Chapter Fifteen #2
The crowd gasps, and I look at Alex, whose mouth drops open.
Her eyes blink rapidly as they mist up. Nora wraps her arms around her, and Alex smiles weakly.
I know full well the fundraiser has already raised nearly ten thousand tonight, and I’m a man of my word.
I will match it dollar-for-dollar. This place is impressive, and it has given me Alex.
So I’m willing to help because it helped her.
Plus, I’ve always wanted to support a good charity, so why not start here?
“I’ll do it, too,” a man wearing a suit calls out from the crowd. “I’m from the local Brand Outlet Super Store, and we will donate dollar for dollar, too. Plus, throw in vouchers for the mall so you can fit out the House with a fresh range of clothing.”
Nora bursts into tears, and I look at the guy and nod.
Nora moves up to the microphone while shaking her head and wiping her face. She leans in, hugging me tightly, and I embrace her back as I glance past her, looking down at Alex, who’s wiping away a tear that’s rolling down her cheek.
“Thank you, Matt, thank you so much. You have no idea what you’ve just done.” She leans in, kissing my cheek, and I smile before I walk off the stage while Nora goes about thanking all the sponsors and guests one last time.
Alex shakes her head as I step up to her, and she lunges at me, taking me into an all-powerful embrace.
Warmth.
“Matt, I don’t even—”
“You’re welcome.” I sway her from side to side.
Alex’s head turns, and suddenly her lips are on my cheek, kissing me.
Her lips are warm and soft, and for the briefest of seconds, I think about turning my head to feel them once again, but I swallow the thought.
Instead, I focus on the friendship we have.
She is a friend.
A good friend.
Quite possibly my best friend, besides my brother.
No, Alex and I can’t go there.
I have to remember my list—my ten rules—and Alex breaks most of them.
She’s not the girl for me.
Right?
“Malex, come by the fire pit. We’re gonna do the music circle,” a woman calls out, and I chuckle into Alex’s ear and pull back, looking into her eyes.
“Malex, huh?”
She wipes away another tear. “Has a cool ring to it, don’t ya think?”
“Yeah, like an unbeatable superhero team,” I reply.
“Fuckin’ yeah! So, Mr. Music Man, you gonna show these guys how to rock ‘n’ roll?” she asks, grabbing my hand and leading me over to the fire pit.
I raise my brow and scratch the top of my head. “Well, honestly, I can’t sing that well, and I play bass, so it’s not like I can do much in a group setting. I’m more the background kinda guy,” I admit, and Alex rolls her eyes.
“You don’t seem like you belong in the background to me, Matt.
” She pulls my hand, leading me over to take a seat on some crates.
The heat from the fire radiates with intensity, but the night is crisp, so it’s a welcome burn.
As I get comfortable, a man comes up to me with an acoustic bass guitar.
He looks at me as he hands it over like he’s unsure of how I will take the offering, but I give him a nod before taking it from him.
It’s an Ibanez, and it takes me back to my childhood when I used to learn on one of these, rather than the electric I play now.
A woman sits down next to me with a white plastic container, turns it upside down, and pulls out a pair of drumsticks from her back pocket.
I realize we’re about to have an impromptu jamming session as another woman comes out with an acoustic Fender.
I sink into the crate, feeling I’m more at home here than I ever thought possible.
Alex sits down opposite me, the flames of the fire pit between us, but I can see her clearly between the flickering flames.
“Hey, I’m Gianna… so we always finish these nights off with a round of music. Generally, Augie plays bass, but he’s willing to let a real musician play tonight,” the drummer girl states, and I look at Augie and furrow my brows.
“Oh, shit! I don’t wanna take your position, Augie. Please, you play, I’ll watch.” I lift the bass toward him in offering.
“Oh, God, no, I hardly know what I’m doing. I strum and make shit up as I go. If you actually know what you’re doing, I’d rather the music be really great tonight than just average with me playing. Please, let us all be spoiled by a rocker rocking out for us,” he states.
I glance at Alex, and she nods, so I pull the bass back to me and adjust the frets to how I like them.
“Do you know many James Arthur songs, Matt?” Gianna asks, and I glance at Alex with a smirk.
Did Alex know that’s what they’d be wanting to play tonight, and that’s why she was listening to him before we left to come here?
