Violet
Ten’s comeback was quite arguably one of the biggest in pop history. The naysayers all claimed it really wasn’t a comeback at all because he really hadn’t left. Even in his absence, the media still made him a headline.
The people closest to him knew, though.
We all knew what he went through and what it took for him to get to where he was today. It most definitely was a comeback… Actually, it was more.
More like a rebirth.
Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.
It had been a little over a year since I’d burst into his press conference and screamed for everyone to hear that I was in love with him.
I loved him so much that day.
I loved him even more now.
Standing backstage with a custom pair of paint-splattered headphones (I could still hear everything; it just wasn’t as loud) perched over my ears, I watched him dominate the stage and the sold-out arena totally eat him up.
No one else wore headphones back here, but Stark made me. He said he needed to protect my ears.
He was ridiculous, but I loved him for it.
It was summer, and Ten was on tour. He told me it was one of the shortest tours he’d done, lasting only three months. I thought that was like an eternity, but everyone else seemed to think it was barely anything.
He’d been insistent, though, nothing longer than summer break. He didn’t want to be out of the country when the new semester started back up and I had to go back to Blaylock. We struck a deal with each other back when we were first working everything out. We wouldn’t go more than a week without seeing each other, and even a week sometimes felt too long.
His life was definitely a whirlwind. I could see how easy it was to get caught up in it all. It definitely was a challenge to deal with at times. Like when the press camped out in front of your dorm building, or the time Ross tried to sell a story to the press about how Stark kicked his ass. That story never made it to print because, well, Ross would have to tell the world Stark kicked his ass because he was a violent turd toward women.
Challenge or no, it was all worth it. Every time I looked at him, our tethered hearts tugged in my chest, and I knew as long as we were together, nothing else mattered.
Ten was onstage, playing one of his new songs, a collab with some DJ named Vein. It was a good song. I liked the beat, and I especially liked the way it made Stark’s hips move when he danced.
I licked my lips just thinking about going back to the hotel later, where we could finally be alone.
As if he knew my thoughts, he glanced over his shoulder and tossed a smile in my direction.
Becca stood about twenty feet from me. We’d barely had a conversation since we met. I still didn’t like her, and she still was banned from my Christmas card list. However, she did her job well, so Stark kept her around.
Beside me, Vance cheered, and I laughed. My brother joined us for the last couple weeks of the tour. He still fangirled pretty hard over my boyfriend, but at least he accepted he wasn’t going to convince Stark to be gay with him.
Now he just reveled in the fact that his idol was basically his brother.
When Stark asked Vance to design him a jacket to wear onstage during the tour, he almost peed his pants. I swear he went into total design mode and came up with an entire line of stuff for Stark to choose from. Stark, being the amazing guy he is, chose a couple pieces to have custom made and wore them around for the press to ask about them.
The one piece was my favorite. A leather jacket (which apparently Ten was famous for) but with a twist. He had me paint a butterfly on the back, the same one that was tattooed on the back of his neck. He wore it constantly, telling me it was his favorite piece.
Vance started Blaylock basically with a built-in fan club. After all, he was a freshman design student who already scored a few jobs with a celebrity.
The music for the upbeat song went off, and Ten stepped up to the mic. “This next one is the song that means the most to me. It’s inspired by my own journey and co-written by my best friend, Nate Roth.”
The crowd cheered, and Nate appeared beside me. He had a corndog in his hand. I gave him a WTF look. Where the hell had he found a corndog?
“I love this song!” he shouted. Then he cupped his hand around his mouth and yelled, “Sing it, Ten!”
Nate was such a goober. But I loved him, too. He was like a brother to me, just like Vance. He was earning quite a name for himself in the music world after having successfully co-written several number-one hits with Ten. He went on to write a few on his own, one of which sold to a huge country singer, and there was another sale in the works with another pop star.
The music for “Butterfly” started up, and all my attention went to the stage. It was my favorite song. I loved to watch him sing it. I loved the sound of his voice and knowing the meaning behind the lyrics. Sometimes I hung out in the music department when he and Nate were working. His voice combined with the piano (he was like a musical genius; he could play almost any instrument) never failed to lull me to sleep. I always woke up later, when he was carrying me to the Jeep, bummed I’d missed the rest of whatever song he’d been singing.
There’s a fine line between love and hate.
People turn their back on a dime.
Sometimes it seems this is all just a waste of time.
You don’t see me,
Only the mask I wear.
No one bothers to look beneath it.
I’m not the man I was anymore,
Just someone they all want me to be.
Trapped,
Caught,
Ensnared by a web.
Stuck as a caterpillar, but I want to be a butterfly. Butterfly.
Spread those colorful wings and fly.
Tangled up in drama, nowhere to go but down.
Hitting rock bottom has a definite sound.
Standing among the shadows when I’m usually blinded by the light,
Realizing how eye opening the darkness is,
Feeling imprisoned all these years by sight.
Actions speak louder than words,
But what if no one listens?
Trapped,
Caught,
Ensnared by a web.
Stuck as a caterpillar, but I want to be a butterfly. Butterfly.
Spread those colorful wings and fly.
The song went on, and I mouthed the words. I knew them all by heart. When at last the show was over, Stark beelined for me, grabbing me up despite being a sweaty, breathless mess.
I gave a squeal, but didn’t pull away. I never would.
He pulled the headphones down around my neck and grinned. “How’s my favorite girl?”
“Better now that you’re here.”
“I’m his favorite boy,” Nate said from beside us.
“No,” Vance argued. “I am.”
We looked at each other and laughed. Nate and Vance continued to argue, but Stark and I got lost in our own little world. Standing amongst arguing brothers, a crew of people milling about, and our bodyguards standing watch over it all, we were completely alone.
Two hearts melded into one.
A butterfly and his flower.
“I love you,” he told me, brushing a kiss across my mouth.
“I love you,” I answered.
This time, the kiss was more consuming, and no, we didn’t care who saw. I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting my fingertips caress the tattoo he would have forever.
It wasn’t the only thing Stark had forever, though…
He also had me.
PS: Maybe the universe didn’t hate me so much after all… since, you know, the good I got far outweighed the bad. Sorry, Universe, for, you know, all the trash talking I did about you.