CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
AUBREY
THE WEATHER COOPERATED as we walked to the launch party. The breeze picked up just enough to cool off the crowd even as the sun shined down through intermittent clouds.
As we made our way to where he leaked the launch location, we saw swarms of people dressed for a concert. I hadn’t read much about what exactly the concert would consist of but Katie and Vick must have known what to expect because my outfit, and their own, fit right in with the crowd.
We looked like the epitome of summertime girls. Katie and I had a ruthless twist to our outfits. My tank top was tight but a light green that brought out my eye color. It was cut on the sides to show more skin and pinned together with little sparkly buttons. It drew attention in a subtle, sexy, sort of unforgiving way. My jeans were a boyfriend cut that sat low on my waist and were ripped in so many places they could barely be called jeans. With stilettos and smoky eye shadow, I hoped I looked ready to kill, because I was.
We pushed through the throngs of people. The campus’s epically large hill was covered with fans, and the streets that sidelined the stage were filled. From above, I saw drones taking in the sight and it must have been a great one. I’d never seen this many people flood the area.
Jax was notorious for having amazing openers for his concerts, but surprisingly, he took the stage first. He let the crowd roar on and on for a time and looked over the streets and campus. The sight might have humbled him, or maybe it just built his ego. I couldn't be sure what someone with so many fans felt up there.
I'd have felt panic, fear, anxiety, and a need to hyperventilate.
He probably felt all that with a rush of adrenaline and excitement. His smile shined bright and genuine as he raised his hands and motioned for the crowd to quiet down. Then, his voice boomed over the speakers, filled with authority and amusement. "All right, come on guys. You have to be quiet if you want to hear the damn songs."
The crowd just responded with louder cries, and I completely got it. He stood there in a tight black T-shirt and jeans that looked so good on him, I knew they must have cost a fortune. Somehow, they looked faded and worn on their own though. Like he’d just come from a stroll in the park and was somehow still the perfect man you wanted to serenade you.
It was a stark contrast to the suits he wore most of the time and could easily play to the idea of the app. This was their artist, away from the everyday working grind, here to stroll through the park with them and sing the songs they wanted.
He waved for more silence and the crowd finally started to listen. Jax chuckled and thanked them all again. “My family’s front and center to see you all fawn over me today. I’m a little embarrassed that you’re making it so easy.”
He pointed to where the Stonewoods were. They’d been fenced in and security was all around them, typical for the infamous American family. Jax had asked me to be there with them, and Nancy Stonewood called, along with Jay, to try and persuade me. Now, more than ever, I was so happy I hadn’t taken them up on the offer.
Instead, we’d pushed through the crowd to a building where security let us in. They directed us up to a suite where we could watch from above.
I stared down at the family I thought I knew.
Did they all know about my trust fund? I wanted to scream at Jay to tell me what he knew, but sometimes it was better to be kept in the dark. Truths and honesty between best friends hurt sometimes more than the omission. I wanted our friendship untainted for just a bit longer.
As for Mr. and Mrs. Stonewood, even Jett who’d always handled my investments of the fund, I’d have to find a way to forgive them. Their generosity and compassion to try to help me had tainted their rationale.
Jax and forgiving him, that was different.
Maybe he knew that. As he glanced up at our building and straight to the window where I stood, we locked eyes. We were close enough that I could read the strain on his face, I could see it simmering there. I just didn’t know if it was the simmer before a concert or if it had started when he’d found out I’d gone to see my father.
His eyes snapped back to the crowd and he mumbled back to his band, “Let’s give them what they want.”
The first strum of his guitar quieted the crowd so much, I swear I heard the lapping of the lake nearby and the whoosh of the wind. The sun had started to set as Jax and his band mesmerized the crowd with the start of their set. No words flowed through the speakers. They let the instruments have their time for the introduction.
The slow build worked in his favor because when they stopped to let his voice come in completely acapella, I honestly saw some in the crowd start to weep.
The first song was about waking up to your lover and living that small moment to the fullest before you left them for the day. Some had argued it could have been forever. I wasn’t sure what he meant by it either. He’d written it after leaving me. So, I imagined it had been about him leaving me for good and my heart broke, shattered, and disintegrated every time I heard it.
Today, for the first time, hearing it live transported me to our mornings together. I wanted to lie in his arms forever. Yet I knew I never would again.
People mingled around me in the suite, talking about how everything was going smoothly. These were his close friends, ones that had seen him in concert before. They maybe weren’t as mesmerized, but I couldn’t look away.
Song after song stabbed my heart. Some were ones I’d known from the day we started walking down to the lake together. Some were ones I’d heard over the years. Some were completely new to me and everyone in the crowd leaned in close, trying to memorize every word and absorb the enigma that was Jax Stonewood.
His heart was on the line with each song. He loved the music, bled the music, and died for the music. One of his friends leaned in close to me at one point and said, “I can’t believe he’ll leave the world holding this talent hostage.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t think he’ll perform again. The fame isn’t what he wants. He did this for the launch, so he can have a part of it without all of it.”
I understood but didn’t know how to respond. His friend was a high-profile musician as well. So, there was no denying Jax had the talent and that he may never share it with anyone again. That was his choice.