Page 24 of Backstage

When Martin starts the song with the first guitar chord, I look at Lilly again and find her more relaxed, ready to play with winking glances at Luke and me. The guy seems amused, smiling more than usual, willing to play with her as I’ve often seen them do in private, with an intimacy that only two people who have known each other for years can have. A vice grips my stomach, but I try not to react to it, concentrating instead on the lips of the woman in front of me, who is singing the refrain with an innocent act, but when I meet her eyes I notice the mischievous spark in her gaze.

It’s this moment when I surrender, when I can no longer contain the evident hard-on in my pants, when I’m forced to almost to hurt myself. Few times in my life have I been so excited by a fully dressed woman, and the reaction of my body puts me in trouble. I’ll never make it to the end of this all-too-perfect evening, and Lilly seems to sense my discomfort because she puts her hand on my leg, just above the knee, and squeezes slightly, smiling at me. Not a wise move on her part because my heart starts pumping in my chest, the image of her hand on my naked skin imprinted in my mind and leaving me no way out. From this moment on, the concert is a series of attempts to regain my composure without success.

“We’re going. Do you need us to stay until you do the interview, or will you go home with Dave?” Thomas asks while drinking his well-deserved beer at the bar.

“Go ahead, Dave already has a car ready for Lilly and me,” I reassure him as I look for her among the crew to drag her to the interview. I find her talking to Luke and Martin; she still seems relaxed, thankfully. “Don’t screw up,” Thomas jokes.

When I turn to him, I notice he’s got his eye on Lilly. “It’s just an interview with Jenna. We’re not going to the gallows,” I reassure him.

Thomas turns to me with a half-smile on his face. “Yes, of course,” he says cryptically, putting his hand on my shoulder just as Jenna approaches and makes sweet eyes at me.

“So? Are you ready?” she says in a soft voice. I’ve never heard her speak normally. She’s always so set and controlled and sweet, it almost makes you nauseous. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a computer with no feelings, programmed with gratuitous malice and fake sarcasm.

“Yeah, I’m gonna go get Lilly. You go ahead the room Evan gave us. One thing, Jenna, the questions are as agreed, any comments out of place, and we’re out of here. I don’t give a shit if you have the exclusive on this interview. Do you understand?” I set the record straight and get elbowed by Thomas for doing so. He’s always too diplomatic.

Jenna surprises me with a condescending smile. “Don’t worry, Damian, the agreed-upon questions are fine with me. I already have everything I need already,” she whispers sensually before she leaves. I see her talking to our manager, who’s smiling at her like she’s the only person he wants to see tonight. I really admire the nerve of that man.

“Okay, am I the only one who doesn’t believe her at all?” questions Thomas, puzzled.

I don’t answer because I have an unpleasant feeling, too.

However, the interview goes exactly how it should: no questions outside the pre-approved ones, and Jenna, incredibly affable, has even managed to put Lilly at ease. All professional to an unbelievable degree. Too much for my taste. What makes me most nervous is that I can’t figure out where we went wrong.

*

“I did it,” Lilly says to me for the hundredth time, embracing me impulsively at my waist, not even realizing what she’s doing.

The interview lasted about an hour. It was intense, there were no particular exchanges other than questions, but the tension stretched me as if I had just done the New York Marathon.

“I had no doubt, but you don’t trust me.” I roll my eyes to make fun of her.

“You were the one who wanted to call the other band at first because you thought I’d never survive in these situations!” she says, almost outraged.

“How long did it last, ten minutes? And I didn’t know you then. Don’t be a pain in the ass.” I grab her hand and drag her to the back door where Dave and Evan are waiting for us.

I can tell from the bodyguard’s tense face that something’s wrong, and I stop, getting nailed to the spot by Lilly bumping up against my back. Evan seems almost spirited, typing furiously on his phone.

“We have a problem,” our manager confirms my fears.

“What’s that?”

“Main and secondary entrances surrounded by the paparazzi, same with your apartment and hers,” he says, nodding in Lilly’s direction.

“What the hell is going on? Why?”

Aside from the initial excitement after the contest, the paparazzi had been following us during the mini-tour. But once the excitement passed, they just took a few shots as we left the club. After all, we never did anything scandalous to attract hordes of photographers. Why are we so besieged tonight that Dave and Evan are worried about us? Nothing out of the ordinary happened.

“Jenna posted a picture on her Instagram stories of you leaning over Lilly looking like you were kissing her. Later in her stories, she exaggerated and made you two look like you were making out on stage.” Our manager is direct, and anger is boiling in my stomach.

“But it’s not true!” Lilly’s voice is shrill.

“I know, but the paparazzi have mobilized en masse. They’ve been waiting months for this opportunity because they say there’s chemistry between you and they want to build a story. Jenna gave them the go-ahead,” Evan explains with a tight smile.

The harmony between two artists must be there to make the fans who come to see you enjoy the show. It’s never pleasant to watch a concert where there is evident negative tension on stage. But Jenna has turned it all into vicious gossip.

“That bitch,” I whisper, gritting my teeth. “The hotel where I have the room?”

Evan shakes his head. “There’s someone there, too. And the others told me on the way home they noticed movement on the streets surrounding their homes, both here in Manhattan and Brooklyn. They know the others have gone out, so they’re waiting for one or both of you. They’re expecting you to take refuge with one of your bandmates.”

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