6. Run Away With Me #2
I’m high on the feeling, it fills my heart with pride. This, is why I love doing it.
As the song ends, I pause to catch my breath, my cheeks aching from the smile widening on my face as they continue to cheer.
“Woah, things are getting hot and heavy,” I say, fanning myself playfully.
“Now I know y’all have had this on repeat. So, we hear you and maybe if you’re on your best behavior, we’ll make it the next single. Make some noise New York!”
The crowd roars and howls in excitement
“Oh, come on guys, you can do better than that…Make some noise New York!!!”
The arena goes feral hooting and hollering.
I giggle. “Woo, let’s get a little physical with a Touch.”
The crowd screams, and the smile on my face only deepens.
I steady myself, as the slow, sultry beat begins, closing my eyes.
The memories of him come rushing back in. Fast and unexpected.
Alex.
Looking at me like I was the only girl in the room. His hands on my skin—rough, demanding, knowing how to make me fall apart. The way he made me feel sexy, wanted, alive.
“Didn’t know skin could whisper like that. Didn’t know nerves could hum, react. One look, one breath, I was off the map. Now I’m chasing that moment back.”
A shiver runs through me. God, I miss that.
I miss him.
The way he touched me.
The way he made me scream his name.
I ache at the thought.
My grip tightens on the microphone, voice dipping lower, huskier, as I lean into the second verse, imagining for a moment he’s still here.
As the song builds, rhythm pulsing through my skin, something shifts. The hands I’m imagining aren’t Alex’s—they’re Broderick’s. Steady. Strong. The way he looks at me like I’m worth something.
The thought blindsides me as I push through the final chorus.
He’s here, somewhere in the crowd—no, in the suites. I glance up but there’s no way I can make it out from down here.
But I know he’s watching me. Pulling at me with that impossible magnetism. The rest of the arena blurs away. The last note fades, and I lower the mic.
It catches me off guard, as I plaster a forced smile on my face while a torrent of confused thoughts play on my mind.
What the hell was that?
The crowd roars, but inside, I’m spinning.
I let myself soak up the applause one last time.
“You guys have been amazing, I promise not to kiss and tell,” I say with a practiced wink, and they scream as I head off stage, heart pounding harder than ever.
Because for all the noise, all the cheers…I know what’s waiting when the lights go down.
A mixture of the adrenaline from tonight, the ache of missing Alex and the lingering tension between Broderick and I.
“Girl you killed it out there.” Ava beams as we pass by each other in the hallway.
“They’re all warmed up for you.” Chest heaving as I catch my breath.
“More like hot and bothered.” She laughs, giving me a pat on the back. “Now get cleaned up and enjoy the rest of the show.”
“I can’t wait.”
She blows me a series of kisses before she’s ushered toward the stage.
I strip out of my show attire before heading upstairs to meet up with everyone. The afterglow of my set buzzes through the air, champagne bottles popping and clinking as I enter the Montgomery private suite—aside from the front row, it was arguably the best view in the house.
Plush chairs, a private kitchenette where refreshments are laid out for guests to enjoy, it was truly VIP treatment.
Philippa bounds over, throwing her arms around me. “You were amazing,” she gushes. “Seriously. I’m not just saying that as your sister.”
“She’s right,” Andrew says, offering me a high-five. “You owned that stage.”
“Babe you were such a flirt, the crowd was eating it up!” Riley adds, toasting her glass to me. “I had chills when you did that version of Sparks.”
Broderick stands back, watching me, a small smile tugging at his lips, dimples bobbing on his cheeks.
I swallow as the thoughts I had of him on stage flash back in my mind.
“You were spectacular,” he says, quiet but sincere, and something about the way he looks at me makes my stomach twist.
I smile, cheeks warm. “Thanks.”
Music signals the start of Ava’s set, the crowd screaming below us. Broderick waits for me to make the first move toward the viewing balcony.
“I’m glad you made it,” I say to Broderick as Ava croons in the background, her voice melting through the air like honey.
“You wanted me here,” he says, like it’s the simplest thing in the world.
And somehow, it tugs at my heartstrings—a quiet reminder of all the times he’s shown up. When I asked. And even when I didn’t.
The drinks flow, Riley and Philippa dance like idiots, Andrew laughing along, and for a moment, everything feels good.
But the surrounding noise all melts away, because all I can think about is how close we’re standing to one another, wordless as we watch the show.
The soft bass vibrating beneath our feet, the distant glow of stage lights flickering against his profile.
I’m acutely aware of the warmth radiating off him, the quiet steadiness of his presence.
“Can I get you a drink?” he offers, his arm a mere breath against mine. The brief contact sends a pulse through me.
I swallow. “I’m okay for now, thank you.” We turn our attention back to Ava’s set, but now our arms touch. I can feel the hairs on his arm brush mine gently, and it sends shivers up my spine.
Our breaths fall into the same rhythm. I try to focus on the stage, but all I can think about is how good his touch feels.
His lips on mine the night of my birthday.
The feel of his chest beneath me as I woke up in his arms.
The stolen moment where we almost kissed again in his office.
How the ache of Alex seems to dissolve when I’m near him.
What if Broderick could make me forget?
The thought takes me by surprise and my breathing changes as Ava shifts into an acoustic number. Before I have a moment to settle into the feeling Riley pounces, grabbing my hand and pulling me away so we can dance and sing together.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispers in my ear between choruses. “You’re doing it—Tita Vida would be so proud.”
I hug her tightly, fighting the sting of tears at the mention of my mom. “It’s for her.”
“I know, but it’s for you too.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you though.”
Her eyes go glossy. “Please, you just needed a little push.”
“Babe, you literally tied a rope around me and yanked me out of my deep, dark depression.”
“Ooh, kinky,” Riley says, grinning like a menace.
“You two are so weird,” Broderick murmurs, shaking his head.
“Don’t hate us coz you ain’t us, Bradley,” Riley quips.
“You have no idea just how weird we get, Brody,” I tease.
I brush a tendril off Riley’s face.
Her brow lifts as she picks up the silent exchange.
“Sleeping next to each other, showering together,” she adds tracing her fingertips up my arms and I have to stifle a giggle at the way it tickles.
“We used to practice making out with each other,” I pile on, my voice dripping with mock seduction.
Broderick’s eyes sparkle with amusement, maybe he’s imagining it. He swallows—hard.
“Ah, the good old days,” Riley sighs with a giggle. “I’m glad you finally got those braces off.”
“I’m glad you finally figured out what to do with your tongue,” I bite back.
“What’s this I hear about you two making out?” Andrew chimes in.
“They’re being weird again,” Philippa says, rolling her eyes. She’s long used to our chaos by now. There was a time she got jealous of how close Riley and I were—but eventually, she fell for Riley’s charm like everyone else.
“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know,” Riley says and we burst out laughing as we head into the suite for refreshments, then return to the viewing balcony to watch the rest of the show.
Ava is mesmerizing.
I’ve always admired her—her talent, her work ethic—but seeing her command a crowd of fifteen thousand people tonight is something else entirely.
Well…maybe not everyone’s attention.
Because I can feel Broderick stealing glances at me when he thinks no one is looking.
When the show finally wraps, the adrenaline still buzzes through the air. We’re all tipsy and giddy, floating on the high of it. Philippa and Andrew leave first, wrapped up in their own little world, laughing about something I don’t catch.
Riley lingers, swirling the last of her drink before pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.