44: Tetris in the Stage
Rhys
It feels like a deja vu as I walk through backstage, while so many people rush from one direction to another.
Asia excused himself once I met him from the barrier, claiming that he needed to get something in the car. I told him that it was okay since I needed a few minutes alone. To my surprise, he gave me a backstage pass before he left, so I could roam around without interruption.
Asia is doing the gods' work and I couldn't be more thankful.
I open a double door with a 'Production Staff Only' sign. My heart leaps when I hear Alec begin to sing. His deep, baritone voice flows through me like a beacon. My feet start to move in the direction of a dark hallway, his voice effectively drawing me in. Turning a corner, I immediately spot Holland talking to a guy with a headphone.
I walk toward him without thinking. The ground vibrating beneath my feet matches the swift thunderous beating inside my rib cage. There's a television set up on the wall, showing a sweaty Alec singing into the microphone. His eyes are closed as he savors his words, both of his hands holding the mic tightly as if he's afraid it will be taken away. The strands of his brown hair are sticking in every direction. His tattooed biceps flex as he leans down a bit to belt out a high note.
I stand motionless as I listen to him, my palm rubbing the spot where it aches in the days that he occupied my mind. Touching my cheek subconsciously, I find the skin wet with tears. It was just so long. It's been so terribly long...
Holland meets my eyes when I turn back to him, my name leaving his lips in a shocked whisper. "What are you doing here?"
His question isn't one of displeasure. It's genuine curiosity, obvious that he never expected me at all. I remove my sunglasses and mask. "I want to talk to Alec."
He nods, a worried frown still on his face. "They have a five-minute break after this set. You can talk to him, then."
I tilt my head, slightly aghast by this version of Holland. Undemanding. Worried. Sounds like a human. He raises a brow, prompting a chuckle out of me. "Well, you're just different. You sound... nice."
He stops for a moment, before shaking his head. "I doubt you'd think the same later."
I feel my face morphing in confusion. My mouth opens to ask him what he means by that when a sudden stir comes from the stage. Dancers in costumes walk down the short staircase, before Morris and Peyton enter my line of sight. They give me a soft smile.
Toro then comes next, his face lighting up when he sees me. He surprises me when he runs toward me for a bear hug. "Hello, you!"
I let out a laugh and pat his back. "Good to see you, too."
He releases me, a megawatt smile set upon his face. "You're looking good, darling."
I laugh and mutter a shy thanks.
I realized that everyone went silent then. I look around and notice that they are all watching the exchange. My frown deepens. I feel Toro silently nudging me on my shoulder and gesturing to the stairs. The last ones to exit are Alec and Cyprus.
Cyprus nods at me in acknowledgment before looking away. I send one back even though he won't see it, before shifting my full attention back to Alec.
My feet move before I can't comprehend what's happening. I launch myself on his sweaty body and wrap him in a tight, tight hug. He burrows his nose in my hair while carrying me to god knows where. I refuse to lift my head then, not yet ready to let him go. He feels so warm, so like my man, so like a home. I never thought it was possible to miss a person this much.
He opens a door and closes it with his foot. I pull away when the silence registers, signaling that we are alone. I kiss his eyebrows, both sides of his face, the tip of his nose before pausing and admiring him quietly. "I miss you."
A soft chuckle that I feel all the way to my toes escapes him. Then his face turns serious, his tone low and deep, "As you should."
Without warning, he grabs a fistful of my hair, keeping me in place, as he crashes his lips against mine. The soft buzz I feel upon seeing him transforms into zinging electricity that crackles and snaps between us. He lays me on a sofa while his lips remain moving on mine. His large hands wandered from my neck down to my waist, then to my bare legs. The roughness of his skin sparking goosebumps in its wake.
I kiss him with such vigor, tasting and sucking, as if my life depends on it. But Alec has other plans. He peppers light kisses on my neck before sucking on a sensitive spot. Pleasure shoots through my spine as he does it again and again—
A loud rap on the door causes me to push Alec away. Okay, maybe that's a lie. I accidentally kneed Alec on the stomach in surprise. A gasp breaks free from my lips while Alec groans in pain on the floor.
Oh, gods of anti-violence, why did you fail me? I curse.
"Oh, my god. Are you okay?"
He lets out a grunt, his arm clutching his stomach. "Damn, Red. I just recovered from a broken rib."
"Broken rib?!" I recall Cyprus wearing a cast and limping, I held onto this hope that Alec might have suffered less. Judging by the fading bruises on his face and arms that I'm now only noticing, he might be suffering as much.
Men.
His nod is subtle. "Hmmm." He slowly stands up. I move to his side to assist him. "But I'll live. It hurts but I'll live."
I pat his stomach. "You better."
The knock comes again. I let Alec settle on the sofa to open the door, a giddy smile appears on my face as I study his messy hair. I did that.
Holland was standing on the other side of the door when I opened it, an envelope in his hand. My smile drops a little at his slightly stony features. "Can I talk with you guys? We have enough time."
