Page 59 of Her Nightshade

The room buzzed with energy. Soundproofed walls muted the outside world, while the faint hum of amplifiers and the occasional strum of a guitar filled the air. A sleek, makeshift stage dominated the center of the space, taped-off sections marking where equipment would eventually go. Technicians adjusted cables, bandmates chatted in clusters, and assistants scurried around with tablets and headsets, all seamlessly coordinated like the gears of a finely tuned machine.

This was Charlie’s world.

He was already on the stage, adjusting the mic stand to his height, his inked arms showcased perfectly. His easy confidence drew every eye in the room. His dark T-shirt clung to his back as he moved, the casual way he carried himself so different from one I’d seen so many times before. Unsure of himself. Needing approval.Myapproval.

I couldn’t stop thinking about last night. I fucked Charlie.Fue asombroso. Mejor de lo que podría haber imaginado. Perfect.

I had to stop thinking about it; heat would rise throughout my body, and watching Charlie in his element made it even harder to ignore.

His team moved like clockwork around him, but he wasn’t watching them—he was watching me.

“Stop staring,” I mouthed at him, unable to stop the smile that crept onto my face.

He grinned, unapologetic, his dimples flashing as he continued to adjust the mic stand. That smile was for me and no one else, and I could feel my cheeks warm under his gaze. He was supposed to be focused, but instead his attention kept drifting towards where I stood.

“Charlie,” a sharp voice called from across the room. “We need to go over the transitions again before the lighting team gets here.”

I turned to see a tall, striking woman walking towards him with a tablet in hand. Her body language and tone screamed authority, and the way she spoke to Charlie, direct and confident, made it clear she was used to running the show. Her name was Kate, the tour manager. Charlie had mentioned her before, but he didn’t talk much about work with me. And now that I was in his element, out of our bubble, it all seemed surreal. I had almost forgotten that he was one of the biggest rockstars in the world.

I watched as Charlie did his thing—testing the mics, singing a certain verse or two—but even as he did, he would keep stealing glances at me, his dimpled grin making my heart flutter each time.

“Charlie,” Kate called him again, this time from the edge of the stage, her voice sharp. “We need to go over the second chorus again. The tempo’s off, and you’re dragging the transition.”

“Got it,” Charlie replied without looking at her. Instead, his eyes drifted towards me and he gave me another one of his disarming grins.

I sighed, the heat rising between thighs as he openly stared at me. I waved him off, mouthing, “Focus!”

Kate frowned, following his gaze. Her expression narrowed as she looked back at her tablet, clearly annoyed. She stepped closer to him, saying something quietly, but even with her standing directly in front of him, Charlie’s attention kept slipping my way.

“You know,” a voice said beside me, cutting through my thoughts. I turned to see Reese standing there, his tablet tucked under his arm and an unmistakable annoyance in his tone. Up close, in this lighting, he was insanely attractive, with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes, standing at least six inches taller than me. “If you weren’t here, he might actually get something done.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “¿Perdón?” I asked sharply.

“You’re clearly a distraction,” he said dryly. “Kate’s been trying to get him to focus for twenty minutes but he’s too busy vying for your attention.”

I stiffened, anger rising within me. His attractiveness instantly evaporated. “I didn’t exactly ask to come, Reese. You know how Charlie is. I had to be here,” I shot back.

He raised an eyebrow. “Hadto?”

I rolled my eyes, exasperated. “¡Lárgate! I don’t need to explain myself or Charlie, to you—to anyone.”

With that, I turned and walked away, seething. How dare he call me a distraction, as if I were ruining everything. I marched towards the other side of the studio, trying to keep my composure. My presence already felt like too much and Reese’s comments only made it worse.

“Charlie, come on!” Kate’s voice boomed through the studio, but when I turned my head, Charlie wasn’t on the stage. He was heading straight for me, anger radiating off him.

His eyes flicked over my face, softening slightly when he saw my expression. “What happened?”

“Charlie, get back up there,” I said quickly, trying to redirect him. “You need to focus. Maybe I’ll step outside, get some work done—”

“What was that with Reese?” he cut me off, not giving up.

“It was nothing,” I said, trying to wave it off.

“Nothing?” His eyebrows shot up, disbelief and anger flashing in his eyes. “I saw him with his fucking attitude and then you stormed off. What did he say to you?”

I hesitated, glancing around at the growing number of eyes on us. “He just…pointed out that you were distracted,” I said, offering the half-truth. I didn’t want to escalate things further, not when the studio already felt like a pressure cooker.

Charlie’s jaw clenched and without another word, he turned and stormed towards Reese, fury all over his face.

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