Then I felt it.

Someone watching me.

I glanced up and saw her. Blue eyes locked on mine.

Sarah Lockwood.

Of course.

I took a swig of water. I ran my hand through my hair, pushing it back from my face.

“Enjoy the show?” I asked, voice casual.

She smiled softly. “You guys were great. Not that you need me to tell you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I like being told.”

Okay, so maybe flirting with my ex-best friends girl wasn’t the coolest thing for me to do but something in me wanted to guage her reaction.

And I was right. Just as I thought, she didn’t even flinch. Instead, her hands went behind her back, chest forward. Of course I noticed.

My eyes narrowed slightly. I wondered where Nathaniel was.

I always said she had a thing for me. If Nathaniel wasn’t going to believe me, maybe it was time I proved it to him.

I stepped closer, brushing past her as I reached for a sugar cookie.

“You lose your shirt or just trying to show off?” She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, fingers delicate.

I smirked before biting into the baked dessert. “A little of both. Wanna help me find it?” I nodded toward the exit, casually. She nodded her head and I began to guide the way.

She knew the shirt wasn’t outside. But she followed anyway.

Not surprised.

Not even a little.

***

Nathan

I shuffled through the crowd of bodies, in search for the one person I wanted to see. “Have you seen Caleb?” I asked Taylor, catching her mid-dance. She shook her head, all bouncy curls and glittery energy.

Another Weeknd song started playing over the speakers. Great. I knew if Caleb was controlling the music right now, he would’ve been playing Mayday Parade or The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. If Caleb loved it, everyone else would too.

I nodded and stepped away. I had looked everywhere, but he had vanished.

Lately, nights have been consumed with Sarah. I’ve hated not being able to spend time with him but having a girlfriend was…different. It was something I had never experienced before and I thought at some point, he’d be happy for me. Maybe even proud.

Truthfully, it probably wouldn’t have even happened if it weren’t for him. He had shoved me into the spotlight, and now I couldn’t even share it with him.We hadn’t had alone time together in months. Three, to be exact.

And it sucked.

So yeah, I wanted to congratulate him. That performance was... insane. I’d heard him sing before, sure—but nothing like that. He had been practicing. A lot.

He had looked amazing up there. Comfortable. Alive. That rasp in his voice, the way his hands moved across the guitar. I tried to ignore the way my stomach turned when I thought about it.

It was just pride, I told myself. Just admiration.

I missed him. God, I missed him.

I pushed through the crowd until I made it back to the stage. Tony and the other guys from the band were dancing like idiots and shoving each other around like we weren’t at a school event but a frat party.