Page 94 of The Only Thing That's Real
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Rob opens his arms wide and says something, but with my ear protection on I can’t hear him. I pull them off, leaving them around my neck as I take a step away from him rather than toward his open arms.
“Why are you here, Rob?”
A sinister smile lights his eyes. “Is that any way to greet an old friend?”
“We aren’t friends. I told you to lose my number.”
“Women never mean what they say.”
“I was pretty clear.”
As he speaks, he gets closer. “I had to see for myself.”
“See what?” I ask, but I know why he’s here.
To fuck with Knox.
“If the rumors are true. You can’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for the likes of the degenerate on that stage.”
“He’s more of a man than you could ever be.”
Stepping into my space, he reaches around me, grabbing my ass to press me against him so I feel his dick against my center.
“Fuck you!” I push at his shoulder, but he isn’t budging.
Please God, do not let Knox look over here right now.
Yelling into his ear, desperate to get him out of Knox’s line of sight, I ask if we can go somewhere else to catch up. He doesn’t reply. He looks over my shoulder with a look of pure evil I’ve never seen before. My earlier assumption was correct. He’s here for one reason and one reason only.
Pushing on his chest, I try again. “I’ll talk to you, but you need to get your hands off me and we need to go somewhere else.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Knox
This is it.
The beginning of the end.
Night one of our two-week run at MSG.
Many of the faces in the crowd are familiar. Fans that have been to so many shows over the years that I recognize them. I can only imagine what it cost them for seats so good I can see their faces. They deserve the show of a lifetime. It’s because of them I’ll get to walk off into the sunset in two weeks’ time, never to work again if I don’t want to.
Before we took our places and the arena went dark, a flurry of bittersweet feelings and memories assaulted me. Flashes of my time with the guys, the journey we’ve been on over the years mixed with the memories of our youth and of the not so distant past where I was at my lowest.
In the end, the feeling that beat out the rest was hope.
Watching Ryan with my band family, the people who mean the most to me, gives me hope that this next journey will be even sweeter. The last few days have shown me that.
Nothing felt more right than being with her when she needed me. The only thing that would have made it better was to have been standing by her side, holding her hand in that front pew. But she knew I was there. That was all that mattered. And then she took care of me when I needed her. Getting to kiss her before taking the stage tonight was the cherry on top.
Having her by my side brings a freedom I haven’t felt in years, and my performance tonight proves it. I don’t need anyone to tell me we’re killing it. I can feel it. Getting to glance over at Ryan all night pushes me further.
When I get to a line that says,your kiss tastes like my favorite mistake,I look to her only to be taken over by white hot rage to see Rob Braun forcing himself on her. She’s pushing at him, but he isn’t budging. Without another thought, I drop my mic and storm stage left. The band keeps playing and Sean takes over the lyrics from behind his drum kit.
