Maritza

“Next.” The woman at The Mintz’s will-call window waves me forward Friday night. “Name?”

“Maritza Claiborne,” I say, reaching for my ID before sliding it across the counter.

The woman, whose arms are covered in vibrant tattoos of naked women and whose pixie cut is dyed the prettiest shade of lavender checks my driver’s license before rifling through a stack of tickets to her left.

A moment later, she’s frowning … like it’s not there.

I bought the ticket online yesterday—it has to be there.

“I have the confirmation in my email if you need to see it,” I say, searching for my phone in the bottomless pit of my vintage Goyard tote—a hand-me-down gift from my mother before she and my father moved to New York City last year because apparently they’d lost their minds and grown tired of the sunshine. My breath quickens. If I can’t see Panoramic Sunrise I’m going to cry—and I’m not a crier.

“Found it.” She holds up a lanyard, examining the name on the plastic badge. “It was in the VIP pile.”

My chin juts forward and I press my lips together. I didn’t buy a VIP ticket. Those were five hundred bucks and included a special section in the front, a private bar, an all-access behind the scenes meet and greet, as well as a chance to have a beer with the band after the bar closes.

I bought a seventy-five-dollar general admission ticket.

I know I did …

“Here you go.” She slides the pass across the counter along with my ID and smiles before glancing over my shoulder. “Next!”

Grabbing my lanyard, I place it around my neck before anyone has a chance to declare this a grave mistake and yank it away from me. Making my way to the ticket taker, I’m fully expecting to have my bubble popped any second, only he scans my pass and waves me toward a less crowded area designated for VIPs, and as soon as I’m in, I find a spot at an empty high-top table for two a mere six feet from the front of the stage.

My pulse quickens and I can’t help but wear the dorkiest grin when I see the band’s guitars and mic on stage. Panoramic Sunrise is my drug. It soothes and comforts and relaxes and reinvigorates me all at the same time. Everything about their low-key, indie, folk-rock tunes resonates with the deepest part of my soul in a way I could never fully explain or even understand. Plus the lead singer looks like an even hotter version of Adam Levine, so there’s that.

“Can I grab you a drink?” A pretty cocktail waitress with a high ponytail and orange-red lipstick approaches my table.

“Amaretto and Coke would be amazing. Thank you.”

They always open with their number one hit, Flipside, which is my favorite song in the history of songs. It’s sad in parts, funny in others, but mostly it’s angsty and ironic.

“This seat taken?” A man asks, standing behind me.

I glance over my shoulder to follow his voice, only by the time my gaze focuses on his chiseled face, he’s already taking the spot beside me.

“You again,” I say, sitting up straight.

Isaiah Torres’ fingers are wrapped around the neck of a Corona.

“You’re welcome for the VIP pass,” he says, taking a swig and letting his stare penetrate.

My head cocks as I try to wrap my mind around this. Minutes ago, I’d convinced myself the VIP thing was some kind of happy mix-up.

“How’d you know I was going to be here tonight?” I ask.

“Lucky guess,” he says. “And I know people who know people who could find out.”

The cocktail waitress returns with my drink, and I hand her my card to start a tab before returning my attention back to Isaiah.

“All right then. Thank you for this,” I tell him, clutching at the lanyard around my neck. Sliding off my chair, I eye a spot near the front of the stage as the opening act begins to take their places.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“I’m going to enjoy the concert. That’s where I’m going.”

I leave him at the table-for-two. Fun and relaxation is my only objective for the night. If he thinks I’ll overlook the fact that he was nothing but a rude asshole yesterday just because he does one nice thing, then he’s clearly smoking something.

From the corner of my eye, I catch him watching me.

I don’t understand him, but it’s okay because I really don’t need to.

* * *

The house lights come on three hours later and some six-foot-seven muscle head in a black t-shirt stands behind a velvet rope, telling us VIP pass holders to follow him.

Herded down a hallway with about fifty other people, I somehow wind up in the front of the line, waiting outside a dressing room with a heart that won’t stop thrumming and a breath that won’t steady.

I’ve seen them in concert at least a dozen times since high school, but never once have I seen them up close and personal. I’m not even sure what I’ll say or if I’ll end up foaming at the mouth, unable to form a coherent sentence, but the second the door opens and an older, gray-haired man steps out and meets my gaze, I clear my throat and straighten my spine.

“You first?” He points at me, speaking in an East Coast accent.