“Yeah, I know quite a few. When we tour, we do a few covers throughout our concerts, and James’ songs are always on our list. We actually met him when we were a backup band for 12GAUGE-Slayed in the UK. James is a top guy,” I reply, and she nods and looks at Alex.
“Okay, well, so you know his song, “Rewrite The Stars”?” she asks.
I give a brief nod, trying to remember it. It’s got that slow, stripped-back melody that creeps under your skin. The harmonies hit hard, clean, and emotional. And the lyrics? Solid. Makes you feel like maybe fate’s a choice, not a curse.
“We’ll start with that. Then maybe we can play a Recoil song afterward?”
Chuckling, I nod. “Sure. I’m not much of a singer, though,” I tell them.
“All good, we got that part covered,” Gianna informs me and bangs her sticks together, counting us in.
The moment Gianna starts tapping out a rhythm on the makeshift drum, a steady beat fills the air. It’s raw and unpolished, but there’s something genuine about it—something that pulls me in. Her timing is solid, and her energy is infectious, setting the foundation for the rest of us.
I wait for her cue before sliding into the bass line, letting my fingers find their place on the Ibanez.
The deep, resonant notes pulse through me, grounding the rhythm with a soul that only the bass can provide.
A guitarist joins in, weaving a melody over the beat, and suddenly, the song begins to take shape—a harmony born out of nothing.
The sound washes over me, and I let it pull me under.
My head moves in time with the music, my body instinctively following the rhythm.
My fingers flow over the strings. Each note is a piece of me pouring into the melody.
I close my eyes, letting the acoustic tones wrap around me like a warm blanket.
It’s been so long since I’ve played like this—stripped down, casual, unfiltered. The simplicity of it all tugs at something deep within me. It’s not about the roaring crowd or the stage lights—it’s about the connection, the purity of creating something with others in the moment.
And for the first time in a long time, I feel at peace.
With my eyes still closed, I lose myself in the blend of the instruments, the melody pulling me deeper into its rhythm.
The first verse is about to start when a husky, sensual, yet hauntingly familiar voice cuts through the air.
It hits me like a wave, stunning and unexpected.
The voice is so mesmerizing, so achingly beautiful, that my fingers falter on the strings for a brief moment.
My eyes snap open, and through the flickering glow of the fire pit, I see her—Alex.
She’s the one singing.
I barely manage to keep playing as her voice carries through the night, rich and soulful, with a tone that wraps around every note and makes it her own. My breath catches, a quiet gasp escaping as I watch her. I had no idea—none—that she could sing like this.
Her voice is incredible—a talent that could easily sell records.
It reminds me of Effa from Luminous, with that same husky depth that resonates in your chest and lingers in your soul.
She’s captivating, and as she transitions into the chorus, her voice floats higher—delicate, controlled, almost falsetto. It takes my breath with it.
A few women join in as backup, their harmonies blending seamlessly, but my focus is locked on Alex. She’s fantastic, magnetic, and as her voice fills the space, it’s like the entire world fades away, leaving only her song and the spell it casts.
I’m utterly awed, caught somewhere between admiration and disbelief.
She’s even more amazing than I thought.
Alex sings the second verse, and she looks right at me.
Our eyes lock, and it’s like the warmth of the fire burns and scorches right into my very soul.
Or is it just the warmth I feel whenever I’m around Alex seeping through me tenfold?
The intensity in her gaze is sending a shudder down my spine, making it difficult to remember I’m still playing my bass.
My thoughts turn, thinking of my fingers strumming away at the strings as if I were gliding them along the sensitive skin of a beautiful woman.
Staring at Alex, with the music flowing through me, feels like euphoria. She’s so stunningly beautiful, and the way she’s watching me like she’s wondering… what the fuck am I thinking? I don’t even know.
I’m in a state of shock.
Alex astounds me, and the more I learn about her, the more every new detail makes me want to discover something else. I never want to stop learning new things about this incredible woman.
Alex half-smiles as it heads into the chorus, and that voice is like honey, belting out the lyrics about two people who were not meant to find each other, but fate had other plans, and though they’re fighting it, their love is written in the stars, and all I can do is breathe a little faster while watching her as her body moves with the rhythm of the song.