What the Future as for Us

Chapter 13 - STELLA

It's Monday afternoon, I found myself sprawled across the couch in Renee's dressing room, the gentle hum of backstage activity a distant murmur. She's out in the hallway, engaged in a lively conversation with Anabella (Bella). Exhaustion seeps into my bones after a long, grueling day. The show is scheduled to start in about an hour.

As Bella and Renee re-enter the room, we all gather around, engaging in casual chatter. Renee settles next to me, and without a word, she gently lifts my head and places it in her lap. Her fingers weave through my hair in a soothing rhythm. The rhythmic motion lulled me into a serene daze, like drifting on a cloud of warmth and comfort. As my eyelids grew heavier, I closed my eyes for just a moment, succumbing to the blissful tranquility of the moment.

I opened my eyes after what I thought to be 5 minutes. Renee is standing on the other side of the room, she is only in her underwear.

"That's a good view to wake up to" I remarked with a smirk, the drowsiness still lingering in my voice.

She turned towards me, a playful grin dancing on her lips. "Oh, sorry, did I wake you?" she asked, her tone teasing.

"Nah, it's all good. Are you ready?" I inquired, pushing myself up into a sitting position on the couch.

"Ready for what? Going out?" she replied, her brow furrowing in confusion.

I felt a jolt of panic shoot through me. "No, for the show, obviously" I responded, my confusion mirrored in my voice.

Renee chuckled, "Oh, baby, the show's done. You slept for a solid two and a half hours" she informed me, amusement evident in her tone.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry I missed the show. Why didn't you wake me?" I exclaimed, immediately getting up from the couch.

She had a gentle smile playing on her lips as she finished dressing up. "You looked like you needed some sleep, so I let you," she replied softly

I did a false sad face , " but i wanted to see you on stage again"

Renee grinned at my exaggerated pout. "I'll play for you only on an other day, I promise"

"And you will play acoustic pretty girl ?"

"Maybe I'll even throw in a special encore, just for you" she teased, a suggestive edge to her tone.

My cheeks heated up as I caught her drift. Since Birmingham, we'd been playing this flirty game, mostly through texts or in public. But now, alone in the changing room, her words felt different. We always maintained the facade of friendship, but the undercurrent of tension often left me questioning the boundaries.

Interrupting my thoughts, Renee broke the silence. "Come on now, they're waiting for us. We're going out" she said, snapping me back to the present.

As we joined the group, Bella raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Took you guys a while. What were you up to in there?"

"I don't think we want to know actually" Alex chimed in, already heading towards the exit.

As we walked outside, I quickly shot a text to Maddy and Noah, asking if they wanted to join us. Seeing a message from Nico asking if I'm free tonight, I invite him too.

We found a cozy spot at a nearby table and ordered some beers while we waited for Nico. When he arrived, I introduced him to everyone, and we began sharing the story of how we met. I always enjoyed hanging out with Nico; sometimes, we'd slip into speaking French, and it felt nice to connect in my native language once in a while.

As the evening progressed, the pulsating rhythm of the music seemed to synchronize with the flow of alcohol coursing through my veins. I found myself feeling more and more flirty – blame it on the drinks.