Lovestruck

16. Theo

CHAPTER 16

Theo

Mallie sat cross-legged, her eyes closed and her fingers on her guitar strings as she worked through her acoustic songs for the night. I watched, transfixed, as she played a few chords, sang, and then stopped.

There were so many things that I loved about this woman, but watching her do this was at the top of the list. I loved music and always had, but as a listener and appreciator, not as someone who could sing a tune at all.

Seeing her do this was like getting national security secrets. It felt illegal and also the most amazing experience. The guys and their girls were out exploring London, and as much as it would be cool to do so, I couldn’t leave her. She had her hair piled on top of her head in a bun, as she did when she was writing or practicing. I loved the little pieces of hair that refused to comply when she did that. They curled around her face and neck and were just the cutest things I’d ever seen.

She wore the outfit she’d wear to the stadium in a little bit, a pair of yoga pants and a cutoff shirt. I couldn’t stop staring at her, and I wondered if it would always be this way. I was so excited to see her play again tonight. I knew she expected one of her biggest crowds ever in a sold-out stadium, and this time, I would get to watch it from the floor.

I couldn’t wait to hear her fans screaming the lyrics back at her. She also told me what to expect as far as the fans with me, and I was excited about that, too. I loved interacting with the Blaze fans, and now her fans were like an extension of that. I was naturally an extrovert, so having people come up to me during the show wouldn’t bother me at all.

Zoey and Mallie’s mom, or Mom as she indicated for me to call her, walked into the room. They both smiled at me and then stood behind me, listening to Mallie sing. I recognized the song, but I definitely had homework to do to learn every single one of her songs. I was determined to do it, though.

When she finished, her angelic voice quieting, she smiled at the three of us. Her gaze locked onto mine and she bit her lip. I knew exactly what would happen right now if we didn’t have an audience, but that would have to wait for later.

“You’re so fucking talented,” I said. “I could literally listen to you forever.”

I heard her mom sigh, and I turned to smile at her. She was very vocal about her appreciation for my love of her daughter because I didn’t hide it. Why would I? She was the most amazing person in the world.

“Thanks, baby,” she said. “I’m playing those tonight so I wanted to just refresh myself before we go over.” Mallie looked at Zoey. “Is it time to go?”

Zoey nodded. “If you’re ready, yes.” I loved how they respected the hell out of her artistry, and even if there was somewhere to be, they made sure she was ready to go. “We’ve got your stuff packed and in the vehicles. Conor is downstairs already. We’re going out the back because there’s quite a scene going on in the front.”

Mallie smiled and stood up. My eyes immediately went to her fine ass in those yoga pants when she turned to put the guitar in its case. That made me think of taking her from behind in front of the mirror, and I had to look away before I got a hard-on in front of Zoey and Mallie’s mom. I knew we didn’t get to spend much time together, and that played a factor, but I swore that I would never tire of making love with this woman. She was so responsive, and generous, and also not afraid to say what she liked and how she liked it.

“You ready for this?” she asked me. I wanted to travel with her to the show and go backstage and see her entire experience.

“More than ready,” I said. I grabbed Mallie’s hand and the guitar case she carried.

“Thanks, baby,” she said. I would never tire of that, either. It may be cliché, but I loved her calling me that. I leaned over and kissed her as we walked.

The door opened and Rico appeared. He took the guitar case from me and we headed to the elevator, where three other security guys waited.

“I love you,” I whispered. I dropped her hand and put my arm around her shoulders as we entered the elevator, the entourage behind us. I pulled her to me and kissed her head, and she leaned into me.

“I love you, too, Teddy. So much.”

There was something unbelievable about the energy in the stadium, waiting for Mallie to come out, but in the best way. I sported my Lovestruck concert tee that I went and got myself when we got here. I may have created a pandemonium and ended up taking pictures and signing autographs for a good hour, but it was fun and I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed seeing Spencer, Xavier, and Isaiah with fans and buying merch to support her.

Of course the girls all got things, too, but they had their concert outfits picked out a month ago, so they didn’t wear them. Each of them was dressed in a different theme, as were most of the concertgoers. Bright colors, sequins, and hearts were abundant. I recalled this from the first concert, but being in the thick of it was different.

