believing we’re just playing our usual set in some dirty, smoke-filled bar. I even imagine that Daniel is sitting in the audience, watching me with those intense eyes of his. I give the music my all, but it’s a bit different from playing in front of our usual crowd. They get hyped and I can’t help but absorb their energy. These stuffy, professional music-makers give me nothing but their attention. I’m having to pull the energy from within myself, and that leaves me feeling weak and tired.
We play our top three songs, and at the end, I’m breathless and feeling even more nervous. They whisper amongst themselves, their eyes always flickering back to us before going back to their whispers. I look back at the guys and they look just as nervous as I am. Van is chewing on his bottom lip, Ridge is twirling his hair around his finger, and Lane is tapping his hands on his thighs.
Finally, the three people sitting in chairs in front of us look up. The man in the middle smiles and says, “Congratulations!” The guys start screaming and picking me up, hugging and jumping. I don’t even get to hear the rest of what the man is saying.
The remainder of the afternoon is spent in a blur of meetings, paperwork, and talk of the future. It’s all just a whirlwind of one thing after another. Even though I’m filled with excitement, I’m also overwhelmed. There’s so much going on and so much to do—so many plans that it causes my anxiety to spike. We’re given the paperwork but I insist on having our lawyer check it over.
Technically, our band doesn’t have lawyer yet, but I happen to know one. Tuesday morning, I head over to his office with the file folder containing the paperwork. I walk into the office and there’s a pretty woman sitting behind the desk.
“Hello, do you have an appointment with Mr. Smith or Mr. Young?”
“I don’t have an appointment, but I’m here to see Daniel—I mean, Mr. Smith.”
“I’m sorry, Miss, but I can’t let you through without an appointment.” She starts looking at her computer, trying to find an acceptable date and time for me to return. As she’s looking at her computer screen, I take a few steps back, seeing the door to his office. I know it’s his because his name is on it. I quickly knock and open the door. Daniel is behind his desk with another man sitting across from him.
“Miss, you can’t go in there!” the woman yells from behind me.
Daniel stands up. “Luna, what are you doing here?”
The woman runs in ahead of me. She’s breathless from her short jog. “I’m sorry, Mr. Smith, Mr. Young. My eyes were only off her long enough to make her an appointment, and she was gone.”
Daniel holds up his hand, silencing her. “It’s fine, Katherine. Would you two give us a minute, please?”
“Of course,” Calvin says, standing up and moving toward the door with the breathless woman.
When the door closes behind them, Daniel takes a step toward me. “What’s going on?” he asks, fear and worry evident on his face, probably thinking I’m in some sort of trouble.
I smile wide. “We got signed!”
The corners of his mouth turn upward and he grins. “That’s awesome!” he says, picking me up against him and spinning me around. “I knew they wouldn’t pass on you.”
He sets me back on my feet and our eyes meet. His hands are still around my waist and I feel the tension between us begin to grow. It’s like we’ve both realized at the exact same moment that this means our time is nearly over. Sadness seems to settle over us both. Electricity pops and crackles between us, pulling us closer and closer until our lips are pressed together. I drop the file folder on his desk and reach up, wrapping my arms around his neck as our kiss grows more urgent. My hands move up to thread into his hair as I pull him closer. I need him closer. I need him as close as he can get because deep down, I think we both know that this could be our last time.
His hands fall from the small of my back down to my ass, and he squeezes it firmly as he picks me up against him. I’m only half-aware that I’m being moved until I feel him set me on top of his desk. With his hands now free, he pushes and