I wasn’t entirely sure that playing a serenade on live television was the best idea I’d ever had – since my fame was the thing that had forced Charlotte and I apart in the first place, but it was a gesture, and it was grand.

That’s what my Nona had always said.

“A woman loves a grand gesture.”

Well, this was the best I could come up with. If this didn’t say ‘grand gesture’ then I had no idea what would.

These past months had been the longest I’d ever gone without playing or singing since I’d first started at five years old. And I was coming out of my lull, for her.

Charlotte.

My entire consciousness absorbed the sound of her name, the thoughts of her seeping into every part of my body.

I’d deprived myself for too long.

I picked my guitar up off the seat of the car and gave Sammy a nod that it was time.

He’d been watching me carefully for the past few minutes. I knew this wasn’t his preferred way to spend the afternoon – having to fend off the hordes of fans that were bound to show up was going to be no small feat, but he was here and he hadn’t complained once – other than the frown that had been permanently etched into his brow since the moment I’d filled him in on this plan.

Screw it – I pay him enough, he’ll get over it.

Sammy had called in a whole team of security on this one, there were at least a dozen guys out there, all dressed just like Sammy – black suit, black shirt, black tie and dark glasses.

The whole thing was a bit James Bond meets Men in Black for my liking, but I would have been a fool not to agree to having their protection.

If this whole thing played out, and Hannah was able to get Charlotte to watch it, I didn’t want her seeing me getting trampled and mauled by a bunch of bat-shit crazy fans. That wasn’t going to help the situation in the slightest.

I took a deep breath and swung open the car door that would lead to my old stomping ground – my old street corner.

“Sir?” Sammy called before I could get my ass off the seat. He’d driven me here himself – I had no idea what Kelvin was doing, but Jasper had asked to borrow him for the day.

Who knows with Jasper…

I shot him a death glare. “For God’s sake, Sammy, you’ve worked for me for five years, call me Parker,” I snapped.

“Certainly, sir.” He nodded, and I swear I saw a slight twitch in the corner of his mouth.

Smart bastard…

I ground my teeth together. It didn’t matter how many times I told him – his answer was always the same.

That’s about to change.

I knew I hadn’t been the easiest guy to work for lately. I was moody, aggressive and fucked off at the world. Sammy had worn more than one of my temper tantrums in the past couple of months, so I couldn’t exactly blame him for the use of formal greeting, but this had been going on for years. ‘Sir’ was for old boring people.

This stops now.

“Call me Parker, or you’re fired,” I bartered with him, my face as deadly serious as I was.

He narrowed his eyes at me for a few beats before finally cracking. “Well fuck… nicely played, Parker.”

I chuckled. “About time.”

And keep it that way…

“Now what do you want?” I demanded. I wanted to get this show on the road.

“I just wanted to say that… I hope you get her back, she’s a great girl and I know she makes you happy.”

Just how much I was putting on the line hit me again. This was my chance to get her back – she was everything… without her, this life was all just a big lot of nothing.

“Me too, Sammy.” I nodded. “And I owe you an apology. I’ve been a prick lately… when this is over I’m giving you a bonus and a compulsory vacation.”

He waved away my apology, but I could tell he wasn’t going to argue about the time off – he’d more than earned it.

He reached his hand out and I shook it firmly before grabbing my guitar and stepping out of the car.

A few of Sammy’s team were lingering around outside, sweeping the area with their eyes and doing a piss-poor job of blending in.

Sammy was right behind me – so close he damn near walked into me when I paused to look around.

“Calm your shit, Sammy, there’s no one here yet,” I told him with a chuckle.

“I give it fifteen minutes,” he grumbled back.

Fifteen was generous – it’d probably be more like five.

My fans might have been crazy as hell, but they were resourceful, I’d give them that. The minute this thing went live, they’d find a way to get here.

I gave Snitch the nod to signal I was ready to roll. I went over to the stool and mic that Jasper had set up for me earlier.

The man himself was leaning against the side of the closest building, taking a drag of a cigarette. Jasper didn’t even smoke anymore, but for some reason he still carried around a pack and lit one up about once a month. He didn’t even smoke the whole thing. It was odd really – but that was Jasper for you.

I lifted my chin in his direction and he mimicked the action back to me.

Here goes nothing.

I glanced around and took a deep breath before running my fingers over the strings.

 

 

I’d expected it to feel awkward, but it wasn’t.

It had been so long since I’d played at all, let alone played well. I didn’t really want to blow my own trumpet, but I was killing it.

Toot toot.

I had a whole backlog of songs that I’d written about Charlotte, and they were all coming out now… I was currently on song number six and I was feeling these songs, the melodies and the lyrics like they were coming straight from my soul.

This level of connection couldn’t be faked or impersonated – this was heartbreak… it was raw and painful.

It was love.

There was a huge crowd surrounding me now, watching as I poured my heart and soul out to the entire world.

To her…

She’s my entire world.

Snitch’s live feed had lit up social media, and the world was going crazy apparently. People were turning up by the car load and piling out onto the footpath, their cell phones already in their hands ready to film this new, unheard material.

I didn’t care how many people saw or turned up as long as she saw… that was all that mattered. I wasn’t ungrateful for my fans and their support – it was actually quite the opposite… but my whole career had been for the fans and for myself, this here and now was about Charlotte.

I looked up and nearly missed my lyric with the shock at seeing the size of my growing audience. More and more people were flooding in by the second. It was crazy.

It should have been a total scream-fest nightmare… but instead, there was something going on here that I couldn’t explain.

Maybe it was me – maybe I was exuding an aura of some sort that just told everyone to calm the fuck down…

I don’t know what it is…

Whatever it was, it was bizarre. The crowd had made no move to come too close to me. They’d formed a wide circle directly around me, metres of clear space surrounding me. Sammy and his team hadn’t had to restrain or warn even one single person.

Maybe they know…

I hadn’t said the words, but I think it was obvious this was about more than just playing music. I was a man on a mission, and for once, the beast seemed content to just be along for the ride.

The crowd applauded and whooped and hollered as I finished my song.

I took a deep gulp from my water bottle and hung my head down – this was exhausting, I was more emotionally drained than I could ever remember being.

This was it.

This is my last chance.

If this didn’t get me the girl, then nothing would.

Sure, I had more songs about her that I could play, but this was the only song I’d written to her.

Here goes nothing.