And maybe, just maybe, Ty would finally be back in my life.
Chapter 12
TYSON
We had just finished up our soundcheck on the stage at the top of the Space Needle. Me and the guys were hanging out waiting for the party to start. Well, I was waiting for Zoey to arrive. I had to admit that, even as a native, it was pretty badass to be able to see through the glass floor all the way down to the mangled architectural mess that was MoPOP and the spectacular Chihuly Glass Museum.
We had played our songs acoustically only on a few occasions, the first time at Zoey’s house for her high-school graduation. For this set, we put extra effort into the arrangements to make sure it was perfect for a live streaming event.
Truth be told, my heart was beating so hard I could nearly see it thumping under my black T-shirt. Knowing that Zoey would be here soon made me feel things I had pushed deep down inside of myself forever. Zane was sitting on a stool tuning his guitar, seemingly oblivious. Jace tried to be covert about it, but he was looking toward the platform where the elevator would let the guests out, waiting for Alex. Conner was outside standing on a clear bench with his hands on the slanted glass, looking out over the crystal-blue waters of Puget Sound. The show would start at sunset, which wasn’t for another hour.
“Shit, happy birthday, Ty!” Zane suddenly looked up from his guitar. A smattering of the crew mumbled some birthday wishes too.
“It’s a big day, I’m super excited about the kids we’re going to help.” I nodded at them.
“Or, you’re super excited by a certain blonde lawyer.” Jace cocked his head. “I’d tell you to be careful, but I can see you’re going down the well again no matter what I say.”
“Ah, well, there’s a lot of baggage but it’s been good getting to know her as a professional, for the past few months. She’s remarkable at her job. And now that we are friends again, hopefully we can put the past behind us.” I sounded defensive, and I was. I was far from the boy who anguished over Zoey for years, I’d grown up. I could make my own decisions.
“Carter is an idiot, he’s the last person who should have ever given Zoey advice.” Zane shrugged. “I know it. He knows it. You know it.”
“Zoey didn’t know it though. He was a famous rock star. She was only eighteen.” I defended her. “She did what she thought he asked her to do.”
“Sounds like you’ve made peace with it.” Jace smiled.
“Well, what am I supposed to do, man?” I smiled back. “She’s even more amazing now than she was then. I want everyone to be nice to her, she’s nervous about hearing the songs live and being outed. She has her career to consider.”
“I don’t blame her, those lyrics put her on full blast.” Zane mimicked a shotgun. “Good thing we made everyone lock up their camera phones.”
I looked up when I heard the elevator doors open. Alex stepped out first, wearing her uniform of a T-shirt, Levi’s, and black Frye boots. She narrowed her eyes when she spotted me. Behind her, Zoey looked like an angel, her blonde hair in a long, thick side braid with wild flyaway pieces all around her beautiful face, rocking a light-purple sundress and silver sandals. Every fiber of my body ignited. Exactly the same reaction as when I first saw Zoey in the audience at The Mission.
There was no chance to say hello before the show, however. Andrew and Sienna pulled me into an interview, and then we all had to head back into the makeshift dressing room to do our pre-show rituals before we made our entrance.
I could see the small crowd filing in from behind the wall, Jace, Connor, Zane’s friends and family, Carter and Fiona, some super fans who won tickets on Sirius, and the various LTZ staff from the management and booking office. Right before we went onstage, we huddled and pumped each other up, but I was distracted. I had to find where Zoey was in the crowd. From the sidelines, I frantically scanned the audience until I spotted her with Alex at the back by the bar, wine in hand, talking animatedly to each other.
The sun descended over the Olympic Mountains, the golden light gave way to a brilliant pink and purple hue that illuminated the Seattle skyline. At that moment, the Sirius host announced us, and we all took the stage.
We were playing six songs. I insisted on leaving out Down despite threats of bodily harm from the entire LTZ team and the Sirius suits. Our biggest hit had the most hurtful lyrics for Zoey to hear. I worried that if I sang my song of visceral heartbreak in front of her for the first time in such an intimate setting, it would send her right back down the glass elevator and out of my life forever. I didn’t want that. Since it was my event and my birthday, I simply pulled rank.
I closed my eyes, didn’t say anything or engage in any banter, I just sang our earliest releases Rise and Gemini, and then Long Road and Kick It, our more recent hits. The new arrangements we had worked out sounded amazing, and it was a joy to perform in front of the small crowd. When Zane strummed the first chords of Shine the audience cheered, and I searched and found Zoey staring at me with a
