“Lunar!” Tillie chides, her voice sharp with disapproval.
I blink rapidly, trying to stave off the tears welling in my eyes, but my bottom lip betrays me, starting to quiver. Lunar turns her back with a dismissive shrug while Tillie watches me with a furrowed brow, clearly conflicted but silent.
The sting is deeper than I anticipated—more than I would usually allow myself to feel.
Taking a shaky breath, I turn and walk away, putting distance between us. I slip into a secluded area behind the stage, out of sight but still close enough to feel connected to the buzz. Lowering myself onto a bench, I wipe a stray tear from my cheek, wrapping my arms around myself for comfort.
A presence settles beside me. Surprised, I turn my head to find Mindy, her expression warm and understanding, unlike the Arctic breeze I stepped away from.
“Sorry, Mindy… forgot you were with me.”
Mindy gives me a gentle smile. “It’s fine, Ria. That was brutal, all things considered…” She hesitates, then adds softly, “Do you want me to give you a moment?”
I shake my head, turning fully to face her. “No. But I am sorry you had to see that.”
“They were so awful to you. Are you okay?” she asks, her voice filled with genuine concern.
I force a small smile. “I deserved it, I suppose. Let’s be real… I can be a diva. I hate that Nate’s friends seem to despise me so much already. I might be an award-winning actress, but what good is that if I can’t even figure out how to make friends? I have no social skills, Mindy?”
She frowns with a sigh. “You do have people skills. You have to let them in. Let them see Ria, the woman, not Zaria, the actress. Let them see the Ria I know and love. You showed Ria to me… to Nate. Why not them?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, I wish I had now. With some people, it’s easier to let my guard down. Others have me on edge straight away.”
“You’ve gotten where you needed to be in your public life by being Zaria. To get further, and have an ‘actual’ life…” she uses air quotes, “… I think you need to be Ria. You need to change your outlook and bring down those barriers that make you untouchable.”
Taking in a deep breath, I nod. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Quiet, please,” the director interrupts our chat.
We turn to look down at the stage and watch the four boys set up. Danger is front and center with a vintage microphone, Ryan to his right, and Matt to his left. Nate’s at the back on the drum kit, twirling his sticks in his fingers.
Smiling, I shake my head.
That look right there—Nate behind a giant kit, wearing a tight as fuck tank, ripped jeans, and twirling his drumsticks—is probably the single sexiest thing I think I have ever seen.
“Action,” the director calls out.
The lights dim, illuminating the green screen behind them as they play to the music that flows through the studio speakers. They’re playing along with the soundtrack, but Danger is miming as the heavy beats from Nate’s drums reverberate through the studio.
It sets me alight.
Seeing the guys performing, although not completely live, there’s something special about watching them all together that makes me sit up taller and take a hell of a lot of notice. My eyes focus on Nate—the tension in his arms while his muscles contract and expand as he hits the snare drum makes me swallow hard. A fire crackles and burns through my core as I watch him move with effortless ease around his kit. I never knew someone could make playing the drums look so easy, but Nate makes it seem like it’s as simple as breathing—like he’s one with the metal and mylar.
My breathing becomes shallow as he continues the slow, torturous rhythm. He’s playing what sounds like complex maneuvers on the kit, but you wouldn’t know it by watching him. The beats flow from his hands straight onto the skin with no effort or thought placed behind it. It’s a part of him—the music, the energy—everything moves through him, giving me the positive vibe that he was born to do this.
Nate’s a true artist in every sense of the word. He’s talented in so many areas, and I wish people could see his potential like I do. The man is gifted, and I sit here in utter awe of him right now, my panties soaking through watching him in action. His movements, the way his muscles ripple and jerk with each beat, and the way his face contorts with the heavier beats are allstrangely erotic. It reminds me of the faces he makes when he’s inside me, and that thought makes me throb even harder. I tense my thighs together to dull the ache between them, and Mindy chuckles beside me.
“Gu…uurl, you’ve got it bad,” she whispers.
I turn to face her. “What?”
She smiles, looking from me to Nate. “You are big-time panting over him.”
I roll my eyes and bump my shoulder into hers as she curls up her button nose at me and winks.
“Don’t worry, I’m totes jelly that you’re banging him. Hey, do you think you can set me up with his twin?” she teases.
I attempt to hold in my laughter as I turn back to watch the guys finish their first take for the day.
