“What?” I was confused as to what the hell happened. Motley began to breathe heavily and continued to search his jeans even though he’d already done so like a hundred times. “What, Motley? What is it? Damn it, what’s wrong?”
Motley sprinted over to his drum set and began to look around on the stage as if he had dropped something. He searched everywhere and eventually raised his arms to the top of his head and exhaled a stressed ‘fuck’.
“You going to tell me what the fuck is happening? Or am I just supposed to know?” I asked.
Motley turned to face me. “It’s gone.”
I looked him up and down and then eyed around the stage in an attempt to figure out what was missing, but I was clueless. “What is?”
Motley dipped his head back in fear. “My lighter.”
Oh fuck.
Motley rarely forgot his lighter. He always kept it tucked safely in his jean pockets, but that night, we burned our pants to get rid of any evidence. Oh fuck. Did he leave it behind that night?
My hand covered my mouth as I tried to process everything. Motley began to panic more and more, nearly unable to breathe. “Okay.” I raised my arms to try and soothe him. “It’s okay. Motley, just breathe. Breathe. In and out, like you always tell me, okay? In and out. That’s right, just like that.” Motley began to mimic me and calm down. “That’s my boy. In and out.” Motley looked around as I continued to try and coax him back down. “Hey, it’s okay. Alright? Hey.” I snapped my fingers. “Eyes on me, drummer boy.” His vibrant blue eyes fixated on me. “Now, focus. Are we sure you don’t have your lighter? I mean, you could’ve easily dropped it during a show or rehearsal. Or left it behind in the motel room.”
Motley shook his head. “No. I must’ve lost it that night. I remember using it, but I don’t think I’ve seen it since then. Fuck. Kash, I used it to set Guy’s car on fire! And then we burned our jeans! I must’ve forgotten to take it out! Oh fuck!” He began to panic again.
“Hey. Hey!” I grabbed his warm face. “Look at me. Look at me, Motley!” You could see the fear in his eyes. “We don’t know if the cops have it, okay? And so what if they do? There’s no way to tie that lighter to you. Okay? Now, breathe.”
Motley calmed once more. “You’re right. You’re right! There’s no way they could possibly know it’s mine. I mean, I probably didn’t leave it there. I probably just dropped it when wechanged in the woods, and even still, there’s no way they would ever find it.”
My hands fell from the man’s beautiful face, and I flashed him a gentle smile. “That’s right. Why don’t you let me take care of all this? You head back to the motel. I’ll be there shortly. Twila should be all moved out by now, which means you won’t have to go to bed alone tonight."
Motley raised a brow as the fear and anxiety within him melted away. “Now, that sounds nice.” He bit his lower lip and handed me his drumsticks as he leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “Get ready to sing, songbird. Tonight, we make somerealmusic. Together.”
His hot breath sent chills down my flesh. It took everything in my power to remain composed and not crumble beneath his taunting words right then and there. God, I wanted to just throw him down and fuck him right there, right now on that stage. Goddamn tease.
Motley grinned. He knew exactly how he made me feel. “Thanks for talking me through all this. I already feel so much better.” That makes one of us. “See you soon, loverboy.” He winked and stepped past me. I listened to the sound of his footsteps as they slowly faded away before I released my breath.
Fuck.
One of these days, that man is going to set my world on fire. More than he already has. At least we’ll burn together.
THIRTEEN
KASH
The music vibratedfrom the soles of my feet and up towards my chest as I banged my head in a perfect rhythm. Motley, Carmen, and Twila all played the closing song with perfect smiles. My face leaned towards the microphone as my fingers gripped the stand close. “You know the drill!” I smiled as the crowd cheered. “Now, sing it!” They did as I asked and began to sing along with me. Lighters waved in the air as stage lights strobed across the sea of faces.
The final verse began to play, and the band all ramped up the energy. Lights swerved above us and fire sparkled across the stage as I hit that final note. I shouted into the microphone and held that note while dragging it out. Carmen, Motley, and Twila all did the same, and the anticipation thickened all around us. The crowd screamed and cheered as the lights flashed. I didn’t want to end the show, but it was time. So, I dropped the note and shot my fist into the air. “Thank you!” Twila danced over to me as I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her head.She smiled and hugged me tightly as we both looked out at the audience. “You’ve been a rad crowd for us tonight!” We both smiled. “We hate to say goodbye—” The crowd began to boo. I laughed into the microphone. “Oh, now don’t be that way! You guys know we love you! Isn’t that right?” I turned to look back at Carmen and Motley, who both played a few extra notes. “Yeah, see? I’ll tell you what. Instead of goodbye, we’ll just say goodnight! How’s that sound?” The crowd reluctantly cheered. “I can’t hear you!” I cupped my ear and dramatically waited as they cheered louder. Twila raised her arms, encouraging the crowd to lighten their mood. And they did. “Ahh, that’s better! Thank you again for coming out to see us tonight! We are The Broken Muse! Goodnight!” The band struck their final chords, and the stage fell into absolute darkness, which only made the crowd erupt into a roaring applause. It was another perfect ending to another perfect show.
We all rushed from the stage, beaming with pride for how well we had performed. Despite how tired we felt, we were energized. It was always such fun to ride that high after a performance. One that even drugs couldn’t give you.
Ducky was waiting for us backstage along with a few stagehands. They had water and small towels ready for us as usual. “Great show tonight!” Ducky clapped and cheered like he always did. “Truly magnificent! Miss Carmen? That hook on your last song there? The one you’ve been struggling with? Well, you nailed it!” The two high-fived. “And Miss Twila?” Twila looked at the old man with sparkling eyes. “You keep playing like you did tonight, and one day here soon, you just might find yourself a permanent member of this band!” She gasped at the idea.
Carmen smacked her back and cheered her on with a large smile. “Oh, hell yeah! It’ll be nice to have another woman in thissausage fest! Isn’t that right, Kash?” The two women looked at me. Twila bit her lower lip in anticipation.
I smiled back at her. “We’d love to have you join the band.” Twila gasped and covered her mouth. “Isn’t that right, Motley?” All our eyes turned to look at the drummer.
He stood there, arms crossed, glistening like a Grecian god who had been caught in the rain. He tossed a curl away from his eyes as the corners of his lips curled upwards. “Absolutely. Twila completes our family.” The entire band shouted and clapped in excitement.
Carmen hugged Twila. The two women squealed and talked with enthusiasm before they began to walk away. Twila looked over her shoulder at me and mouthed a thank you. I nodded back. Twila was already a part of our family, but it was about time, she deserved every bit of recognition in this band. Especially after all the hard work she’d spent on learning how to play so she could finally join us. As she should.
“Motley?” The drummer looked over at Ducky. “Why don’t you catch up to those two. I need to discuss some things with Kash.” Motley eyed me, and we both exchanged a confused look. “Oh, don’t worry! Everything is just fine. Just some…business.”
Motley hesitated, but knew better than to ignore Ducky. “Alright.” He handed me his drumsticks with a look of worry before he followed after Carmen and Twila.
