Page 78 of The Librarian and the Rock Star

“Keira? Is–”

“Sorry to interrupt, but this can’t wait,” I said. I grabbed the back of his neck with my good hand and brought his lips to mine, in front of thousands of screaming fans, under the colored lights, center stage. I felt like I was flying apart into a million pieces of insanity, but I was right where I was supposed to be.

He held me close, kissing me deeply, not caring that the hearts of his female fans were likely breaking. After an embrace that was perhaps a bit too long to be appropriate, I stepped back. Realizing where I was, I desperately needed to run away, but I stood perfectly still for a moment. I tried to feel my feet on the floor, but couldn’t.

“What did that kiss say, Keira?” he asked into the microphone, and my heart thumped uncomfortably as a few thousand people suddenly realized that this was not a joke, or part of the show, this was really happening. They grew silent. Eerily silent.

My body froze while my mind raced. The entire hall full of people stared at me, and I was caught in the spotlight. It was a thousand nightmares coming true. But he was a dream come true. This sort of awkward freakish energy was worth it. It was.

Jack pointed the mic at the floor, whispering in my ear, “Does this mean that you’re in? You’ll take a chance on us, we’re a couple now?”

I nodded. “Yes,” I squeaked. Then I cleared my throat. “Yes. I’m in.”

He wrapped his arm around me, turning to the crowd with that amazing smile that was actually too big for his face. “Hey folks, this lovely lady has terrible stage fright, but she came out here anyway to tell me something that couldn’t wait. I’d like you all to meet Keira, my gorgeous girlfriend.” The way he over enunciated the last word told everyone that it was a big deal, an announcement, and a bit of a shock to both of us.

The applause was mental. Deafening. But it was like being punched with joy. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before walking quickly back into the wings.

“Well done,” Marky hollered to me as I walked behind him. I could barely turn my head to nod to him. I had to keep moving to where Kelly was cheering along with everyone else, looking positively stunned. She slid the chair under me just before I collapsed.

“I can’t believe she came on stage,” Jack said, staring toward me with an expression of pure adoration. “Wow. I guess the new song worked.” He held the mic to his chest. “Can you all hear that pounding?” The crowd laughed along. “Hey Marky, what should we play next?”

“We’re in Montreal, man. Let’s play them a drinking song.”

The band carried on with the rest of the show while I sat beside Kelly, still shaking. Not only had I made a decision based on my heart instead of my head, but I also fought every instinct and made a declaration in front of a room full of strangers. All of those eyes on me... I almost shuddered, but fought it.

I survived. I did it. And that’s all that mattered. I breathed slowly, deeply, trying to feel my feet on the ground. I would not allow myself to pass out again.

Jack kept looking over with little grins and waves. I could see in those dark eyes everything he was feeling, and it was fascinating.

&nbs

p; 45. New Plans

When the show was over, Kelly quickly folded up and stashed our chairs, leading me out of the way and down the hall while the final notes were still ringing in the air. “Don’t worry,” she said, grinning. “The band will be right behind us after they chug some water and thank the techs.”

She led me to the dressing room, which was filled with food, coolers of drinks, and plush seating. She waved for me to sit in the corner of the biggest couch, and opened a bottle of ginger ale, handing it to me. “How’s the pain?”

“I keep forgetting about it. So that’s good.”

“Okay. Don’t be weird about taking a few more pills if it gets bad, but ginger ale is good for keeping your blood sugar up, and that may have been a bit of a shock for you,” she laughed.

“Yes, mom,” I joked, and she winked at me as the guys piled in. She went out into the hallway, answering her phone.

“Hey,” said Marky. He came over to shake my good hand. “Thank you, Keira,” he said quite seriously, looking at me intently. “You’ve brought our old Jack back, plus you’ve fixed up all of this crap that we’ve been avoiding. I really appreciate what you’ve done for all of us.”

“Just happy to help,” I said, trying not to blush.

Jack swooped in, dramatically pretending to push him away from me. “Get your filthy hands off my girlfriend,” he growled. Marky laughed and backed off as Jack sat beside me.

He turned sideways to face me directly, taking my right hand. “I cannot believe you came out on stage,” he said softly.

“Me neither.”

“Why did you? I mean, it was amazing, but... Wow.”

“Well,” I started slowly, not sure if I should confess that I was a lunatic. “The second I realized that I was all in, my guts screamed at me to tell you right then before I could overthink things to pieces any more.”

Jack leaned into my stomach. “Thank you, guts.”

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