A Road to Let Go (Fallen Tuesday #4) (21 page)

“
What
do you do right now? Right before the show?
”

Jake looked into Mel
’
s eyes and smiled.
“
You
’
ll find out tomorrow. Right?
”

“
We'll
see,
”
Mel winked.
“
I can
’
t wait to be there.
”

Jake took his hand from Mel
’
s and put his arm around her. He
pulled her close and stood up off the barstool so he could get even closer. Mel
was warm, comfortable, and way too tempting right now.

The lights went out in the club and
the crowd cheered.

The silhouette of someone came on
stage, a guitar in hand. A chord was struck and the sound exploded through the
speakers. One by one, the band took the stage, all hitting the same note. When Blake
got behind the drums, he hit the bass drum. It rumbled throughout the entire
club.

It was beauty.

Then Ryan ran out on stage, grabbed
the mic, and jumped into the crowd.

“
Are
we ready?
”
Ryan asked.

The crowd cheered.

Jake looked around and saw how
enticed everyone was. Not a single person was looking away.

“
Count
with me,
”
Ryan said.
“
Ready? One
…
two
…
three
…”

On
four
, Ryan put his arms
in the air. The lights came on and the band went right into a song.

It was fast and catchy, the guitar
riffs smooth. Tanner and Asher faced each other, heads bobbing, smiling. Gabe
stood on the edge of the stage holding his bass up, playing.

“
Come
on!
”
Ryan yelled and
climbed up on stage.

The second Ryan started to sing,
Jake knew this was the band. Ryan
’
s
voice fit the music. Tanner and Asher were rockstars already with the way they flawlessly
covered the stage end to end. Gabe hung with Ryan, also singing when needing
to. And Blake behind the drums reminded Jake of Mack. He was a big guy, wide
shoulders, and the beats weren
’
t
just standard drumbeats. The fills between riffs and verses were intense and
kept the song moving.

This band was the real deal.

They were serious, and judging by
the amount of people in the club cheering and singing along, they had a
following already.

Jake smiled ear to ear. Soon enough
these fans would be standing in a crowd of Fallen Tuesday fans, reaching up to
the stage to get a chance to touch Gone By Autumn.

That was the power of music and the
truth of rock n
’
roll.

Guitars, bass, drums, vocals, and a
sound that connected with each person in a different way. Some people connected
more with the faster songs than the slow ones. And the others the other way
around. It was music and it was alive right there in that small club in front
of all those fans.

After six songs, the band slowed
things down with another ballad. Four stools, three guitars, a bass, and Blake
behind the drums. The entire band sung together and it was incredible. That
’
s where Gone By Autumn had
Fallen Tuesday beat. The way the entire band could sing was impressive. They
each had their own voice and they were all amazing. Truly amazing.

By the time the song was over, Jake
felt his body shivering and his arms rippling with goosebumps. He looked down
at Mel and she was looking up at him.

“
They
’
re good,
”
she said.

“
They
’
re really good,
”
Jake said.

“
I
really like tonight. That you
’
re
here
…”

Jake kissed Mel again. The last
note to the song held as the crowd started to cheer. Right there in that moment
of rock n
’
roll beauty and
hearts being poured out, Jake found something he never really had before.

A song.

Whatever song that was that Gone By
Autumn just played would be his and Mel
’
s
song. Jake didn
’
t even know
what he and Mel were yet, but they had a song.

Damnit, they had a song.

“
Okay,
”
Ryan said into the mic.
“
Now we
’
ve got something really cool to do. Something we
’
ve never done before. Something
I can
’
t believe is going to
happen.
”

“
That
’
s my cue, sweetheart,
”
Jake said to Mel. He touched
her face.

Sweetheart?

He had no idea where that came from
but it felt good to say.

“
Your
cue for what?
”
Mel asked.

Jake smiled, having power back in
this new and fun relationship. He didn
’
t
reply but rather let Ryan reveal the surprise to everyone in the room,
including Mel.

“
Does
anyone know who Fallen Tuesday is?
”
Ryan asked.

The crowd responded with a roar.

Mel grabbed Jake
’
s hand and squeezed.
“
You
’
re playing?
”

Jake winked and still didn
’
t reply.

“
You
know the band,
”
Ryan said.
“
They
’
re pretty good, right?
”

“
They
’
re okay,
”
Asher said.

The crowd cheered and started to
look around.

“
Well,
they
’
re here,
”
Ryan said.
“
And if you scream loud enough
…
they agreed to come up on this
stage with us. Would you want that?
”

The crowd erupted.

