Once there, the security lady tapped my shoulder and showed me a thumbs up before she locked the sector behind me. The tall stage towered before me,Swimming with the Sharksbanner hanging at the very back.
I checked the time on my phone and sighed with relief. There was still five minutes left till Rick’s concert. As if summoned by my thoughts, a text from him popped up on the screen.
Stay where you are. I have a surprise for you. Don’t hate me.
I frowned and typed in the reply.
Okay, Mr. Mysterious, I’m here.
Three dots danced on my screen, disappeared, then his message arrived:See you soon.
The crowd behind me roared, and I looked up to see the band entering stage left. Zoe walked in first, twirling her sticks in the air then taking a seat by the drums, with the band’s shark head logo on the kick drum, followed by Vinny with his black Yamaha bass, and Jeremy with a smoked Les Paul. My heart beat faster when Shark Man sauntered in wearing his signature mask and carrying his bright blue Stratocaster by the neck.
Rick.
His naked chest was on display, his nipples peaked, and his black pants showed off his powerful thighs. Fuck, he was magnificent. All my tentacles twitched at how intensely I wanted to touch him right now. Was he my Rick, though? With his chestnut locks in a bun and a mask covering his face, he looked so different to the guy who moaned my name as he came with my tentacle up his ass. Like he’d told me, he had a persona he’d created for the stage, but I’d met the real him, the man behind the mask.
I moved closer to the VIPs in the row with me, some clapping, others whooping with enthusiasm.
Rick took his place in the middle of the stage and adjusted the standing mic. He squinted into the swarm of people and lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the lights directed at him. His gaze stopped at my section and he waved, inciting the audience to cheer. If only I could see his face.Was he smiling at me? Did he even see me?
Without a word, Rick played the first tune of one of their most popular songs,Break Me Out of this Cage. The crowd went wild as the melody turned faster when the drums and bass joined him. I knew the lyrics by heart and belted them out, singing about a woman stuck in an abusive relationship and how she got out of it herself as no one was there to help her. Next wasYou’ll Never Understandabout a couple struggling to survive after they lost their home.
“Thank you for the warm welcome after so long,” Rick said when the song ended. “Stay with us for a special treat!”
In the next several numbers, Rick sang about the decline of society in a way that spurred people to scream their frustration along with him.
It took a special kind of gift to mesmerize the audience and make them sing poetical yet meaningful lyrics. Rick embraced it and used it to convince the fans, me included, to act and change the world for the better.
He seemed to soak up the energy the people emanated, and give it back tenfold.
They played two more songs back to back, and I joined the small crowd in the VIP section, moving with them like a wave as the ballad quieted, leaving only drums.
“Hit it, Zoe!” Rick yelled and stepped to the side. All lights focused on the drums and Zoe delivering a mind-blowing solo.
Rick walked to the end of the stage on the left, towards some bulky equipment covered with a white sheet like a museum piece. He talked to some big dude in aCrewvest, then took out his phone.
Was he texting?
My phone vibrated against my thigh, and I checked it to see a message from him.
Go with the flow. Nick is coming to get you.
What?
The guy Rick had been talking to approached me.
“Hey, I’m Nick,” he yelled over the drums. “Come with me.”
Oh…
Nick waved at me to walk around the fence, but I braced my tentacles and flipped over it to land in front of him. My legs and my body had a mind of their own, leading me as my brain tried to catch up to what was happening. My heart pounded in my chest and I climbed the stairs on the side of the stage.
Rick ran towards me and clapped his hands on my shoulders. “We don’t have much time.” He took a quick breath and bit his lip. “I couldn’t tell you before in case it didn’t work out. I’ll explain later. But will you play with us? Now?”
I blinked, my brain trying to catch up to the words he said. “What?”
“Your song. The keyboard, synths, and the recording are all set up the way you like it.” Rick’s gaze was pleading, his expression unsure.
