“You’re just going to get changed,” he responded just as quietly, his gaze staying straight ahead. He smiled at the security guard at the other end and flashed his backstage pass.
“Lovely performance, Ms. Hansen,” the cop said with a flashing white smile.
On autopilot, she winked at him. “I aim to please.”
“And please you did,” he chuckled. “You coming back in?”
“Absolutely. Just need to change. Won’t be long.”
“I’ll be waiting for you.”
She was still laughing when Dwayne spotted them and opened the bus door for her.
She gave him a more tired but also more authentic smile. “Thank you.”
“You have a good show?”
“I did, thank you.”
“Good to hear.”
“I’m just going to get changed.” The words spilled out of her. Thanks to Dean for the excuse.
“All right. I’m just going to sit here and finish this level of Candy Crush.”
She nodded, her voice sounding more distant now, like she was listening to the conversation through a tunnel. “Have you passed Andrew yet?”
“Not yet.”
“You can do it.” She patted his shoulder and headed down the aisle, all the way to her room. It was all she could see at the end of the corridor.
Dean was right behind her the entire time, and when she opened the door, he followed her into her private space.
“Can you close the—” she started to ask, glancing back at him over her shoulder, then cut herself off when he’d already shut the door behind him.
“How do you do that?” he asked, staring at her.
“Do what?”
“Go from nearly passing out as you came off stage to…flirting with a security guard and remembering that Dwayne is five levels behind Andrew in Candy Crush.”
“Is it five?” She wasn’t the only person who remembered stuff. It wasn’t a superhero skill.
“Doesn’t matter.” He pointed to her bed. “Sit.”
She sat just in time for everything to fade. “Whoa.”
“You’re doing it again. What’s wrong?” He took her hand and peeled her fingers out of the white-knuckled fist she’d made.
“Nothing,” she said quickly.
“You turned white as you came off the stage. I thought you might pass out. And now you just did that again.”
“It’s hot today.”
“You usually have trouble performing in the heat?”
She didn’t answer him.