It made Jake
’
s heart race.

“
That
’
s not good enough!
”
Ryan yelled.

He held his mic out and put a hand
to his ear.

Jake shook his head. This guy knew
how to make a crowd feel right at home. Just like Luke could. That meant the
upcoming tour was going to be bigger and better than ever. In his mind, Jake
could already picture some wild nights of the two bands taking the stage
together, just like Chasing Cross had done for Fallen Tuesday. The way they
symbolically
passed the torch
. Only Fallen Tuesday wasn
’
t going anywhere. They would
tour
…
and tour
…
and tour
…

“
One
more time!
”
Ryan yelled
louder than ever.

The crowd responded louder than
ever.

That
’
s
when Ryan threw his arms up and screamed without the mic,
“
Come on up!
”

Jake started to walk and bumped
into someone. When they turned, the crowd slowly opened for him. Then in the
middle of the crowd, it opened again and again, allowing the rest of the Fallen
Tuesday to work their way to the stage.

It was loud, hot, sweaty, and the
fans were intense. They grabbed at the band but didn
’
t hurt them. Jake shook hands, slapped fives, took
a couple quick pictures, and before he knew it, he was on stage. When he turned
and looked out, it made him smile. The small stages were great. It was nothing
like being in front of forty thousand fans, but being back in such an intimate
venue felt pretty damn good.

“
Do
you want these guys to play a song with us?
”
Ryan asked.

The answer was obvious.

Jake looked beyond the crowd right
to the bar. He spotted Mel sipping her drink. He pointed to her and nodded.

Mel pointed back.

Jake really was a rockstar
…
and he was looking right at her
…

(19)

Mel
’
s
heart felt ready to jump out of her chest. Her head swirled, and it wasn
’
t just because of the drinks.
Sure, they helped, but it was Jake who made her head spin. Mel was extremely
attracted to him, but she reminded herself over and over that Jake was a
rockstar. He was a guitarist in a hugely popular band and they were getting
ready to release a new album and go out on tour.

That meant
…
well, it meant everything and nothing at the same
time.

She watched as Luke took the mic
from the lead singer of Gone By Autumn
’
s
hand.

“
How
about we jam to a Fallen Tuesday song?
”
Luke asked.

The crowd agreed.

Crew members were scrambling to
hand everyone guitars. The stage was filled with hot men and guitars. The two
drummers sat with big drums in front of their feet and guitars in their hands.

It was like nothing Mel had ever
seen in her life. It was magical and she could feel it running through her. It
was a work of art coming to life. It made her think of her mother and her life.
Then thoughts of Jon, her father, and her quest to find him hit her and started
to bring her down. It didn
’
t
help matters that the band counted a four count and began to play one of Fallen
Tuesday
’
s slow songs. All
the guitars harmonized with an amazing sound that brought Mel to her feet.

Jake started to play an intro solo
and Mel felt her hands shaking. She was nervous watching this and she didn
’
t know why. Jake stopped and
looked at one of the guys from Gone By Autumn. He played an intro solo also and
then it was time for Luke and Ryan to sing. Their voices were awesome together.

The song continued and Mel couldn't
move. She just stood there watching and listening. She stared at Jake wondering
what it meant and where it would all lead. Not just with Jake, but for her
life. For as long as Mel could remember, it was always about other people. She
lived in North Carolina to be near her mother. She then scattered up to New
York to find her father. Yet she had nothing for herself. Nothing that made her
feel alive. Except for right now. Listening to the music made her feel alive.
Watching Jake play music made her feel alive.

When the song ended, the crowd went
wild. The band then hurried along the stage, exchanging acoustic guitars for
electric ones. It was a mess of rockstars, but it was so cool to witness in
person. Mel felt someone touch her arm and she looked to see Alex standing next
to her.

“
This
is crazy!
”
Alex yelled.

“
I
know,
”
Mel said.

“
I
’
m going to take off
…
for the night
…”

“
With
your friend?
”
Mel asked.

“
Yes,
”
Alex said. Alex pulled Mel
close.
“
And don
’
t forget about yourself, Mel.
That rockstar likes you. A lot. Explore that. Explore him. Don
’
t miss out on the opportunity.
”

Alex winked and slipped away.

The concert kicked up again, this
time everyone together playing a Gone By Autumn song. Mel looked at Jake again,
but this time she didn
’
t
hear any music. She just saw Jake. The way he played guitar. The way he moved
on stage. The way he looked around. Smiled. Nodded to the crowd. The way he
looked like a true rockstar.

