Page 80 of Serenade Me

Then, like a slow motion montage, I see the crowd’s arms rise in unison, and in the corner of my eye, she jumps from the stool and runs into arms I didn’t even realize I was holding open for her.

And I spin her, spin her so long, we forget to be dizzy, and simply lose ourselves in a kiss, as the whole world around up cheers.

The whole world that is, but one.

***

“Oh my god! Did you hear the crowd? They loved it!” She screams excitedly at me as I try to lead her off the stage after our set is done.

“It was a little hard to miss, babe.”

“Oh my god, it was for me!”

I laugh, before I mean to. Because now I understand, this is all new to her. I take her by the shoulders and force her to look at me.

“Yes, it was for you. It was ALL for you, you were the only one on stage playing. And it was YOUR PLAYING that they were going crazy for. Why? Because you are a freaking star… and don’t you ever let anyone, ANYONE ever tell you otherwise.”

She doesn’t look away, but for a split second a see a shadow cross her face, before it’s replaced by a look of exuberation. “DAMN. FUCKING. STRAIGHT. I’m a star!” She throws her arms out and yells to no one in particular.

“You bet your as-, er, HARP you are!” Brad calls out, running towards us. “You were amazing, Anca. Really. There was something different about tonight.”

“She was happy.” We all turn to see Jez standing there, his hands deep in his pockets, his eyes fixed on Anca.

There’s something in that revelation, and it coming from him that makes us all stand silent for a moment. Then she pulls away from me and walks over to her brother, pulling him into a hug. I try to look away, wanting to give them a private moment, but I can’t help it. There’s something in the tender way he holds her, her cheek tight against his chest, his resting on her shoulder, that touches me. And makes me regret all the hurt that we’ve caused him.

They pull away, and smile at each other for a moment.

“I am happy, Jezzy.”

“I can see that, Anca. I can. Whether I want to admit to the reason or not, the fact is, you are.”

She steps away from him and back to me, slipping her hand into mine. There’s a tensing of his jaw, but that’s all.

He nods to me, and I can just barely hear the words under his breath, “Take care of her.”

I nod back, and he turns on his heels and walks away.

“Well! Um… okay then!” Brad speaks, to break the ice. “So… who’s turn is it to shout for drinks?”

“I’ll pay!” pipes up a little voice, and we all spin to see Ben walking up to us hand in hand with his Mom.

“Deal!” Brad laughs as he picks Ben up into his arms.

“Mom? Can I borrow some money?” Ben yells to his mom who rolls her eyes and throws her hands up in the air.

“Why don’t you ask Brad? He’s the millionaire!” Emily suggests, practically.

“Well, last time I asked him to buy me a toy truck, he said he needs to save his money, so there’s something for me to inherit,” Ben shoots back, his voice serious as Brad tries to hide his smile behind the little boy’s back.

We all laugh, perfectly able to imagine Brad telling him just that. In the lightness of the moment, I feel Anca lean against me and sigh. For the moment at least, it seems Jez has given his approval, and that might just have to do for now.

***

The next week rushes by in a daze. Four cities and concerts in as many days, we spend most of it either passed out on the tour bus, on stage, or in fast food restaurants trying to get enough sustenance for the next day.

Anca and I try to steal as much time alone as we can, but the moments are few and very far between. It’s harder still trying not to rub our time together in Jez’s face, who has mostly remained civil, if not avoiding us both when he can.

The only time we know we are guaranteed some moments alone is that half hour carved out before our performances that I insist we have to sit down so we can both meditate and be prepared for our concerts.