“Don’t be.” The words slipped out, and I wanted to cover my mouth the instant I said them. I’d meant it as a joke, but it had come out a lot more serious. But he didn’t respond or brush it off with another joke. His eyes searched mine, like he was looking for answers in them.

I dropped my gaze. “We should head back in.”

“Yeah, Kyle’s probably tearing the place apart looking for us.”

He jumped to his feet and reached down to help me up. I slid my hand into his, but as I stood, I stumbled into him a little, still unsteady on my new heels. I braced myself on his chest, our hands still entwined, almost like we were dancing and just as close. My eyes caught on the patch of skin just above the buttons on his shirt, and I itched to undo them and see what was underneath. His free hand rested on the curve of my hip, and my gaze traveled up to his mouth, to lips that begged me to kiss them.

“There you are,” Kyle called from the door to the theater. “I’ve been looking for you two everywhere.”

I jumped back, hoping Kyle hadn’t seen how close we’d been a second ago, and Jared shoved his hands in his pockets. I was equally grateful to Kyle for saving me and annoyed with him for ruining my moment alone with Jared.

“Sorry,” I said. “Jared was just giving me a pep talk before the show.”

Kyle looked back and forth between us, like he didn’t believe that was all there was to it. I’d promised him I wouldn’t get involved with his brother, but I wasn’t doing a very good job of staying away from Jared. No matter how much I tried to fight it, I was attracted to him. Unfortunately, so was every other girl who laid eyes on him. Being in close proximity to him all week had definitely not helped me get over it either—if anything, it had only made it worse because now I knew Jared a little better. He’d stopped being an impossible fantasy in my head and become a real person I actually liked to talk to, and that was even more dangerous. If I wasn’t careful, I’d get my heart broken or get kicked out of the band. Or both.

Kyle informed us were scheduled to go on in fifteen minutes. Commence panic mode. I ran to the bathroom to check my outfit and makeup, and then the band was directed to the edge of the stage to wait for our cue. The Static Klingons were taken to the other side, and Sean waved at me as he walked past. Jared raised an eyebrow at me, but I ignored him. I didn’t have time for any more guy drama, not with so much riding on this next performance.