Everywhere: Book 3 of the Nowhere Trilogy

64. Secrets

I'm gonna give all my secrets away - OneRepublic

10:12 PM, Friday, August 19, 2022

Dancing in the back of the pit, Chele is unaware of anything other than having a fun night in Amsterdam. Harry's music swells around her, and she bounces to the beat, her arms and legs flailing as she jams. Occasionally, she'll glance at Harry. This time when she looks at him, he's caught her eye. His face lights up and his dimple deepens as he gives her that cheeky look that says she's getting lucky tonight.

It causes a tingle through her body as she dreams about his fingers plucking her in the same way he's playing the guitar strings. The corners of her mouth turn up, and she knows he's getting close to the time of reading fan signs. As the music ends, Harry puts his guitar away and grabs the microphone, ready to read.

Squinting, he leans forward. "I must be getting old. What does that one say? 'Your ass is jiggle-licious'?" A smile spreads across his features. "Why thank you! I would absolutely agree." Turning around, he shakes his bum at the crowd. Chele snorts. "But I don't think you should be looking at my arse. It's not polite."

Someone in the front row yells at him, and he removes his earpiece to hear better. "Hah?" He asks, cupping his ear. "To whom does my arse belong? What kind of question is that? It's mine! Look! Not fake at all." With that, he takes his other hand and smacks his rear.

Just as Chele is rolling her eyes and hoping he moves on, another sign catches his eye. "'Special birthday coming up?' Oh, you mean my 29th next February? Yes! That's the age I've decided to stay forever, so I guess it's a special one...wait. What? Oh! My blogger? Yes, I believe her birthday is in a couple of days."

Butterflies start in her stomach at the words about her, so Chele focuses on her breathing and consciously smiles as wide as possible.

"You want her to come up on stage so we can sing to her?" His eyes roam across the crowd until they meet up with hers. A large number of fans in the pit pivot and stare at her just before the applause starts, followed quickly by a chant, "Chele! Chele! Chele!"

Blushing, she attempts to wave everyone off. A few fans next to her pat her on the back and yell at her.

"Go on, love!"

"Get your kudos!"

From the stage, Harry shrugs and says to the crowd, "Let's move on!"

"NOOOOOO!" comes the screams from the crowd.

"Let me go over to this side," Harry struts to the opposite side of the stage, trailing the microphone cord behind him. But everyone on that side of the pit puts down their signs and starts chanting again for Chele.

Putting his hands on his hips, Harry sashays across the stage, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout for the cameras to catch. "Hey! This is my show! Mine!" He taps his chest, but the crowd only grows louder at his protestation.

Chele is now being jostled as the fans in the pit surround her and start moving her towards the stage. When Harry spies them, a panicked look crosses his face, and he gestures to the security guard in front. With a nod, the guy starts wading through the crowd to get to Chele. When he arrives, he picks her up around the waist and hauls her in the direction of the stage. Laughing, Chele allows it. When the guard arrives at the barrier, he passes Chele to another staff member who lifts her effortlessly over the railing and immediately in the direction of the stage.

It's way too high to climb from the ground, and Chele bites her lip as she trembles and glances down at the floor. It's not so much that it's far, but rather that there's concrete and metal and equipment. Closing her eyes, she says a quick prayer before feeling hands on her arms. Wide awake now, she smiles and relaxes when she sees Harry and Adam lifting her onto the stage next to them.