Lost in You (3 page)

The r
oom is bustling with people. I look around and notice it’s the group we just watched, the
white pants boy band
. The guys are loud and animated. There’s a table full of food that Dylan leads me to. She hands me a plate and takes hers and starts filling it up.

“Are you sure this is okay?”

“Totally, it’s part of the package.”

I follow behind her, trusting that what we’re doing isn’t breaking any rules. When our plates are full we find a place to sit down. We’re eating just finger
foods, but I don’t care; everything tastes amazing when you’re hungry.

“Do you want to meet the band?” she asks in between bites.

“You go ahead.” I don’t want to hold her back from enjoying this experience. It’s just not for me. She looks at me, her face almost sad. I smile, letting her know everything is okay, but she’s not buying it. She stays with me, finishing our snacks.

When my plate is empty she takes it from me and throws them away. When she turns and looks at me, I know she’s about to pout so I s
tand up and follow her to meet the
white pants boy band
.

The girls in front of us gush and make annoying sounds. I poke Dylan in the side. “If you do that, I’m walking home.” She laughs and elbows me in the ribs.

It’s our turn next. I take a picture of Dylan with the band on her iPhone, but decline when she offers to take mine. My prepaid doesn’t even have a camera and I’m not sure I want to remember this as much as she does.

After a few minutes of small talk, the room starts to clear out for the next sho
w. Dylan promises me that I’ll
just love
Hadley Carter. I don’t want to remind her that she’s the one that
just love’s
everyone and anything that has to do with music.

I’m simply her companion for the evening.

When we step back into the venue I’m surprised to see more seats filled. Clearly she is far more popular than the
white pants boys
. Dylan moves in between people and back to our seats. We sit on the uncomfortable, yet cushioned seats until the lights go out completely. The crowd roars much louder than before. Both girls and guys are jumping up and down chanting ‘Hadley’.

I stand and stare off into the pitch-black stage. Music starts, the crowd gets louder. I can barely see the guitar player but can feel him close to me. It’s almost as if they want us
blind for this show.

I join in. I can’t help it. I start chanting and clapping right along with everyone else. Dylan looks over winks. I may just have a good time after all. I don’t think the crowd could get any louder, but the moment the spotlight shines
on who I’m assuming to be Hadley, the venue erupts.             

Her song starts immediately. She sings softly, all while standing in one spot. Suddenly all the lights come on and
she’s all over the stage. I don’t know what she’s singing, but I move to the music. Dylan and I bump hips occasionally, causing her to smile at me.

Hadley is dressed in what looks like a cat woman costume. Guys are reaching for her, but she stands just far enough way that they can’t touch her. When she stands in front of me, I sort of want
to reach out, but the thought of rejection keeps my hands safely at my side.

My neck hurts from watching her, the constant looking up to follow her around the stage is straining. She plays three songs in her leather contraption before returning in a dress
and cowboy boots. Her hair is pulled back and she’s sitting on a stool. She looks comfortable and relaxed, like she’s not playing in front of thousands of screaming fans.

The show goes on for over an hour. It seems the louder we are the longer she’ll stay
on stage and we keep cheering. When the venue lights come on and the stage is clear, Dylan grabs my hand and rushes us in the same direction as before.

There is a large group trying to get past the security guard. Many of them yelling Hadley’s name down
the long hallway, hoping she hears them, I guess. We flash our passes again, this time to a different guard who lets us through. We squeeze by him and walk down the hall where we are directed by another guard.

We enter the door marked Hadley. It’s much la
rger than the previous room and with a lot less people.

“Hadley will be with you guys in a minute.” We’re told this by the guard at the door. I walk around, looking at wall hangings. There are pictures of other famous people who have come through Jackson o
n their tours and played here. I take a seat in the corner while Dylan talks with another contest winner.

Hadley comes bursting into the room, sort of like she’s still on stage. She greets each of her fans with hugs and introduces them to the girl standin
g behind her. She acts as if they have all been friends forever and haven’t seen each other in years.

Music is turned on and drinks are passed out. I take a can of Coke from the server. I watch as Dylan and Hadley
talk, noticing how pretty Hadley is when she’s just in a dress and not on stage. She’s very short. Her blond hair is almost white and fairly long. It makes me wonder if she’s required to keep her hair long so she can do all those crazy hairstyles she had tonight.

Dylan looks over and points at me
. I smile shyly and study my Coke can; it’s suddenly become very interesting. When I look up, Hadley is looking at me. Our eyes meet and she smiles, causing me to sit up a little straighter. She looks away and whispers something in the ear of her friend. She’s watching me the whole time.

Her friend comes over to me, she’s probably about to ask me to leave. Maybe I remind her of an ex or something. I try not to look at her as she approaches; instead I’m watching Dylan’s back.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

I clea
r my throat. “Ryan Stone.”

She extends her hand and we shake. “I’m Alex Graham, Hadley’s best friend. I just wanted to say hi since you were sitting over here by yourself. Feel free to mingle or whatever, okay?”

“Okay, thanks.”

Alex Graham walks right back
to Hadley and leans into her, whispering again. Hadley’s eyes catch mine and I look away, feeling completely out of place.

Hadley

Rushing off stage before my fans are ready for the concert to end does not sit well with me. I hate that the band listens to Ian. I’m the one who is up there singing and putting on the show. They should want to do what I want. But he has rules and they listen only to him.

Alex meets me with a bottle of water that I chug down. She pats my
forehead and hands me some lip gloss to apply. No time to freshen up as the local press is waiting. We rush down the hall, fans yelling my name. I want to stop and turn around, but Ian’s hand is clamped on my elbow steering me in the direction of the media room.