This could never happen.

Then Mel recalled something her
mother tried to explain to her once. That hearts, souls, and minds only
mattered when they connected. It wasn
’
t
about opposites attracting; it was about two people falling the same way at the
same moment.

Jake looked at Mel. She smiled. She
wondered if this was
the
moment or just
a
moment.

The Gone By Autumn song came to an
explosive end. Fallen Tuesday handed their instruments off and then walked to
the edge of the stage. The five guys stood there, waving to the small crowd.
Luke took the mic and motioned with his hands for the crowd to calm down.

“
Thank
you to everyone for being here tonight,
”
Luke said.
“
For supporting
this band. These guys
…
these guys are good.
”

The crowd cheered.

Jake grabbed the mic.
“
These guys kick ass!
”

That got more of a response.

Jake handed the mic to Ryan, who
said,
“
Make Fallen Tuesday
feel the love!
”

The band left the stage in a
barrage of applause. Ryan then announced Gone By Autumn had a couple more songs
to go. The attention went back to them, but Mel couldn
’
t keep her eyes off the side of the stage.

Where was Fallen Tuesday?

Where was Jake?

Did they leave?

She suddenly felt foolish letting
Alex leave like she had done.

Mel sat back down and grabbed her
drink. The ice had melted but the alcohol in it was the same. She wasn
’
t used to having drinks like
this. Alex had been her ride home, so now Mel needed a cab to get back to her
apartment. The cost for a cab would take away from getting more money to Jon...
which would delay finding her father.

Mel
’
s
heart started to sink. The happy feeling from the drinks started to turn into
sorrow and guilt. She hung her head and didn
’
t
know what to think or believe. She closed her eyes for a second and thought
about drawing or painting something. What the hell would that do?

A hand on Mel
’
s shoulder made her jump. She
turned and hoped to see Alex. Then she could get a ride home and end the night.

It was Jake, all sweaty and sexy.

“
Hey,
”
he said.
“
Sorry that took a few minutes.
We had a little band meeting.
”

Mel turned and jumped at him. She
threw her arms around Jake and squeezed tight. He was hot and sticky, smelled
of sweat and manly soap, and the smells drove Mel wild.

“
Are
you okay?
”
Jake asked.

“
I
don
’
t know,
”
Mel said. She looked up at
Jake.
“
You know?
”

“
Actually,
I do,
”
Jake said.
“
I hope I don
’
t come across the wrong way here
…
we have a limo out back, if you
wanted to get out of here and go somewhere.
”

“
Where?
”

“
Your
place?
”

Mel smiled.
“
Is this your attempt at picking me up?
”

“
Sweetheart,
I think I
’
ve already picked
you up.
”

Mel had nothing to say. It was
true. Jake had stolen a part of her already.

In silence, Mel had to make a
decision. Her heart, mind, and soul all raced and battled what to do. There was
a line between right and wrong, what should be done and shouldn
’
t be done, and that line sometimes
varied between a mile wide and as thin as a piece of hair.

“
Yes,
”
Mel said.

“
Yes?
”
Jake asked.

“
Let
’
s get out of here, please.
”

“
You
got it.
”

Jake took Mel
’
s hand and led her toward the
back of the club. Gone By Autumn
’
s
show continued and was louder than ever as Mel walked by the side speakers. When
she realized they were in the backstage area, she was being pulled right past
the rest of Fallen Tuesday. It was so cool to see so many rockstars.

Mack whistled and gave a thumbs up
to Jake.

“
Calm
down,
”
Jake called back as
he opened the door.

Only a few feet away was a long
black limo. Even if Mel had no real reason to not believe Jake, it was still a
shock to see a limo waiting for them.

Jake opened the door and Mel
climbed inside. Jake spoke to the driver and then joined Mel in the back. He
shut the door and the limo started to move.

“
Hey,
”
Jake said.

“
Yeah?
”

“
For
tonight
…”

Mel took a chance and touched Jake
’
s face.
“
Don
’
t
say anything weird right now.
”

“
Like
what?
”

“
Probably
whatever you were about to say.
”

Jake smiled and slipped an arm
around Mel. He pulled her close and Mel put her head to his chest, welcoming the
silence. Her ears were still ringing from the show. It was proof that this was
actually happening and that she wasn't in a dream. And now Mel was leaving with
one of the rockstars. She put her hand to his much bigger hand.

Mel shut her eyes and took a deep
breath.

I want this. I want him.