We stood inside Mallie’s VIP area, which was just off the floor section. We had an amazing view of the stage. Her opener was playing, a young all-girl band up and coming in the music industry. They were good, and I knew being here as an opener for Mallie would be life-changing for them.

Mallie’s mom entered the tent, having been out in the crowd handing out hearts before Mallie came out, looking for fans to upgrade to floor seats. She did it at every show. They were little fabric hearts with the Lovestruck logo on them and Allie Witt on the back, and fans collected them. They often took pictures with “Mama Witt,” as they called her and posted them all over social media.

“Want one?” she asked. I nodded and she put it in my hand. I looked at it and smiled at the memory of Spencer finding one of those behind her cutout at her first show. I didn’t know what a treasure it was at the time, but I did now. All I knew was that it was something to remind me of her, and I kept it. It was in my underwear drawer at home. I wasn’t sure that I had mentioned that to Mallie before.

I slid it into the pocket of my jeans and smiled. Now I had two. A thought came to me. I needed to collect hearts from each show I went to. Since I planned to be at all her shows this week, I would have five after this. I’d collect them and not tell her until I had a whole drawer full.

“Nice shirt,” she said.

“I like it,” I responded. “Definitely my color.” The shirt was black, but the writing was all pink and had Mallie’s face with a neon-pink heart around it and Lovestruck above it. I mean, I had no problems at all wearing my girl’s face on my shirt. I may sleep in it every night I’m without her.

I pointed to the guys, all standing at the railing with drinks in their hands, vibing to the opener. They had different variations of the shirt on, but all of us represented.

“You guys are amazing,” she said. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket. “Looks like I’m needed by the girl of the hour,” she joked. “I’ll be back.”

“Tell her I love her and to kick ass,” I said. I knew Mallie didn’t have her phone on her before the show, and I told her I loved her an hour ago, but still. It could never be too many times.

She grinned and hugged me, her head only reaching my chest. “Thank you,” she said.

“Thank you for?”

“For pursuing her. For showing her that love can be different for her. Hell, for showing all of us that. For loving her out loud and not being afraid for people to know it. For embracing who she is and loving every minute of it.”

Well, hell. I didn’t think I’d cry today. Tears filled my eyes as I held the older woman. “You don’t have to thank me for that. She’s worth all of that and more. I’m the lucky one here, and I will never stop being thankful that she gave me the chance to know her, and I will always guard her heart and keep it safe.”

She pulled away and patted my chest. “You’re the one she’s been waiting for her whole life.” With that ultimate compliment given, she turned to walk away to go backstage. I turned and Spencer stood next to me.

“Mom’s stamp of approval,” he said. “That’s huge.”

“Of course she loves me,” I joked. “What’s not to love?”

He slapped my back. “I’m so happy for you, man. I can’t believe you made this happen.” He gestured around him. “This is some wild shit. If you had told me six months ago this would be what we’d be doing, I would’ve laughed in your face.”

“I would’ve laughed in my face too,” I said.

“Can you manifest us winning the championship, too, since you’re apparently winning at life?”

I nodded and we turned our attention back to the stage as the music changed and the countdown came on for Mallie to come out. The crowd screamed, and all of us lined the perimeter of the area, ready to watch our girl take the stage.

I held my breath as the countdown turned to zero and the lights started flashing pink. Lacey, Sydney, and Brittanie held on to each other and jumped up and down in full-on fangirl mode. The opening chords to “Lovestruck” pounded through the speakers. Mallie’s beautiful voice echoed throughout the stadium, but no one could see her just yet. Deafening screams overtook her for a moment, but then her voice rang out again.

My eyes fixated on the spot where I knew she would come out. Within moments, the stage opened and she appeared in her all-pink glitter bodysuit with her matching pink boots. I held my breath at the sight of her. It wasn’t that I hadn’t seen it before, but being here, this close to her, seeing her in her element, was something I was not prepared for. She was so fucking beautiful I couldn’t stand it.

