Chapter 3
1677 Words
Rosie’s POV
I quickly turned and left the crowd.
“Rosie! Where the hell are you going to? Slow down a bit,” Anna screamed chasing me through the crowd like a crazy woman.
“I just need a second babe, I need to breathe properly or else I'll collapse and you’ll have to carry me on your back” I yelled back not slowing down.
“Rosie!” Anna called again, breathless as she caught up.” And you are so insane. You could have tripped and fallen”.
“I know, I know,” I said pressing a hand to my chest as we reached a security gate at the side of the stage. “But I swear I saw him look back at me before leaving. Did you see that? Tell me you saw that!
Anna rolled her eyes dramatically, flipping her braids over her shoulders “Sweetheart, you’ve been seeing things ever since he touched your hand.”
I burst out laughing, still trembling from excitement. “No, I mean it! He looked back.
Then I paused and turned to face Anna.
“Girl, what is it? Why did you stop all of a sudden” Anna motioned dramatically using both her hands.
Then my eyes widened in realization “Anna, he said I shouldn't disappear after the concert, he freaking whispered that in my ear, I just remembered “
“What” Anna half yelled, although I noticed a slight change in her expression but she quickly masked it.
“Yes, he said that”
“So what does that mean? And where do we see him again”
“I don't know Anna, I don't know”. I said
“But damn, I have to admit, you handled yourself like a queen out there. You didn’t even trip or faint. I would’ve blacked out the moment he held my hand, talk more of him whispering something into my ear”.
Then she smiled dreamingly and said, “But I swear Rosie that man looks even more tempting in person. His chest is all I want to lie on”.
“Haven't you noticed how perfectly sculptured his face is, the way his sexy lips move when he sings. Oh God! I wonder if someone has kissed those lips before “
At this point, Anna almost dramatically reached the floor.
I groaned, laughing helplessly. “Stop, Anna!”
She gasped suddenly, her eyes looking behind me. “Oh my God… Rosie… turn around slowly.”
“What…”
Before I could finish, I turned and froze.
Aaron Jackson himself was standing less than ten feet away, his security team forming a circle around him as they moved toward the backstage exit.
And for one split, our eyes met. Everything around me went still except the sound of my heartbeat.
“Rosie,” Anna whispered. “If you don’t breathe right now, I swear you’re going to die standing.”
Too late. I forgot how to breathe.
“Hey!” one of the guards barked suddenly, moving toward us. “You ladies can’t be here. Backstage access only.”
“I’m so sorry, we were just… “Anna started, but before she could finish, someone interrupted.
“It’s okay,” came that deep, smooth voice I’d recognize anywhere.
Aaron.
The guard hesitated, glancing back at him. “Sir?”
Aaron nodded once. “They’re fine. Let them through.”
My jaw dropped. Anna’s too.
Did he just…?
The guard stepped aside reluctantly, and before I knew it, I was standing mere feet away from Aaron.
He smiled faintly, wiping his face with the towel. “You alright there? You looked like you were about to pass out when I called you up earlier.”
“—uh—yeah,” I stammered, feeling my brain completely melt. “I mean, I wasn’t expecting to— I just—”
Anna jumped in with zero shame. “She’s your biggest fan. Like, number one. She knows every lyric, every music video, every live performance—”
“Anna!” I hissed under my breath, my face burning.
Aaron chuckled, low and rich. “Is that so?” His gaze lingered on me, curious, amused. “Guess I picked right tonight.”
My knees went weak.
“Anyway,” he said, running a hand through his damp curls, “thanks for making the show even better. You had good energy out there.”
“Thank you,” I managed, still trying to sound like a functional human being.
A man in a headset whispered something to him about interviews, and Aaron nodded. “Give me a minute.” Then his eyes flicked back to me. “Are you coming to the next show?”
“Uh—no, we were just heading home,” I said quickly.
“Too bad.” He smiled that slow, devastating smile that could probably end world wars. “Would’ve been nice to have you there.”
