by K. A. Linde
“Why are you comforting me? You’re the one about to go out in front of seventeen-thousand people.”
“And you’re the one who looks like you’re going to hyperventilate.”
“I do not,” she said. She took a few even breaths and reminded herself to calm down. She was supposed to be here for moral support, not freaking out herself.
“I did a sound check already. Chloe and I practiced the song a dozen times today. It’s going to be fine.” His fingers grazed her chin. His dark orbs bore into hers, and it was as if he could see right through her. “We’re going to be fine, too, love.” He raised their laced fingers to his lips and pressed a kiss there.
They watched the remainder of the show from the sidelines. Near the end, a guy came over to collect Damon for his role in the closing number.
“I’ll see you after the show,” he said.
“Have fun.”
“I will.”
And then Damon was gone.
A few minutes later, Chloe had made another full costume change, the last of some ten outfits she’d worn during the two-hour show. It was a black front-zipper high-waist miniskirt and a jeweled black bra top with spiked high heels that Trihn would die for.
Chloe had a rhinestone microphone and spoke into it, “Hello, fabulous Las Vegas!”
The crowd cheered for her.
“I have one last song for you tonight before I go. You might have seen my new single ‘Heartbreaker’ online today. Did everyone watch it?”
The stadium practically shook with cheers from her dedicated followers.
“Well, my good friend is here tonight to sing that version of ‘Heartbreaker’ for you. Everyone, DJ Damon Stone!”
Damon walked onstage with confidence in every single fiber of his being. The crowd cheered just as loud for him as they had for Chloe, and he soaked it up. What would terrify most people was a straight shot of adrenaline to his system. He was purely in the zone when he stepped up to the booth.
The drummer kicked in. The guitar melody thrummed to life. The bassist started up the backbeat. And then Damon mixed it all together with his soundboard until it sounded as amazing live as it did every single time he had played it in Posse.
Chloe was cued up for her intro, and then she went full swing into her number one hit. Damon picked up the backup vocals with ease, and soon, they were singing together. Their voices mingled, hers shining above his, and the harmony was perfect. Near the end of the song, when her big vocals came into play, she turned to face Damon, and with their eyes locked, they sang the final words to each other.
Trihn’s heart stuttered.
The crowd cheered for the finale. Chloe turned away from Damon and took a bow, and then she ran back and grabbed his hand, forcing him to bow with her.
“Thank you,” Chloe said breathlessly. She waved at her audience and then strutted offstage, still holding Damon’s hand. Once they were offstage, Chloe threw herself into Damon’s arms. “That was incredible!”
He hugged her briefly and then put her back down on the ground. He hastily removed himself from her, but he was smiling wide from their performance. “That crowd! You have the best fans.”
Trihn just stood there and watched with a sinking pit of worry in her stomach. She was happy for him. The show had been incredible. He had the world at his feet. She didn’t want to think about anything else—not the fear clawing away at her or the knowledge of what fame could do to people and definitely not the look Chloe had on her face when she looked at Damon.
In that instant, he turned to Trihn, as if knowing she was watching. His smile lit up, and he called her over. She walked to him, and he pulled her to his side.
“Hey, Damon, stick around. I’ll be right back,” Chloe said.
Mateo was already hurrying her away to her dressing room.
“See you in a bit.” Damon turned his attention back to Trihn. “What did you think?”
“You were great out there,” she honestly told him. “Truly amazing. You were meant to do this.”
“Thanks.” He pulled his hat off his head and then ran a hand back through it before plopping it back down. “It’s easy to do with you watching me.”
“You’re silly. It’s easy to do because you’re incredibly talented.” She ran her hands up his chest and pulled him in for a kiss. “And very sexy.”
“Oh, I like where this is heading.”
He grabbed her real tight and started slow dancing with her right there in the middle of the backstage area, as if no one else was around.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a giggle.
“Dancing with my girlfriend.”
“Right now?”
He twirled her around in place and then dipped her without warning. She giggled again, but he looked completely serious and in his element. His lips touched hers, and she melted into him.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Chloe said from behind them. Someone had blown out her hair and retouched her makeup. She looked fabulous.
Damon immediately righted Trihn and then turned back around. “What’s up?”
“I just have some autographs to sign and then a meeting with my manager.” Chloe glanced over at Trihn. “You don’t mind if I steal him for a minute, do you?”
“No,” Trihn croaked. She cleared her throat and shook her head. “No, of course not.” She turned to Damon. “Go. I’ll wait here.”
Damon kissed her again. “I’ll see you in a minute.”
She watched him walk away with Chloe and sighed. She didn’t know how to handle this. She knew the lifestyle well enough from having modeled back in high school, but being an international musical superstar was a totally different story. She needed to talk to someone who had been through this.
Trihn pulled her phone out and texted Bryna. When Bryna had dated Gates Hartman, he’d been an up-and-coming movie star. Now, for his age range, he was the it male actor in Hollywood. Bryna had been raised in Hollywood. She would know how to deal with this.
