Now That I've Found You

by Kristina Forest

  Hey

  Evie, which direction did you go in?

  I’m so sorry! I had to leave early! Band emergency!

  You okay?

  Will you come to the show after?

  The Goose’s Egg in Williamsburg. Tell Adrian at the door that you know me

  Wait a minute. He left? Just up and left when we had a whole mission? I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to let him come with me! I’m definitely not going to his show now. What does he think this is?

  I rush outside and down the museum steps, careful not to slip and fall in my heels. Once I reach the sidewalk, I use an app to call an Uber and drop my phone back into my clutch. And that’s when I come to the startling realization that I don’t have any house keys. My makeup and phone are the only things I remembered to bring with me. Gigi’s spare keys are in my other bag from last night.

  How am I supposed to go back to Gigi’s and look for Esther’s number if I can’t get into the house?

  Okay, Evie, calm down. You are a smart, capable young woman. You can figure out what to do.

  Should I call a locksmith? Would it be safe to call a locksmith to Gigi’s house? I don’t want anyone to know where she lives.

  I squeeze my eyes closed and wait for the hysteria to fade away. An answer will come to me once I calm down.

  “Excuse me, miss, do you need any help?”

  I open my eyes, and an older, well-dressed Black man is standing in front of me. “I’m fine, thank you.” I push my sunglasses farther up my nose and take a step back.

  “I didn’t mean to bother you,” he says. “You just seemed a little upset. And maybe lost?”

  I am both of those things. “I’m neither of those things.”

  “If you need a ride, I’d be glad to take you where you need to go,” he says, smiling. It doesn’t look creepy. Instead, it’s oddly reassuring, like a smile from your grandfather. “My boss got here late, so he’ll be in there for a while.”

  “I’m really okay, but thank you.”

  In a final moment of clarity, I realize the best option would be to go to Milo’s show and get his house keys.

  I cancel my ride and order a new one to drop me off at The Goose’s Egg. What a terrible name for an establishment, by the way.

  The man nods as he backs away. “Have a good night. Stay safe.”

  “Thanks,” I say, watching as he walks toward his car.

  That was weirdly kind of him. Or maybe it was a normal gesture and I’m just too jaded and unused to random acts of kindness.

  My car arrives in two minutes, and then I’m on my way to Williamsburg to get keys to Gigi’s house. And to see Milo and his band. This is not how I expected my night to go.

  Chapter Ten

  The line to get into The Goose’s Egg is really long. This is the first surprise. Either it’s a really popular bar, or everyone is here for the show. I can’t figure out which one it is. And I keep getting weird stares because I’m dressed in my gown instead of a T-shirt and jeans like everybody else. I look as if I got lost on my way to Cinderella’s ball. At least I can hide behind my sunglasses.

  I wait impatiently as the line inches forward, and when I reach the door, I get carded. This is the second surprise. It’s not like Simone and I were big partyers or anything, but when we did go out, all I had to do was name-drop my parents and we were let inside. I don’t think I’ve ever been carded before.

  “ID, please,” a burly security guard says. He’s young, no older than twenty at most. He has curly black hair, and he’s wearing a tight black T-shirt that hugs his muscles.

  I look around. “Um, how old do you have to be to get in?”

  “Twenty-one.”

  I frown. “But the boys in the band aren’t even twenty-one.”

  He rolls his eyes. “Doesn’t matter. Look, either show your ID or get out of line.”

  “Wait! I know Milo. See, look.” I pull out my phone and show him Milo’s text messages. “You’re Adrian, right? He told me to ask for you.”

  “Uh-huh,” he says. He looks me up and down. “Have we met?”

  “No.” I clutch Gigi’s envelope to my chest. “But can you let me in, please? I’m not even going to stay the whole time. I just need to get Milo’s keys.”

  “Sorry, no can do. If I let you in without an ID, I’ll have to do the same for everyone else.” He shrugs and motions for me to move aside when people start complaining.

  I want to point out that Doves Have Pride is composed of four nineteen-year-olds, which most likely means the majority of the people waiting in line have fake IDs. But I don’t say that, because I want to be on Adrian’s good side.

