A Star - Chenford

I Never Loved a Man

   Lucy and Jackson went back to their apartment bubbling with excitement. 1. They are getting VIP passes for free to Tim Bradford's concert. 2. Tim Bradford was flirting with her. Was he intoxicated? Yes. Was that gonna stop her ego from blasting through the roof? Hell no. After a long night of tossing and turning, packing, and just thinking about her situation she had finally gotten downstairs with Jackson, holding her backpack over her shoulder as Tim's driver pulled up.

   They climbed into the back of the SUV and turned on the music, bugging his driver the whole ride down to Anaheim. When they got to the stadium he was performing at though, her excitement turned into anxiety. Passing through the big halls of the backstage area with little VIP badges had spiked her nervous energy. She and Jackson were handed earplugs that would help them keep their hearing, then they headed onto the stage.

Tim was playing the guitar on stage, and another member playing the base behind him. The young man was playing a solo, and Tim started to sing.

"Girl leave your boots by the bed we ain't leaving this room." He played with passion, and his whole body seemed to be indulged in the action. He strummed the guitar with force and his voice had a rasp to it that had brought her into a trance.

"Til someone needs medical help, or the magnolias bloom." Sweat beads on his forehead were visible from where she was standing. His eyes were focused down on his fingers, finding their placements on the guitar as he multitasked. Suddenly his arm's muscles were noticeable without a jacket or long-sleeved henley covering them.

"It's cold in this house, I ain't going out to chop wood. So cover me up, and know you're enough to use me for good." He glanced to the curtains beside him, and he met her eyes before singing again. His careful glances made her heart flutter as she noticed every little movement he made. He was hot. Figuratively and literally, but that's not the point.

"Cover me up and know you're enough to use me for good." He kept playing for a few seconds, and his shoulders dropped as he relaxed. Lucy clapped and cheered wildly, and he winked at her before continuing with the show.

"Did he just wink at you? I could've sworn he just winked at you." Jackson was shouting into her ear and she winked at him, then laughed as she quickly moved her attention back to the man in front of her. As he sang other songs they would occasionally make eye contact, and her heart would implode each time. His words always suggestively spoke to Lucy as he sang, almost as if he was singing only to her. When he finished his last song, he wished everyone a good night, then walked over to the VIP section. Still holding his microphone.

"Or you could stay, and listen to this girl sing!" He grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her onto the stage. All of the thoughts in her head were emptied as she stared at him.

"W-W-What do you want me to sing? I don't know any country songs!" She shouted at him and he laughed. He turned off the microphone and leaned down to her level.

"Hey, just sign whatever! Tell me what you want, the guys can sightread."

"I Never Loved a Man. Aretha Franklin."

"Got it," He turned on the mic, and announced the song to the crowd. He placed the microphone back in its slot and the guys pulled up the music on their tablets.

"You're a no-good heart breaker. You're a liar and a you're a cheat. I don't know why I let you do these things to me." She started, and the band behind her erupted into music. She kept looking at Tim, who was playing the guitar next to her. He stared down at the music, eyes focused.

"My friends keep telling me that you ain't no good. Woah, but they don't know that I would leave you if I could." She grabbed hold of the mic and Tim leaned in closer to her as she swayed.

"I guess I'm uptight and I'm stuck like glue. 'Cause I ain't never, I ain't never, I ain't never, no, no, loved a man the way that I love you." The crowd clapped and cheered, and the blood running through her veins ran cold. She had forgotten the people in the crowd, but the sounds were too loud to handle. Until the heat of Tim's body leaning into the mic had brought her back.

"Some time ago I thought you had run out of fools. But I was so wrong, you got one that you'll never lose." Tim sang an octave lower, and Lucy playfully punched him in the shoulder with a goofy grin on her face.

"The way you treat me is a shame. How could you hurt me so bad? Baby, you know that I'm the best thing that you ever had." Tim continued, and she eventually leaned back into the mic, her face only an inch away as she sang with him.

"Kiss me once again. Don't you never, never say that we're through," Their eyes met again, and she winked with the eye that was not visible to the audience, "'cause I ain't never, never, never, no, no, loved a man the way that I love you."

"I can't sleep at night. And I can't eat a bite. I guess I'll never be free, since you got, your hooks, in me." They sang together, and Tim backed away as he signaled for Lucy to take the mic again.

"Woah, oh, oh! Yeah, yeah! I ain't never loved a man." She sang as the band played the finishing notes, and the crowd's cheers grew louder than the music had ever played. Tim pulled his guitar strap over his head and placed the guitar on the ground before he put his arm around Lucy's shoulder and took the mic.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Lucy Chen!" He said as he put his other arm in the air, and the applause roared again. If her cheeks weren't already red with blush after that extremely close performance, then she was definitely blushing now. She put her hand on his chest to balance herself, and he spoke again.

"Thank you so much for staying a little later tonight, folks. Have an amazing night! Thank you again for coming to see us play." He gave one final wave and dropped the arm on Lucy's shoulder to the small of her back as he walked them back over to Jackson, who was standing with Angela.

"Angela! I see you've met Lucy's friend." He smiles, keeping his hand on Lucy's back a little longer than he should've before dropping it to his waist. His hands felt cold without the heat of her skin.

"We've met him before, dumbass. He's the bartender. Anyways- Lucy, that was fucking amazing! I'm so glad he invited you here." Angela joked before taking Lucy into a hug.

"I-uh... thank you. I can't believe I actually just did that..." Lucy's breath was shallow and her anxiety set in. What in the hell did I just do?!

"Luce, I always said you would make it. And look at you! You're here! Tim, thank you for inviting us here." Jackson smiled eagerly as he also hugged Lucy, comforting her as the girl turned pale.

"Do you want to go back to my hotel? We can have a drink, this time in my room. I don't think we need to pick up anymore hotel bar singers." Tim joked as he leaned down to Lucy, his breath warm against her cheek.

"Y-Sure! Yeah, that sounds great. Do Jackson and I have a room, though? I-"

"Yes, I already arranged for that. You're going to be staying together but I figured you wouldn't mind." Angela shrugged as they walked off stage and into the halls.

"Of course! We live together, we will be fine." Jackson giggled.