9
Even though I knew I needed to put it out of my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened with Jayce in that stairwell. I was positive he didn’t see me as just another groupie, but that was exactly what everyone would think if they found out we’d kissed. His fans would think he’d chosen someone and they would die of jealousy. Who knew what the crazy ones were capable of?
I stared down at my phone, pretending to work, when really I was trying to gather my thoughts.
Besides, what kind of relationship could I possibly have with someone like Jayce? He was a rock star, practically a god in the eyes of many fans. I was a lowly social media girl, just an intern, not even out of college. He was so far above me in status, I couldn’t understand what he saw in me.
It was better to just forget we’d ever been more than work colleagues. Jayce and I had agreed that was the safest thing for both of us. I would have to put it all out of my mind. Jayce and I had our moment, but that was it. No one was going to find out.
I looked up from my phone and saw the producer, Cornelius Connor, directing a cameraman to shoot something from backstage. He wasn’t the director, but he was always telling the camera operator what to do. How much of a control freak was he, anyway? I’d never seen him just standing around, relaxing, not working. He was always doing something, always in motion.
I hadn’t gotten around to collecting that content for him yet. He wanted to shoot the band’s reaction to weird fan stuff, but I still hadn’t gone trawling through the depths of the internet to find some. I hoped I wasn’t inconveniencing him because of it.
He swung around and pointed a finger in my direction. I ducked out of the way before I ended up in the shot. He saw me, and instead of looking irritated, he gave me a nod and a wave. I returned it, feeling guilty.
I went back to my phone. I’d start gathering that content now. It wasn’t too hard, since I was already heavily involved in monitoring and engaging with fans on several different social media platforms. I didn’t know exactly what he was looking for, but I found a piece of fan art that someone had posted. They’d drawn the band members in a cute cartoon style, which was interesting enough, but the cherry on top was that they were all wearing the costumes from the Japanese anime Sailor Moon, miniskirt, tiaras, and all. I stifled a giggle and quickly emailed the picture to Cornelius with one line:
Weird enough for you?
I heard his phone ping from across the room, and he pulled it out. He must have gotten my email because he looked up and gave me a thumbs up. Looked like I was on the right track.
I sent back another email:
I think Kell would make a better Sailor Moon than Jayce, don’t you think?
He threw me a grin when he got the email.
I thought the picture was too cute not to share. I didn’t want to post it from the band account, not without asking the band members what they thought of it first, but it was definitely something AudioAiley would share with her followers.
@AudioAiley:This artist, while talented, is mistaken. CLEARLY Kell would make a better Sailor Moon. Blond hair? Check. Excitable and hyper? Check. Secretly a princess? …Jury’s still out on that one.
I sent it off,hoping my followers would find it funny.
Another ping echoed through the room, and Cornelius pulled out his phone again. He probably got a million emails a day. He jerked back in surprise, then whipped his head up, looking directly at me. I was taken aback. Had he received some bad news? What did I have to do with it?
He excused himself from the camera operator he was talking to and strode across the room in quick steps, making a beeline toward me. I began to feel nervous. Had I done something to upset him? Maybe he didn’t like the fan art after all. People practically jumped out of his way, so intent was he on his destination. I looked around and behind me, trying to see if he was heading toward someone else, but no. There was no one else.
He stopped inches away from me, flicking his eyes back and forth between both of mine. I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, not sure what I’d done to upset him. I wanted to stay on his good side. He spoke before I could ask, voice filled with wonder and confusion.
“It’s you.”
“I’m sorry?”
He reached out and cupped my face in his hands. I jerked back in surprise, but he didn’t let me go. Instead, he swooped down, lowering his head, and before I could register what was happening, his lips were on mine.