My heart pounded as I sang along to her headlining song about falling in love quickly and deeply and being so struck by it you couldn’t even breathe. I know how that feels, I thought, because you did it to me . She danced and strutted and killed the vocals in that first song, and the audience knew it. When the song ended, she stood in the middle of the stage, looking around at the audience.

“London! It’s so great to be back with you again! You’re looking amazing tonight!” The crowd screamed so loud that my ears rang. Mallie looked over at us and I grinned, waving at her like the fool I was. “Did you see I have some extra-special guests tonight?” She pointed at the VIP area, and my mouth dropped open in surprise.

The crowd went wild, and the guys and I held up our arms in celebration. The girls jumped up and down and screamed again, waving at Mallie. She waved back to them before she looked right at me. I held my gaze with Mallie’s and she blew me a kiss. I caught it and put it on my lips, not even caring that the whole world was watching.

“Let’s make this show extra special for them tonight, okay, London?” She wiggled her fingers at me one more time, and I blew her a kiss. She held her hand over her heart before she turned to grab her guitar for the next song.

“That was the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen,” Lacey said in my ear. “She really just called you out in front of everyone.”

“She did,” I said, still shocked.

Mallie sat on a stool, strumming the guitar; the lights focused directly on her. She wore a long white flowing dress, her hair slightly frizzy from hours of dancing and singing.

Sweat dotted her face and neck, and she looked like a fucking angel. The screens around the stadium showed a close-up of her face, and I stared at those big blue eyes, so expressive and full of emotion. This was the last set of her show and her favorite part. This was the part where she would sing what I watched her practice earlier.

I swayed back and forth as she played notes, watching as she looked out over the audience. “This has been such a special night for me and the band,” she said, her voice thick. “I want you to know that I never take for granted being able to do this and that you care about my music. It is my lifeline to write and sing songs, and it’s a bonus that you guys like it, too.”

The crowd screamed and cheered, and I felt myself getting choked up. This woman.

“God, I love her,” Brittanie said from beside me, wrapping her arm around mine and leaning against it. I loved the relationship I had with my best friends’ women. They were like sisters to me. I nodded in agreement but didn’t take my eyes off the vision on the stage.

She began singing the lyrics I heard earlier, and I mouthed the words, not wanting my off-key voice to detract from her. The audience sang along quietly, soaking in her voice as it reverberated across the stadium. Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt the emotion of the crowd. Mallie was not just a talented vocalist, guitarist, and pianist—she was a masterful lyricist and really knew how to make people feel every word of her songs. I felt Brittanie sniffling next to me and saw Sydney and Lacey holding on to each other as they sang quietly.

The song ended, and Mallie smiled out at the crowd. “The best part is hearing you sing along with me,” she said. “Do you have it in you for one more song tonight?”

The crowd cheered and she got down off the stool and walked to the piano. She began playing keys, and I tried to figure out what she played. I had listened to her play so many nights over the phone, and I liked trying to guess the songs and challenging myself to see how many I could get right.

“I have a surprise for you since you’ve been so great.” Cheers erupted. “I would like to play you something I’ve never played before,” she said, and the crowd went wild. “But not only have I never played it before, you can’t sing along this time.”

Murmurs went through the crowd. I had no idea what she was doing. The girls turned to me and I shrugged.

“I have been working on a new album, and I’m not quite ready to give you the title yet. I just wrapped up recording this song. This isn’t really how I usually do things, but I just can’t stop myself from doing it. I told you earlier I have special guests with me tonight, and I do, but this one is for the one that is the most special, wearing my face on his chest in the VIP area and singing along to all of my songs. One who took time out of his busy schedule to fly all the way here to see me. One that showed me just how different it can be.”

My mouth dropped open, and everyone in the VIP area and around it turned their attention to me. Mallie’s mom nodded when our eyes met. She knew. Mallie started playing again, and I couldn’t move. She just did that. She talked about me on stage. She was about to play a song just for me—about me.

“This one is called ‘Out of the Blue.’ For you, Theo.”

“Oh my God,” I whispered. I felt all the cameras on me, but I couldn’t make myself care. I was frozen in love and appreciation for her. I knew the song, of course. She had played part of it for me, but she’d refused to show me the final version, wanting me to wait to hear it once it was done. I knew she went and recorded it at the studio. But to hear her singing it to a stadium full of people, full well knowing that it would be recorded and become viral, made it so real for me.

