He chuckled. “Yeah.” Turning his attention all to me. “See, she knows.”
“Whatever.” I shook my head.
“Noah, we’re totally going. Come on. Get your butt up and get ready.”
“It starts at eight, so we should leave here in about an hour. I’ll just give you the tickets when we get there. I think your mom stuck them in her purse.” My dad left without waiting to hear me agree to go. I was outnumbered.
“Thanks a lot, cuz.”
“Shut up and get ready. You need a night out. It’s a concert. You used to love going to them.”
I stood up and stretched. “Yeah, without my parents. I won’t even be able to drink a few beers without them givin’ me dirty looks. This night is goin’ to suck. Mark my word.”
“Just get ready. Hey, do you think I should wear my boots? You should wear your cowboy hat.”
I walked into my room ignoring the fact that she was even trying to dress me. She was worse than a wife.
An hour later my parents were picking us up. My dad was wearing a damn cowboy hat, and my mother was smitten over him already. I knew they were still so in love, but it grossed me out all the same. My cousin hopped in the truck after me, still trying to slide on her other boot.
The drive there consisted of Bella and my mother going over the lyrics to every song that this band sang. By the time we pulled into a parking spot I even knew them. My dad was quiet when we walked up to the gates. My mom handed the person our tickets and he let us all in, after stamping our hands and giving us backstage lanyards.
The night couldn’t get any worse. Not only were they dragging me to a concert with them, but I had to watch my mom and Bells fan-girl over some band afterwards.
Front row. How could my dad have not mentioned that the tickets were at the very front against the stage? The sold out crowd left for little room to stand straight, and my mother and cousin jumping up and down with excitement made the atmosphere even more unbearable.
An announcer finally came onto the stage when the first opening band was about to come on. Since I had no idea who was performing, I decide it was a good time to grab a couple beers. My dad went with me, eager to get some breathing room himself.
“It’s crowded,” he said once we got in line.
“Yeah. Why’d I let you talk me into this.”
“You’ll have a good time, Noah. Just get a beer and ignore your mom. She doesn’t get out much like this. I think having you here means a lot to her.”
He was right, and I knew I needed to stop complaining. I had my family and my health. I’d been in a six month rut and needed to wake up and realize that the only person in control of my future was myself.
I looked around the lines of people to see if I spotted any single females. It was time to get my game back on, even if I had to push myself to do it. Just as my eyes had finished coasting the first line, I heard something over the intercom that froze me in place.
“Thanks for having me here tonight. I’m a little nervous because it’s my first time opening up.” The crowds of people started screaming, and my heart began to beat a million miles a minute. I looked at my dad who was only smiling, as if he knew what I was thinking.
I handed him a twenty and ran back towards our seats. I had to know. I had to see.
“I’m going to start tonight off with a song dear to my heart. It’s my single off of my new album, titled, Broken Love Darlin’.” She looked down at the stage and closed her eyes. “Noah, if you’re out there tonight listening, this is for you.”
In the moment that I saw her standing on that stage the crowds of people surrounding me disappeared. I ran my hands through my hair and thought about jumping up there and having her in my arms again. She was so close to me, and I wondered if she knew I was out in the crowd, hearing her sing again.
She started without any background music.
It’s been six days since I felt your kiss
Sweet bliss.
You gave me nothing but my dreams come true
I owe you.
Your touch keeps on haunting me,
I need your arms again holding thee.
I’ve tried to let you go,
but there’s just something that keeps on telling me no.
Broken Love Darlin’.
I wish there was a way to make things right.
I think I’m dying deep inside.
I need those arms to hold me tight.
Broken Love Darlin’.
I can’t ever forget.
It’s my biggest regret.
There’s no future… unless you’re in it.
In front of all those people, my parents and cousin included, I felt my eyes watering up. She was singing her song to me, and my body went numb. Words could not begin to describe what it felt like knowing that the words were written about me. She didn’t owe me, I owed her, for showing me what love felt like.
I stared up at that stage praying to God that she’d find me out of all those faces staring back at her.
It’s been six months since I felt your kiss
Sweet bliss.
Now my dreams are all coming true
I still owe you.
Your touch still haunts me,
I need those arms to once more hold thee.
I’ve finally let you go,
but there’s just something that keeps on telling me no.
Broken Love Darlin’.
I wish there was a way to make things right.
I think I’ve already died deep inside.
I need you back to hold me tight.
Broken Love Darlin’.
I will never forget.
It’s my biggest regret.
There’s no future… unless you’re in it.
Broken Love Darlin’.
It’s been six years since I felt that kiss
Sweet bliss.
I thought my dreams had all come true,
But they’re nothing without you.
Your touch will always haunt me,
I wish I could feel what your arms felt like to hold thee.
I’ve tried so hard to let you go,
but there’s still something that keeps on telling me no.
Broken Love Darlin’.
I wish there was a way to make things right.
I think I’m dead deep inside.
