Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
Seeing as he was not only a journalist but had also just gone through this with Luca, we decided to follow his advice. Given how much time we’d spent together before we were in a relationship, the public didn’t seem suspicious of our frequent public appearances.
It wasn’t a big deal to either of us. We could’ve taken the same route as Luca and made a statement about it. But the longer it went on, the more amused we became, wondering if people would ever notice.
But tonight was going to be the real test. For the first time since making our relationship official, we would be performing on stage together. The LondonFM Autumn Festival was a huge event held in Wembley Stadium.
And Caffeine Daydreams was the headline act.
I’d tried to talk to Kai about how he wanted to go about it. Did he want us to stick to different sides of the stage? Behave like we always had? I was game for whatever and had told him as much.
His answer had been to laugh and kiss me until I stopped jabbering. Then he’d simply said, “Don’t worry about it. Just go with the flow.”
Just go with the flow. Since when was Kai so chill?
We hit the stage to the usual thunderous applause. Adrenaline spiked as my eyes roamed over the packed stadium. My hands tingled as I ran them over my instrument.
Fuck, this never got old.
I looked sideways at Kai to find him watching me. He threw me a wink, and I grinned back at him. Thank God we’d worked all this out. There’d been so much at stake—losing each other, the band, our entire livelihood…it had been a huge risk.
But damn. I was glad we’d taken it.
We weren’t doing a full set tonight, just three songs: “Tease,” “Something,” and “Deep Down.”
“Tease” started, and I kept my feet planted. The whole crowd bayed, the chants loud. A lot of them were chanting for Luca.
Kneel. Kneel. Kneel.
But most of them were chanting something else.
Dance. Dance. Dance.
I glanced over to where Kai was, a small frown appearing when I saw he wasn’t there.
Just then, lips brushed over the back of my neck. I twisted in surprise to find Kai with a familiar look in his eyes. But it was one I was used to shooting his way, not the other way around.
Come on. Play with me.
Like I’d deny him.
Hitting the final note for my part, I swung my bass behind me as we swapped positions. The volume in the stadium blasted upwards, almost deafening, even with my earpieces in.
With my bass at my back, I pressed close to Kai. I sang the lyrics into his ear as he leaned back against me. My hands teased all over him, dipping further south than I ever would have before.
Thank fuck his crotch was covered by his guitar. I didn’t go that far down, but it was enough for him to be sporting a sizable bulge.
Every line of Kai was relaxed as I ground against him. A blissful smile twisted his lips as his fingers danced over his instrument. This was nothing like how we’d danced together before. Now, every touch was intimate. Meaningful.
A tease.
When it was time for me to come back in, we flipped back-to-back. I could feel his heat leeching onto my skin through his shirt. Now I wished I’d done a Luca and gone shirtless. Never mind, I’d get my fill of him later. In private. When I could lick every inch of him because he was mine.
There was only so much of Kai I wanted to share with our fans. How he looked when he came apart as I rode him was not one of them.
We spent the rest of the song pressed together, only parting when “Something” took over. My eyes drifted to Ollie, who stood like always beside Jack in the pit. His face lit up as Luca crooned the lyrics to him.
Their love was special. Theirs.
My gaze caught on Kai, who watched me with a soft smile.
Just like our love was special. Ours.
The final song came to a close, and the crowd went wild. I put my hands in the air, waving as I began walking backwards.
But none of the others moved.
“Hey, Dreamers,” Luca drawled into the microphone. “We’ve got a special treat tonight, just for you.”
We did? I shot a questioning look at Kai and then Arlo, but they both evaded my gaze.
“Tonight, you’re not only getting another song, but one that no one else has heard yet.”
My frown deepened as a chill went down my spine. Holy shit, what had I forgotten? What were we playing? Something from the new album? My mind began frantically racing through various tracks, wondering which one he was talking about.
The crowd was almost hysterical now. Luca gave them a satisfied smirk, knowing exactly how to work them. “Even better, I’m not the one singing it.”
My mind came to a screeching halt as Kai took up his guitar and handed it off to Luca. Even more confusing was the techie who appeared at my side, impatiently tugging at my instrument until I handed it over.
“Now, as Luca said,” Kai spoke into the mic, “this song is very new. So new, in fact, it’s not technically finished.
So, I’m going to ask you all to just…imagine the lovely bass line for now.
Because not only are you all hearing it for the first time, but so is someone else. Someone who’s very important to me.”
I drew in a gasp, something that was echoed by about ninety thousand fans.
Kai pulled the mic from the stand before facing me. “Let’s not have any confusion this time. Silas, this one’s for you.”
Arlo counted them in with his drumsticks.
Five.
Kai stepped forwards.
Six.
My breath whooshed out.
Seven.
His hand trembled as he lifted the mic to his mouth.
Eight.
He began to sing.
It wasn’t just a song—it was a story.
The story of us.
Two boys in a dark place
Gave each other a safe space
But one gave away his heart
While the other didn’t know where to start
I stepped closer to him as he sang, unaware my feet were moving.
Now you’re telling me I have a chance
Now you’re telling me you’re changing stance
And I’m telling you that you are wrong
Because I’ve kept my heart close for too long
My hand wrapped around the back of his neck, pulling his forehead to mine. I hated that he still beat himself up for what happened. But who knew what might’ve happened if we hadn’t chosen the route we did. Would we have ended up right here? Where we were meant to be?
I’d like to think so…but there was no guarantee that would’ve happened. So I, for one, was grateful for everything that had happened in our past. Grateful because it had led us here. To each other.
With me finally seeing him the way I was supposed to.
Now you’re fighting for me every day,
Now you say you want me in every way
And I’m telling you all my hopes and fears
Praying you’ll be mine for all the years
I lifted a hand to his face. Our story continued to pour from his lips. The pain of the past. The joy of the present. The hope for the future.
There was no one else. Just two boys from the council estate, vowing to be there for the other.
No matter what.
The final note broke from him on a quiver before he lowered the microphone.
I blinked away tears, giving him a small smirk. “For me.”
He grinned back, his own eyes glassy. “They are all for you, Si. And you fucking know it.”
I didn’t know who moved first. One second, we were grinning at each other. The next, our mouths were crashing together. There was the distant sound of the microphone hitting the floor. I jumped up, Kai catching me with ease as my legs wound around him.
This time, it was my earpiece that was knocked out. I winced as the roaring sound hit me, pulling back from the kiss. I waved sheepishly at our screaming fans. “Guess the news is out.”
“It actually broke a few hours ago,” Kai confessed. “Someone snapped a photo of us kissing outside that escape room yesterday.”
“Well, you couldn’t expect me to wait until we were somewhere more private. You were a badass with how fast you solved that puzzle with the marbles.”
Kai pecked my lips again, his arms holding me steady. “You okay with all this?”
I glanced out at the crowd, then at Arlo and Luca, who were both beaming at us from across the stage. “Yeah, feels pretty perfect considering how this all started.”
“It started a long time before we were on stage.”
“It did.” I leaned my forehead against his. “But it was up here that I woke up and finally saw you. I promise I’m never going to lose sight of you again.”
With the entire world watching, Kai claimed my lips once more.
I didn’t care who was watching.
Kai was mine. He always had been.
And now, he always would be.