Hearts Divided

by Masters, Ellie

  Her time away from Bash is lonely, but filled by proxy with his music. The Bayside Beats practice nearly every day. They’re only supposed to practice three times a week, but she caught the kids at the community center sneaking in extra time. Their excitement is off the charts and she’s thrilled to share in the energetic buzz. For the past week, they’ve been meeting every day.

  She’s a perfectionist with her music and is happy to see that rub off on the kids. They’re good, but they also know what’s at stake. Sharing the stage with their rock idols comes with a good dose of fear. What if they mess up? What if they’re not good enough?

  She soothes their fears and builds the kids up as they practice the drum line to Hate Myself and Sunset Rose. They’re also playing Insanity, but need much less practice with that song.

  It’s almost show time, and Holly works her way backstage. Sebastian hooked her up with one of Angel Fire’s security detail, a massive man called Sam, who helps her navigate through the press of the crowded backstage. Her flight out of Santa Barbara delayed her arrival and the show is in full force. Ranger is plastered to her side, twitchy, but stalwart in his protection of her against any threats. She reaches down and scratches his neck.

  The music is felt more than heard, a pounding beat which echoes through the stadium. There’s a low tonal sound too, one she identifies as the roaring of the crowd. Adrenaline flows through the halls. Everyone is amped and surge with the power of the raging music.

  Sam leans close and yells to be heard over the noise. “Almost there.” He cups her elbow, steering her through the press of roadies, backstage crew, security, and leggy women in micro-mini skirts and postage stamp tops. These girls are beyond gorgeous and Holly knows exactly what’s going through their minds.

  Hands off bitches. He’s mine!

  There are only a handful of redheads and she directs her comments at them. Sebastian’s proclivity for redheads is well known, but he’s officially off the market. Her possessive claws will come out and cut a bitch if they think about trying to lay hands on her fiancé.

  This possessive streak is new to her, but she can’t help but rise to meet the challenge. The women gathered backstage aren’t merely pretty; they’re drop dead gorgeous. She, on the other hand, is not pressed into a mini skirt which barely covers her ass or wearing a cut up shirt which reveals the lace of her bra.

  She’s is covered by an overly large tee-shirt and she’s wearing jeans. Even her jeans are free of rips and cuts. Her hair isn’t styled, but rather pulled back into a tight bun. She travelled in clothes geared for comfort rather than style.

  Every one of her insecurities rises to the surface as she passes the eager hopefuls. The only thing keeping her together is the ring on her finger. She twists it, feeling the interweaving of the double platinum bands tied into an eternal knot. Sebastian’s love isn’t in question, but these girls will resort to almost anything for a chance at him. Fortunately, her trust is unwavering. Sebastian calls her several times a day, sharing the joy of the tour with her as he can.

  “I feel it.” She lifts to shout into Sam’s ear. “It’s incredible.”

  “Just wait until you see the stage.” He brings her to the side of the stage, where she can watch the concert from the best seat in the house. “Now remember, stand behind the line.”

  He briefs her on where to stand. This is special access granted to a small minority. She’ll be in the wings, invisible to the crowd, but only feet from Sebastian. He expected her before the show and was disappointed she would miss the first set. It means their reunion needs to wait until the end of the show. Unlike Spike, Bent, or Ash, Sebastian can’t run off stage between songs. The drums begin and end each song and carry the background energy in between when Ash speaks to the fans.

  “You ready?” Sam’s grin is infectious and she gives a nod.

  “Let’s do this!”

  The pounding music intensifies as Sam takes her up to the stage.

  A spotlight illuminates Ash. His head tilts back as his beautiful voice hammers out the lyrics to Hunting Waterfalls. Sebastian’s beat carries the song as the band layers on the unique voices of their instruments. They’re on fire, and the crowd roars, singing along with Ash’s powerful voice. Ash feeds that energy right back at the crowd and they eat it up.

