What You Do To Me (Unexpected Love) (3 page)

             
I’ll call you as soon as I get back to hotel. It’s too loud now with opening band playing.
After I hit
send,
I punch
ed
another message to her
.

             
Thank you for this, for everything. You have been the best friend and worst enemy through all this and I know I’d still be in bed if it weren’t for you.

             
I wipe
d a tear from my
cheek
and thought of everything Lexi had
done for me in the last 8 months. Not just for me, but for my three girls too. She let me grieve, but she didn’t allow it to
consume me
as
it had started
to. Lexi made me reali
ze how much my girls needed me
now and that if I couldn’t be strong for
me,
I at least owed it to them to be strong
for myself. So, that was
how the i
dea behind the list came
about.
After
tonight,
I was
another
step closer to that.
I thought about being stronger and
I wonder
ed if I was
being a stronger person. I should
have watched the concert
alone among the thousands of fans in the front of the stage
, but there I was
alone on the side of the stage.

             
I felt
the buzz
of the phone again and
I look
ed at the screen.

             
Don’t make me cry, these girls will think I’m turning into you. Seriously, stop
texting.
Watch
the damn
show that
I spent good money on and call me after. I want to hear everything!

             
I smiled as I read
that.
I tuck
ed
the phone back into my
purse. The opening band would be
done
any moment and then
Awakening
would
perform.

             
Once the opening band was done, the stage area was
crazy busy with people running all over the pl
ace setting up the stage. I felt like I was
in the way,
but nobody said anything or even acknowledged me sitting there. I felt a hand
that was
placed on my
s
houlder, which immediately made
me jump. I quickly turn
ed and saw
Alex with his intense eyes and gorgeous smile fixed on me. I
seemed
to tense up a bit more. I thought
Ale
x felt
me tense and
he
immediately removed his hand from
my shoulder.

             
“Well,
if placing a hand on your shoulder gets you all freaked out,
it’s
a good thing you are up here
.”

             
Shit, he had felt
me tense. “I wasn’t freaked out, I was caught off guard. Plus
,
you said I wouldn’t need to swat away any hands if I sat up here. I had my guard down, but thanks to
you,
I realize I need to be on alert.”

             
That seemed to amuse him a bit and he let
out a small, but oh s
o sexy chuckle. He then
responded,
“I’m sorry for ca
tching you off
guard.
I would have
said your name to get your attention, but you never gave it to
us.
I’m Alex by the way
, Alex Morgan
.”

             
“Well, you never asked for it and I
already
know
.
”

             
“You know what?
”
He
looked
at me a bit puzzled.
“Then let
me ask, w
hat is your name?”

             
“I know your name already and my name
is Abby, but thanks for the introduction
.”

             
“
Well,
Abby, it’s nice to
meet you and after talking to
you,
I think you were
right.
You
could have held your own in the mosh pit.”

             
Not knowing what the
meaning was behind the comment, I turn
ed around. I then thought he was thinking he made a mistake by offering to let me si
t
along side the stage.
I look
ed
back ou
t at the sea of
people, wondering
if I should
have tried
to fight my way t
o my spot before the show started
. Crap, why
did he have to talk to
me
?
I had been
enj
oying myself and
I
finally felt
okay
being
t
here.

             
I look
ed
up and
saw
Alex
standing in front of me. I felt like he was
looking through
me,
more so than at me.
He placed
a hand on the arm o
f the director’s chair and leaned
in a bit. “I’m glad you decided to sit up here during the show. I don’t think I could have concentrated during the show knowing all the hands you would be swatting away. Enjoy the show
and
I’ll talk to you after it
is
over
.” He then winked at me and quickly walked away. I felt
warm and
confused, as
I stare
d
at him, all of him
, as he walked away. I hadn’t gotten
a chance to look at his
backside
earlier, but
wow,
he
had
a nice ass. I thought he was a Greek God placed here by mistake. He was
tall, at least six three and bu
ilt like a brick shit house. His
arms
were
to die for and the tattoos only
made
the arms more appealing. If I could
,
I’d lick up one
arm,
across the chest
,
and down the other.

Once he got
to t
he side of the stage where he was going to
enter,
he turned around and looked at me. Crap, now he knew I had been
staring at him as he walked away. Christ, I even had my mouth open
ed
a bit.
Luckily,
I kept the drool in my mouth. I’m sure my
reaction to him and his body was something he was use
to dealing with.

As I watch
ed the show, I was
amazed at how great Alex and the band sound
ed
live. I’ve been to concerts where you can’t believe it’s the same group or person you hear on the radio because they basically sound like shit. Not t
hese guys, they sound
ed
better tha
n the
radio.
I honestly didn’t think
that it was possible. Alex owned
the stage and his performance had probably turned
the majority of the girls
on, which their boyfriends would
be happy about later.

I look
ed
ou
t into the mass of people and was so happy I was not out there. The guys had been right. An
Awakening
concert was
not
one that
a person would want to be alone at, especially in the mosh pit area. It looked
absolutely
crazy and I wanted
the chance after the show
to thank Alex and Stev
e for letting me watch from the stage area. The whole day had
been a dream come true and amazing.

Whe
n
Awakening
was
done with their performance
,
be
fore the encore, Alex approached
me. My eyes lock
ed with his and I had
to remind myself to
breathe
. I don’t think I have ever talked to someone this amazingly beautiful before. “How
did
you like it? Did we meet all your expectations?”

“
Oh,
my God, you guys were amazing, I honestly think you guys sound better live th
a
n on record, if that is even possible.”

Alex looked pleased and leaned
in.
“We
aren’t done
yet.
”  He then turned and walked back toward
the stage, grabbing a bottle of water on the way. His smell of
cologne mixed with his sweat was
heavenly; I could probably breathe it in all day.

After t
he encore, Alex and the guys were
rushed of
f stage into the backstage area.
Not everything
around
the stage
area
was
as busy as it was when the opening act
s performance was finished, but there was
still a lot of activity going on
.
I seem
ed
to be in the way.
I looked around,
but
I didn
’t see a way to get out of the stage area without going the
same way the band
went. And
I didn’t want to act like I was
following them like some twenty something groupie. I look
ed
around for someone in a yellow event shirt
and found
someone quickly;
getting the
person’s
attention was
completely another s
tory. When the guy finally took
the time to talk to
me,
he must have decided
it was
quicker to show me out th
a
n to direct me. After walking me to the general
area,
I intermi
ngled
with the concert crowd and he
ad
ed
in the direction of the exit
.

I
should
have
take
n
the people mover, but
decided
against it since
Comerica Park
was
only a few blocks from the h
otel. I kn
ew walking would help me
settle my nerves from
the excitement of the show
.
After I start
ed
walking
, I
began
to
second-guess
my decision
not
to
take
a jacket to the concert. The early summer air was
chilly and my concert attire was
more for Michigan
’s late summer nights. Oh well, it was too late, all I could do was
suck it up and keep moving
.

I easily follow
ed
a large group of people
who were
walking in the same direction
as the hotel
. That was
safer th
a
n walking alone in downtown Detroit
. It only took
about
ten
minutes to get back to the
Renaissance Center where the Marriot is located. I walk
ed
into the lobby and decide
d
to hit the bar for a glass of
wine,
thinking it would
help warm me a
bit, or
nothing else, relax me
.

After
I ordered
the
wine,
I decide
d to call Lexi. I knew I was
going to be hit with a mi
llion and one
questions,
so it was
b
est to be armed with a drink. I didn
’t even remember hearing it ring, but she was on the other end.  “So, how in the hell did you get onstage with
Awakening
?”