At The Kiss Of Midnight

Original | Chapter Six

Kelsie clings to my shoulders from behind as we shuffle through the mass of chattering bodies.

 

"I can't hear!" Her voice sounds muffled, as if I'm listening to her from underwater.

 

When Demi gave me the backstage passes, did she even consider the lack of privacy? The last thing I want to happen is for some crazy obsessed fan to snatch the passes right from me.

 

The bathroom lines are a mile long, and a crowd has formed at the merchandise booth, so I lead us outside.

 

The chill of the nighttime air hits me immediately. The sky is pitch black, the falling rain illuminated by the glow of the venue lights.

 

We push through the people, passing a group of fans standing behind a guard rail, observing the tour buses below. They're shouting Demi's name.

 

"Banner!" Keslie lets go of me to stand with the observers waiting to see Demi.

 

I internally groan, knowing that I need to give her the backstage passes and actually get her backstage before Demi leaves.

 

"Demi's gone, everybody!" Some venue guy shouts. "Move along."

 

Her fans are relentless, only shouting louder

 

"Kels," I grab her tee-shirt, pulling her back away from the crowd.

 

"Hey!" She continues to grumble and fight as I practically drag her down the sidewalk, away from everybody. "What's your problem, Banner?"

 

"If you scream, I swear to God, Kelsie, I will hand these off to some random person," I remove the passes from my pocket, and her eyes all but pop out of her head.

 

"If they're fake, Banner, I will kill you," She accepts them with shaking hands, staring at them in awe.

 

"Demi gave them to me herself," Her head snaps up.

 

"When? Where was I? You talked to her? Oh my gosh, what did she say? What-," I hold my hand over her mouth.

 

"Breathe," She nods.

 

I remove my hand, and she takes a deep breath. I expect her to go on another rant, but she's oddly quiet.

 

"Did she smell like vanilla to you?"

 

I blink at her, wondering if I heard her wrong.

 

"You smelled her?"

 

"Psh, what?" She scoffs. "No, of course not," Her eyes shift all around me before finally meeting mine. "Is it that weird?"