“I know you tend to latch on to powerful women, but trust me when I say, she iswayout of your league.” Camille nodded her head in the direction Eden had gone.
Anna’s cheeks scalded. “I ... I don’t ...”
Kyrie touched her shoulder. “We need to go inside.”
“Perhaps I’ll see you at one of the after-parties?” Camille asked.
Anna managed a brittle smile. “Perhaps.”
Two hours later, Anna slipped out of her dressing room, feeling as if she might have left some of her vital organs behind, because she couldn’t seem to breathe properly. She was about to perform in front of twenty thousand of her peers, not to mention the millions of people watching from home, and ...
She was going to pass out.
Kyrie closed the door to the dressing room behind them. “You okay?”
“No,” Anna whispered. “This is ... big. It’s so big, Kyrie. What if I fuck up? What if I forget all the words?”
“That’s what the teleprompter is for,” Eden said behind her.
Anna’s heart lurched into her throat, and she flushed with embarrassment that Eden had heard her freak out. “Right,” she managed.
Eden was dressed for her performance in a silver gown that was embellished with so many sequins and crystals she seemed to shimmer. Once the stage lights caught her, she would glow. She was a star. A legend. And Anna was ... not.
Way out of your league.Camille’s words echoed in her ears.
“This is your first Grammy performance?” Eden asked.
Anna could only nod.
“My advice: Don’t look at the audience. Look at me or at the cameras. It’s less intimidating that way.”
“Thank you,” Anna said. Not that looking at Eden was any less intimidating, although Anna had gotten a little more comfortable around her over the last few days. Eden had been easier to work with than she’d anticipated, but they’d kept things professional the whole time they were rehearsing. All work, no friendly chitchat.
“They did a great job with your dress,” Eden said. “I don’t think anyone will miss the context.”
“Yeah.” Anna looked down at her green dress, embellished with brightly colored silk flowers. It was almost an exact re-creation of the dress Eden had worn in her “Daydreamer” music video.
“Speaking of that dress ...” Paris stepped forward, holding up her cell phone. “Let me grab a few quick photos of you two together before you get out there.”
Anna stepped closer to Eden, and they wrapped an arm around each other to pose for Paris. Eden leaned closer, her cheek pressed against Anna’s as she held the phone overhead and snapped several photos. Anna’s inner fangirl rejoiced. Her teenage self would never have believed this moment could happen.
Warm tingles traveled up her spine, causing warning bells to clang in her head. Now that Anna had gotten to know the woman behind thecelebrity she’d admired for so long, her fangirl crush was becoming a real-life attraction, and ... this was not good. If she’d learned anything from her time with Camille, it was that lusting after a mentor only led to heartbreak.
A member of the arena crew approached, gesturing for them to follow him.
“All right, that’s our cue,” Paris said. “Good luck out there, ladies.”
“You got this.” Kyrie gave Anna’s shoulder a squeeze.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, but surprisingly, she felt calmer now than she had when she first left her dressing room. Anna had already lost the award for best music video—the only award she’d been favored to win—so now she just had to make it through this performance, and then she could relax and enjoy the rest of the night.
Sasha Sol was tonight’s big winner so far, and Anna was thrilled for her. She had met Sasha before the ceremony began, and she was a total sweetheart and so talented. Anna was a big fan of her music.
As the live broadcast went into a commercial break, Anna and Eden were rushed into position by members of the crew. Anna sat on the stool that had been placed for her behind the hill, hiding her from view. Around her, the stage buzzed with activity. Briefly, she wished she could watch Eden deliver the first half of her performance, but at least she could watch the replay later.
“Ten seconds!” a voice called.
The activity around her briefly intensified, and then everything went quiet as the show returned from the commercial break. She listened as Eden was introduced, and then the opening bars of “Alone” began to play. Sitting with her back against the structure that housed the band, Anna felt the vibrations of the music all the way to her bones.