“More than you’ll ever know.” She tugs on my hand, pulling me down to kiss her lips. I linger there, drinking from her, not wanting to stop, but she gently pushes me, giving me no choice.
“Go out there. Show them what you’ve got,” she murmurs.
I lift my brows. That line is new. Usually she says, Go out there. Show them that you’re mine.
She smiles serenely, making me think of a queen. She’s transformed this summer. I love the woman she’s becoming. “You don’t belong to just me anymore, Jackson. You belong to all of them too.”
Ellie points at the screaming crowd.
“Not true—” I start, but she shakes her head.
“It’s okay. They can have a piece of you, but not all of you,” she says. “I’m the one who’s in your bed every night. That’s all that matters to me.”
Ah fuck. This girl. Her confidence in herself and me is astounding. She’s changed so much. All for the better. I’m in awe of her.
“Love you.” I kiss her again. “I’m gonna go make girls cry now.”
She giggles. “Have fun.”
I run back out on stage, my bandmates following after me. The crowd roars their approval as I sling my guitar strap around my neck and approach the mic, strumming the guitar a couple of times to tune it. I stand there, quiet, surveying the audience and how deep it goes. How many people came out tonight to support me. To listen to my songs. They grow with every venue, I swear. This venue is outside, so there are a ton of people here. I see more male faces than usual out there, which is surprising.
Not that I don’t appreciate my female fans, but I don’t want to be labeled as a teen heartthrob and that’s it. Though Rick tells me there’s worse things that could happen to my career.
I suppose he’s right.
Once the crowd is mostly silent, I start to play, my acoustic guitar so much softer than the electric guitar, of course. I don’t play acoustic nearly as much as I used to, and I miss it. Miss my fucking chair too. It was part of my schtick, but Rick told me I needed to try something new, so here I am.
Standing. Smiling out at the crowd before I speak.
“This song is for my girl,” I say, my voice husky. I glance to my right to see Ellie standing in the wings, a giant smile on her face as she watches me. “She’s the love of my life. And she better never forget it.”
The crowd goes nuts. Ellie mouths I love you to me. Her words are like an adrenaline shot straight to the heart.
Damaged. Broken. Blind and stupid
Looking for girls. Losing myself. Drinking too much
Finding happiness in things that don’t matter
Yet there you stood, always by my side. Never wavering
How much did you endure while I was fucking around?
Yet you never left me, yeah you stood your ground
I strum the guitar, tapping my foot, thinking of that night, and how I started writing this song while she was being attacked. And how far we’ve come since then.
When it’s dark and cold, and you’re feeling lonely just know
I see you
When we’re miles apart you’ve still got a piece of my heart
Yeah
I see you
Even before when I took advantage of your faith in me