Janice didn't answer. She drove to the outskirts of town. It didn't take me long to work out where.
"The festival. No way. Just no way." If my words didn't convince her, the way my hand gripped the dashboard should've let her know. My stomach cramped and the screams built up inside me.
"Don't worry," she said. "We have a special pass. You won't have to get out of the car."
Still, this was not where I wanted to be. As we drove into the festival grounds, my heart sank. It wasn't even like Janice had tinted windows. The car park was fuller than I expected. Even if every single person in town turned out, there wouldn't be that many cars.
Janice drove up to a security point and flashed her pass at them. The guard waved her through. What the hell was going on here? It seemed a lot of trouble to go to just listen to a couple of local country bands and some young dudes from Somerton. She must really have wanted to get me out of the house. And why did she have that pass?
We kept driving through the backstage area with the noise of the band and the crowds surrounding us.
"I'm not sure this is my kind of music," I told Janice.
She ignored me. The band on stage must've finished up because the crowd screamed. Those screams got louder and louder. I never realized local bands had that many fans.
Janice put the car windows down as the next band started. About half a song in, I screamed. I'd be sick. I tried to get out of the car, wanting to escape even if it meant I had to run all the way back to town. How could Janice do this to me?
My hands scrambled, unable to work the door even.
Then Janice grabbed my arm.
"Why?" I asked her.
"Just listen," she said.
I listened. I knew the song. Everyone knew the song. But I hated it. Ethan's voice pierced my soul. Did Janice want me to suffer even more? I couldn't sit here listening to him.
But there was no escape.
I admitted defeat. I'd sit and I'd listen but I'd hate every minute of it.
"He's been in the florist every day."
"So?"
"No matter how things started out, he cares about you." Janice folded her arms. "Then yesterday the other guy from the band come in. The scruffy looking one with the beard. He wanted to explain things. I didn't want to send him to your place so I listened to him myself."
I huffed. I didn't care what any of that band had to say but Janice wouldn't stop until she'd told me.
"Ethan made the bet the night of that party, the one with the baseball bat."
I nodded. I knew exactly which night she meant.
"The scruffy guy said Ethan's changed, really changed, since then. He never goes out drinking or screwing around anymore. He sits on the diving board at the hotel watching your house every night."
"That sounds creepy."
That song kept playing. Ethan's voice didn't shut up. He seduced women with his singing but that wouldn't work on me.
"He told them he never slept with you."
I shrugged. "Well he did so he might as well tell them the truth and win his stupid bet."
"He's got a guitar, apparently his most prized possession, he's had it since he was a teenager and loves it more than any human being in this world. The scruffy guy said when Ethan's father died a few years ago, you couldn't pry that guitar out of his hands. He sat in his room, playing the same song over and over again. About a week ago, he handed it over, saying the bet was off. That might not sound like much to you, but that guy said it was like Ethan giving up a part of his soul."
The song finished and I heard my name. What was he saying? I sunk down in my seat, not wanting to hear.
Ethan
JANICE SAID SHE'D GET Sophie to the festival so I had to put my trust in her. Once I got on that stage, everything was out of my hands. I couldn't go running around checking if Sophie was here. And, even if we got her here, there was no guarantee she'd listen to me.
I paced the backstage area, a bundle of nerves. This was no regular gig, that's for sure. I'd never had so much riding on my words or on my music.
In between pacing, I checked my phone. I hoped that Janice would message me to let me know that they'd arrived, even though she couldn't do that with Sophie in the car.
"Ready to go up?" Miles asked.
I shrugged. I'd never be ready for this but I didn't want him to see me acting like a little bitch either. I had to man up, get on stage--and bare my soul in front of a crowd of people.
The guys had only been too happy to play this festival when I'd suggested it.
"Good chance to test out some of the new material live," Miles had said. "In front of a smallish crowd too."
I hadn't told them my plans specifically, just that I had a few things to say on stage and that I wanted to perform Pink Petals. They'd been fine with that.
Okay, time to get this show on the road. I walked up the ramp to the stage. It'd been a long time since we'd played a festival this small and I'd gotten used to having all the bells and whistles backstage. Not here. It was all black plastic and hay bales. It'd been a long time, too, since I'd stepped onto a festival stage in daylight. We'd been headliners for years, playing way after sunset. This festival had to be all over long before dark, though. I guess people had to get home and milk their cows or whatever country people did.
Looking out from the side of the stage, this was definitely a good crowd. I bet Billy loved that. Hopefully, it'd get them well on the way to their community center.
I walked out on the stage to deafening screams. The sun glared into my eyes when I stood on that stage. That was poor design.
I put my hand up to shade my eyes. "You ready to rock?"
Yeah, they were ready to rock.
Miles picked up his guitar. He'd never let me hear the end of this if it didn't work. Even if it worked, he'd have a good laugh at me. He'd have never expected when we made that bet, I'd end up falling in love. Because, I had to be honest with myself, that's exactly what had happened. This was no fling, it wasn't something I could ever get over.
Sophie and I had been made for each other. Soul mates. After meeting her, anyone else would be second prize.
