After the Rain- Josh Kiszka

Chapter 7- Light My Love

"Celine? Celine? Are you okay?"

I blinked at the mention of my name. I willed myself out of the daze I had been caught in and swiveled my head in the direction of the voice, where I was met with an extremely concerned Mikey beside me.

Oh, right.

I had completely forgotten where I was for a second.

I cleared my throat, "Yeah, sorry. I was, uh, just worrying about Lina. Y'know since it's the first time leaving her and all." I said, forcing a laugh in an attempt to make my recent zone out seem insignificant to the unknowing spectator.

In reality, what I had said couldn't have been farther from the truth, as I wasn't even worried about Lina in the slightest. How was I supposed to explain to Mikey that the father of my child was standing right in front of us, about to perform on stage?

The answer was simple— I wasn't going to.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and smiled knowingly.

'If only he had really known,' I thought to myself.

"Celine, I'm sure Lina is just fine, and that Millie is taking good care of her. Relax, you're allowed to have fun, y'know." He reassured me with a wink.

His touch that I had welcomed a few minutes prior felt so foreign, and being so overwhelmed, I wished to shake free from his hold on me. For the sake of acting as if everything was okay, I stayed put— pretending to welcome his embrace. I tried to ground myself but it seemed as if everything I focused on proved to be too much to take in. I figured it would be best to try and focus on the show, as it had just started, without giving too much thought to Josh, which would prove to be extremely difficult considering he was the frontman, right before my eyes.

I looked to the right of the stage to Jake. I was finally able to place where I had recognized him from. The hotel. He was the guy that I had bumped into, causing me to drop my phone, which, speaking of, I had yet to get fixed. The spider-web-like crack still danced across my screen.

I realized now that he and Josh stood side by side why he had looked so familiar to me when I had first encountered him. They were brothers— that just so happened to have some striking physical similarities, might I add. I recalled the conversation that Josh and I had had when we met about his eclectic line of work and how it was a sort of family affair. It all made sense now, the vague answers to my questions, the signs of luxury during our little rendezvous... it was because he was a famous rockstar in a well known band with his brothers. He probably hadn't told me for fear that I would just use him for his money or his fame. My heart twinged with sadness at the thought that he had to protect himself from those trying to take advantage of him, and I understood why he had been so guarded with me; we were strangers for crying out loud.

My attempt of distraction by focusing on Jake was short lived, as naturally, I couldn't help myself from thinking of Josh. My focus immediately shifted to center stage as I heard him begin to sing. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped at the sound as he uttered the first lyrics. His voice was truly amazing. My hearing had blocked out the entire introduction of the song, but now I was fixated solely on his words as they flowed on. 

"Holy shit."

"I know, he's such a gifted singer." I jumped at the sound of Mikey's voice. I had honestly forgotten he was there, and I hadn't realized that I had reacted out loud.

At risk of sounding dramatic, it was like Josh's voice had put me in a trance. I was watching him, and only him, as he poured his heart into the song. It was truly a breathtaking sight to witness.