Lizzy took a deep breath. For the first time, she finally allowed herself to see Dillon in a different light. The negative impact Sid had on the band tainted everything. It ruined the future of Blind Fury and pitted everyone against oneanother. It wasn’t a battle of the sexes anymore. She and Dillon were bandmates. Equals.
As he beat the drums into submission, she never averted her eyes. In the midst of the frenzied blur of his dark tresses, he caught sight of her. His arms kept a steady attack on his toms and snare, but his head stopped rocking back and forth. His hair slowly fell onto his gleaming shoulders, and he smiled at her.
A surge of adrenaline set her heart on fire as they locked eyes. Her legs tingled and wobbled like a giddy teenager. It was a feeling Lizzy wasn’t used to, and she giggled. Then she flat out laughed. Lizzy Stone was crushing on Dillon Rivers. It was absurd! But it was true. Forty-eight hours ago, she never wanted to see any of her band members again, including Dillon. Right now, she was remembering the strength of his hands on her body from last night. Again, she shook her head with disbelief. The night was hard to comprehend. She was singing lead, and she was entertaining the idea of sleeping with Dillon again. What an insane mixture of never-expected thoughts.
Dillon finished his drum solo and the last performance of the night with a burst of energy. He delivered about a dozen repetitive twin strikes on his cymbals before he got to his feet. He joined Lizzy at the front of the stage and took the mic. “Thank you for supporting Blind Fury.” He put his hand over his heart, and there was genuine emotion in his voice. “All of you have touched my life every time I got up on the stage. You’re the reason we pushed to stay together, despite our personal differences. I wish Blind Fury could have lastedforever. I’ll never forget every single one of our performances.” He pointed to the audience. “You made it all worthwhile. You and this girl right here.” He held Lizzy’s arm up in the air and smiled at her. “Her friendship is the only good thing I was able to salvage from the band, and she stepped up tonight to make sure Blind Fury went out on a high note. She’s one hell of a bass player, one hell of a singer, and one hell of a person.”
The audience erupted into a series of shouts and whistles.
Lizzy was flushed. The unexpected praise from Dillon, the cheers from the audience, and the end of the band were overwhelming, and her emotions were spiraling. As Dillon handed her the microphone, she didn’t know if she had any parting words that could possibly convey her sentiment. “I don’t know what to say.” Her voice was choking her, and it faltered. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to stand here all emotional and act like a girl.” She laughed, and the audience laughed along with her.
“Turn up the lights,” she instructed the light tech. “I want to see all of these beautiful people.”
The audience came alive with a flash of light. They were no longer faceless shadows and silhouettes. They were individual fans. They endured the journey. They were married to the music and loyal to the bitter end. A dull ache stabbed her in the heart, crushing her spirits, because the band’s demise was a tragic loss for everyone.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and her vision blurred. She took a deep breath and steadied her voice, but it cracked anyway. “Tonight has been the best and saddest night of mylife. I love the music we created, and I love all of you! YOU FUCKIN’ ROCK!”
The earsplitting screams from the fans were ridiculous.
Lizzy threw the set list into the audience. Dillon tossed out a dozen or more sets of drumsticks and a drumhead signed by the entire band. Multi-colored confetti blew across the stadium, hundreds of balloons dropped from the ceiling, and a spray of fireworks lit up the stage like New Year’s Eve.
Dillon took Lizzy’s hand. They stood together, fingers clasped, and soaked up the applause and praise from the crowd as they stared into the audience for the last time. Hands and horns saluted them. Girls sat on their boyfriend’s shoulders. Fans shouted Lizzy and Dillon’s names.
As her gaze swept across the audience, a tear leaked out of the corner of her eye. Wiping it away, she took a mental picture of this moment that was the most surreal thing she ever experienced. She read some of the banners fans held up:
ROCK IN PEACE, BLIND FURY!
WE’LL NEVER FORGET YOU!
BLIND FURY #1 ALWAYS AND FOREVER!
It was beyond anything she ever imagined and the perfect way to end her career with Blind Fury. Instead of going out with a good-riddance attitude, she left with immense satisfaction and no regrets. It was a night she would never forget. It was the end of Blind Fury and the end of The Farewell Tour.
six
. . .
Dillon
Tonight’s showsurpassed all of Dillon’s expectations. He was flying high because Blind Fury left behind a legacy that would live on for decades. Whenever anyone talked about farewell performances, Blind Fury’s exit was sure to make the top of the list.
The interaction with Lizzy on stage was everything Dillon hoped for. The only problem is that now Lizzy was quiet. Too quiet. She’d showered and wore a simple tank top paired with black jeans and ankle boots and minimal makeup. Her appearance was as subdued as her demeanor. She sat in the corner seat of the limo and stared through the window up at the night sky. He didn’t know how to read her silence. She was always boisterous and loud and the first one to express her thoughts, whether you wanted to hear them or not. This introspective side of Lizzy was different. Quiet time and reflection were traits that he never witnessedbefore. He thought he knew her so well, but there were so many parts of herself that she never shared.
He assumed the sparks that were igniting between them on stage would carry over to the limo ride, but Lizzy didn’t even notice he was in the car. This was his last chance. In the morning, they would be boarding a plane and probably go their separate ways for good.
He slid an inch closer to her. “You saved the show tonight.”
She turned toward him like she just realized he was there. “Me?”
“Yeah.” He slid a tiny bit further in her direction. “You were awesome, Lizzy. I knew you would kick ass, but I never expected you to slay that shit the way you did.”
She laughed, and some of her old rowdiness returned. “You mean, you thought I was going to suck!”
He’d heard her singing through the walls of her hotel room many times, so he knew she was gifted. So had Sid, which is probably why he never let her near the mic. Jealous bastard.
“I wasn’t afraid you would suck, but I didn’t think you would embrace the stage like that,” he told her. “You sang like you’ve been doing it your whole life.”
“I have,” she said, defensively. “But I haven’t had the opportunity to do it for Blind Fury before.” She sat back and then suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. “Did you see Zach punch Sid in the face? Man, I hope somebody backstage recorded it and it ends up on social media!”
