I wasn’t sure what to do with myself as the guys got up. They’d go backstage, but I didn’t know if they wanted to be alone for a while or what. After a normal show, we all hung out together, but this had been different. It’d been magic.
Before I could move, Crow grabbed hold of me.
He didn’t just grab me; he picked me up in the air and swung me around. His beard tickled against my cheek. I held him tight. This was the perfect end to their show. I was in his arms, and it felt like heaven.
It became even more perfect when he pressed his lips against mine. This time, he kissed me slowly. Gently. Nothing like that kiss from before. I kissed him back. He tasted of burger, but then so would I. I sank into him, wanting this kiss to last forever. The crowd keep screaming, and it seemed like they were screaming for us. My heart screamed just as loud.
That kiss proved it. It proved everything. Things between us had shifted.
But just as suddenly as he’d lifted me up, he let me down. He grabbed a towel from one of the crew and wiped himself down, then walked off.
Huh?
What had that been about?
Would he have kissed any girl who’d been standing here? I didn’t know. I’d never seen him even look at anyone else before. Not so much as a glance.
Rose and Elijah went back to the VIP area, and I tagged along with them, still shell-shocked. I needed answers.
Crow wasn’t in the Freaks’ area when I got back there.
I sat alone at the table, not sure what to do. Damo and the crew stood around chatting about the show. Elijah and Rose were wrapped up in each other, literally. Matt had disappeared again.
“Hey, Damo, is that food area still open?” I asked.
He looked at his watch. “Yeah, for the next half-hour or so. You’d better run if you want stuff before they sell out, though.”
I nodded. I wasn’t even hungry, but standing in a food line beat the hell out of sitting around here, being all awkward. It wasn’t like I’d say no to another of those tacos.
I got to the food vans. The taco line was long again. I looked around, wondering if this was where Crow had got to, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. That guy drove me crazy with his attitude. I could still taste him on my lips and smell him on my skin, but he’d run off like that.
The line moved slowly. They’d better not run out of tacos before I got to the front. I traced circles in the dirt with my foot. I wasn’t even in a hurry, just anxious.
Finally, I got to the front of the line.
“We only have two chicken left,” the girl said.
“I’ll take them.”
I waited for her to make them up, then headed back to the Freaks. Even if I was ignored, I could eat my food and maybe have a beer. The world seemed flat and dull, but who knew. Maybe Crow had returned and maybe he had a good excuse for running out on me.
“Hey there, girlie,” someone said as I walked back.
Shit. It was the double jerk from before. I screwed up my nose and kept walking.
He grabbed my arm. “Don’t screw up your nose at me,” he said. “Don’t you know who I am?”
Actually, I didn’t.
“Yeah, you’re the jerk from before. Listen, I’m not interested, so take your hand off me.”
I tried to walk off, but his grip tightened. He moved his body closer to me. Way too close. His breath stank, and he really needed a shower.
“Your beardy boyfriend isn’t here to rescue you this time,” he said.
I twisted, trying to get out of his grasp. He put his other hand on me so I couldn’t get loose.
“I shouldn’t need him here. I need you to stop being a jerk.”
He laughed. “Come on, sweetie. You’re hot to trot. Don’t put on that bullshit.”
“I’m hot to kick your ass,” I said.
I wasn’t sure how I’d do that, since he was a lot bigger than me and I had my hands full with tacos. Then he started pulling me. If he got me inside his closed-off area, I’d be screwed. He had a hold of me from behind, so I couldn’t strike out at him or rub one of those tacos in his face. All I could do was kick back at him, but my foot didn’t connect.
A few people walked past, and I screamed out. Surely, they’d stop him. But they just laughed. Who did that? It was obvious the guy was being a dick.