I wanted to say “You asked me not to disappear and now you are acting like you didn't”. But my pride would never let me do that.
And then, just like that, he started walking toward the corridor behind the stage.
Anna immediately grabbed my arm and squealed, “Girl. He invited you “
“He didn't invite me,” I said. “He just..”
“‘Would’ve been nice to have you there.’ That’s an invitation in celebrity language!”
“Anna!”
“Rosie, you cannot go home now,” she declared dramatically.
Before I could protest, someone pushed me roughly, a production crew member carrying equipment, and I stumbled, accidentally pushing through a side curtain that led into the backstage area.
“Rosie!” Anna hissed. “Where are you, oh God?”
The curtain fell behind me and I fell to the ground with a loud thud and before I knew it, a cushion fell on my legs.
As I was struggling to get up, I saw the equipment shake from where they were arranged and the loudspeaker was about to fall on my legs.
My eyes widened in horror and I shouted” Help me! Somebody help me!”
Before I could process my next move, some strong arms scooped me up as if I weighed nothing and we fell to the other side.
My eyes were closed and my heart was beating loudly.
A concerned voice tapped my cheeks lightly “Hey, hey, are you okay?”
I fluttered my eyes open and I met the most beautiful pair of eyes I have ever seen.
And guess whose eyes they were?
The famous Aaron Jackson. I saw his forehead lift in realization and for a moment we just stared into each other’s eyes forgetting about the world behind us.
“Excuse me, miss, you can’t be back here,” a guard said sharply bringing us back to reality.
“I…I’m sorry,” I said quickly, panicking. “I didn’t mean to..I just..”
Before he could respond, Aaron turned around. His brows drawn together in a tight line and he fired “Are you crazy, can’t you see she’s hurt?. How could you be so careless as to keep equipment by the entrance?”
The guard looked down and quickly apologized.
I stood up then he turned and looked at me with concern evident in his eyes “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I stammered “I-I am fine, thank you”
“You sure you’re not following me?” Aaron teased lightly to ease the tension, that killer smile appearing again.
I blinked, terrified. “No! God, no. I swear I didn’t mean to end up here.
He laughed, low and easy. “Relax, I’m joking.”
My embarrassment only deepened. “Right. Of course. Ha-ha.”
He tilted his head slightly, studying me. “You’re not from here, are you?”
“Born and raised in Chicago, my parents and I moved here five years ago,” I said. “But I… love the culture. The music, especially.”
He smiled faintly. “That explains the energy. You’ve got rhythm.”
My cheeks warmed. “I just— I really love your music. It’s real. It feels… human.”
Aaron’s expression softened. “That’s the best compliment you could give me.”
He was about to say something when one of his team members called out, “Aaron, car’s ready!”
He nodded looking almost disappointed, then looked back at me one last time and asked me again. “You coming to the next show?”. He asked with hope in his voice.
“I… don’t know,” I said honestly.
“Why?” he said, stepping closer, just enough for his cologne to hit my nostrils.
And before I could reply, the same guy appeared again. “You are going to be late Sir”.
He turned and looked at me one last time before he disappeared through the door.
I stood frozen, staring after him, my entire body humming with disbelief.
Anna burst in seconds later, wide-eyed. “Rosie! What the hell? You disappeared for two minutes and ended up backstage?”
I turned to her slowly, dazed. “He talked to me again.”
She blinked. “Girl… I swear, you’re about to make me lose my mind. This is straight out of a movie.”
I finally smiled, a slow, dizzy smile. If I told her what happened exactly, she would be more dramatic.“Maybe it is, but we are not going to the next show”.
“What! Why?” Anna tapped her foot on the floor like an annoyed child who had been disappointed.
“Because initially, we had no idea that another show would take place after this, and it’s past midnight, and we got no tickets, babe”
I dragged her by her hand and we headed to the parking lot and drove off.
- Writer