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod, silently reminding myself to be cool.

“Get your phone ready if you want pictures.” The man swings the door open. “You’ve got one minute in there. Make it count.”

Case Malbec. Landon Spencer. Kieko Ayoshi. Alec Bastion.

I know all of their names. Their birthdays. Their Wikipedia life stories. I’ve seen every documentary, every music video, every interview.

And now they’re here, in the flesh, seated before me.

A few other people are in here as well, makeup artists, groupies, roadies …

But all I see is them.

Case, the lead singer, sits shirtless, a white towel wrapped around his shoulders. He smiles when he sees me, and while I’m sure he smiles at all his fans, his stare pierces through me, like he’s curious and studying me.

“I’m Case,” he says, reaching for me. He slips his arm over my shoulder like we’re just a couple of old friends who go way back. The rest of the band assumes their practiced, photo-ready positions around us. “And you are?”

“Maritza,” I manage to say, proud of my voice for not squeaking, cracking, or cutting out.

Case takes my phone from my hand. “Isaiah, can you take our pic?”

Glancing up, I watch as Isaiah Torres takes my phone from Case Malbec’s hand and points it at the two of us. I force a smile, my mind running a million miles a minute as I try to piece this together.

“You two know each other?” I ask, my finger pointing between the two of them once the picture is over.

Isaiah hands my phone over. “Yep.”

“You didn’t tell me you knew them,” I say.

“You didn’t ask.” Isaiah hooks his hands on his hips, towering over me.

“Is this the girl?” Case asks.

“What girl?” My gaze narrows at Isaiah.

Case smirks. “He called me this morning, asked me if he could get a VIP pass for some girl.”

This is all happening so fast it’s hardly comprehensible.

“Time’s up,” the gray-haired man says, motioning for me to head to the door.

“Dude, it’s okay,” Case says, “she can have more than thirty seconds with us.”

The man presses his chin against his chest. “You see that line of people at the door? It stretches down the hallway then around the next. Sorry, Case. We gotta be out of here by two AM. I don’t make the rules.” He turns away, calling, “Next!” and a group of giggling girls shove their way inside the already cramped space. “When you’re done, just head out to the bar. The band will be out in about an hour. You each get one beer on the house. One.”

I’m ushered out of the room, my head spinning, and I head to the bar to find a place to wait. Never really been much of a beer enthusiast, but I’ll be damned if I miss an opportunity to have a drink with Case Malbec.

The bartender delivers a glass of ice water while I wait, and a staffer runs a wide broom across the floor, sweeping up remnants of tonight’s show, I wait in a quiet, lit bar, spinning a cardboard coaster between my fingers while simultaneously scrolling through my phone.

Minutes later, the screech of the bar stool beside me grinding against the concrete floor pulls me out of my moment. “Never got a chance to apologize for yesterday.”

It’s Isaiah. For the millionth time.

“You get your Porsche to start?” I ask.

His brows furrow. “Yeah. Why?”

I lift a shoulder. “It explains why you’re being so nice now.”

“All due respect, you don’t know me.” His jaw tightens and he adjusts himself in his seat.

“Thank God for that.” I say. “I may not know you, but I do know you were perfectly fine being rude to a complete stranger yesterday—not once but twice—and that says a lot about you as a person. So yeah, thanks for the ticket tonight, but your apologies aren’t needed because they won’t change the fact that you’re a miserable asshole.”

My face turns numb. Shock? Disbelief maybe? I’ve never gone off on anyone like that before, but I had to say those things. He needed to hear them. People like that need to hear words like this.

“Jesus.” He exhales. “You’re, uh, you’re kind of intense when you’re angry.”

“Now you’re just being offensive.”

“Offensive?” He jerks away, fighting a smirk.

“Yes. I’m trying to be real with you and you’re not taking me seriously,” I say. “And now you’re laughing at me.”

His lips press together, like he’s stifling another grin, and I have half a mind to slap him and I’ve never slapped anyone before.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “It’s just hard when you’re trying to be so angry and all I can think about is how you’re kind of sexy when you’re angry.”

My jaw hangs.

Somewhere in the past five minutes we clearly took a wrong turn.

Or he’s severely under the influence.

Yeah. Alcohol. It’s got to be the alcohol talking.

“You ever get tired of being like this?” I ask him. “So … douche-y?”