I gulped and gave the crowd a salute then we went into one of our biggest songs. A real crowd pleaser. Lucky, since I couldn't focus, I could do it on autopilot. I scanned the crowd and then glanced to the side.
I didn't expect to see her but I lived in hope.
Then the song finished and I grabbed the mic. It was now or never.
"There's been a lot of talk around this town lately about a certain lady," I said.
A bunch of people screamed, a few jeered and a heap looked at me blankly. I guess anyone who'd come in from out of town would have no idea what I was talking about. I didn't care. There was only one person I spoke to. One person whose reaction I cared about.
"Sophie? Are you out there? Can you hear me?"
Nothing.
"Sophie?"
We went into our next song. Definitely not my greatest performance ever but none of this crowd seemed to care. I needed to give her time to get here, if she planned to come. No matter how much Janice promised, that girl had a stubborn mouth and wouldn't do anything against her will.
I called out between every song, hoping with all my being that she'd respond.
Each time I got more desperate.
"Sophie, I love you. I want every single person on this earth to know how much I worship you. I hurt you and that was the most terrible thing I've done in my life. I hope God can forgive me because I'll never forgive myself."
My voice cracked. I couldn't help it. This was me. Raw and honest like I'd never been in my life. I needed to get through to her and if that meant racking up all the shit buried in my soul, I'd do it.
"Sophie!" someone yelled in the crowd.
"Sophie," someone else yelled.
I didn't want that. I didn't want her to feel pressured, but the cries had taken on their own momentum. I could say no more because the calls o
f her name drowned out my voice.
I held that microphone so tight, my knuckles turned white. My hand shook and time seemed to stretch forever. If needed, I'd stand on this stage alone for the rest of my life, calling out to Sophie.
Sophie
"ARE YOU GOING TO HIM?" Janice asked.
I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. People called my name but I couldn't go up there and face them. I'd been humiliated enough. Part of me wondered if this was another trick.
"He's crying out for you," Janice said. "Not just with his words but with his soul. If you let him get away, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. He might've gone into this for the wrong reasons but he stayed around for the right ones. I've seen the way he looks at you. He wasn't faking that. He looked at you like a man in love."
I hesitated. What if she was right?
"It'll never work." I shook my head. If she wanted reasons, I could give her a list. A very long list.
"Love's a risk," Janice said. "Who knows what the future holds? It doesn't matter if it's a famous rock star or the guy down the road, you can only do what your heart tells you."
What did my heart tell me? I knew the answer but my logic and common sense overruled it. Ethan couldn't be seriously interested in me.
"You're a proud girl. You've needed to be, to survive. But there comes a time when you have to let go of pride. Listen. Listen to the way he's calling to you. He's a proud man too, but he's willing to let go of all that to get to you."
Yes, he'd got up on stage and said he loved me. And that entire crowd heard him.
I gulped. The weight pressing on my chest almost choked me. If this was a trick, I didn't know if I could survive it.
I put my hand on the door latch.
Could I really do this? Could I put my pride and self-respect on the line and take a foolish risk?
"If you don't move now, the moment will be gone. There's no turning back. Is that what you want?"
I knew what I wanted. Every fiber of my being screamed. I wanted Ethan. That's all I wanted. Nothing else.
I opened the door.
"Run." Janice handed me the pass. "Get up there."
My heart pounded and my body wouldn't move. Janice pushed me out of the car. I had to get in motion before my confidence failed.
I ran with no idea how to get to the stage. Ethan's voice guided me. I ran toward it.
He called to me, "Sophie? Sophie?" and my heart answered him.
Even if this was the biggest mistake in my life, I had to make it.
"Sophie?" One of the old dudes from the community center committee called out to me. "Follow me."
I followed him but he walked so slow. Ethan kept calling but I feared he'd stop. Now I'd taken action, I needed to move faster. We went through the maze of backstage areas. Without the old man, I'd have been hopelessly lost.
Finally, the old man pointed me to a ramp that led to the stage.
"Good luck." He gave me a thumbs-up and a grin.
I ran up that ramp, ignoring my painful lungs and my burning legs, smashing my way through the crowd at the top. They stood between Ethan and me, just another obstacle.
Then I stopped. No one and nothing came between Ethan and me now but he was onstage. Standing in the spotlight, shining in front of a huge crowd.
I couldn't run out there.
The crowd stopped chanting as Ethan picked up an acoustic guitar. I'd wait. He needed to perform. All these people were here to see him, not me.
Ethan sat on a stool and the rest of the band came offstage. I tried to move to the side, to hide in the shadows. Before I could disappear though, the guitarist spotted me. He nodded, then he headed back onstage.
The crowd buzzed, anticipation in the air so strong, it made my skin prickle.
What the hell was going on? Why didn't Ethan play?
I inhaled as it all hit me. This wasn't just me and Ethan. I looked out over the sea of people. Everyone I'd ever known in my life would be there, watching, hearing him say he loved me. My entire body flushed, from embarrassment but from love for this man. He'd put himself so far out there.
