Don't Go Yet (Camila/You)

Chapter 3

Small rays of light poured through the bottom of the door to the small dressing room. The twinkle of soothing yellow-orange fluorescent bulbs dimly illuminated the space, strung up around the room for ambience.

Y/n wasn't typically picky, nor did she care much about what was provided at the dressing rooms she resided in before a show. But after that day's events, she'd asked if she could temporarily hang a few strings of lights to create a more stress-free environment.

Of course, the coordinators of the comeback show had agreed and Jay had run out to pick up a few from a nearby Target.

The artist leaned back in the plush desk chair, taking a small cautious sip of her hot lemon-peppermint tea. She grimaced at the sourness that coated her tongue, but sighed out in relief as she felt the cooling sensation of the peppermint hit the back of her throat.

Everyone was gone and the show was to begin shortly. Y/n, now dressed in slim dark chocolate brown slacks and a beige colored button down with her infamous Chelsea boots donning her feet, set her beverage down to pick up the acoustic guitar by her feet.

She strummed the wooden instrument, closing her eyes and allowing the chords to ring out softly around the room. Y/n had less than half an hour before she had to be underneath the stage awaiting her cue, but the artist chose to soak up the alone time that she had and enjoy the peacefulness; if only for a moment.

The serene moment was shattered fifteen minutes later when Jay came bursting through the door to tell Y/n that it was time to go. The artist hurried, carefully setting her guitar back into it's velvet lined case and raced out the door. Tech members followed alongside of her handing over her mic and earpieces as she looked for the rest of her band.

Once she had found everyone, Y/n quickly gathered into a group huddle; a tradition since she'd started this journey with her team years ago.

"Tonight is big everyone, but don't let that thought take away from having fun. We're here to give them a great show and give it everything we got. I'm so grateful for every single one of you, don't forget that." Her face broke out into a genuine smile as she looked to each member who had sacrificed as much as she had to be there, if not more.

"Now, let's do this!"

Everyone cheered and yelled, breaking away from the circle. The band headed out onto the stage and Y/n could hear distant screams of excitement as she positioned herself at the bottom of the stairs.

She tugged at the strap of her stage guitar, pulling it in nervousness as thick fog started to pour from the machines at the mouth of the tunnel she was about to go through. Her senses went on high alert, adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins as she heard her cue to move.

Every step felt more powerful as she neared the exit. The artist knew her silhouette had appeared in front of the arena because, suddenly, a chorus of cheers and screams so loud it almost deafened her. They echoed through the venue, only growing even louder as she broke through the smoke.

For a moment, time stilled and she froze mid step studying the thousands of twinkling lights from cell phones and cameras. Y/n had never quite gotten used to it and was consistently in awe over the amount of support her music received.

Her senses finally came crashing back and she resumed walking to the center of the stage. The opening segment to the first song was already playing and she could hear the metronome begin in her inears.

Y/n took a deep breathe and belted out the first note.

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The show had been incredible so far, the artist covered in a thin layer of sweat that had soaked through the front of her shirt. She reached down and grabbed one of the water bottles that sat next to her mic stand, opening it as she addressed the crowd.