I smile halfway, looking down at his name on my screen on top of the selfie of the two of us I have set as my background. My stomach aches, and suddenly, I’m missing him so much more than before.
“Jersey, can I talk to you for a sec?” Bethany asks, pulling me out of my thoughts. She tilts her head off to the side.
Untangling myself from my dancers, I join her on the other side of the room, where we can talk a little more privately. Herblue eyes study my face and she reaches for my hand. “Are you doing okay?”
“Of course.” I squeeze her hand. “Why do you ask?”
“You seemed a little disappointed when you mentioned Hayes wouldn’t be here.”
“Oh.” I purse my lips and nod. “Yeah, I mean, of course I’m a little sad. I would’ve loved to have him see a concert where I know he’s present. He hasn’t seen a show since the very first one he went to.”
“Did you ask him to come?” Bethany asks. When I nod again, her eyebrows draw in. “What did he say?”
“He left it at he couldn’t get away from training right now. He looked devastated, honestly. Like a sad puppy dog.” I shake my head. “His career is just as important as mine, so it’s okay. I can’t hold that against him. There will be plenty more shows, more opportunities. I can’t expect him to drop everything and hop on the first flight out every time I’m performing.”
“I’m sorry, Jersey.”
“I mean, he’s heard the whole concert with me belting it out on the treadmill at home over the holidays,” I say, then laugh, hoping Bethany will buy it that I’m okay. I don’t think she does. “I’m still going to perform my heart out because that’s all I know how to do. He’d do the exact same if our roles were reversed. It’s the only way to move forward.”
She squeezes my hand again, but winces. “I have some bad news.”
My face pales with nerves. “What is it?”
“Cal just texted and said he’ll be arriving midway through the show. He said he wanted to see the last one before you go on break.”
“But he couldn’t get here on time to see the beginning?” I ask flatly.
She shrugs. “I’ve given up trying to figure out the whys or the reasonings of Callum Strong.”
I sigh. “Me too. Well, thanks for giving me the heads up.”
“He’ll probably expect to see you after the show.”
“I expect nothing less.”
Bethany glances at her phone and nods. “Time to go.” She turns to the dancers and waves them over. “All right, everyone, let’s do this!”
Me and my group head out of the green room and up to the stage. When we’re five minutes from the opening set, my dancers and I stand and gather in a circle. We wrap our hands around each other’s shoulders and huddle up. Their eyes all fall to me, expectantly.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for showing up time and time again and for pouring your entire hearts into making our concerts memorable. I appreciate you all and I know our fans do too. Let’s go out there and do what we do best. Ready?”
Our pre-show ritual begins. I start the process off and then look to my left to keep the momentum going. “Celebration!”
“Inspiration,” Petra announces, turning to Donovan on her left.
“Passion,” Donovan says.
“Devotion!” Marcus adds.
“Energetic!” Lola winks.
The last two dancers get louder as they share their goal words.
“Elegance!”
“Motivation.”
The circle comes back to me and I bow my head in the middle. They all follow my lead.
