Page 73 of The Heartbreakers
Finally he said, “What do you suggest we do?”
I let out a breath of relief, and Alec quickly answered him. “We do what JJ said. We start by playing one of your old songs. Tonight. At the concert.”
• • •
“So we’re going to do something a bit different tonight,” Oliver said near the end of the concert. “How does that sound?”
Finally, I thought. I had been waiting all night for this moment. The boys refused to tell me when they planned to perform one of their old songs. They wanted it to be a surprise even for me, and no amount of begging had swayed them. As the concert inched closer to the end, one song at a time, I was starting to fear that the boys had chickened out and changed their minds.
Oliver paused as he waited for a response, and he was answered with cheers from the crowd. A light feeling took hold of my chest, and I surprised myself by letting out a quick whoop of excitement and cheering with them.
I felt someone come up beside me. “Do you know what he’s doing?” Courtney asked me. “Why are they deviating from the set list?”
“Sorry,” I said. “Haven’t the slightest idea.”
I bit my lip as I tried to contain my smile, and then I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall as I settled in to listen. Courtney was grumbling to herself and frowning down at her clipboard, but when Oliver started to speak again, she looked back up to watch him.
“This next song might seem new, but it’s actually an oldie,” he was saying. “We’ve never performed it before.” He paused for a brief second. “Until now.”
A ripple of anticipation swept through the arena, and everything got really quiet. It was electric how in sync the audience was with the band. From my spot backstage I could see everything the boys could, and I was starting to understand how playing gave them a rush. I could feel the adrenaline start to flood through my veins, and I rose on my toes and leaned in closer.
My eyes stayed on Oliver. I could see how nervous he was from the rise and fall of his shoulders as he took a deep breath and the way he gripped his guitar tightly. There was a long moment of hesitation, and he looked back at the rest of his bandmates. Xander offered him a thumbs-up, JJ raised his drumsticks in salute, and Alec gave him a quick nod of encouragement.
Oliver bowed his head. I could see his lips moving as he recited something to himself, and then he turned back around to face the crowd. “This song is called ‘The Missing Pieces,’” he said as he flipped his bangs out of his eyes, “and I’d like to dedicate this to a special person who gave me the courage to stand up here tonight and share it with you all.”
My gasp was inaudible over the sound of Oliver starting to sing, but I could feel the tightening in my chest as I sucked in a sharp breath.
Courtney glanced at me with a pointed look. “Haven’t the slightest idea, huh?” she said, but I was too shocked to care if she was mad.
I glanced up at her with wide eyes. “Did he just…”
“Dedicate a song to ‘someone special’?” she finished for me. “Yes, he did.” Something about her own words must have struck Courtney, because she tilted her head to the side. “You know, he’s never done that before.”
“Ever?”
“No,” Courtney said, her lips forming a smile. “Not for anyone.”
When the boys came offstage three minutes later, leaping and bouncing and slapping each other’s shoulders, I was still frozen. Everyone loved the song, and by the end of it, most of the audience was swaying back and forth with cell phones and lighters held high in the air. My mind was still reeling from what Courtney had said, so most of the lyrics washed right over me, but I knew I loved the song.
“That was frickin’ awesome!” Oliver shouted, punching his fists in the air. When he saw me standing a few feet away, he rushed over, and before I realized it, he scooped me up and spun me around in the air. “Did you hear us, Stella? We killed it!”
“I can’t believe we just did that,” Xander exclaimed. “That was crazy.” He was shaking his head in disbelief, but his eyes were gleaming. Alec stood next to him with a full-blown grin stretching across his face.
“You guys were amazing,” I said when Oliver set me down. My voice was high and giddy.
“No, you’re amazing,” Oliver said, cupping my face in his hands. He quickly pressed his lips to mine before pulling away to continue jumping up and down, still celebrating the moment.
“Guys, listen,” JJ said, turning back toward the stage. There was an encore at the end of every concert, but this was different. The chant from the crowd was thundering, and I could feel it pounding against my heart.
Courtney appeared again, hands on her hips. “I have no clue what the hell just happened,” she said, her face tight. Everyone stopped. She turned her stern glare on each of the boys, and I was afraid she would lash out, but then she smirked. “But you four need to get your butts back out there.”
Nobody spoke for a long second, but then JJ started laughing, and then we were all laughing. The stage crew handed the boys’ instruments back to them, and they started moving toward the chanting crowd, wild smiles commanding their faces. Just as they were about to step back onstage, Oliver spun around and reached out to me.
“Thank you,” he said, grabbing my hand. He squeezed my fingers and gave me one last dazzling look. Then he was racing out toward the stage, and the crowd was chanting his name.
Chapter 20
“I like that one,” Paul said, using the pen in his hand to point to my screen. “It’s priceless.”