And my boyfriend is now a music god.
It went that well?
Yeah. He’s signing autographs and speaking with management right now with Chloe. It’s great.
You sound so enthused. #rollseyes
I am happy for him.
Yeah, but you’re not happy about it.
I’m worried. You dated a movie star. You must know what it’s like. Obviously, Damon’s not at that level right now, but what if that happens, Bri?
Fame is different. If anyone knows that, it’s me. But nothing bad has happened yet, so don’t wish it into existence. The more you freak out over it, the more you’re going to put that out into the world. Damon likes you. He’s been chasing you since you two met. He wouldn’t do anything stupid to jeopardize that.
Yeah. You’re right.
Damn straight I’m right. And just remember, you’re a rock star already, and he knows it. Plus, I’d send E and Pace and the rest of the football team to beat his ass if he stepped out of line.
Trihn laughed and shook her head. Of course she would.
Thanks, B.
What felt like hours later, Damon and Chloe finally came back to where Trihn had been standing restlessly. They both looked completely energized from the events that had unfolded. Trihn crossed and uncrossed her arms as they approached, laughing like old friends.
Trihn forced a smile onto her face. “Hey! How did it go?”
“Great!” Chloe said. “So, so amazing!”
Damon nodded. “Pretty awesome. I’ve been on the Internet with Chloe for a day, and people already know who I am.”
“As they should,” Trihn told him.
“I’m so glad that both of you could be here tonight,” Chloe said. “This was so much fun for me. It was even better than a regular show.”
“Anytime,” Damon said. “Where are you headed to next?”
“Phoenix, I think. Then, Dallas and Austin, and then we’re ending this leg of the tour in New Orleans. And I’m finishing up
the new record. Once it releases, I’ll have so much more music for the summer tour.”
“Busy,” Trihn said.
“Yeah, well, that’s the music industry—produce, promote, and tour.” Chloe shrugged. “After this next tour though, I want to do another movie. The studio’s not going to like hearing that, but I miss acting.”
“Sounds like a rough life,” Trihn joked.
“Harder than it looks.”
“But with crowds like that, totally worth it,” Damon said.
Chloe nodded. “Completely. Well, I’ll let you two head out. You have my number, right?”
“Yeah, I got it,” Damon said.
“Cool. I’ll be in touch if I hear anything.”
“Sounds good.”
Chloe hugged them both before strolling off to her dressing room.
“In touch about what?” Trihn asked as they walked through the back exit to Damon’s car.
“I spoke with her manager and some other music people who were there for the show. Nothing is set in stone, but they want some samples of my music.”
“Really?” she gasped. “Are they going to sign you?”
“It kind of sounded like they were interested in at least hearing what else I’ve done. A record deal would be…out of this world. Chloe thinks it could happen. She kept telling them to sign me on the spot,” he admitted.
“Wow. That was…nice of her. She believes in you that much?”
“Enough to pull me onstage for her own concert, so I’d say yeah,” Damon said. He unlocked the car, and they both sank into the seats. “It would be epic, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Either way, it was incredible to play live on that stage. A dream come true.”
“I’m glad I could see it.”
“If I had it my way,” he said, speeding out of the parking lot and away from the Strip, “I’d have your beautiful face at every one of my shows.”
Trihn lit up at his comment. “So, what are you going to do now?”
Damon shrugged. “Wait.”
“YOU HAVE GOOD CLEAN LINES,” Teena Hart said, examining the clothing samples that Trihn had put together.
“Thank you.” Trihn wrung her hands in front of herself as Teena swept through the various designs. They weren’t all finished. They were just the shells of what she was going to have as final pieces to fit to her models.
“What is your inspiration for the line?”
“My inspiration?”
“Yes,” Teena said. “There seems to be a theme among your work. If you don’t have a speech on what inspires you, then you’re already lost.”
Trihn pulled herself together. With all the stuff that had been happening with Damon, she had been so out of it with her own work. Focusing on her art was the thing that had gotten her through a lot of ups and downs. She needed to continue to focus on it if she wanted to win that fashion show—even though she thought it was highly unlikely.
“My inspiration for the line comes from my diverse background in New York City and the nightlife around the world. I wanted to make a fluid line that went from everyday wear and straight to the club. These are clothes that can be worn on a runway or the Strip or in Central Park.”
“I see what you’re saying, but I recommend you find a specific story for your line. The judges will need something to latch on to. Don’t be afraid to get personal.”
“Right. Thank you for your insight,” Trihn said. She made notes in the notebook she was carrying. She had a long list of things she needed to do before she would be ready for the runway. As far as she was concerned, getting personal was the least of her concerns.
“And do you have your models yet?”
“Not yet.”
Teena carefully eyed her. “I don’t have to lecture you on the importance of having the right models for your line.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Gucci, right?”
