It was only mid-morning, but the sun was already baking the damaged grass, and the buzz of power tools, forklifts, and yelling tech crews filled the air. The stage was nearly finished—towering metal rigs, black curtains snapping in the breeze, rows of lights stacked like soldiers waiting for orders. Somewhere nearby I could hear Maggie arguing with one of the lighting guys about whether or not she was “technically certified” to help operate a laser light. She wasn’t.
I stood dead center on the stage, mic in hand, watching Astrid pace in front of the production desk like a general preparing for war.
“Alright, Dean, let’s run it again from the top!” she ordered into her headset, not even looking up. “Cue one, lighting ready—Dean, whenever you’re set!”
I gave a thumbs -up, forced a smile I didn’t feel, and took my mark. The crew adjusted the monitors, waved me into position, and the backing track kicked in through the giant overhead speakers.
I opened my mouth to start… and promptly came in two beats late.
“Cut!” Astrid’s voice sliced through the comms. “Dean, babe, we gotta lock the timing in, yeah?”
“Sorry,” I called back, waving at the sound guy. “Let’s go again.”
The music rolled. I focused. Tried to, anyway.
But my eyes kept wandering—out past the stage, to the edge of the field where Harry stood, head tilted back, squinting up at the roof rigging like he was thinking through ten problems at once. God, he looked good. Plain work shirt rolled up at the sleeves, cap low over his eyes, arms crossed tight over that huge, solid chest of his.
Every now and then, when he caught me staring, he’d give me this little half -smile—just a curve of the lips, soft and secret—and it made my heart flip so hard I almost forgot where I was.
Almost.
“Dean!” Astrid snapped again. “Come on, darling, focus. Let’s take it from the chorus.”
I nodded, adjusted my grip on the mic, and tried to steady my breathing. But my mind wasn’t there. My body might have been on that stage, but my heart… my heart was back in that gazebo with Harry last night, tangled up in his arms, skin to skin, safe and warm.
God, I just wanted to be with him.
Nothing to hide.
Nowhere to run.
Nobody wantinganythingfrom me.
Just Harry… asking for my love.
The track rolled again. I missed the first note completely.
“Cut, cut, cut!” Astrid threw her hands up and yanked off her headset. “Dean, what the hell, darling? Whereareyou today?”
“I’m sorry, I just—” I blew out a breath, wiping sweat from my brow. “I didn’t sleep much. I’m fine, I can do it.”
Astrid leveled me with a sharp look, one hand on her hip. “You’re not fine. You’re about three seconds from forgetting what planet you’re on.” She glanced toward the crew. “Take five, people. Reset.”
She walked toward the stage, heels clicking hard on the plywood, eyes narrowing as she reached me.
“You wanna tell me what’s going on, Dean? You’re all over the bloody place. The concert’s tomorrow night. This is not the time to start sniffing nail polish remover.” She paused and added, “Wait, that was a joke. Please don’t tell me you’re actually sniffing nail polish remover!”
“I’m not sniffing nail polish remover.” I shifted my weight from foot to foot. “I’m just… I’m tired, Astrid.”
Her expression softened, just a little. She sighed, pressing a thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose.
“Fine. You’re no good to me like this. Go take a break before you drive me to drink.” She pointed a finger at me like a warning shot. “One hour. Clear your head. Eat something. Meditate. Pet a llama. I don’t care what you do—just come back ready.”
“Thank you,” I breathed, hopping down off the stage before she changed her mind.
Astrid was already barking into her headset again. “Barney! Where the hell is the pyro team? And someone tell Maggie to get off the bloody scaffolding—again!She isnotSpider-Woman!”
I headed toward the edge of the field, my body already relaxing as I slipped out of the center of all the madness.
