As Eva walked away from us to the stage the manager turned to me.
“Can she sing?” he asked. “I mean with looks like that no one will care either way, but I am curious.”
“No idea,” I answered, shrugging and inexplicably nervous like I was the one performing right now. People were starting to notice Eva up on the stage even though she hadn’t been announced yet and the crowd was growing quiet. The music started. Eva opened her mouth. For what felt like the millionth time that night I lost my breath. Eva’s voice was the most exquisite thing I had ever heard. Her voice weaved around the room, seeming to cast a spell on the club as she sang. You could have heard a pin drop in the club with how quiet everyone was. I hung on every word she sang. It was reaching deep inside of me, sparking pieces of memories that hung just out of my grasp. Her skin glowed under the light, her hair cascading down her back and framing her lovely face. Her eyes closed for parts of the song as she put her heart into the lyrics. I could have heard her sing forever and never wanted it to stop.
I wished at that moment that I had never brought her here. I was sure there were agents and other bigwigs here tonight that would be desperate to scoop her up. I didn’t know if she had wanted an inauspicious start to college. From what little she had told me she had been in and out of foster homes and hadn’t had a great life. I wasn’t ready to share her with the world and singing in a club like Covet meant that there was no way she would stay a secret. I was brought back from my troubled thoughts when Eva sang her last notes.
There was an immense silence until the crowd started roaring. There were tears streaming down the crowd’s faces as they clamored for her to sing more. Eva was looking around nervously. She caught my eye, silently inquiring what she should do. I walked up the stage and the crowd got impossibly louder. Wrapping my arm around her waist I whispered in her ear, “You were magnificent, love. Do you want to sing one song with me before you get off the stage?”
“I don’t know very many new songs,” she whispered back.
“Do you know any Adele?” I asked. Her eyes lit up.
“I do know some of her songs,” she said animatedly.
“Alright, let’s sing ‘Someone Like You’,” I said. Just follow my lead.” She nodded sweetly. The music started and I began to sing, Eva joining in for the chorus. I stared into her eyes wanting to live in this moment forever.
“Never mind I’ll find someone like you,” she sang with me.
Her eyes held some unknown emotion as she stared back at me, the crowded club forgotten. I had grabbed both of her hands and drew her closer to me during the song. We stopped singing and I pulled her into me, crashing my lips into hers. She didn’t respond at first and then slowly opened her mouth, beginning to move her lips against mine. The world disappeared around us as our lips moved together. My tongue slowly sliding into hers, licking her mouth. She tasted like champagne and chocolate. She was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. I could have lived and died in the kiss. Eva pulled away suddenly, remembering the crowd. I pulled her off the stage, desperate to continue. People were clamoring for our attention, begging for us to sing more, but all I could think about was getting Eva back to the penthouse I shared with Damon and continuing the kiss and hopefully more.
I pulled Eva through the front doors of the club, forgetting everything in my haste to get away from the crowds. As soon as we exited the club a million lights flashed before our eyes. Photographers had heard the band was here tonight and had surrounded the entrance in droves. My limo driver was pushing through the crowd trying to get to us to lead us to the limo. I looked down at Eva who I had encircled in my arms protectively, trying to block her from the cameras. She looked terrified. At that moment Eva broke away from me.
“I have to go,” she yelled over her shoulder, pushing her way through the photographers.
The cameras closed in after her, preventing me from being able to follow her.
When I lost sight of Eva, I pushed my way through the crowd into the limo, wondering if I could catch her by car. I was an idiot. Why in the world had I taken us out of the front entrance? The last thing I wanted was for Eva to be freaked out by the attention I got. Attention was higher than normal since the band had been on a world tour the past few months. But the truth was that there were constantly eyes on Damon, Beckham, and I. There wasn’t a lot of times where we could be out in public without cameras appearing or fans clamoring for our attention. We had always enjoyed it, basking in the attention. But with Eva in my life now, I didn’t want that anymore. I knew the cameras would turn towards her and I felt a possessive rage rush through me at the thought of sharing her with the world. I urged the driver to drive the way I had seen Eva go, desperate to make everything okay with her and make sure she was alright.