  “Wait, you have to believe me,” I say, grabbing on to his arm. He looks down like he might karate-chop my hand if I don’t stop touching him.

  I quickly pull away, and I’m all out of ideas when, miracle of miracles, Vinny steps outside.

  “Did Michelle get here yet?” he asks Adrian.

  “Nope.” Adrian juts out his chin toward me. “But this girl claims to know Milo.”

  “I do know him.” I shove myself in between them. “Vinny, please tell Adrian that I’m not lying.”

  Vinny blinks at me. “Hey, I thought you said you weren’t coming.” To Adrian, he says, “We know her.”

  Adrian frowns and crosses his arms. Finally, he says, “You can go inside, but I’d better not see you with a drink in your hand.”

  My stomach squeezes. Little does he know, I never want to even look at alcohol again. “Loud and clear.”

  Vinny is waiting for his girlfriend to bring a neck strap for his saxophone, so he doesn’t come inside with me. My plan is to find Milo and get his house keys, but once I’m inside, I see that’s not going to happen.

  It’s already loud and packed. It doesn’t help that the venue isn’t all that big. It’s hot, and the floors are sticky. I find a semiclear spot to stand near the bar just as a guy appears and announces that Doves Have Pride will perform in five minutes. The crowd erupts into cheers. I have to watch whatever video of theirs went viral because, clearly, it’s doing wonders for their popularity.

  When the boys stroll onto the stage, the applause in the room is deafening. Raf eats it up, waving and smiling at the crowd. He even blows a few kisses. Vinny ambles behind Raf, and he has a wide-eyed, almost shocked look on his face, like he can’t believe this many people showed up. He’s carrying his saxophone, so I guess his girlfriend came through with his neck strap. Ben doesn’t even bother to glance at the crowd as he makes a beeline for his drum set. He taps his drumsticks against his thighs, sighing as Raf continues to blow kisses. Milo brings up the rear, and Raf frowns as the crowd’s attention shifts away from him to Milo.

  Milo does not blow kisses. He smiles shyly and does a little wave before he hooks his guitar up to the amp. Several girls manage to push their way to the stage so that they’re standing right where he can see them. Interesting.

  The boys are wearing the black Doves Have Pride T-shirts along with matching leather pants. I guess Raf got what he wanted after all. I can’t decide if they look ridiculous or charming.

  Raf leans into the mic and clears his throat. The crowd gets quiet, and he starts singing a cappella. “My girl left me all by myself. She wouldn’t give me another chance. Maybe I can change her mind if I put on these leather pantsssss.”

  Ben counts them off and Raf sings along to the beat. I thought that funk and R&B mash-up was a weird description, but it’s actually the perfect way to describe their sound.

  The crowd knows all the words to this song, and they know the words to the next one too. They sing at the top of their lungs as they dance and jump around. Even the bartender, who keeps glaring at me because I’m standing by the bar but not ordering any drinks, is moving her hips to the beat.

  I find myself glancing again and again to the girls who are dancing in front of Milo. He’s not looking at them. He’s either staring down at his hands as he strums his guitar or glancing around a
t his bandmates, like he’s making sure that everything is going smoothly, that they’re all okay. Every now and then, he does a quick sweep of the crowd, but he never notices me all the way in the back. Which is fine. It’s not like I came here for us to lock eyes across the room and for him to sing to me.

  I didn’t come to this smelly, crowded bar to notice how charismatic Milo looks with his guitar. Or that he almost seems like a different person onstage. He’s not clamming up like when he was starstruck at the gala. He’s totally in his element.

  I also didn’t come here to ogle him and his handsome face. Or to watch his arms flex as he pushes back his dreads.

  No. I came here for house keys and to yell at him for leaving me at the gala.

  It’s a good thing he’s not the lead singer, because then I might really be in some trouble.

  Of course, the moment that I have this thought, they start a new song, and Milo is the one singing lead. It’s slower, an R&B love ballad with hints of soul.

