I was shocked that Van wasn’t prying into why my mind was feeling heavier than usual. Maybe that’s what was going to make him a great security guard, the not prying. I could use more of the silent support type in my life.
“A bit.” I admitted. “Are you ready for this?”
“Definitely. I’ll admit, I’m curious to see how noticed you are.”
I couldn’t help but toss a laugh at him. “Not convinced I’m that popular?”
“Oh, not at all!” He waved me off, blush decorating his cheek. It was really cute to see that he was easily flustered by my words. Not that I was keeping that in mind, of course. “I guess I’m just intrigued to see it, but I’m ready to do my job properly.”
I had no doubts that Van would keep me protected. Wasting no more time, the car I’d ordered from rideshare arrived and wequickly piled into the backseat of the large SUV. Van had been the perfect gentleman, opening my door for me and everything. I could definitely get used to that.
Priyanka, Rodrigo, and Blue were all meeting us at the venue, a club by the name of Periwinkle. It was a newer club, but Priyanka had assured me that it was the next big club in Nashville. As long as we were able to have a smooth event, I was fine with whatever. I wanted to try my best to shed the thoughts about my mother and focus on my career. I had so many exciting things to look forward to. That’s what I should be honing in on, not that stupid dream or the woman that was haunting it.
Our car pulled up to the club and there was already a crowd amassed outside, a line leading down the sidewalk and wrapping around the block. Another score for Priyanka on the being right front. The club was obviously where it was at.
Van hopped out of the vehicle once it stopped at the curb, just by the entrance of the place. I hated to skip the line, but being the featured artist of the night had its perks and I just wanted to get in safely. Being the gentleman that he was, Van sauntered around the back of the car until he pried open my door.
As soon as he did so though, people careened their necks to witness who was pulling up, being driven by their sheer need to kill their curiosity. Someone screamed my name and pointed, and all fucking hell broke loose. I managed to get out of the car, cradled by the safety of Van’s arms as he kept turning around, seeing the fans and looking absolutely bewildered by them. They kept screaming their excitement at me as they swarmed the car, and I managed to plaster on a smile even though my heartbeat was like a battering ram trying to escape my chest. Fear and adrenaline fueled me, and I watched as Van kept asking people to politely make room. When they did, he shifted his arms, still keeping them in a cocoon around me as he led me toward the entrance.
“Alistair, I love your music!” One of them yelled as I walked by.
I managed to catch the person’s eye who spoke, giving them my best genuine smile. “Thank you so much.” And then Van ushered me to the entrance, making me go in front of him and all cries and cheers of joy were cut off from me as we made our way inside the club. Van managed to give the bouncer my name and saying that we needed to get inside, only getting a nod from the man watching the door as we slipped in.
The door rattled shut behind us, Van keeping the door closed as he leaned against the frame. I turned around to face him, looking around our surroundings. We were in a small little room that clearly kept the public from the main room, a little room where people could check their coats and things of that nature. Down at the end of the red lit room was a sort of kiosk where an overworked and underpaid employee sat browsing their phone, not even paying us any mind.
“Holy shit,” Van managed to blurt out as he straightened himself up and dusted off his tux. “I knew you were famous but I didn’t realize you werethatfamous.”
I let out a tapered snort. “Famous is a relative term, but yeah. The fans are…spirited sometimes.”
“And all of this within the last couple of months?” Van winced. “You’re handling it rather well.”
Suddenly tuned into our conversation, the guy at the accessory checking kiosk looked up at the pair of us, his jaw slacking.
“Oh my God, you’re Alistair Finn.”
Giving Van a nod, we walked side by side as we cut the space between us and the guy at the kiosk. Van was assessing the area, turning his neck every which way while I smiled at the employee.
“Hi, that’s right. I’m Alistair, nice to meet you.”
“Fucking hell,” The guy let out a scoff that ended in a lopsided smile. “I’m so sorry, but can I get a picture? My girlfriend is never going to believe me if I don’t have proof.”
I chuckled. Fan interactions like this didn’t make me nearly as nervous. Especially given that it was just the three of us in the room. “Absolutely. What’s your name?”
“Ryan.”
“Nice to meet you, Ryan.” He handed me his phone, and I gave Van a quiet plea with my eyes. “Can you take a picture of us right quick?”
“Sure.”
Ryan walked in front of the counter and stood next to me, looking a little awkward, like he didn’t know if we were allowed to touch or not. I set his mind at ease by draping my arm around his shoulders and posing at the phone Van had pointed at us. Ryan eased at my silent request, easing into the sideways embrace and joining me in smiling at his phone.
The flash went off exactly twice before Van proceeded to hand the phone back to Ryan. The timid employee checked the picture and then gave me a wide grin. “Thanks so much, man. You’re music’s really cool.”
“I appreciate that. Tell your girlfriend I said hi.”
Ryan thought this was the most amazing thing in the world, judging by how much his mouth dropped at my comment. “I for sure will.”
He returned to behind the counter, and Van cleared his throat before folding his in front of each other, draped down so that his hands conjoined. “Is there a different entrance other than walking through the main dance floor? Alistair has an event that’s starting soon.”
