Taking the microphone and looking out into the crowd, I felt more like myself. These people, or at least most of them, were here because they wanted to hear what I had to say. I had zero reason to be apprehensive, and the nerves started leaving me like water flowing over my skin. It happened so fast that by the time I started talking, I’d already forgotten why I’d been so nervous in the first place.
“Hey everyone, I’m Alistair Finn.” I paused because of the sheer jolts from the crowd as an uproar of positive cheering and hollering met my ears. I glanced over at Van, who was now visible from the curtain area but still obscured from the crowd. He gave me a warm smile and mimed a thumbs up. I smiled back as I saw the same jubilant enthusiasm from Priyanka. I had all the support in the world right now at this club. At least all the support I needed to continue. The applause died down and I took control back over the conversation as I spoke into the mic again. “Thanks for coming. I wanted to have this event to unveil the new music video for my latest single,Birthstone Baby.” Aftersome more cheers, I added. “Thank you to anyone and everyone that’s been showingThe Pressure To Cut Diamondssome love. I’m super proud of this album and I’m even prouder of this music video. So without further ado, here’s the premiere of my latest music video. Enjoy!” I kept the mic, but moved off the stage, clearing the view of the giant projector screen that the video was about to be projected on to. The lights dimmed as I took my spot next to Priyanka on the stage, giving a small smile to who must be either the owner of the club or the manager that Priyanka had briefly mentioned in the dressing room. The video started to play on the screen and the crowd was enacting their excitement as they saw the first shot of me buried in the pool of gemstones, before others within the crowd begged them to be quiet.
“Amazing, as usual.” Priyanka whispered to me. I made sure I held the mic away from us so our conversation wouldn’t get picked up before the proper start of the video.
“Thanks.” I said back, just as the Alistair in the video flared his eyes open and the music of the song started to throb it’s 808 heavy beat from the provided speakers.
The video went by really fast, and I was a little startled by how abruptly the lights went back up when it was over. I sauntered back to the spot directly in the center of the projector screen and gave the crowd a smile.
“What did you guys think?”
Cheers erupted once more, and I felt a throb of pride along my spine. We’d worked so hard on the video and I was glad to hear, at least from this crowd, that it had paid off. The video was already scheduled to go live online in a few hours, so these fans were the first to view it.
“Thanks so much for being the first people to see the video forBirthstone Baby. You might have noticed a little flyer at the end of the video.” Murmurs befell the general audience, and Icould see that people were waiting for my next choice of words. “We put that in the video because…” I could feel the buildup gathering in the audience before me, and a smirk lifted my lips as I kept the anticipation up for as long as possible. “I’m going on my first headlining tour.” The level of loudness from the fans, I never could have placed bets on. It was overwhelming in the best way possible to get this sort of response from the people who listened to my music. I managed to cut through the noise with my continued comments. “It’s called ‘The Cutting Diamonds Tour’ and it kicks off in Nashville on January 2nd!”
More cheers of excitement and more applause met me, and I looked to Priyanka with a smile. She was motioning for me to come off stage, so I turned back to the audience. “More info about the tour will be on socials momentarily. Thanks again for coming!”
Applause met my back as I turned, ambling over to Priyanka and handing the mic back to her as I made my way back to Van at the curtains. He vanished into them as my approach ended, and as soon as we were backstage again, I felt electric and alive. As usual, I’d been nervous for no reason. I’d just unleashed my music video to a room full of fans and announced tour. I still needed to post the announcements on socials, but for now, I was done. Now I could breathe.
“The video was even better the second time.” Van said proudly, leading me through the backstage area until we were back in the hallway where the rooms were located. “Congrats, Alistair.”
“Thank you.” I said with a slight simmer. “But I’m ready to go home. Gotta manage all the posts about the video and tour.” I shook my head, looking at how at peace Van looked. That was about to change as soon as we attempted to leave the venue. “Ready to go back to the car?”