  “When I see you, I feel like I’m home. Girl, I know we’re young, but this love is grown. You kiss me so softly when I sing. For you, I would do anything.”

  His voice is deep and raspy, and it makes my stomach clench. He sings with his eyes closed, and as I watch his lips move, I go completely still.

  Now I see why those girls flocked to the stage. This is what they were waiting for.

  Milo opens his eyes, and I suddenly have an absurd urge to push my way to the front of the crowd. I want him to see me, to know that I’m here. But I don’t dare move, because, as I said, that urge is absurd.

  This is the boy who is mooching off your grandma, Evie! Get ahold of yourself!

  When they switch songs, Raf takes the lead again. It’s more upbeat, and Raf, Milo, and Vinny do a funny synchronized dance routine, while Ben stays behind the drums. The crowd eats it up. After they finally wrap up their last song, Raf thanks everyone for coming, but he can barely be heard over the applause and shouting. People are still cheering when they walk offstage, and Raf lingers behind to grin and soak it all in.

  Something about the smile on his face and the wonder in his eyes is so familiar. The way the crowd shouts his name with such enthusiasm. It takes a minute for me to realize this is the same way I looked during the film festival panel back in May. When I thought my career was about to take off. I thought the world was my oyster then too.

  I envy him, and I’d give anything to trade places right now.

  Raf finally leaves the stage, and I watch as the boys slip through a side door by the stage. I ease my way through the thick crowd until I’m standing at the same door. Adrian is guarding it, of course. He frowns at me.

  “Not you again,” he says.

  “I need to talk to Milo. That’s it, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

  He reaches back and turns the doorknob. “You his new girl or something?”

  “What? No. Absolutely not.” I shake my head so hard I’m worried that my wig might fly off.

  “Okay.” He chuckles and moves to let me inside the room, quickly closing the door behind me. Again, he’s not that much older than I am. What’s with all the authority? He’s the perfect example of what happens when a person lets too much power go to their head.

  The boys are sitting on a beat-up couch, and despite their great show, they don’t look too happy. One by one, they glance in my direction.

  “Evie,” Milo says, standing up. “You came.”

  He walks toward me, and his smile is so genuine it almost makes me forget how annoyed I am that he left me at the gala. Almost.

  “You left me there,” I say, frowning. “You could have at least tried to find me first.”

  “I know; I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “There was an emergency. Raf accidentally broke Vinny’s neck strap.” He pauses. “Was she there?”

  I shake my head, not wanting to get into what’s going on with Gigi in front of the other boys. I glance over to find them staring at us.

  “Um, great show, guys.” I look at Milo. “I mean, really. I didn’t know you were a singer too. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I don’t know.” He does a little shrug.

  “He’s shy,” Raf says mockingly. “Why is it that the girls always want the shy ones?”

  “We have more important things to worry about than who the girls do and don’t want,” Vinny mumbles, his head down as he cleans his saxophone.

  “That’s why you think I’m upset?” Raf asks, suddenly jumping to his feet. “We played a damn good show like we promised we’d do, and that asshole A&R guy didn’t even show up!” He whirls around and points a finger at Milo. “You said he’d be here.”

  A lot of the music majors at Mildred McKibben were always trying to get meetings with artists and repertoire executives from different record labels back in LA. The fact that an A&R person was supposed to see Doves Have Pride is pretty impressive.

  Milo holds up his hands. “That’s what I was told. I can’t help it if he didn’t come tonight. I already said I was sorry.”

  “Doves Have Pride does not get played,” Raf says, fuming. “We play other people.”

  “We don’t do that either,” Ben says. “Our next show isn’t for another two weeks. Your A&R guy won’t wait that long, will he, Milo?”

  Vinny sighs. “I’m sure he has better things to do.”

  “I’ll fix this.” Milo stands in front them and holds his palms up like he has an offering. “It will work out. I promise.”

  Raf huffs. “That’s what you said last time. You know, I was always skeptical about this. Ever since you said—”

  “Can we not do this right now?” Milo asks, shooting a glance at me. “Don’t you want to go out there and talk to your fans?”