There's that pleasant aura in him again. I frown at him before I look to Alec who nods at me. I gesture for Holland to walk in. His usual mask is not in place, his eyes and the lines around his mouth are soft.
"Please sit down," he says as he takes a sit on a swivel chair. He even said please. "Before everything else, I want to say that I didn't mean for everything to happen. I planned to tell you, but I was..." He licks his lips, my forehead scrunches up even more. All thoughts flee my mind as I focus on what he's saying. He shrugs in nonchalance. "Well, I guess I was scared. I didn't know you, I didn't know what kind of person you were. All I wanted then was to protect my and the band's reputation.
I thought it would be easier for us if you only had your words against us. I realized now that I thought wrong."
I don't say anything when he finishes, still figuring out where Holland is coming from. He opens the envelope and then pulls out a mustard-yellow notebook. I take a short intake of breath as my throat tightens. My vision blurs as he hands it to me, the name Tetris Posziel on the lower portion staring at me mockingly. I let my hand glide on the cover, before peeling open the last two decades of my life.
"A waitress was taking it to their storage room when I stopped her. I guess I was curious, but I found myself borrowing it. I stayed there, reading through it for hours and I was captivated. I knew then that those phrases, the soul you put into those words were worth more than staying inside of a notebook. It deserved the world.
I didn't bother looking for you since I thought it was a pen name. You must know that I didn't plan to use it when I had a clear head."
"Then when?"
"I heard Eunoia the next day and I knew that putting your words in Alec's mouth would suit just well. Most of the poems have the right amount of angst and glee that fit his pretty face."
We all remain silent after Holland's confession. I caress the notebook with my ever-present frown. It still looks the same since the last time I saw it. Plain cover with a simple typewriter font for my name. Sloshy, now slightly faded, writing gracing the brown papers.
I don't understand. I had thought I'd be angry when I confirmed that this journal was in their hands. But as I gaze at it while Holland and Alec watch, all I feel is a sense of calmness.
Even then, I exhale a huge breath of air and pin him with a death glare. "Have you delivered the song royalties that I deserved?"
Holland stiffens, unmistakable shock drawing on his features from my sudden question. "W-Well, yes, of course. We already sent an invoice to your email last week."
I purse my lips, my fingers still caressing the notebook. "The job? Do I still have it?"
He looks at Alec. My eyes remain fixated on him. "If you want, it's still yours."
"What about the issues about me? What are you going to do about it?"
Holland seems to be continually at a loss for words. He pauses, looking between Alec and me, while obviously contemplating what to tell me. I smirk at him. I know they haven't come up with any strategy since they were still guessing if I'm coming back.
I know because Asia told me what Alec told him.
I'm about to tell Holland that I'm messing with him when Alec abruptly stands up. He pulls my arm prompting me to rise, too. "Why don't we address them now?"
I rear back, not certain where he's going with it. "Now?"
He pecks me on the forehead then seizes my hand, pulling me out of the door. "Just follow my footsteps."
Panic grips me when he steers me to the stairs leading to the main stage. I don't even acknowledge the people we passed by. The entirety of me is utterly focused on what Alec and I are about to do. "What are we doing?"
"Relax, love. This will only take two minutes."
He grabs a microphone from a roadie as we reach the top. My heart pounds against my ribs a thousand miles a minute as loud cheers echo from every direction. Silhouettes stare back at me. My eyes are wide, my hand channeling a goddamn river within Alec's own.
The enthusiastic cheers lower into nothing but silence when my face is shown on the LED screen. A sickening sensation fills my gut. "Alec..." I call out, trying to free my hand from his.
But Alec only sends a gentle smile my way and then proceeds to address the crowd. His hand pulls me closer, but my feet stay rooted in my spot. "Hey there. Someone visited us today. You probably knew her through my Instagram post last month." Not the nasty articles. Good. This is going well. I think I'm going to vomit. When he realizes I'm not planning to move, he decides to stand beside me, giving the crowd a definite view of myself. "This is Tetris Posziel, my girlfriend."
I don't speak. I don't move a muscle. My breathing coming out short. My mind seeing the thousands of judgy eyes before me.
"We met six years ago if my memory serves me right. That was our last meeting before we reunited again last month." He's speaking like he's in an interview on live television. I watch him, still stuck frozen. My nerves are in chaos. "I guess all I wanted to say is that I'm fucking tired of people dissecting our lives and tainting what we have with dirt. No one was stripping, and we are sure as hell no one is finding a sugar daddy either. Right, love?"
He pauses, winking at me. He directs the microphone to my face. My eyes switch to Alec then to the crowd then back to Alec. The silence is deafening, the beating of my heart louder than it has ever been before.
I finally try to open my mouth, and that's when I feel my soul leaving out of my body before I utter a word.
Then everything went black.
—
next update is the last chapter. :D what do you think about Holland?
and yea. i'm loving the current cover now, like really loving it. after remaking it ten times. / shrugs / anw, nicholas hoult is so hot