PROVEHITO IN ALTUM

Chapter Two

I steadied myself slowly, not wanting to look up. I could feel that everyone was looking at me and it was driving me insane. In that way, I'm very much like Shannon Leto. I hate having the spotlight on me; I don't like being the center of attention. My palms were sweaty and my knees were trembling. Silence fell over the crowd as it impatiently awaited for something to happen.

"Would you be kind enough to grant us the pleasure of knowing your name?" Jared asked, pulling me closer to him.

I nervously chuckled before clearing my throat. I pulled myself upright and somehow, managed to gather up enough courage to speak up. "Well, when you put it that way, how could I say no? My name is Raena. Pleasure to meet you." I finally managed to articulate audible enough so everyone could hear me.

I glanced at the sea of people standing in front of me. It was simultaneously intimidating and breathtaking. The lights blinded me a little, but I could still make out most of the faces in the crowd. It was exhilarating, yet paralyzing. I never really stopped to think about how amazing all of this was until that very moment. How incredible it was that so many people gathered together just to listen to some music, but in the process you got much more than a little noise. Call me crazy, but there were moments in which every single person in that venue felt bound to each other, like the music was connecting us, bringing us closer somehow. And that is something I've only felt a couple of times, during special moments like these.

It was the sound of Jared's voice and my name being called out that woke me up from my daze. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?" I asked confused. He looked at me and smirked.

"Mesmerizing, isn't it?" I looked at him and found him looking down at me. His eyes were the deepest blue I've ever seen. It felt like I was looking directly into his soul. They were so pure and inviting. And still, I felt like not even all the time in this world was going to be enough to get to know every single aspect of this man. He was so mysterious and his every move seemed to be pulling at me, bringing me closer, making me more curious than I already was. The way he looked at me, with gleaming eyes; the way he talked and moved and sang; it was all too beautifully carved to ignore. I wanted to get to know him, I needed to.

The word yeah was all that I managed to say out loud. Every second that went by, I became more numb and found it harder to speak. I slowly became unaware of my surroundings, except for the man that was standing barely inches away from me. "So, you say you want to hear The Story huh?" he asked after what seemed like a really long pause.

"Uh huh, I love that song, but I feel like you guys don't play it enough." I laughed, feeling more relieved now that I could talk normally again.

"Maybe that's true, but why The Story though?" Jared asked, clearly interested.

"Well, don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore The Kill, but The Story was the song that made me really fall in love with your band. It's as simple as that." I smiled, replaying what I just said in my mind, hoping it didn't sound stupid.

Jared grinned even wider than he was already. "Ok then, I just have one request for you."

"And what would that be?" I asked a little worried.

"That you sing with me." he replied. As soon as I heard those five words come out of his mouth, my heart sinked. How the hell does he expect me to sing in front of so many people? Not every one can sing as harmoniously as he does. I certainly can't.

I shook my head vigorously. "No way! All I'm gonna do is embarrass myself. Just no." I said, feeling all the confidence I had fall apart.

"Oh come on, you can't sing that bad. If you do, I'll cover my ears. I promise. Just help me out a bit, please! " Jared pleaded.

"Ugh, fine. Just so you know, I like you a little less now." I sighed as Tomo came running towards me with a microphone. I took it and watched him as he took his acoustic guitar and plugged it in.

"Close your eyes." Jared said looking at me. I flashed a smile and did as I was told, remembering the concert in which he used that exact same phrase before playing that song. The first few notes of the song were played I and let myself get carried away with the music, forgetting for a moment where I was.

"I've been thinking of everything I used to want to be-"

As we both started singing the song, my eyes shot open. I was, indeed, very surprised when I heard my voice. I did not sound half as bad as I expected. I mean, it wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. Jared smiled at me giving me an I-told-you-so look.

"I've been thinking of everything. Of me, of you and me.

This is the story of my life-"

As we finished the song, the crowd cheered and clapped like crazy. I thought I was about to burst of excitement. I had never been happier in my whole life.

"I guess you're not such a bad singer after all. Tonight has been amazing." He bent over and placed a soft kiss on my cheek, taking me completely off guard. "Thank you, Rae." He whispered tenderly.

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Author's Note:

I attached a video from the concert I mentioned before in case you haven't seen it. If you have, you might as well enjoy it again. ;)

Oh, and I just wanted to give a special thanks to Harley-Quinn-Here and Fanfictions_for_Mars for being the first to read and support my story. Thank you so much!

-XO Luna ♥