  She’s been to more than her fair share of concerts, but always in the nosebleed seats, high up in the bleachers. This is beyond anything she could imagine and each pulse of sound fills her fatigued body with energy until she finds herself clapping and swaying to the beat.

  Light pours down on Ash and chases Bent and Spike as they tear up the stage, shredding their guitars. Noodles stands at his keyboard, moving with the music as lights flash across his boards. In the very back, almost hidden behind the bass drum, Sebastian’s arms and legs move in a furious dance as strobe lights flash overhead.

  Despite the crowds backstage, Sam puts her in a relatively empty area out of sight of the main stage. He lets the men wearing Security shirts know who she is, then taps her on the shoulder.

  “I’ll be right back. You good?”

  “I’m good.”

  “You need anything, you text me.” He shared his contact information earlier. “Or, you can let any of these guys know. If you want to head back to the dressing room before the concert ends, just let them know.”

  “Will do.” There is nothing in the world which will tear her from this stage.

  The concert rages on. The music stops long enough for Ash to introduce Angel Fire’s two new songs. Holly’s attention perks up. These are the songs the Bayside Beats will help play. A glance out onto the crowd and she’s twisting her fingers. It’s overwhelming and she’s afraid the kids will choke beneath all that pressure. She needs to give them focusing exercises to prepare them for this madness.

  Ash steps to the side of the stage as the beat lays down for Hate Myself. He’s the lead singer, but these two songs belong to Holly’s man. It’s the first-time Sebastian lends his voice to Angel Fire’s signature sound, and holy hell but he’s amazing.

  A young girl slips into the spot beside Holly. The girl gives a wink to a man wearing a Crew shirt and flutters her fingers at him before turning her attention to the stage. Holly steps a little to the side, and tries not to get pissy about sharing her special spot.

  “He’s amazing!” The girl shouts over the sound. “I didn’t know he could sing.”

  There are probably a lot of things the girl doesn’t know about Sebastian. Rather than engaging the obviously star struck groupie in conversation, Holly ignores her and turns her attention back to Sebastian.

  The girl is right. His voice doesn’t have the tonal perfection of Ash’s, but it’s amazingly strong, full-bodied, and designed to destroy all female resistance with its panty-melting tones.

  Hate Myself ends and the band moves into Sunset Rose without missing a beat. It’s the song he wrote about her, although she didn’t know it at the time.

  “He’s my favorite,” the girl shouts, intent on carrying on a conversation with Holly.

  “Uh-huh.” It’s the best Holly will do.

  “Have you met him?” The inquisitive teen is entirely too interested in Holly’s fiancé.

  Holly nods.

  “What’s he like?” The girl turns wide eyes to Holly. “I’ve heard so many stories about what happens backstage. I’m a little nervous to… you know…”

  “Don’t be,” Holly snaps. “He’s off the market.”

  “Oh, I don’t care about that. I just want a little time alone with him.”

  She’s had enough of the girl’s drivel. It would feel good to tell the tramp exactly who she is, but that would make her seem exactly as uncertain as she feels. She believes in Sebastian. Whatever hopes and dreams this girl has in mind for him, she’s going to be disappointed. It’s not Holly’s place to correct the girl, or reveal exactly how well she does in fact know the man everyone else calls Bash.

  Without another word, she
pivots and heads off stage. Ranger keeps tight to her side, checking in with her as she weaves through the press of people. All she really wants is to watch Sebastian sing his new songs. With that done, she’s ready to head back to the hotel and prep for the evening’s festivities. That starts with a shopping trip to buy a white dress.

  35

  Bash

  Sweat saturates Bash’s shirt; he’s sticky and full of stink, but he doesn’t care. The audience is on fire and the strength of his arms rains down on the drums. The pulsating headache from earlier is gone, buried beneath the roar of adrenaline spiking his blood. Ash, Bent, and Spike own the stage, playing to the crowd as they rock out Angel Fire classics. He caught a glance of Holly during Hate Myself and Sunset Rose, but she slipped away soon thereafter. He can’t wait to hold her in his arms. The next time he sees her, she’ll become his wife.