Van turned to me, as if he had heard the unspoken insinuation I hadn’t said through my tone, the realization that my question meant we’d have to go back outside, where the fans were liable to be even more riled up than before after the announcements I’d made.
“This is going to be an adjustment.” Van sighed, but finished it off with a chuckle of support. “How do you do it?”
I snorted, shaking my head and scoffing. “When I figure it out, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
Stomping into the dressing room I’d been prepping in earlier, I grabbed my phone off the vanity and averted the screen. I had so much social media stuff to do when I got home, but for now, I could just slip my phone back into the pocket of my tight ass sequined pants and try to escape Periwinkle without a fuss.
Following Van’s lead, we started walking toward the entrance, to where we’d come in through the talent entrance of the club. I was ready to get back home. Now that tour was upcoming, I was going to be thrown on a serious regimen to get myself ready for tour. Despite my earlier misgiving, I was so ready for tour. Even though it still weirded me out sometimes, I was a star now. I needed to start acting like it.
“Come on,” He placed his hand on the small of my back, instantly ignited my skin. God, I really needed to go on a date or something to keep the thought of Van’s hands on me from derailing this still very new working relationship. “Let’s get you home.”
Chapter 9
“The rehearsal hall is confirmed, right?”I held up the phone, listening to Priyanka confirm my question. I was in the backseat of the car I’d ordered, with Van sitting quietly next to me. His tagging along to my attendance at a very McKendrick Thanksgiving was another one of Priyanka’s ideas, to get him even more acclimated to being by my side, regardless of the situation. He’d ultimately agreed.
“Right, then rehearsal can start right after Thanksgiving.” I sighed with a smile. Nothing said the holidays quite like spending thirteen hour days practicing cues and learning choreography. “Thanks, Pri. Yeah, we’re almost at Kit’s. I’ll tell his mom you said hi.” I half-scoffed, half-laughed. Priyanka would’ve come herself if she didn’t have her own family traditions. No one loved the McKendricks more than Priyanka. Except me, of course. “Love you too. Bye.”
I hung up the call, letting my phone fall back into my lap as I looked out the window to get a grip on our blurring surroundings as our driver maneuvered the car right by the sign that I’d grown so accustomed to, my heart both cringing and soaring at the sight of it.
The wooden sign told us that we were finally entering the town limits of Phoebe, North Carolina. The dark wood had an honestly terrifying jack-o'-lantern with purple bats adorning the spooky font, and just seeing it made me beam with pride. I loved being from Phoebe.
If only most of my memories of the town weren’t drenched in the alcohol of my mother’s mistakes.
The car jostled from the worn road, shaking me from my thoughts. It was Thanksgiving. I was back in my hometown and I was minutes away from seeing the people I truly considered family. I didn’t want to sour the day by being incapable of not thinking of the past.
From where Van sat beside me, I watched the eccentric Halloween decor that Phoebe was wrapped in assault his eyes. His mouth slacked in astonishment, giving me a little grin as he noticed me watching before turning back to gawk at all the manufactured spiderwebs that covered the lampposts that littered Main Street, the fake shrubbery that had fake blood staining the leaves, and the plethora of plastic pumpkins that were glued to the curb every couple of feet.
“This place is incredible.” Van’s tone was filled with childlike wonder, and it did absolutely everything to make him even more adorable to me. With my thoughts tinged with thoughts of my troubled past, I didn’t have the strength to safeguard myself from thinking Van was the cutest. Not today. Just today, I’d let myself think he was the most attractive man I’d ever met.
Even if it was going to fuck me up later. Because I’m a what? Masochistic hopeless romantic.
“Yeah, it’s pretty great.” I responded with a leaded sigh. As much as I wanted to think of Phoebe as the amazing place it was, I just had too much baggage to deal with. Maybe once I shed the past, now that my mother wasn’t intoxicating the town with her presence, I could make new memories.
“To think, the great Alistair Finn came from this town.” Van snickered.
