I was jonesing for it the entire back half of the setlist. Unfortunately, business came first.
“Fine.” I glanced immediately at Van. “But you’re coming with me.”
“Of course.” Van nodded, like it had already been a given.
“I don’t feel safe being around them alone.” I really hated that this impromptu meeting was really killing my adrenaline buzz, so I slapped on a simple smile and tried to let it go.
“I’m sorry, Alistair,” Priyanka apologized, recognizing the look on my face. “I should have waited to talk to you about it and made them wait instead of the other way around. That’s my bad.”
“No, it’s fine. You did the right thing, Pri.” I gave Van a tilt of my head, gesturing away from everyone. “Let’s go, Van. I want to hurry up and get this over with.”
“Congrats again, Alistair.” Blue said, clapping my shoulder once, probably heading off to his own dressing room to gather his things and head home himself. How I envied him.
I told Priyanka it was fine one last time before I weaved through the bustling crew that was working to wrap everything up that needed to be done, leading Van toward the direction of my dressing room.
“So who are these people?” Van questioned as we wound our way throughout the backroom of the stadium.
“I don’t know much about Lafayette, but his family’s reputation is horrid. They’ve been very loud about just how anti-Orb they are, and I don’t want anything to do with them because of it.”
There was a grimace that graced Van’s face, and I wasn’t quite sure where it was coming from. Although, he’d been surprised but elated by my inclusion of Orbs in my music video, so I knew he was supportive of Orb rights.
Another reason I wasn’t overly excited about meeting this Rhodes couple was because I had hired Orb backup dancers for the tour, and they were liable to know about the Rhodes controversy. Having me associated with them wasn’t how I wanted to thank the Orbs that had agreed to be a part of this tour. So I hoped that having Van with me would, at least, allow Lafayette and Veronica to be on their best behavior.
Managing to cool down my anger, I turned into a more neutral space mentally by the time Van and I had turned a corner, allowing the mirages of our awaiting guests to take shape and start solidifying in my eyes.
Lafayette Rhodes was a tall man, looking just as acclimated to having height as he looked friendly. He almost seemed like he had a permanent scowl tattooed on the front of his face. It wasn’t until he realized that we could see him that his expression changed from one of pointed apathy to one of cautious kindness. He smoothed out his hands over the pressed white suit that he was wearing. Bold of a man to wear this much white while traversing a hectic stadium, but I’m sure his dry cleaner absolutely adored him for it.
Veronica Rhodes looked more familiar to me, probably having seen her from television in one way or another, though I couldn’t recall an exact time. Her blonde hair mimicked her husband’s perfectly, only contrasting by hers being long and tucked back into a messy ponytail while Lafayette’s was shortand slicked back with violent intention. Her green eyes paired well with his blue ones, and she had an admittedly adorable freckle just underneath her eyes that he didn’t, making her instantly more interesting looking.
She did a small squeal when her attention swung away from her husband and was rightly aimed at Van and I. Her verdant eyes shined with a brightness they hadn’t held previously, and it made me think she was genuinely happy to see me approach.
“Alistair Finn,” Veronica said with her high pitched voice, full of saccharine silkiness. Her satin powder blue dress looked less intentional as her husband’s attire. She was instantly more personable than him, and it made me give her a warm smile as I stopped to stand in front of her. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet us.”
I gave Van a sideways glance, making sure he was still within arm’s reach, just in case. Van gave me a tight nod, letting me know that he was more than ready. Once he stood just a foot or two away and folding his arms behind his back, looking every bit of the intimidating bodyguard that I needed him to be in that moment, I returned my attention back to Veronica and Lafayette.
She’d outstretched her hand in way of a greeting, and the only polite thing to do was to grasp her hand and shake it accordingly. I took a glance at her husband when I did, and something about his stare made me completely uneasy. It wasn’t that he was looking at me with a glare or giving me a look. He just seemed…off. Off in a way that I couldn’t put my finger on, and I had to tear myself away from his eyes before I got lost in the enigma of their void.
When I didn’t respond right away, Veronica kept the conversation flowing. “I know you’ve already booked an interview on The Gab, but I’m such a huge fan that I’d hoped to meet you beforehand.”
Lafayette finally stirred from his stoic stance, crossing his arms as he gave his wife a pointed stare. It seemed affectionate, but I still wasn’t buying it. “She bought tickets to no less than five of your shows.” He scoffed playfully. “Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, and you justhadto have tickets to the hometown Charlotte show—”
“Oh hush,” She giggled, swatting her husband the way she would a pestering fly. I wasn’t swayed he wasn’t some sort of insect in a human suit anyway. “You’re going to make him think I’m sort of deranged fangirl.”
“You are, darling.” Lafayette chuckled, wrapping an arm around his wife so that his arm disappeared behind the small of Veronica’s back. “But it’s one of your many charms.”
Absolutely ignoring the insincere vibe I was getting from Lafayette, I smiled brightly at her. “Thank you so much, I really appreciate you wanting to seek me out. I hope you enjoyed the show.”
“Oh, it was excellent!” She praised, clapping her hands together in a praying stance. “Being able to hear you play this new tour version ofAre You Really That Weak?as well as stripping it down closer to the original during the acoustic set was nothing short of paradise.”
I stifled my laugher and shook my head. Okay, Veronica was quite charming. And how could she not be? Praising me and my art was a sure fire way to get into my good graces. But her husband was so…I don’t know. I just didn’t like him, and I had no reason to, other than the ties to his family.
Deciding to play with fire a bit, I decided that little Lafayette needed a poke. Maybe then I could make heads or tails of him. “I’m surprised to see you out and about,” I said, directly to him, not even bothering to make eye contact with Veronica. “You know, with all the bad press surrounding your family.”
I saw something unreadable pass across his face, my words seeming to have hit a nerve. Or, for all I knew, he was restrengthening his wards, because he wasn’t wavering at all like I’d expected. Veronica kept staring between me and her husband, already sensing that the vibe had shifted.
“Ahh, I see Mr. Finn here isn’t too busy to read up on all the family woes we have, dear.” His words indicated that he was speaking to Veronica, but his eyes had yet to leave mine. “Color me surprised.”
“Mr. Finn isn’t necessary.” I scoffed, keeping my stronghold on our stare. “Alistair is just fine.”
