Chapter 1

(Eva)

My senses came alive as wintergreen and leather enveloped me. A calloused hand swept some of the hair off my face. My eyes slowly opened. Mason's twinkling indigo eyes stared back at me looking concerned. "What happened?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I was about to introduce you to Beckham, and you just fainted," he said worriedly.

I sat up. Mason had moved me off to the side of the room, behind some plants to give me more privacy. Where was Beckham? He had said something, something important, but I couldn't remember what it was.

"Where did Beckham go?" I asked Mason.

"He and Vanessa went to go see if they could find a doctor for you," he replied. "We were all worried about you."

I grimaced. "Can you please text him or something and tell him I'm fine?" I asked in dismay. The last thing I wanted was to ruin the night with being taken to the hospital.

"Are you feeling okay? Should we leave?" Mason asked.

I pushed myself up and stood very ungracefully, smoothing down my dress and making sure nothing had torn. I looked up at Mason and smiled.

"I'm fine. I promise. I just haven't eaten very much today so my blood sugar is probably low," I told him.

"Well let's go fix that. There's enough stars fucking starving themselves tonight to leave plenty of food for us," he said laughing, the gravelling richness floating over me.

Mason grabbed my hand and led me towards another room where service stations with stacks of every kind of food imaginable were set up all around.

"Did Beckham say anything strange?" I asked, still struggling to grasp what had happened.

"Not that I saw," said Mason. "I don't think he actually had the chance to formally introduce himself since you fainted."

Mason was interrupted by an excited voice calling my name. I turned around and saw Lexi. She was dragging a relaxed looking Lane behind her.

"I'm so glad you're here!" she squealed. "Isn't this just the coolest thing ever? I can't believe it. Selena is going to shit her pants when she finds out we got to go to the Grammy's and she didn't!"

Mason was laughing at Lexi's enthusiasm.

"You and Lane hit it off last night didn't you?" he smirked.

Lexi's enthusiasm seemed to ramp up a notch if that was possible.

"Oh my gosh. Lane is the absolute sweetest!" she squealed louder.

Lane appeared to be out of it at this point, smiling goofily at nothing in particular. Lexi let go of Lane and grabbed my arm.

"Let's get food! Everything looks so amazing!" she cried.

Mason smiled at me indulgently and released my other arm. "Don't go too far," he laughed. "The show is going to start any minute."

Lexi started piling everything on her plate at once. I was a little more circumspect in my choices as there were a lot of things I hadn't heard of before. I hadn't lied to Mason though, I really hadn't eaten, and I was starving. Maybe I had fainted because of that. I hoped we would see Beckham again. I wanted to see if he said anything when he saw me this time. I wondered if I was losing my mind and imagining things since Mason hasn't seemed to notice anything strange. The feeling that I was forgetting something was heavy on my mind.

Lexi was chattering about the night before. Evidently she had made quite the impression on Lane, having "screwed his brains" out in a bathroom at Covet. I laughed, while also blushing profusely, as she described an older woman walking in and her reaction to seeing Lexi mid-thrust, her bare butt hanging out for all to see. I was laughing at something else Lexi was saying when Mason found me again.

"Are you ready to go in?" he asked.

I swallowed the bite of chocolate tart I had been stuffing in my mouth and nodded, taking his hand when he offered it.

The auditorium was massive and filled to the brim with gorgeous, richly dressed people. Mason led me to the row of seats right in front of the stage, where the rest of the band was waiting. Lexi and Lane had followed us to the row. I sat down, my mouth gaping at the spectacle everywhere. Stars and camera crews were everywhere. Mason turned to me.

"You have to cheer for me when we perform tonight even though you just saw me in concert."

"You're performing tonight?" I asked. He looked at me quizzically.

"Have you never watched the Grammy's before?" he asked. I froze. I had gotten better at hiding how out of touch I was with everything, but this had been a slip-up. I laughed awkwardly.

"Not for awhile," I said. "I must have forgotten how it works." He stared at me for a second, seeming to be able to see right through me, before deciding to let it go.

The show started. I was entranced by all the performances. I had always loved music, and it had been one of the hardest things about living with the Andersons that no music was allowed. I soaked up the symphony of sounds around me. Mason had just left to get ready to perform, kissing me quickly on the lips before he left. My fingers traced my lips, melting inside at such a sweet gesture. The Riot had already won a few awards for "Best Song" and "Record of the Year", from the whispers around me it was expected Mason would win "Artist of the Year" as well. Just then someone slid into Mason's seat, catching me by surprise.

