“Thank you for letting us be here tonight to open for High Octane. Before we head out, I want to play one last song. If you’re a fan of our music, this one will be new to you. Somethin’ I’ve been working on for the past couple weeks. If it’s cool with you, I’d like to see what ya think.”
Brix turns back toward Madden, holding his hand up to signal something, as Tysin starts to play.
“Ivy,” Brix says, pausing. “This one’s for you.”
This time the guitar leads with the intro as Brix nods his head along to the beat of the music, staring down at the floor.
With my hand balled into a fist, I press it against my mouth, watching in awe as they begin to play.
The song is slower than their others. When Brix’s voice joins in, I almost don’t recognize him. The words are soft and filled with so much emotion. I find myself absorbed in his performance, truly listening to the lyrics of the song, the timbre of his voice. My breath hitches, caught in my throat as he sings about needing me, how he would give anything to have me back, and how losing me broke him.
If he hadn’t had said the song was for me in the beginning, all questions would’ve gone away as he weaves my name into the lyrics, as he speaks about a woman wrapping herself around him and his heart.
The beat of the song is catchy, and while the crowd around us sways to the music, I stand frozen in place, soaking up every second of the words and the ache of his voice as he sings.
Thinking back to all those nights I’d lie awake in my bed, thinking about why he was upset when I left, it is like I know now. I can feel the pain he is feeling. His eyes are closed, his hand clenched in a fist against his heart.
When the song is over, I feel the ache in my chest, the same empty feeling I had felt for weeks missing him.
“Oh my God,” Hensley whispers next to me, her arm banded around me as she leans in close to check on me.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so,” I murmur, forcing myself to push aside all the emotions building inside.
I tried to enjoy the rest of the night, knowing I had been looking forward to High Octane’s concert, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking of Brix.
I was zoned out, replaying the song on a loop, over and over in my head.
When the concert was over, all I could think about was trying to find a way to get backstage so I could see him.
“Kyla!” I shout over the crowd of people as we sidestep our way out of our row of seating.
“Don’t worry. He has a backstage pass waiting for you up front. C’mon!”
We find our way to the front. The crowd of people is thick. Navigating our way seems to take hours. The spike of anxiety at seeing him has adrenaline pumping through me.
As soon as we round the corner toward the admissions box, I spot him standing against the wall. His head is covered with a black baseball cap sitting low on his head, but I’d know him anywhere.
Two large security guards flank him on both sides as I cut across the room, making a beeline for him.
“Ivy!” Kyla shouts from behind me. The sound of my name being called has him raising his head, and his eyes meet mine.
I halt my movement as he pushes off the wall, taking a step closer to me. Biting my lip, I’m suddenly unsure of what to say or if this is even a good idea.
I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.
Twenty-Seven
Brix
I prayed like hell Kyla was able to pull through and convince Ivy to come. When I told her what I had planned, I begged her to do whatever she could to get her here.
I even took care of getting her the tickets.
The lighting in the club didn’t compare to other venues we had played lately, so it was hard to see her in the crowd, but I hoped she was there, listening.
After the concert was over, I took off back to the dressing room to shower, leaving the guys to watch High Octane’s performance.