Trihn nodded. She was surprised that Teena knew that she had modeled at all, let alone who she had modeled for.
“I’m going to have a model call in the next week or two. I have some people in mind, but I’d like a variety.”
“Excellent. I do hope this is all cleaned up before the fashion show,” Teena said, blindly gesturing to a few of Trihn’s designs.
She froze, wondering what the hell Teena was talking about. After that comment, Trihn would have to go over every single stitch and extensively work on them. Preparing for this fashion show was taking up so much time on top of her already busy class schedule. She hoped it would all be worth it.
“Thank you,” Trihn said.
Teena signed off on the paperwork for Trihn’s samples and jotted out the suggestions she had made. “Keep up the good work. Next time I see you, you’ll be directing your models down the runway.”
Trihn sighed and plopped down onto a barstool by her station. That had gone better than expected, but she still had a mountain of work to do. Just looking at it was giving her a headache. She needed to take a break, yet she had no intention of leaving the studio until she had some of this under control. Not to mention, she now had to get a model call together.
She buried her face in her hands and took a few healing deep breaths. She could do this. It was possible.
She could finish her classes for the semester and rock this fashion show. She could push back her apprehension about Damon’s newfound success. She could resist the all too-present fear about the future and her relationships.
For so long, she had been cautious about relationships. Time and again, she’d had her heart shattered to the wind. Now, she could feel she was falling for Damon. He was stealing her heart away, and this time, if something happened, she didn’t think she would be able to rescue it.
Damon was different from everyone else. He was so sincere. She hadn’t realized the difference in Preston and Neal because there was none. But Damon wasn’t like either of them.
She so desperately wanted it to be the truth and to never change that she worried she was strangling it, strangling herself. Her own insecurities were real and raw. He knew about them, of course. She’d told him about all of her issues. But that didn’t mean it would change anything in the end.
She shook her head, frustrated with her dark thoughts. Fishing out her phone, she dialed his number, desperate for a friendly voice. It went straight to voice mail, and in shock, she glared at her phone. Her breath started coming out quickly. She had to close her eyes to try to push back the threat of hyperventilation.
“Fuck,” she whispered. She needed to get this under control.
What the hell was happening to her?
When had she turned into this shell of a woman?
She gasped and looked upward. Her frustration was replaced with anger—anger at herself for letting this get to her. She needed to put this into her art, not obsess over a phone call.
Damon would call her back. He would.
Hours later, Trihn’s phone lit up.
She looked up, bleary-eyed, at the display. She had been staring at her designs all night. She had made some headway on a few, but overall, she felt like she was too close to the clothes to really see how she needed to move forward.
She reached for the phone and answered it, “Hey.”
“Trihn, fuck, I’m so sorry. I meant to call you back hours ago,” Damon said.
“Oh, that’s okay,” she lied. “I’ve just been at the studio. What have you been up to?”
“Chloe’s manager called me. I was on the phone with him when you called me, and then when I got off the phone, Chloe called right away.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah. So weird that Chloe Avana called me. What is my life?” He laughed huskily. “We talked for a while. She was on her way to New Orleans for the last stop on her tour.”
“Great.” She lacked all emotion in her voice.
“Are you okay?”
“Yep.” No.
“Okay,” he said softly. “Well, they listened to the other
stuff I’d sent over, and they liked it. They’re going to take it to the studio heads to see what happens. Still no guarantees, but Chloe thought that meant I should hear soon what they want to do.”
“Did she think that?” Trihn knew she sounded catty, but she couldn’t help it. She had been trying so hard to be happy about all of this. Her near panic attack earlier was making her bitchier than normal. Not to mention, she couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten.
“Okay…you seem upset. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she snapped.
“It doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“I’m just tired and hungry. I need to get out of the studio and get some sleep or something.”
“Why don’t you come over here? I can make you something, and we can talk about this.”
“I really don’t want to talk right now.”
He sighed heavily. “I don’t want you to go to sleep angry.”
“I’m not angry,” she practically shouted. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Fuck, she needed to calm down.
“Trihn, just come over. I can tell you’re upset. I want talk to you in person about what’s going on in that head of yours. I don’t want this to simmer between us.”
Trihn grumbled and started packing up all her stuff. “Fine. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
She gathered up the last of her supplies, locked her designs up in her assigned locker, and then carried her sketchbook with her out of the studio. She hurried across the quad and down a long pathway until she reached the parking lot ten minutes later.
Her nerves were shot by the time she pulled up in front of Damon’s apartment. The drive had cleared her thoughts. Too long in the studio coupled with her issues with relationships and Damon’s newfound success hadn’t done well for her psyche.
She felt pretty stupid that she’d let everything get to her and that she had snapped at Damon when he was just excited about his blossoming opportunities in the music industry.
As she took the stairs to his apartment, she started humming the melody to her anthem, “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit. She knocked twice and then waited.