1
The venue was uncomfortable chaos. A thin layer of spilled drinks was half-dried into a tacky sheet on the floor, making my shoes stick with every step.
“Excuse me,” I shouted but the words were swallowed whole by louder sounds. I worked my way through the crowd, trying to politely push myself deeper into the sea of fans. I grimaced as glares continually shot my way. Finally, I made it to a couple of fans who wouldn't budge at all, stonewalling me from moving forward.Great.
The band Nix was too popular for this indoor venue. It felt claustrophobic under the strobing lights and the pulsing mix of wailing fans and screaming guitars. People pressed together tight enough to make breathing difficult. The mass of sweaty bodies was fueled by equal parts excitement and irritation.
I looked around, trying to find an opening. I couldn't stay back here. I'd promised Caspian I'd be herebeforethe band went on but instead, I got waylaid by my mother and aunt trying to give me some kind of strange intervention about my upcoming trip. The idea of me not wanting to go into the family business and temporarily move out of the family house had them acting like I had developed an addiction to hard drugs.
The stage remained an invisible goal behind the swarming crowd. A groan rumbled from my mouth but, of course, couldn’t be heard. The music was so loud I felt the bass in my heart, giving me an arrhythmia. High octane rock that skirted between pop and something grungier. There was a dark heart to the band bleeding through—no catchy chorus could drown it out.
I went sideways, bypassing the people who refused to let me by. Then the singer suddenly stopped mid-chorus.
"Ava!"
My eyes rounded as I heard my name echoed up to the ceilings—a breathless voice coming clear through the speakers. The band kept playing but the singer didn't offer any more lyrics. He was too busymortifyingme.
"Ava, come on!" Caspian chuckled as he helpfully pointed me out for the searching spotlight. I turned towards the stage. The crowd parted like the Red Sea before Moses, as a hundred leering faces ogled my own.
A mangled smile cut into my face as I began to push through the parted sea. People lifted their cell phones to snap a picture in case I was someone important. I wasn't, but Caspian's band was one breath away from epic stardom. Anyone he called out to by name was going to have a camera flash following shortly after.Especiallyif he paused his entire concert to yell for me.
Or at least, I assumed. I hadn’t actuallyseenCaspian in years and despite talking with him every day, he gave very little intel about his fame. All I had to go on was what Google coughed up when I searched his band, Nix. There was a staggering amount more about Caspian himself than the band as a whole. Hundreds of fan pages and art dedicated solely to him, the overly charming front runner.
Caspian began singing again as I got closer, his voice rich and energetic. He was lively and his smile was bright, demanding everyone smile along with him. The crowd leaned in closer, their focus quickly diverting back to him. I relaxed as their interest veered off me.
My eyes lifted to Caspian as I pushed my hair behind my ears. He owned the stage, the crowd, the entire building. We were still teenagers the last I saw him but now he was mostdefinitelya man. The youth had left his face, making him look dangerous to anyone prone to heartbreak. He was almost too attractive,toosexual, and now he had tattoos covering his arms that hadn't been there before.
His body was as fit as ever, an etched swimmer’s build with wide shoulders and lean muscles. Considering he only wore dark jeans and a collection of metal necklaces, everyone could look on in awe at a half-naked body fit for an Olympian. Including me. That body leftnodoubt that he still swam compulsively—he couldn't be comfortable unless he was in the water at least once a day.
He moved on stage like he was in water—fluid, sensual, and hypnotic. His hips rolled, his abs hardened, and his hair kept breaking loose from the bun, long dark waves plastering to his face as his rich voice filled our ears.
This wasn't the boy I'd known throughout high school. This was a rockstar. A man that strangers adored and obsessed over. Everyone wanted Caspian—men, women, the world. They didn't even need more than a snapshot photo to become enamored.
Hands reached out from the crowd, straining, fingers stretching just to feel as if they could touch him if they tried hard enough. The glossy eyes of the entire room were filled with desperation for more of Caspian as if under a spell weaved into his music.
It took till this moment, seeing him on stage with adoration in the eyes of an overwhelming crowd, for me to truly understand how much larger than life he had become.
My ex-stepbrother was a star. Yet, I could still easily remember him following me around at home, teasing me constantly. The dichotomy left me breathless, feeling both comfortable and uncomfortable with the man in front of me.
I stopped ten feet from the stage and Caspian smiled down at me as he sang. There was dark makeup smudged around his eyes. He curled a ringed finger in a come hither, insisting I get even closer. There was nothing to do but what he asked. I’d forgotten the bewitching quality Caspian had. He made everyone want to come in a little closer and soak him in. Made you want to do what he asked. Made you want to please him.
I forgot the crowd was even here screaming, singing, recording, and watching me, as I stepped forward with stunned awe at what he'd become.
When I got to the edge of the stage, Caspian suddenly went to his hands and knees, crawling towards me like a lithe beast—all lean muscle and sensual grace, a wide smile on his face. The crowd screamed in mania. I was shocked. Then he was up on his knees, thighs spread wide right in front of me. Slickened abs and low-slung, tight pants filled my field of vision. He pulled the mic up to his mouth and in this over-packed venue he was suddenly singing only for me, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.
That’s when I realized his lyrics were sexual, a plea for an unnamed woman to give him what he craved.
A ripple of shock rolled over me. Caspian and I weren't like that. Our previous semi-familial connection had made the possibility inappropriate. I looked around, saw people recording, and felt like I was being caught doing something wrong. As if our parents were still married, we were still in school, and someone had just caught us being a little too close.
I looked back at Caspian with a glare that made his mouth curl into a smirk of entertainment. Then he felt the need to take the teasing further. He leaned in close, his voice quieter, huskier, and his lips pressed into the mic as if it were a lover. His singing became a desperate plea for a woman to takeeverythinghe had—a thinly veiled innuendo that made the crowd roar in excitement.
His fingers came up, a leather cuff on his wrist, his brown eyes smoldering as he touched my lips. I felt my heart stutter in my chest.
Caspian was on his knees on stage, inching forward, leaning down. Everyone watched as he appeared to be beggingmeto lay myself bare and fuck him. I couldn't look away as his face grew closer. For a moment I became sure he was going to kiss me as he pulled the mic from his face—right in front of the entire packed venue.
My heart thumped so hard in my chest I thought people might see it through my rib cage. The entire room held its collective breath, watching his face inch towards mine.
"Caspian!" Someone yelled, their body brushing mine as they leaned on the stage, invading our space. Caspian was forced to lean back.