I want you back to hold me tight.
Broken Love Darlin’.
I will never forget.
You are my biggest regret.
I don’t want a future… unless you’re in it.
It’s my Broken Love Darlin’.
I Love You, Darlin’.
Finally as the song finished, like she knew where I was all along, her eyes met mine. Her smiled never wavered as she went into the next tune, but her eyes never left mine.
Bella grabbed my arm and started shaking me. “Noah, can you believe it? I think your parents knew. They watched you that whole time. Oh my god this is crazy. She’s freaking on stage singin’ to you. TO YOU! Holy shit!”
I heard my cousin, but I couldn’t respond. My heart was so full that I didn’t want to move. Life stood still.
Shalan
My decision wasn’t easy. I knew what I was risking. Being fully aware that he could have already moved on, I still made that call.
I had to.
I couldn’t look in the mirror every single day and wonder if I’d made the biggest mistake of my life. What if I was different? What if he never would have hurt me? Did I just walk away from something people wait their whole lives for?
Every single time I had to sing that song I thought of what could have been. I was tired of wondering. Being alone wasn’t a life, not one for me, not when I knew how good it felt to be loved.
My six months probationary period was over in my contract, and it was time for me to get my own place. I could live anywhere I wanted to, so I knew the deciding factor was going to fall on my plan. If it worked out, I’d be with Noah. If it
didn’t, I’d find somewhere to call home, and do my best at being happy with what I had.
His mother was very kind when I contacted her. I don’t know what I expected. I guess knowing how much I hurt her son I figured she’d hate me. Instead she offered to do whatever it took. Since I already knew I had to perform the song, it was just a matter of getting him there to hear it.
The rest would be up to him.
Noah would decide if I could have another chance. He’d decide if we could make it work.
In the six months that we’d been apart I’d done a lot of soul searching. My single was set to drop in another week, and as nervous as I was about showing the world my talent, I longed for stability. The traveling was hard on me, maybe because I’d never done it when I was a child. Unfamiliar places made me uneasy, and even though I had friends in the business, they never made me feel whole.
I needed Noah, because no one had ever made me feel so complete.
Right before the show my nerves got the best of me. My hands started tingling and I felt as if I was going to pass out as soon as I walked out on the stage. Since I’d given them the tickets I’d memorized where I shouldn’t look until I was fully prepared to see him again, after so long.
I’d waited for what felt like forever, and I had to peek. I had to see those green eyes looking up at me, telling me whether this was the worst mistake of my life, or the beginning of my future.
God, he was still such a beautiful man.
It was difficult to get through my next few songs without sitting down the mic and running into his waiting arms. When I finally finished, I noticed he was gone. Fear swept over me and I wondered if at some point I’d made him angry. Did he hate me for waiting so long? His mother had told me that he hadn’t moved on, so I knew there wasn’t anyone else.
I rushed through all of the people congratulating me on my performance, desperately searching for that one man that would repair my soul. Just when I’d given up hope that he was back there, I spotted his mother and father. Then there, sitting on a bench with his head looking down, I spotted him.
I froze.
His mother leaned down, and the next thing I knew he was turning in my direction, standing up and taking his first step toward me. I wanted to run, but I kept my composure and matched his strides. We met, face to face with so much to say to each other.
“I’m so glad you came.” He was so much taller than me, even with my heels on.
“What am I doin’ here, Shalan? Was that song about us? Did you write that to try to get me back?” His eyes were so serious. My face changed from excited to afraid. These weren’t the questions that I expected. This wasn’t how I saw it all working out.
“Well, yes. Sort of.”
He let out an air-filled laugh. “Do you have any idea how hard it’s been gettin’ over you?”
“Noah, I-.”
“You what? After six months you thought you could just walk back into my life and I’d be alright with that?”
My eyes felt hot as the tears began to fall. “I’m so sorry, but yes. I was so stupid.”
I turned around to run away, so embarrassed that I’d made a fool out of myself.
“No you’re not.” He grabbed my arm and swung me back around. “It took you long enough.”
I thought I misheard him. “What?”
He laughed. “I said, it took you long enough.”
Noah pulled me closer and our lips met, finally after so long. He lifted me up into his arms mid kiss, ignoring the fact that we had an audience. Nothing mattered except what we were both feeling. Just like he’d always done, I felt complete, and I knew it was right.
Noah’s parents and Bella decided to stay for the rest of the concert, while we left immediately after that. The cab fair to his house was nothing to either of us, for a chance to be alone. We never let go of each other the whole ride, even to catch our breath after long amounts of intense kisses.
Noah paid the cab driver and as soon as he was on his way, he picked me up and carried me inside of his house. We made it to the bed before he let me down. “Tell me again.”
I giggled. I’d said it already on our walk to catch the cab, and several times while in the car. “I love you.”
“Damn, that has a nice ring to it.”
“It better. It’s taking me months to practice it.”