  Raf runs a hand over his hair and smooths out his shirt. “Yeah, I guess so.” He walks to the door and opens it with a flourish. “Ladies, ladies,” he says, but the only person standing on the other side of the door is Adrian.

  “The next band needs the greenroom,” Adrian barks. “Time to scram. And remember what I said: If I catch any of you drinking alcohol, I’m throwing you out myself.”

  “Everyone except me, right, big cuz?” Raf says, leaning close.

  Adrian snorts and puts his hand over Raf’s face, pushing it away. “Especially you.”

  “Hey, Adrian,” Ben says, his brown cheeks reddening a little.

  “What’s up, Ben?” Adrian’s tough exterior softens somewhat, but he frowns again as Milo and I pass him, bringing up the rear.

  The rest of the group grabs a table at the back of the bar, but I tug on Milo’s arm to stop him from walking.

  “I need your house keys,” I say. “I’m locked out.”

  He fumbles around in his back pocket and drops his keys into my open palm. He starts talking, but I can’t hear him over the music. I shake my head and point to the DJ, who’s playing between bands. Milo leans down and says close to my ear, “The silver key is for the top lock, gold is for the bottom. What’s with the envelope?”

  Feeling his breath on my neck makes me shiver, but I try to cover it up. “Something for Gigi. Do you know how to get in touch with Esther?”

  “Esther?” He takes a step forward and turns his ear toward my face so that he can hear me better. “Why do you need to talk to her?”

  “Because Candice thinks Esther might know where Gigi is,” I say. “I need to see her.”

  “I know where Esther lives.”

  “That’s great! Can you give me her address?”

  “Well, I don’t know her address,” he says, frowning. “I just know how to get to her house and what street she lives on. I have a good sense of direction. I can take you.”

  “I don’t need you to take me,” I say, annoyed. Does he think I’m incapable of going by myself? “Just tell me where it is.”

  “Why is it so hard for you to accept my help?” he suddenly grumbles, shocking me into silence. I realize how even-tempered he usually is now th
at something is clearly bothering him. “Sorry,” he quickly adds. “I’m just mad because this exec from Vivid Music Group was supposed to come see us tonight, but he never showed. And then my parents called…” He abruptly stops and shakes his head. “It’s just a lot.” He blows out a heavy breath. “Have you ever loved something so much you’d give up anything to do it?”

  The conversation has taken a turn, but I nod, thinking about how I love acting. Thinking about the choices I’ve made to save my career.

  “That’s how I feel about music,” he says, glancing back at the empty stage. “I have to do what I can to see this through. I can’t believe the A&R guy never showed.”

  “I’m sorry,” I hear myself say. I’ve been where he is, deep in the pits of disappointment. It’s the worst. Mostly because I don’t want to argue anymore and I feel bad for him, I say, “So will you show me where Esther lives tomorrow morning?”

  He nods, eyes still on the stage, watching as the next band arrives. When the lead singer speaks into the mic, there’s a loud burst of feedback. I wince and cover my ears, and Milo does the same.

  “I’m really surprised you came tonight,” he says, turning to me and speaking directly in my ear over the noise. “Were you here the whole time?”

  Him being so close is a little too much. If I don’t move right now, I might be tempted to stay by his side for the rest of the night.

  “Yeah, I was. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I start to push my way toward the door, but Milo is right behind me.

  “I’ll walk you out,” he says, maneuvering in front of me so that he can clear a path. I don’t argue. I mean, what’s the point of having such broad shoulders if you can’t use them to move people out of your way? Stop thinking about his shoulders, Evie.

  Apparently, broad shoulders aren’t enough to stop Raf.

  “Whoa, whoa, leaving already?” he asks. He definitely did not listen to Adrian’s strict no-drinking rule, because he’s already buzzed. He looks back and forth between Milo and me and wiggles his eyebrows. “Going on another non-date?”

  “You need some water,” Milo says, attempting to steer him away. Is it just me, or does Milo look a little flustered by Raf’s question?