  Roaring fills the arena as exuberant fans express their adulation for the five men on stage. Ash is front and center talking to the crowd about Vegas and they surge beneath his praise for their city. Not too long, Bash will join in on one of the most iconic things about this city, getting hitched at the chapel.

  Whatever this thing is between him and Holly it’s a force of nature, crazy and unstoppable. They’re insane to consider it—he can’t believe she’s going along with it—but he knows in his heart it’s meant to be. It worked for Ash and Skye, and even for Bent and Piper, although it took them a little longer to figure things out.

  The wild energy of the crowd pulls him back to the moment. Their tour is only just beginning and it’s already a raging success. Applause descends in a deafening wall of sound as the fans erupt with demands for more. Ash gives him a look, and with a nod, he sets the beat for another encore song.

  Ash plays the crowd, thanking them for the evening, gifting them with an unplanned song, and then launches into the last song of the evening. Ash sings while Bash plays his heart out, meeting the energy of his bandmates even as his mind focuses on what will happen later that night. There’s still much to do before Forest sets him free for his date at the chapel. The obligatory after concert morass of promotion, signings, interviews and special all access behind the scenes tours will keep him busy for a couple more hours.

  They close out the concert and gather together in the middle of the stage for a post-concert huddle. Ash may not admit to being religious, but he honors his upbringing, opening and closing each show with a small prayer. With thanks given, they head off-stage and into the business part of the evening.

  Bash sits to Ash’s right as they sign autographs. Bash doesn’t need to think about what comes next. It all happens by rote anymore. He signs another hundred autographs when a delicate hand slips a glossy photo of the band in front of him. He’s second to the last to sign, but her picture of the band is empty of signatures.

  “Can you make it out to Angel?” Her tiny voice barely penetrates the noisy gathering, and he looks up into the most enchanting eyes. Her face is shaped like an angel. Smooth, flawless skin sweeps along high arched cheekbones. A tiny, pert nose sits above rosebud lips. She’s a knockout, made more stunning by hazel green, almond-shaped eyes and a luxurious mane of glossy-smooth red hair. He can’t help but take in her stunning beauty, then gives a shake of his head to dispel the strangest feeling of familiarity.

  “You want me to sign it as Angel Fire?” He looks again into her eyes, finding himself mesmerized.

  “No.” She giggles. “Angel is my name. Can you make it out to Angel, please?”

  “You forgot to get Spike, Bent, and Noodles to sign. Did you miss them?” Although how she could miss the lineup is beyond him. Forest makes things as simple as possible for the fans to get all their signatures as they come through the line.

  “I just want yours.” Her breathy voice sounds as angelic as she looks. She’s younger than he first thought. This girl is barely legal and has no business following a band around the country.

  “Have you been following the tour since it opened?” Without a doubt, this is the same redhead he spied in LA.

  “I have. You’re simply amazing. I can’t get enough of you. And your voice. I never knew you could sing like that. I want to hear more.”

  She’s a smooth talker. Most chicks would’ve already flashed him their tits by now, trying to entice him to take them back for more intimate activities. She’s playing innocent and hell if it’s not effective. He can’t keep from staring, but a question hangs between them. Or rather, her offer. A hesitancy hangs about her though. She’s too new to the concert scene and lacks confidence. It’s going to be hard letting her down.

  “It’s a special song I wrote for my fiancée.”

  She blinks, unaffected by the mention of Holly. “I have something I need to show you.” She leans forward bringing the scent of strawberries and lilies to his nose. “Something private.”

  Coy is not this girl’s strength.

  “Hun, I think you’ve misunderstood, but I don’t—”

  “I won’t take long, I just need to—”

  “Look, little girl, you’re not hearing me.” The line for signatures bunches behind her. Smiles turn to scowls as eager fans grow restless. “I don’t do that anymore.”

  Ever observant for trouble, Sam approaches.

  “You don’t understand. I need to talk to you, privately. You need to see my—”

  “How’s it going boss?” Sam asks.