“You ever get tired of being so perfect all the time?” he asks. “Clearly you never do anything wrong or have a bad fucking day in your life because if you did, you wouldn’t be so quick to write off someone’s apology.”

“I’m not perfect, Isaiah. I’m nice. There’s a difference. I treat people the way I want to be treated.” I stand, my finger pointed in his face, and while I’m trying not to raise my voice, I can’t help it. My blood is boiling, my skin on fire, my palms aching to smack him across his impossibly gorgeous face. “I’d rather be nice than a fucking prick like you.”

In an instant, I lose it.

I just want him out of my space.

I lose all control and I do something I’ve never done in my life.

And by the time I open my eyes, I confirm that I have indeed thrown my ice water in his face.

Oops.

The two of us are wearing matching horrified expressions and Isaiah looks like he’s two seconds from uttering some kind of profanity in my direction when a man’s voice booms in our ears, “Enough!”

We both turn to find the six-foot-seven behemoth standing over us, his arms folded across his barrel chest as he peers down his aquiline nose.

“You guys are done,” he says, pointing toward the door with a meaty finger. The muscles bulging out of his black “security” t-shirt are enough to make me not question his authority. “You’re out of here.”

Isaiah and I exchange looks and despite the fact that his gray t-shirt is drenched and his hair is ruined and I still have the urge to smack him across his arrogant mouth, he’s still annoyingly attractive.

“We’re fine,” he tells the security guard. “She just got a little worked up, but we’re cool now. Right, Maritza?”

“Yep. We’re cool,” I say, forcing my voice steady despite the fact that my entire body is trembling with little adrenaline-fueled aftershocks.

The giant’s expression doesn’t soften or budge and he moves behind us, herding us toward the exit.

“Are we really being kicked out?” I ask.

The man doesn’t answer. Isaiah stays quiet, respectful. Hopefully with his connections he can get us back in … then again, he doesn’t exactly owe me any favors and we’re not exactly on pleasant terms right now.

The second we’re outside, the door slams behind us. Isaiah checks it, pushing on the handle but with no use. We’re locked out.

“Hope it was worth it,” he says under his breath. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he makes a call, then sends a text, then shoves it back in.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Trying to get us back in, but Case isn’t answering.” He runs his hand through his dark hair before staring toward a traffic light in the distance. “He probably doesn’t have his phone on him. Great. This is really fucking great.”

“How was I supposed to know calling you a prick would get us both kicked out? What the hell kind of archaic rule is that?”

“You didn’t just call me a prick. You yelled and pointed your finger in my face and then dumped your water on me. The situation was escalating. They just did what they had to do before it got out of hand.”

Shaking my head—at him, at the situation, and at myself—I dig into my tote to locate my phone so I can order an Uber and get the hell out of here …

… only I don’t feel the familiar glassy screen or smooth plastic case.

Stepping beneath a street lamp, I dig deeper, unearthing my wallet and various lip balms and travel-sized perfumes—but no phone.

“Shit. I left my phone in there.” I rise on my toes, staring at the blackened windows of The Mintz and the closed sign on the door. A moment later, I’m pounding on the glass. I wait before pounding again. And again. And again. They’re either ignoring me or they can’t hear me.

Isaiah stands back, quiet and contemplative.

I’m sure he doesn’t want to give me a ride home any more than I don’t want to ask him for one, but right now I’m stranded.

“Is there someone you can call?” he asks, yawning.

Exhaling, I shake my head. “I don’t have anyone’s numbers memorized.”

“Seriously?”

I wave my hand at him. “Now’s not the time.”

Digging into his pocket, he retrieves a set of keys, lifting them. “I’ll take you home.”

Eyes wide, I lift my brows. “You sure? I live an hour from here. And you live an hour from me. You won’t get home until after three AM.”

“I’m not going to leave you here, stranded in downtown LA,” he says. A Yellow Cab whirs past us and we both steal a glance. “You’re not taking a taxi. It’d cost you an arm and a leg to get home from here. Come on.”

He looks both ways before darting across the street, and I follow, keeping a few steps behind.

“What about my phone?” I ask.

“I’ll text Case and see if he can have someone look for it.”

His white, dented Porsche stands out amongst the flashier cars in the parking lot, but in a good way. Painted in warm moonlight under a starless sky, we hit the road with windows cranked and tunes playing softly from his old speakers. Sinking into the worn, buttery leather passenger seat and decide that maybe … just maybe … he’s not all that bad.