Then I see her.
Effa.
She’s changed out of her usual leather and boots. Tonight, she’s in flats and wearing a long, flowing summer dress that dances with the breeze. Her hair’s down, soft and wavy, glowing under the ambient lights, and a white floral headband crowns her head.
This woman looks ethereal.
Like she doesn’t belong in the chaos of this world, but came here anyway to shake it up.
The other girls have dialed it down, too, going for a more casual vibe, but Effa? She’s something else entirely. The usual edge is gone, replaced by something calm, natural, radiant, like she’s letting the energy of this place soak into her skin.
As they approach the back stairs, hidden from most of the crowd, she stops and turns.
Then locks eyes with me.
That look?
It hits like a fucking freight train.
A surge of raw energy slices through the night air, slamming straight into my chest. My pulse kicks up instantly, my heart pounding as if I’m on stage instead of her.
She smiles, winks, and then turns away and climbs the stairs.
One look.
That’s all it takes.
And I know I’ve got an effect on her.
I see it when we’re close.
But damn if she doesn’t mess with my head just as much.
She makes my pulse race.
And Ifuckinglove it.
“Fuck me. You should see how far your tongue’s hanging out of your mouth right now,” Tank mutters, dragging me back to the present.
I shoot him a glare as he fiddles with the lighting cues, clearly enjoying himself too much.
“Shut up and do your damn job.” I grunt, dragging in a breath to center myself and shift focus back to the control panel.
The crowd roars, finally catching sight of the girls when they step into the light and move to the front of the stage. Their energy flips the atmosphere from simmering to explosive.
“Hey, Colorado! How you all doing tonight?” Effa calls out, her voice echoing over the crowd.
Alana drops into aJunglemix on the DJ set, effortlessly controlling the build. She’s got serious skills because it takes a hell of a lot of timing and instinct to blend the live and digital like that. The crowd goes wild, stomping and cheering in sync. It’s not stadium-level volume, but it still shakes the amphitheater with enough force to buzz in your chest.
I can’t help the slow grin tugging at my mouth. This crew is something else. Being part of this team—hell, helping bring their vision to life—it feels so good.
“I think you might’ve heard of us,” Effa says, full of fire and confidence. “We’re a little band calledLuminous, and we’re here to rock your fucking socks off tonight. So hold on to your seats ‘cause we’re about to blow this joint!”
Alana slides into the first beat of “Falling,” and the lights dim on cue. Kristy drives in with heavy percussion while Andi and Casey come in behind her with grinding guitar riffs. It hits hard and fast, pure electric rock, gritty and clean all at once.Luminousowns this stage—every time.
The sound pulses through me as I track the sequencing on my screen, my eyes flicking up just enough to watch Effa step into the rhythm as if she were born for it. She moves like the music is tethered to her spine, gliding across the stage with an effortless sway that hypnotizes. She hoists her guitar into place, her hair catching the breeze and tumbling over her shoulders in waves of golden light.
Fuck, she is everything.
