Chapter Twenty-Nine
Owen
I felt great after the meet and greet had finished, invigorated even. The show had been a spectacular success, and we had been on fire from the very first song to the final encore. Having the fans pretty much refuse to let us go off stage until they'd heard a third encore really had felt amazing. My earlier thoughts were spot on—this was definitely turning out to be one of the best tours we'd done, if not the best ever.
Even though confidence had never been something I had an issue with, it was nice to know so many women were still attracted to me. Every man needs a little ego boost now and again.
Not to mention, I had to face the facts: I was getting older, and damn if I didn’t feel less attractive in recent years. Damn ego. I mean, I'd stayed in shape, and my genes had gifted me with a full head of hair that showed no signs of thinning, and good, smooth skin that remained pretty damn youthful, but even with all of that, I'd began to feel as if I wasn't as attractive as I had been in my twenties. So, the attention from these star-struck groupies, well, it was nice in that regard.
Not that I’d given a lot of thought to women in the last couple of years. Mostly, I’d been working so hard and been so extremely focused on the record label, I hadn’t had time to think much about relationships or even one-night stands. Actually, I hadn’t really much cared what women thought of me until recently. And when I say “women,” I actually mean one woman in particular.
Knowing Nalia thought highly of me was more than enough for me, even with all the attention from the young, hot groupies. Something about her was so much more captivating than any of them could ever be. Speaking of…
I stopped and looked around the tour bus as I got on with the others. Where the hell was Nalia?
I walked to the back of the tour bus in search of her, but she wasn’t there, so I climbed off and headed back toward the building.
“Oh, my God! Owen, I love you!” some girl shouted and before I knew what was happening, she flung herself at me and wrapped her arms around my neck, her lips connecting with mine before I could even protest. The click of several cameras sounded before I could push her away with as much gentleness and calm demeanor as I could manage, as annoying as she was.
I was a little irritated as I walked into the building, but was focused on my search for Nalia. I’m a rock star, and stupid shit like that happened all the time. I was pretty used to it by now, but it still had a tendency to catch me off guard sometimes and get under my skin.
I walked all around the backstage area, searching everywhere, but couldn’t find her anywhere. Finally, feeling both disappointed and a little worried, I headed back to the bus. When I got on, Talon was lounging up front swigging on a beer.
“Have you seen Nalia?” I asked him, thoroughly concerned. He stared at me for a moment, and there was a look on his face I wasn’t sure how to read.
“She went back to the hotel. Wasn’t feeling well,” he said flatly. I looked at him, now more than a little confused. If I hadn't known any better, I’d say he was mad at me, but what the hell for, I didn’t have a clue. I hadn't said anything even remotely out of the way to him for days now.
Whatever it was, though, I wasn’t going to let it get me down. I was in a good mood and still feeling pumped. I went to the kitchenette on the bus and grabbed a beer, then went to the back to hang out with the other guys while the bus driver drove us back to the hotel.
When the bus stopped, I followed the others off and headed into the hotel lobby. Talon stopped abruptly in front of me, making me almost run into him. I started to say something about him being a dumb shithead, but stopped when I saw, and heard, what had made the others stop in their tracks.
Nalia was sitting at the piano in the lobby, playing one of the most beautiful renditions of “Unchained Melody” I’ve heard. Other people had stopped to listen, even some of the hotel staff had stopped doing their jobs and were simply standing there, utterly mesmerized. In fact, the whole lobby was silent except for her playing.
I walked closer until I was right behind her, my heart feeling as if it were going to burst as I watched her. She was incredibly talented. I could listen to her play for hours.
I closed my eyes, getting lost in the beauty of the music as the notes flowed around me. Not only around me, but through me, stirring my heart and soul. I hadn’t realized I had started singing until the music suddenly stopped, and she was saying something. I opened my eyes and found her facing me, a slight frown on her lips and a sad look in her eyes.
“Nalia, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. I’m just tired,” she sighed and turned away from me. I followed after her as she got up from the piano and headed for the elevators.
“Wait, where are you going?”
She spun back around as she reached the elevator doors, something else now clearly present in her eyes. Was it anger?
“I’m just going to go to bed, all right? It's been a long day, and there's still plenty more for me to do tomorrow. So, I need a good, quiet rest. Goodnight, Owen.”
I grabbed her arm before she could turn away from me again and pulled her back against me. My heart pounded heavily in my chest, and my mouth went dry. I wasn't sure what exact feelings were ripping through me, but there was definitely a tidal wave of them. “You promised me, Nalia, remember? Tonight?” I said, kissing the side of her neck. She pulled away a little and gave me an icy glare.
“You sure you don’t want someone else?”
I felt a little wounded at her words but pulled her back to me once more. “Hell no. Why would I possibly want anyone but you? Not a chance. Never,” I whispered in her ear.