Run Away || Luke Hemmings

12

Getting mentally prepared to go on stage was the hardest part for me. Walking out onto a stage in front of a bunch of people that didn't like me put my nerves on a whole new level. No amount of practice would ever take the nerves away. I knew the boys all sensed it on me as we stood back stage with each other.

"You got this." Luke's hands were cupped around my face. "Don't let anyone in the crowd phase you. If you hear boos, if you get scared or nervous, look at me and only me. Got it?" I nodded my head, his hands not leaving either side of my face. The crowd began to get louder. He kissed me before running out on the stage.

The rest of the band had given me the pep talk in the dressing room. They were going to perform a few songs before it was my time to join them. We also didn't announce the fact that 'Emery Blake' would be joining them for a night. Their management thought it was best that we keep it a secret knowing my past with the band.

It was my que to join the guys on stage and I froze. My feet didn't want to leave their position. I was standing just off stage and I couldn't take those few steps to make it out in front of the crowd. Michael looked back in my direction wondering what was going on. "You have to go." A crew member pushed me and I stumbled onto the stage and walked up to Luke holding a mic.

"Surprise!" Luke said pointing at me. They had been talking up a surprise the whole show. Luke ushered me to move closer to him. I walked slowly up to him. "It's Emery Blake!" As I reached him he pulled me into a side hug trying to comfort me.

"So we asked her to join us for a throwback song tonight." I looked around the stage as I stood with Luke's arm still around me. "This was a song Luke and Emery sung together way before the rest of the band was created. Once the band formed this was a song we always seemed to get stuck on perfecting. Emery actually got the words tattooed on her." Michael spoke to the crowd. He was trying to allow me to get comfortable before we started.

"You all gave her a hard time for it actually." Calum added in. "During this performance you'll see why she has those words on her instead of the right ones." Calum looked at me as the big screen showed my tattoo. I gave him a thumbs up. I was ready. But I could tell people weren't happy I was on the stage.

Luke lowered my mic and moved us back away from his and made me face him as the interlude began to play. "You've got this. I'm very proud of you Emmy." I had never seen a bigger smile on his face until this moment. I took a deep breath. The words I couldn't hear him say but I could read them and I needed the reassurance. We both walked up to the front of the stage and looked out at the crowd as Luke's lines were coming.

"Oh California please be still tonight, don't disturb this love of mine, look how she's so serene, you've got to help me out, to count the stars to form in lines, and find the words we'll sing in time, I want to keep her dreaming, it's my one wish, I won't forget this. I'm outdated, overrated, morning seems so far away." I took a deep breath as I raised my mic to my mouth joining Luke.

"So I'll sing a melody and hope to God he's listening." I sung while Luke sung "So I'll sing a melody and hope to God she's listening". We sung the rest of the chorus together. I took over the second verse alone. We joined back for the chorus. As the third verse came we faced each other. We sung the lines back and forth, I started off.

"You could crush me"

"Please don't crush me, cause baby I'm a dreamer, for sure."

"And I won't let you down."

"I swear this time I mean it."

We sung the final chorus together. It was the most nerve racking performance of my life. Waiting for the applause and screams as we finished was what caused the most nerves for me. It came so easy for their fans. As much as they disliked me they couldn't deny that I had talent, that we had talent. As the song finished I hugged Luke as tight as could. I didn't care about the swapping of sweat.