his mind the steps of the task he’d completed dozens and dozens of times by this point.
All the pedals, cords, the wireless system and the equalizer were safely tucked inside their cases behind the wall of equipment belonging to the opening act. Ready to go. Perfectly organized. Nothing could go wrong.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then why did he feel like he was going to throw up?
Someone nudged his arm with their elbow, and he turned to see Pete grinning at him. He leaned in close, the way they’d all had to speak to each other all week when the cacophony of music was at its peak.
“This is it. For real this time.”
Braylin nodded shakily, his mouth too dry to attempt a response.
Pete nudged him again. “You’ll do fine.”
Braylin offered him a slight smile. Pete was right. He’d been spot on at every rehearsal and sound check had gone off like a dream. There was nothing to worry about.
A roar of applause went up as the opening act finished their set, and Braylin side-stepped out of the way so they could exit the stage and wait to go back out for their encore. He chewed on his thumbnail, his leg jiggling as the nervousness coursed through his body, eating a hole in his stomach.
He needed to admit the truth to himself. The real reason he was so anxious was that he didn’t want to disappoint Zen.
The guitarist, drummer and lead singer from Sharp Edges excitedly pushed past him and Pete then huddled together, fist-pumping the air and slapping each other on the back. This was their first time opening for a name act, their first big tour. Their debut record had hit big and they seemed poised to rightfully take a seat at the headliner’s table.
Braylin squinted his eyes to try and parse out if anyone from Glitter Kink was waiting in the wings on the other side of the stage where the keyboardist and bassist had exited. Everything had been so chaotic at sound check, with Sal and Zen arguing over something Braylin hadn’t been privy to. Zen had gone back and forth, then would use the front steps to discuss something with the sound guy then the lighting crew, never taking the stage from the same spot.
He narrowed his eyes again, and this time, he caught sight of Derek. Braylin assumed that meant that Sal would be entering from this side, since those two hadn’t spoken a word to each other since that first awful day at the rehearsal hall. The lead singer of Sharp Edges gave a thumbs up, holding his hand high as if signaling to his other bandmates from across the stage. The musicians trotted past him, and the cheering crowd got louder.
Braylin went back to chewing his thumbnail, the adrenaline picking up steam as Sharp Edges tore through their final number. This was it. Any moment now, he’d be up.
Someone grabbed his wrist and Braylin jumped, his head whipping around as he readied himself to tell Pete to knock it off. His jaw went slack as his eyes met Zen’s instead. Zen gently pulled Braylin’s hand away from his face then leaned down. His heated breath wafted over Braylin’s cheek as he whispered in Braylin’s ear, “Don’t chew.”
Braylin swallowed hard then gave Zen a jerky nod. “Sorry,” he croaked out.
He doubted Zen could hear what he’d said over the thundering beats, but Zen gave him a lopsided smile and soft pat on his shoulder. They continued to stare at each other, and heat crawled up Braylin’s neck and into his face.
The moment was broken as Gordy ambled up to them and bumped shoulders with the gorgeous Zen, who was standing before Braylin in low slung leather pants. As Zen and Gordy fell into conversation with each other, it offered Braylin the opportunity to drink in the rest of Zen’s stage attire.
In addition to the skin-tight pants, Zen wore a see-through, open-collared magenta shirt adorned with velvet brocade accents. When he turned to speak to Gordy, the lights from the stage caught the sparkle in the fabric. The top would be spectacular under the lights. Zen also wore a bib necklace that reminded Braylin of something an Egyptian king would wear—except Braylin had never seen one embedded with multi-colored rhinestones before. Zen’s signature three pairs of diamond studs that graduated in size along each ear and his array of large, gold and gemstone rings completed his look.
In all, Zen outdid any rocker on