Mallorie Witt just declared her love to the world. Her love. For me. The stadium watched her silently, of course not knowing the words but also realizing what they were witnessing. The first time this song would be heard, and they were there to hear it.

She got to the chorus and looked out over the piano in my direction. I knew she couldn’t really see me, as the stadium was dark and the light shone in her eyes, but I pretended our energy found each other.

Out of the blue, a love rekindled,

In the silence after heartbreak, where pain dwindled.

His gaze, a soothing balm, a healing kindled,

In the unexpected, love’s flame reassembled.

“Theo,” Xavier said. “Wow.”

“I know,” I answered. I swayed back and forth to the melody. As if it wasn’t enough to know that she wrote the song and then recorded it to share with the world, this was something altogether different.

As she continued to sing about our powerful connection and love story, her mom stepped up next to me. I put my arm around her shoulders, and we swayed together as she got to the outro, a term I never would’ve known about a few months ago.

In the aftermath of the storm, a calm anew,

His blue eyes, my sanctuary, a love true.

Out of the blue, a rebirth, a love that grew,

In the quiet aftermath, forever with you.

The crowd literally erupted, the noise so deafening I couldn’t hear myself think. Mallie stood from the piano and beamed out at the crowd. They continued to scream and started chanting her name. I saw the girls videoing, and I was glad because I couldn’t tear my attention from her face. She looked from right to left, up and down, cataloging every fan in attendance and the love they poured out to her.

After so many minutes, I couldn’t guess how many it actually was, she picked up the microphone. Tears tracked down her cheeks, and she left them there. “Thank you,” she said. She looked over at me and smiled. “I’m guessing you love that song as much as I do?” When the screaming resumed, she laughed. “That song will be out soon, but you keep that a secret between us, okay?” She winked, knowing full well she just broke all of social media and people would be begging her for its release. “It’s been amazing playing for you tonight, London!”

I watched as she walked toward the back of the stage. Just as she reached where she would disappear from sight, she turned back toward the crowd, toward me. Her face filled the huge screen above the stage. She looked directly into my soul and mouthed I love you before the screen went dark and she disappeared.

“Did she just—” Lacey said.

“She just mouthed I love you ,” Sydney said. “Yes. She did.”

“THEO!” Brittanie shouted. “She just said she loved you in front of God and everyone! You’re so going to get married!” A few laughs around us made her realize how loud she was, and she slapped her hand over her mouth.

Isaiah shook his head at her. “That’s my girl,” he said, pulling her to him.

“Sorry,” she said. “I sometimes forget volume control when I’m excited.”

“She was mouthing I love you to the fans,” I said.

Everyone looked at me and laughed.

“Come on, lover boy,” Rico joked, appearing next to us. “Let’s go backstage.”

I liked this dude, ex-military and ex-CIA. You didn’t mess with Mallie, or he’d take your ass down. He also had a killer dry sense of humor. I followed him backstage to see my girl, people shouting my name as we walked. I waved to them but didn’t stop. I had a mission to accomplish.

The moment the door opened to her dressing room, her eyes met mine. The room buzzed with people and activity, but we only saw each other. She ran for me and launched herself into my arms. I whirled her around and nuzzled my face into her neck.

“I am so fucking proud of you,” I said, kissing her lips. “You killed it up there. And the song? Holy shit, Mal. You just shocked the damn world.”

“I don’t care about the world,” she said. “I only care about what you think.”

“I was shocked for sure,” I said, “but in the best way. I cannot believe you did that. All of it. You calling us out at the beginning, saying my name, and then singing a song meant for me? Then, the icing on the cake was you mouthing I love you as you walked off.”

She grinned. “You caught that, then.”

“Everyone caught it,” Brittanie said, and everyone laughed. “Lover boy over there tried to say that maybe you were saying that to your fans, but we all rolled our eyes at him.”

“It was for you,” she confirmed.

I held her head in my hands and leaned down to her mouth. “I love you, too, angel.”