Noah and I sat up, slowly brushing our mouths together again. I couldn’t get enough of him, and how just little things made me feel. He tugged on my dress and finally got it over my head. Within seconds his shirt was gone and I ran my hands over his hard, bare chest. “Tell me how this is goin’ to work, again.”
I continued to place pecks over his lips as I spoke and unhooked my bra. “The tours run four days a week for the next three months. Most of the cities are on the east coast, so I can catch a flight same day if I need to.”
“And on weekends I can come with you,” He added as he kissed the inside of my shoulder.
“Exactly,” I closed my eyes and savored the way his lips felt as they slid over my skin toward my breast. “Then once the tour’s done I’ll be off for a while to work on new material.”
He licked my already hardened nipple. “We’ll make it work.”
My head fell back when his touch became overwhelming. “Yes,” I purred.
Noah stopped what he was doing and looked up into my eyes. I felt scared seeing him like that. “You’re sure you want to live here?”
“I’m very sure.”
“And you’re not goin’ to wake up one day and tell me to take you to the airport?” He was still struggling with the idea of having me back. It only reminded me how important I was to him.
“Not unless you really piss me off,” I teased.
“I love it when you threaten me. It makes my dick hard.”
“I think we can do something about that.” I reached down his pants and took a hold of his warm, hard erection. I’d thought about him when I was alone in my bed at night. I’d imagined him being inside of me, bringing me both pain and pleasure at the same time. I’d longed for this reconnect, in hopes that it would happen.
I’d forgiven his wrongdoings, and gotten past my own. We had a fresh start, a clean slate, to rewrite what had gone wrong. I wasn’t going to ruin it, and I knew Noah wouldn’t either.
Noah didn’t take his time ripping off my panties, nor did he hesitate when I unfastened the belt that I’d bought for him. Though I did smile when I noticed he was wearing it. Once we were naked in his bed, he hovered over me, taking me in like it was our first time together. He ran his hand between my breasts and watched himself doing it. I spread my legs when he made his way past my belly button. One finger slid in between my lips, rubbing over my sensitive clit. I jumped, having gone so long without being touched by another. I started moving my hand over his shaft again, working him with the same pace his fingers were going. Noah stopped what he was doing and scrunched up his face. “You’re goin’ to have to stop that. It’s been too long for me, darlin’. I need to be inside of you.”
“Darlin’,” I mocked.
“I forgot you hate that.”
“I’ve never missed being called a name so much in my life.”
“Good, because I didn’t plan on stoppin’.” We kissed tenderly with so much feeling. “I love you, darlin’.”
When I heard that I started to giggle. I’d sang those words so many times practicing. Hearing them from the man who’d been the inspiration to that song seemed so unreal. I couldn’t get over the fact that I was in his bed again, planning our future, as if no time had passed. We had a ton to sort through, but we could do it together. If things didn’t work out for us it wouldn’t be because we didn’t try. I was going to give Noah my all, and if my career got in the way, I’d give it up in a heartbeat to make it right. He might not have known it, but he was my dream come true, and I knew my mother had given him to me. She was out there, watching me, and leading me in the right direction.
Noah<
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Six months later
I could hear the roosters sounding, but I couldn’t get out of bed. There was a naked body on top of me that I refused to wake up. She’d been on the road for the past week, and after her travels home, and making love all night long, she was exhausted.
Then my cousin came barging into the room without knocking. “Guys, geesh, do you ever wear clothes?”
“This is our room, you know?” I said as I pulled the covers over Shalan.
“I just checked the charts. Guess what?”
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes while I spoke, and felt Shalan moving over to the side. “What?”
“Broken Love Darlin’ is number one.”
The room filled with screams and suddenly my already filled bed had another body in it. Bella jumped on and wrapped her arms around Shalan as they both began to wail in excitement. “Oh.My.God.Number.One.”
They rocked back and forth repeating it over and over again.
Not paying my cousin any mind, I climbed out of the bed, naked, and walked to the bathroom. She could only see my ass for a second, but that didn’t stop her from making a comment. “Eww. You need to shave. The next time I see that hairy ass I’m callin’ the zoo to come groom you.”
They went back to screaming while I emptied my bladder. After wrapping a towel around my body, I walked out and stood over my bed. “Am I allowed to celebrate with my girlfriend now, or are you just going to stay in bed and watch us?”
She hopped up. “Sick. I’m out of here. Hurry up, though. We need to tell your parents before they hear it on the radio.”
For weeks we’d been following the Billboard charts, hoping and praying that her song would get farther down. Never in a million years did any of us, especially Shalan, think she’d make it to number one. By the time Bells left the room her screams had turned into tears. “I’m sorry I’m crying. I can’t believe this is happening.”
“It’s amazin’, darlin’. You deserve this. I’m so proud of you.” She’d been so busy, promoting and performing and now it was all worth it. I wiped away her tears. “Don’t cry.”
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