Page 63 of Leah

He looked at me strangely. “You watched me sing?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

My voice was a whisper. “I… I went to your concert the other night. You captivated an entire crowd, and I was speechless. Absolutely speechless. It’s what you were born to do, and watching you up there, I know you love it. I know it makes you feel alive. I know that because you made everyoneelsefeel alive. It’s an incredible superpower, and I know you don’t want to stop.”

He didn’t answer, and I looked again at him. He was shocked, his eyes wide, his mouth half open. Then, he moved closer to me, and I turned my body to him as he stopped in front of me.

“You went to my concert?” he asked again.

“Of course I did.”

“I sort of figured you wouldn’t…”

I scoffed. “I bought a ticket every time you were coming into the city, but I never had the guts to go until the last one.”

“Why?”

I shrugged. “I thought I was done hurting. You know, three years isn’t supposed to feel like such a long time, but for some reason, it felt like an eternity—”

“I know,” he cut in with a heart-wrenching voice. “I know three years is a long time because I felt every single moment of it pass by. And I missed you every second of it.”

You couldn’t hear words like that without feeling like your heart wasn’t going to explode. I couldn’t speak, and my eyes were misting. He ran his finger along the side of my face and then he pulled away, taking my hand with him.

We turned back and sat down on the hard ground, his back against the fallen tree, and me between his legs. It was such a natural position; I didn’t think twice about it. My back rested against his front, and I didn’t care for a single moment that I was meant to have let him go, that touching him at all was wrong.

This was yet again our bubble.

Our time revisiting the past, and it felt right.

I couldn’t resist.

He squeezed my hand, and we silently watched the stream for a while. I’d never felt this kind of peace in a long time.

“Tell me about your life,” I then said, wanting to fill the space with his voice.

“Nothing much to tell,” he replied softly, his other hand moving to my shoulder where he squeezed the knots out gently. “It’s just been music and people, and not much else.”

“What about when you tour? Is it really all groupies and crazy sex?”

He chuckled dryly. “It can get pretty wild.”

“Yeah?” I tried to sound casual, but the image of him in some groupie orgy pierced my chest, making my blood run hot.

“Jared and Leo are the party animals,” he explained. “Rome’s usually got someone temporary, like Alyssa.”

“And…you?”

“Me? Well, I’ve been using my hand an awful lot lately.”

I froze, confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I have nobody.”

I couldn’t help roll my eyes. “You don’t need to pretend, Carter. You’re the one the girls go crazy about. I’m sure you’ve had a fair share of them. A guy like you doesn’t use hishand.”

“If you don’t want to believe me, that’s fine. I’m not lying. I don’t have a reason to lie, Leah. I’m wary of the girls, and I tend to keep to myself. Plus, I’m fucking shattered after a concert.”

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