Page 184 of Shy Girls Can't Date Rockstars
“I know that too,” I lie.
Through the walls, Garage Fever builds toward what sounds like their second chorus. The bass is relentless. I feel it in my back teeth.
Up close, Ryder looks undone, like he’s terrified and trying not to show it. His hands are at his sides, slightly too still, like he’s concentrating on keeping them from shaking.
Mrs. Hamilton gives me a small, tired smile and steps away to join her husband. And then it’s just us in the loudest quiet I’ve ever stood in.
“Garage Fever has been building their following for two years,” Ryder says, low and controlled. “The Inlet Boys have a producer already attached. I have…”
He stops, exhaling hard.
“You have the headline slot,” I say.
“They’ll regret giving it to me.”
“Why would you say that?” I hold his gaze. “You earned it. You own every stage you walk onto.”
He looks away. Through the wall, Garage Fever drops into a quieter bridge, and the suddenness makes the space between us feel heavier.
“I hate this,” he says it to himself more than to me. “I hate that Miranda had to get you. I told her not to. I said I’d figure it out.”
I close the gap between us. “You don’t have to figure this out on your own.”
“At the soundcheck today,” there’s almost something timid about his voice, “I got up on stage and froze. In the soundcheck. I’ve never done that.”
“Ryder, it’s a big moment today. It’s okay to get scared.”
“If I can’t do this, how am I going to make it? I’m a joke.”
“That’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told. You know your talent is real. You deserve your place in the industry.”
He frowns, sliding against the wall. “I need you too much, and it’s not fair.”
Outside the walls, Garage Fever crashes back into the chorus. All drums and distortion. I step forward and put my hands flat on his chest, and feel him go very still beneath my palms.
“Ryder.”
He looks down at my hands, and then up at my face, barely breathing.
“I might not need you during a storm anymore,” I say quietly, “but I want you standing beside me.” I hold his gaze. “You have me because being without you hurts.”
Something breaks open in his expression, and he releases a breath. His hands come up and cover mine where they rest against his chest. His fingers are warm, and he holds them there without moving.
“Truly?” he murmurs.
“Truly.”
He closes his eyes for just a second. When he opens them, the terror is further away. He turns his head and presses his lips tomy temple. The pulse of his kiss moves all the way down to my toes.
“Stay where I can see you,” he murmurs. “I just need to know where you are.”
“Stage left,” I say. “I’ll be there the whole time.”
He pulls back just enough to look at me. His hands are still over mine. Through the wall, Garage Fever finishes to a wave of applause.
“Alice.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I say softly. “You’re ready.”
