Taste | Changbin

Chapter Eighty-Two

A/N: These next few chapters contain massive amounts of angst and if you've grown attached to these characters, I would like to formally apologize beforehand. I want to say enjoy them but you're not going to </3

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It didn't take long before Changbin realized Lennon was missing. He kept glancing in the backstage wings while he danced, but she never showed up. At one point, he covered his mic, so it wouldn't pick up his question and asked Chan about her. 

Lennon was behind the stage at every single show they had so far. When they left the makeup room, she insisted she'd be there soon. What had happened and where was she? He kept trying not to let it bother him, but it made him feel weird. 

There were a few times that Chan had to remind him to pay attention to what he was doing, but he couldn't help it. So he screwed up a few dance moves and forgot a few lyrics. He laughed it off and let the members poke fun at him. Deep down, he was beyond worried. 

Lennon nearly got assaulted at the last venue, so what was he supposed to think when she didn't show up backstage at this one? His anxiety only increased as the show went on. He kept fidgeting with the chain attached to his leather pants. What the hell was going on? 

"Unfortunately," Chan started. 

The arena filled with boos from the fans. Frowns lined the front rows. Changbin couldn't help, but be glad the show was nearly over. They would perform Maniac as their last song and say their good-byes. That would be the end of day one in Texas. 

"Boo!" Han cried out. "Screw you, Chan! Boo! We want to stay and perform with the fans forever!" 

Usually, Changbin would laugh at their antics, but tonight he was annoyed. All he wanted to do was find Lennon and make sure she was okay. It was taking everything inside of him not to hurry off the stage and look for her himself. 

"Unfortunately," Chan tried again, "this is our last song for tonight." 

"Boo!" Han once again disagreed. 

Changbin couldn't help it, he spun around, and shot him daggers. The fans couldn't see it since he was turned around, but Han's smile dropped at once. He rushed over to Changbin and pulled the mic away from his ear. "What's your problem?" He hissed. 

He covered his mic again, "Lennon isn't backstage." 

He spun around and glanced at both hidden wings. "I didn't even realize, I thought she was there. She's always there and I didn't think anything differently tonight. You don't think it's about the management thing, do you?" 

Changbin shrugged. The music for Maniac started up behind them. He turned back around and got into the position to start dancing. Fans started screaming all over again. 

"Let's go!" Felix growled. 

The song seemed to go on for much longer than normal. The whole thing seemed to drag on and on and on. Changbin tried to hide his annoyance, but he could feel his facade slipping. He knew their manager was going to lecture him about his poor performance tonight, but he didn't care. 

He couldn't shake off the feeling that something had happened backstage. Lennon had seemed fine after she talked to him and Chan earlier, so where did she go? The concert was over an hour long and she had spent all that time missing. Why weren't any of the other members freaking out as much as he was? 

"Thank you, Texas!" Chan yelled out. "We hope you enjoyed tonight's concert and we'll be back soon!" 

The rest of the band continued on with their antics. Changbin just smiled and waved until the lights went out. The moment the lights were cut, he ripped off his microphone, and hurried backstage. Rushing into the wings, he nearly ran into their manager. 

"Woah, where are you going?" He asked. 

"Have you seen Lennon?" 

"No, why?" 

"She hasn't been back here tonight Usually, she hangs out in the wings, but she's been missing the whole concert." 

"Should I be concerned?" 

He shook his head, "I'll find her and figure it out. Here, take this," he handed him his microphone. 

The moment it was out of his hands, he sprinted towards the makeup room. He didn't know where he was going to look if she wasn't there. Not wanting to waste any time, he grabbed the handle, and opened the door. 

His shoulder slumped in relief at the sight of her. Her back was facing him. Legs were curled up with her arms wrapped around her. He walked closer to her and bent over her body. That's when he noticed the clumping of her eyelashes. The remnants of tears coated her cheeks. Panicking, he shook her awake. 

"Baby? What happened? Can you hear me?" 

Lennon's eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times trying to gain her bearings. It didn't take long before everything came rushing back to her. She quickly shrugged him off and pushed his hands away from her. "Get off of me!" 

A knife of hurt sliced through his heart. "Baby, what's wrong?" 

"We shouldn't be together." 

"What? What's wrong? What happened?" 

Tears welled up in her eyes again. "I met some of your fans and they're right. I'm nothing, but bad luck. My dad was right, I should have died in that car accident instead of my mom. I wasn't there for him and he drowned in a puddle of god damn rain water. It was only a few inches and he died alone and unloved and that was my fault." 

"What are you talking about?" His eyes searched her face for some kind of understanding. What the hell happened while he was on the stage? What did he miss? 

"It's better if we're not together." 

"No, you don't get to do that!" 

"I'll ruin you!" Her voice shook as it rose. "I'll ruin you and the whole band. Everyone is already pissed that I'm dating you. Taking this job was a mistake and so was dating you!" 

Tears welled up in his eyes, "don't you dare say that. Just because some of the fans dislike you, it doesn't mean everyone does." 

"I can't do this anymore, Changbin," her voice cracked. "I can't take the hate anymore. It's awful online, but it's even worse when I'm trying to do my job and I get belittled in person. They were right, the fans were right, I'm nothing, but bad luck. Here you are after your concert, you should be pumped up on adrenaline, and yet you're crying. I can't do this anymore." 

"I don't understand..." 

"There is nothing more to say, we're done."