a steady beat going. Rick worked in a simple bass line between the verses, and Shane continued as he had once before. That first verse had made me sad when I’d first heard it, picturing broken-hearted Shane, but now he was describing the house he’d be coming home to, tonight probably. Dark and empty. I’d left it that way.
Hope glints against the darkness
Pinpricks of light
Fill the night sky
Moonage daydreams
And the time comes
For her star to burn bright
Ash said, “Damn, girl.”
Shane looked up, and the entire stage exploded in tiny pinpricks of light everywhere, like stars shining. The crowd ate it up. The rhythm transformed, picked up as he sang the chorus.
Constellations turn
Turn around in flight
Stars shine
Shine against the night
Wish I may
Wish I might
Find my one true love’s light.
That was the extent of the song as far as I knew. I expected him to simply repeat the chorus and end there. He proved me wrong. Yet, again.
The key changed, as did his strumming pattern. Noah came in with the melody from the chorus, but it played against the bridge in a way that gave me unexpected chills.
I’m a star man
waiting in the sky.
Another cheer erupted at the nod to David Bowie.
Show me a sign
A flicker of ginger-haired star shine
Beguiling beacon
I think she’ll blow my mind
I was chewing on my knuckles to keep from squealing. With the Bowie throwbacks and the references to my hair and his nickname for me, not to mention the incredible sexiness of him playing that guitar, I was ready to take him back. If that’s where this was headed. I hoped it was where this was headed. Who could resist a love song serenade? Then he started the second verse.
Her star shoots across the heavens
A wondrous sight
Touch the sky
She falls to earth
And I catch her
‘Mine,’ I say, holding tight
On this last line, he looked menacingly from right to left across the audience, his impact clear: He knew he’d been wrong. The whole band was jamming out. Noah started playing in earnest, a whole crazy show-off guitar solo. Then all at once, every instrument but Shane’s guitar went silent, and the guys all froze. The lights dropped except the single white beam on Shane.
I don’t know if he’d ever played for so long, and he’d started making some mistakes, but he kept going. He strummed that original set of chords and leaned in.
Her spirit burns too hot to hold
Though souls align
I set her free
And gaze above
For her star shine
To ease my worried mind
The last line sucker-punched me, in a good way. If I hadn’t known the song was for me, that last line, stolen from Eric Clapton’s “Layla” sealed the deal. He sang the chorus once more, now with all the guys joining in. And then as he wrapped it up, he said one time. “Forgive me, Layla. I was wrong.”
The lights dropped, and after a beat, the crowd went insane. The video shut off right after, and every head swiveled toward me.
“Well?” asked Jo. “What do you think of that?”
Eden reached down to the lower shelf of an end table and came up with a box of Kleenex. She nudged Ash with it, and Ash held it out to me. I plucked out a few and pressed them to my cheeks. It took me a minute to find my voice.
“That’s been up since Tuesday?” Tears fell unchecked. “Why didn’t you say anything, Ash?”
She put her hands up in defense. “I’ve been busy with the baby. I had no idea.”
I looked from Jo to Eden. “We assumed you’d seen it. Don’t you run a fan site? We figured you’re all over concert videos. Didn’t your posters send you links?”
My eyes closed. “They did.” They’d probably posted it to the forum before I took it down. Shane hadn’t shot me a link. He’d waited, and I’d said nothing. For nearly a whole week.
The front door opened, and a voice called, “Eden? You here?”
In walked Micah and Noah. I tilted my head, trying to see between them, watching for Shane, but the door closed. Micah came in and hugged Eden, then slid in next to Jo. “We figured you guys would have food.”
Noah waved at everyone and wandered straight out back to the grill where Adam now reigned supreme. I caught Ash’s head bobbing back and forth, trying to watch both the new guys at once.
“Micah, this is my friend Ash.”
He leaned forward with his hand outstretched. “Hi! Any friend of Layla’s.”