back of the box again. “Dance with me,” he cooed, smiling.
I’d never heard of anyone dirty dancing to rock music before, but we managed it, and Alfie had me giggling again. My melancholy low mood passed due to being with him, he had a way of making me feel better.
He leaned forward next to my ear. “Am I allowed to use hands yet?” he asked, grinning suggestively with his eyebrows wiggling.
I hesitated. “Maybe.” He gave me a naughty smile.
“Interesting choice of words there, Missy. Are you teasing me?” He chuckled, then said
sexily, “Your call, baby,” before pulling me in for another breathtaking kiss.
We forgot the music altogether as we got lost in each other. We made out like teenagers in the back of the box. We were partly hidden by the barrier between the breakfast bar style bench, and the seating. We could see our friends at the front of the box below as the seating was tiered.
Jack had turned to look for us, and I knew he could only see my head above the wood. It was just as well really, because Alfie had his hands up under my thigh length dress, and was hugging the cheeks of my ass.
It was my fault really, I was the one that broke the no hands agreement when I slipped my hands up under his t-shirt and raked my nails down his back. “Fuck, Lily.” Alfie’s eyes had grown wide, and without any space between my movements and his, he slid his hands up there before I could change my mind.
He turned me around to face the stage and saddled up behind me, rubbing his more than ample erection over my ass and swept my hair to the side to nuzzle my neck again. He kissed across my bare shoulder softly, making me shudder, causing him to chuckle into my neck.
The dress I was wearing was a party dress, body hugging. It was silver and jade green. Elle persuaded me to buy it, saying it was “a rock-star-girlfriend’s dress.” The sexy bodice of the dress pushed my pert breasts into a perfect cleavage.
Alfie’s hand slid between my thighs, gliding up to the lace of my hold ups. He gave me an erotic guttural growl, before venturing further to my lace panties. “Christ, Lily, you’re soaked, take your panties off,” he hissed.
He curled his index fingers in the elastic waistband of my panties at each side and dipping slightly, making light work of drawing them down to my ankles. I lifted each leg as he pulled them away, stepping free of them.
He scrunched them up, kissed them chastely and tucked them quickly into his jeans pocket. His eyes flicking to mine again as I turned to look at him.
Everything She Needs (The Everything Trilogy) Page 11