He drops my arm once the flash bulbs start. Gosh forbid a picture of him cattle-herding
me makes the news. He knows my mom will throw a fit. I sit down at the long table, Alex on my right and Ian on my left. Ian points to a reporter and the questions start.

“Hadley, will you be visiting Jackson?”

“Yes, Alex and I plan to visit. Take in a few of the sights while we are here.”

“How long will you be in Jackson?” Alex whispers the answer to me. It’s not that I don’t know, but my schedule is crazy and it’
s Alex’s job to help me remember.

“For at least three days. I will be attending the Johnson Foundation Children’s Ball.”

“When will we get a new album?”

“That will be early next year,” Ian speaks up. Good to know. I was hoping to spend some time overseas
before recording a new album. Guess that will have to wait.

“We’ll take one more question,” Ian says suddenly. I look at him out of the corner of my eye and wonder what he’s up to.

“Hadley!” They all yell. I point to a woman in the back.

“Your show was gr
eat tonight. Will you and Smith be happy when the tour is over?”

I deadpan and look at Ian, who isn’t answering. I don’t know what he’s playing at, but this question should not be allowed. Not only is there no relationship between Smith and me, but
I never talk about my social life.

I look back at the reporter who is smiling. This must be her million-dollar question and it makes me wonder what Smith said during his interview.

I sit forward and clear my throat. “The relationship between Smith and me is strictly professional. Once the tour is over, I’m sure I’ll see him at an awards show.” I get up and push my chair forward with some force, shaking the table. Alex is on my heels as the questions from the reporters become shouts.

I slam my dressing room door op
en, my hands clenched. I hear Alex lock the door, giving me time to cool down. It’s only a matter of time before Ian comes knocking on the door. I run a brush violently through my hair, until Alex takes it from my hand and directs me to my chair. I sit and she starts brushing.

“You know how he is. The tour is almost over and he needs some headlines.”

“At what expense, Alex?”

“He means well. He’s just trying to keep you in the spotlight. That’s all.”

Alex helps me fix my make-up and I change back into a dress with my boots. I want to be comfortable with these few fans, not some stuffy, pissed-off rock star. I sigh when the knocking starts. I know it’s Ian and he’s either pissed or about to be pissed. He hates meet and greets, doesn’t understand why I feel the need to spend time with people beneath me. The more he bitches, the more I have Alex schedule.

Alex opens the door. Ian stands in the doorway, one eyebrow raised. He’s asking if
I’m ready. I nod and follow him and Jones down the hall. There are still fans lingering behind security. I give them a little wave before disappearing behind another door.

This is how I love a meet and greet. Music is turned on as I enter the room, playing
softly in the background. Everything is relaxed. A few fans, milling around talking to each other, enjoy complimentary drinks on me. It’s me giving back. Tonight I have four sets of fans who won a chance to meet me from the tickets they purchased and one fan and a lucky guest are here because of a radio trivia game.

I introduce Alex and myself to each of the fans, giving them ample time to ask questions and for us to get to know them. The questions center around touring or what it’s like to be on stage. I
’m thankful there aren’t any personal questions.

“Hi, I’m Hadley and this is my best friend, Alex.” I shake the girl’s hand in front of me. Her eyes are a bit glazed over and I wonder if I’m about to be attacked.

She shakes her head. “Sorry, I’m Dylan.”

“
It’s nice to meet you. You’re my radio winner, right?”

My words make her face light up like she’s just won the lottery. This is why it’s so important to know your fans. “I am. I’m so glad I won.”

“Did you come alone? Wasn’t your package for two people?” I always have a concern with someone keeping the extra ticket for themselves and only giving the winner one. It’s happened before.

“Oh no, I brought my friend. He’s sitting down over there.” She turns and points to the guy sitting on a stool in the corner of
the room. His eyes are wandering around until he looks right at me, through me. My smile is automatic, nothing forced. He sits up a little straighter before dropping his eyes to his suddenly very interesting can of Coke.

My face falls when he looks away.
Why did he do that? When he looked at me, my heart began racing so fast I thought I was going to pass out. Different from the exhilaration I feel on stage. This is real, like the sun shining on just the two of us, our hands a magnetic force field bridging the gap. My palms sweat just thinking about being able to hold his hand. The rush I’m feeling now is like no other. I’ve never been one to believe in love at first sight. Can it exist after one simple look? I keep staring, hoping that for one brief moment he’ll look up, but he doesn’t. Can he feel my eyes trying to get him to look at me? I want to know more – no, I need to know more – about this girl’s friend. I take a step forward, the gravitational pull too strong for me to resist. Alex’s hand comes down on my arm, halting my progress. I turn to Alex. “I have to know him. I have this feeling, Alex. I can’t explain it.”

“He’s very cute,” she says, looking over my shoulder. I follow and have to agree. Although cute doesn’t describe him fully, I want to say g
orgeous and I need to know him.

“Can you find out his name for me?” Alex nods and walks over toward him.

His eyes go wide as Alex approaches. He quickly looks at his friend for help, but she’s talking my ear off. I’m not listening, I can’t. I’m studying him and his reaction to Alex. He opens his mouth to speak and they shake hands. He looks so nervous and out of place. I want to rush over there and talk to him, just to hear his voice.

Alex comes right back to me, the look on her face is priceless. “His nam
e is Ryan Stone and he’s extremely shy,” she whispers. I look at him out of the corner of my eye. He’s looking at me, but looks away as soon as I make eye contact.