“Don't forget to turn in that badge on your way out,” Rachel called after him.
The door slammed. My hands shook as Rachel whispered something to security. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I muttered.
“I need to make sure they escort him out. You got her?” she asked Sawyer.
“I got her,” he said.
She slipped out, leaving us alone. He turned to me and opened his arms. I stepped into him without thinking twice.
“Ellie baby,” he said against my hair. The cold, hard edge he had with Harold melted in an instant.
I gripped his shirt and pressed my face to his chest. The steady thump of his heartbeat slowly pulled mine back from the edge. He didn't say anything, simply running his hand up and down my back until the trembling stopped. When I finally pulled away, his thumb brushed under my eye.
“You okay?”
Yeah,” I said, letting out a breath. “I’m fine.”
“Bullshit's optional here.”
My laugh came out broken.
“You can cancel the show if you need the night to breathe.”
"Sawyer, I can't just… The fans. My parents. Everyone’s waiting on me.”
“You, El.” His voice was quiet but steady. “We’re talking about you. I needyouto be okay.”
I looked away.
He tipped my chin back and met my gaze. “I’ll support you either way. I’ll take you back to your hotel. I’ll stand backstage the entire time if you need me to. Hell, I’ll stand on stage with you. It’s your call.”
“Everything feels…” I searched for the words. “Fuck, I don’t want him to have power over me. I need a minute. I can’t let him win by cancelling the show.”
I stared down at our joined hands as his thumb traced small circles on my knuckles.
“Harold’s an asshole who doesn't know the first thing about you.”
“But what if he's right?” I whispered, gripping his hands tighter. “What if I'm a manufactured pop star who is nothing but a mess?”
“You write your own songs?”
“Yes.”
“You play guitar?”
“Since I could walk basically.”
“You sang in dive bars before anyone knew your name?”
I nodded.
“Then you're not manufactured, El. You're successful.”
“What if I go out there and freeze up?”
“Then I'll come get you.”