  “It’s all good.”

  Except it’s not. This girl’s persistence draws unwanted attention. The fans waiting behind her grow more impatient by the second.

  “Angel was just leaving.” He gives her a significant look, letting her know her departure is imminent. Either she can leave on her own, or Sam will help her out. He doesn’t like to cause a scene, and generally bends over backward to make a fan’s experience the best it can be, but she’s crossing a line.

  “I’m not leaving.” She turns her back to Sam and leans forward. “You and I need to talk.”

  “Miss…” Sam grips her arm lightly. When she yanks out of his grip, he takes a step toward her. “Look, let’s not make a big deal about this. How about you and I go have a talk.”

  “I’m not interested in you,” she says with a screech. “I’m here for him.”

  It’s the last straw and Sam grabs Angel’s arm and draws her away from the table, saving Bash the embarrassment, and bad press, of having to turn the girl down publicly. Sam will explain what is and isn’t allowed.

  Angel doesn’t give up without a fight. “You can’t take me away from him. He’s my…”

  He’s heard it all over the years. He’s her soulmate. Her long, lost love. Her forever. She won’t be able to live without him. He’s tired of the histrionics and turns to the next kid in line as he tunes out her protests. Whatever she’s saying, it’s lost beneath the noise.

  The kid gives a huge grin as he slaps his photo of the band down on the table. Bash looks up. The kid reminds him of Timothy, and he takes a second to chat. This is what he’s missed all these years. In his eagerness to get through the media circus to the fuck the prettiest girls, he missed out on interacting with his fans.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Sam, but my friends call me Sammy.”

  He scrawls his signature next to Bent’s. “Well, Sammy, hope you had fun.”

  “Oh, the concert was totally rad. And the new songs! I can’t wait for the new album to come out.”

  Bash reaches behind him, snapping his fingers. A roadie comes running and Bash whispers something into his ear. He turns back to Sammy. “I’ve got something special for you.” He points to the roadie. “This is Steve and he’s going to hook you up with something special, but you gotta keep it our little secret.”

  There’s no way Sammy is going to keep an early, uncut, limited edition prerelease of their album quiet, but that’s not the point.

  Sammy gives him a curious look, then nods like he’s in on the secret.

  “Come, man.�
�� Steve waits while Ash scrawls his name on the photo, then leads Sammy off.

  “Since when do you hand out gifts?” Ash leans close and whispers.

  “Since I felt like it.” Except for his sticks, he’s never given free stuff away before. It simply wasn’t something he cared about. Holly showed him how little it takes to change one life. It’s a small gift in the grand scheme of things, but for Sammy, it’s going to be huge. A smile works its way across his face. Holly is good for him. With no further thought of the girl, he finishes up the signing and photo op with the band.

  As they pile into the van that will take them to their hotel, Ash slugs him in the arm.

  “Looks like you landed some jail bait. Not sure Holly is going to like that.”

  “I didn’t land anything. Sam dragged her away.” He rubs at his arm. “And Holly has nothing to worry about.”

  “You ready for tonight?” Ash gives him a significant look.

  “Technically, we’re getting married tomorrow.”

  Spike huffs a laugh. “Well, technically tomorrow starts in a couple hours. We need to get you cleaned up. I don’t know whether to be hurt or not, you not letting us throw you a bachelor party, except it seems to be a thing.” He gives a significant look to Ash and Bent. Both of them ran off and got married without telling anyone.

  “At least I invited you to my wedding.”

  “Yeah, but I’m itching to throw one hell of an epic bachelor party. At this rate, I’ll have to throw one for myself.”

  “You getting hitched, Spike? Something you need to share?”

  “Naw, just talking, you know.”

  “Yeah. It’s all talk until the right girl shows up.” Noodles leans forward and makes a show of sniffing Bash’s sweat-soaked shirt. “Dude, he reeks. Holly is going to turn her nose up at our pungent friend. That is, if she doesn’t run screaming first.”