"I'm used to girls fainting at the sight of me, but I have to say that was a first," came a voice that reminded me of chocolate. It was smooth and warm, almost like it was wrapping me up in a big hug. I turned to look at the newcomer. It was Beckham. A sigh involuntarily left me at the sight of him. He was examining me as well, wearing a small grin. Beckham Stone was a heartbreaker if there ever was one.

Supremely gorgeous, more Greek god than anything else, he radiated a golden light from his every pore. Like with Damon and Mason, I immediately felt a rush of belonging, like he was someone that was already mine, and had been for quite some time.

"Well I do try to please," I answered, smiling, pleasantly surprised at how steady my voice came out.

"I don't believe we've actually met," he said. "I'm Beckham...and you are Eva I presume?"

"Yes," I said, my voice squeaking despite my attempts to play it cool. He had just touched my hand and the same tingles I felt whenever Mason or Damon were near had spread all over me.

"Why in the world are you spending time with such an ugly fellow?" teased Beckham. "You must feel sorry for him or something to be seen with a guy as hard on the eyes as Mase."

Beckham now had a big grin on his face, like the whole world was a joke. I could feel Lexi swooning beside me as she listened in.

"Did you lose your date?" I flirted back. "Or did she find something better?"

"You know, Eva. Your mama must not have taught you manners because it isn't polite to be mean to people you just met," he answered, smiling even bigger now.

Despite his teasing a little tinge of sadness ran through me. I wished I had a "mama" that had taught me those manners. I must have had a look in my face because Beckham's smile faded.

"Hey," he said, lightly touching my hand. "Did I go too far?" I shook my head, determined to get over myself.

"Nope. I was just feeling sorry for myself. Nothing that you did." He tilted his head, about to ask more when Mason's voice sounded up on the stage in front of us. He was looking down at Beckham and I with a troubled look on his face.

"This goes out to Eva," he announced to the crowd suddenly, who went crazy at his pronouncement.

Mason launched into a song I hadn't heard the night before and once again everything was forgotten around me. His voice enveloped me, soaring me to new heights. There was a feeling of magic in the air, like everything you had ever wished for was within reach. The whole auditorium hung on his every word. I had been listening to other bands all night and none of the other singers had made me feel like this. Was it because I was biased towards Mason, or was he really just that amazing of an artist?

The last notes of the song ended, and I found myself letting out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. I turned to Beckham, wondering what his reaction to Mason's music had been. Beckham had an amused smile on his face. I saw him casually salute Mason and laugh to himself. I looked back at Mason who was grinning down at me. I watched Mason and the rest of the band exit off the stage. Mason had told me they would be doing a few interviews after the performance before he would be able to return to his seat.

I turned my attention back to Beckham who had been looking at me intensely, much to my surprise. I began to play with my hair self-consciously. The once jovial Beckham looked like he had something on his mind. He went to say something, and was interrupted by Mason, who for some reason seemed to have rushed back to his seat instead of doing interviews.

"Everything okay here?" Mason said, noticing the intensity that was rippling between Beckham and me.

"Everything is fine Mase," laughed Beckham, resuming the breezy attitude he had before. "Just getting to know Eva a little bit better," he continued, standing up from Mason's seat so that Mason could replace him. Mason's face gentled as he looked at me.

"She's amazing isn't she?" he said smiling.

"Yes, she is," whispered Beckham, so softly that I wasn't sure Mason heard him. "Well, I better head back to my date," said Beckham. "Let's ride together to the after-parties though Mase," continued Beckham, clapping Mason on the shoulder before departing.

"Sounds good Beck," Mason said distractedly, his attention turning towards the act starting up on stage. Beckham began to walk away, peering back over his shoulder with a look that promised we weren't done yet. A chorus of sighs sounded from woman around me as he walked off, the delicious suit he was wearing showing off his fine form.

I settled back into my seat, my mind musing over my interaction with Beckham. Mason reached out and grasped my hand, his thumb moving up and down to the beat of the song that was starting. I smiled and sighed. These boys were going to be the death of me.