Chapter Nine
It’s quickly apparent to him how different it is from the rest of the venue. It’s as if he’s entered a portal to another world. He follows the flow of people that seem to be going to an area hidden behind the grand stage. There, he finds several tents that have signs such as artists’ lounge, food, and assistance. There are big-time artists hanging out like it’s no big deal, and he resists the urge to dash over there and ask for their autograph. Probably wouldn’t be cool to bother them in their downtime, especially since he’s got Cloverlily’s guest emblazoned on his pass.
They search for the tour bus that’s labeled Cloverlily. Similar to the other buses, there’s also a group outside theirs, with several people holding items to be signed. It’s a small crowd, but they seem to be huddled into even smaller groups. There’s a group wearing red shirts with Theo’s face on it, and other groups that seem to be here for Chase and Gil.
And, of course, there’s a group for Calvin. A woman has a pile ofblack shirts in her hands with Calvin’s silhouette, playing the guitar, emblazoned on it in white ink. The text under his face saysGive me some Calvin,and she has a hat that saysCalvinaticsalong withJoin our Facebook group!Around her, a few other men and women wear the shirts and the cap. Miles makes a mental note of the name—he’ll join when he gets home.
“Are you selling these?” Gabby asks her.
The girl eyes Gabby carefully. “No, I designed these. Are you a fan of Calvin? I can give you one.”
Miles sighs and jabs a thumb against his temple. While Gabby strikes up a conversation with the girl, he wanders off to the bus’s door. There’s a crew member waiting there, talking to someone on his phone.
The crew member eyes him suspiciously, glancing at the pass around his neck. When he puts his phone away, the crew member looks at Miles from head to toe.
“Do you want to come in?” the crew member says.
Puzzled, he looks at the crowd of people outside. “We’re allowed to go inside the bus?”
“You are. You’ve got a VIP pass.”
Oh? He takes a quick glance at the other people surrounding them. Not one of theirs has the same red letters that his and Gabby’s have.
“Well?” the crew member asks.
“I’ll wait here. Thanks.” It’ll be creepy if he went in without Calvin, anyway.
Someone shrieks, and Miles isn’t being dramatic when he thinkshis eardrums have shattered. Gabby stands with the rest of the crowd, hands around her mouth as she screams. The group starts to get rowdier, pointing at something that Miles can’t see from where he’s standing. Some security personnel come forward and remind them not to crowd the band.
Miles stands there, frozen, as the band approaches the group. As usual, Theo leads them, greeting their fans and quickly signing on some posters. A girl asks him to sign her shirt, right below her collar, and he obliges. Chase and Gil are there too, beaming as they sign posters. And then there’s Calvin—all the way in the back of the group, smiling as he talks to some fans.
Miles watches him from a distance. He’s much more subdued than his band mates, quieter, much less at ease than the rest of them. A woman asks for a selfie, and he obliges, grinning awkwardly at the camera.
“Nothing for us to sign?” Theo’s in front of him. When did that happen? Miles tilts his head up to get a good look at him, only realizing now that he’s a lot taller than he thinks. He has a good few inches on Miles. “Want me to sign your arm?”
“Oh,” Miles says, and he knows full well how dumb he sounds. Theo Reid’s in front of him. Theo Reid! He must be taking too long to respond, so Theo looks at him oddly, and Miles stares back at him—totally star-struck.
A hand pats him on the shoulder. A tall man in a white polo shirt reaches out for the pass around Miles’s neck. He scans it quickly and gently lets go, and it thumps against his chest.
“I’m Derrick, the band manager. Calvin told me you werecoming,” he says. “We actually met a few years back… Well, through emails. When you did the band’s cover.”
“Yeah, hi!” He does remember him—Derrick Pickett. The band’s manager can’t be that much older than the band, but with how he presents himself, he seems much more put-together and mature. He reminds Miles a lot of his own manager.
“Theo, this is Calvin’s guest.”
Theo steps back to regard Miles. He doesn’t pay attention to a girl who’s asking for a picture of him, his entire focus on Miles.
“My bad,” Theo says. He claps Miles on the arm strong enough to knock him sideward. “Thought you were here for autographs!”
Remembering himself, Miles shakes himself out of his reverie. He blurts out, “Shit, sorry. I am! I want your autograph.” Miles doesn’t even care about how dorky he sounds, or how both Derrick and Theo exchange startled glances. This is the lead singer of his favorite band.Fuck it.
“You have nothing for me to sign,” Theo says with a laugh.
“How about a photo instead?” Derrick suggests.
“Yeah!” Miles says, and he almost drops his cellphone as he fumbles for it. After an embarrassing amount of time trying to put his camera on selfie mode, Theo puts an arm around him and they get a pretty cool selfie.
With his arm still around Miles’s shoulders, Theo turns toward Calvin and yells, “Cal! Should I invite your friend inside?”