Then he turned to me and his eyes lit up and none of that matter. It was just me and Ethan. The two of us alone. His gaze locked on me. I knew then that this was for real. He wasn't trying to trick me or humiliate me. He loved me. He really loved me.
He put down his guitar and walked in my direction. Pain filled my chest like my body wasn't big enough to contain the pounding of my heart.
I took a step back but Ethan gathered me in his arms.
"Forgive me," he said. "Oh Sophie, forgive me. I'll spend the rest of my life making this up to you."
I couldn't speak. My mouth had gone dry and the words stuck inside me. Ethan stared, waiting for my response.
With no words, all I could do was give a small nod. That was enough though. His smile made my belly flutter and my body flood with heat.
I hooked my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. I needed to touch him, to have his body touching mine. The two of us became one.
He buried his head in my hair. "I love you," he whispered in my ear. "I'm an idiot but I love you."
I wanted to tell him I loved him too but his lips met mine and his kiss swept away every thought except that I wanted him and I'd want him forever.
Ethan
WHEN I SAW SOPHIE STANDING by the stage, I knew all my dreams had come true. I'd get through to her, somehow. She'd come to me and that was all I needed.
She looked so beautiful, standing there. She stood in the shadows but she glowed brighter than the sun. If she forgave me, I'd never let her go again. I'd never let her have a moment of doubt or pain.
I rushed to her and begged her to forgive me. Waiting for her answer took an eternity. If she wanted me to go down on my knees, I'd do that. If she wanted me to crawl across this stage, begging for her forgiveness, I'd do that too. There were no depths I wouldn't sink to. Not with her as the prize.
She nodded. A simple movement of her head but it changed my life forever.
When I kissed her, I knew this would work out. Even if she couldn't say the words, her kiss said it all. It held all the forgiveness and the love and the promises of tomorrow. Nothing else mattered. Not a thing. I'd never been a man who could show love but Sophie would teach me.
People cheered and I thought they cheered because we kissed but eventually, it sunk into my head that they wanted me back onstage.
In my happiness, I'd completely forgotten that we were in the middle of a show.
I pulled back from the kiss, drunk on happiness. The need for Sophie burned in my pants but I had to finish this performance even if letting go of her caused me pain.
I tucked my head, a poor apology, but she understood and pushed me back out there.
In the midst of cheers, I picked up my acoustic. I'd written this song for her and now I'd sing it, hoping it would say all the things I wanted to tell her.
"Pink Petals," I said, then I looked over at Sophie.
She kind of cringed. I hoped the title wouldn't scare her off. I sang those words of love hoping all my feelings would reach her. Like the guys had said, this wasn't my usual stuff. It wasn't raw and loud and violent. This song held all the love I had in my heart.
I didn't dare look at her until I finished. If she didn't understand, it might possibly break me. Then I glanced over and she smiled. That smile was worth more to me than a million dollars. I'd have given up everything for that smile.
I wasn't sure how I got through the rest of the set but I managed. Scared that Sophie would run off. Scared that something would jar the perfect happiness I'd found. Scared that I didn't deserve this. Every minute onstage was a minute I wasn't with her.
But she waited for me. Standing, watching while I played. I couldn't get through those songs fast enough.
Finally, I got off stage. People rushed me but I pushed them away. No one else mattered. I reached out for Sophie and took her hand, folding
it in mine.
"Let's get out of here."
The two of us ran from that stage. I wished I had something I could give her, a ring or something to promise her a life together. But all I had was my hand.
We didn't talk but she squeezed my hand tight like she never wanted to let go. I squeezed back.
When we got to the car park and safely inside my car, I reached out for her, wanting to kiss her again. She pushed me away.
"If we start that here, we'll never leave," she said.
She wasn't wrong about that. I only had so much self-control. I turned the key and we headed off.
"You're coming with me when we leave town," I told her.
"I've sold the florist," she said.
"I know."
I shouldn't have said that. I planned to never tell her I was behind that. I didn't want to keep secrets from her but I wasn't sure she'd accept it either.
Maybe I'd tell her one day soon. Maybe once the new owner was firmly entrenched.
When I got to her place, most of her stuff had been packed in boxes. She led me to the bedroom.
Every day with Sophie would be an adventure. Every day would be bliss. I'd almost lost her and I wanted to spend the rest of her life making up for that.
Sophie
"THIS IS WHERE YOU LIVE?" My eyes widened as I walked into Ethan's hotel suite. The place was luxurious but it was a hotel, not a home.
"We spend so much time on the road that I've never bothered settling down. What's the point?"
"The point is having a place to come home to that's all your own. A place where you feel comfortable."
Ethan's gaze swept over me, hungry and wanting. "You're my home now. I have you. But if you want to live somewhere else, let's start looking."
He sat on the sofa and pulled me onto his knee then got out his phone, looking up real estate listings.
"This house looks nice," he said. "Let's buy it."
I laughed and took the phone out of his hand. "You can't just buy a house like that. It takes thought and planning."
Over the past week, I'd been swept along with all the changes. The guys had finished recording. I'd said my last farewells to Janice and Jimmy. Then the two of us had left town in his sports car.
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