Connection -- A Ross Lynch Story

Mesmerized

The rush of adrenaline that came from performing on the huge stage was indescribable. The lights were flashing and the fans in the crowd were screaming, chanting our names. It only took a couple strums of the guitar for everyone to lose their minds. The minute I opened my mouth and sang the first line of our opening song, I heard them singing it back to me. I let the feeling wash over me, trying hard not to screw up. There came a point when I just stopped and let them sing to me. I forgot about everything and focused on that feeling, and I wished it would never leave.

Honestly, we didn't expect many people to know who we were. The changes to the lineup were so last minute that we didn't know how many fans would actually show up. The results were mind-blowing. I decided after that show that the only way I ever wanted to hear my songs again was when they were being sung to me by a screaming crowd. It was truly incredible.

After we finished the last song and took a bow, we all filed off of the stage. I grabbed a fresh bottle of water and downed it swiftly while squeezing the dripping sweat out of my hair with a towel. My guitar tech took the purple electric guitar from my hand and I handed off my in-ears as everyone backstage congratulated us on our first successful show of the summer.

"Amazing!" Carson gushed as he pushed the door to the green room open. He started to pull off his sweaty shirt and grabbed an apple from the counter. "Absolutely amazing!"

"It really was," Asher agreed as he rooted through his backpack. We were all exhausted, but wired from the pure adrenaline. "I'm going to shower before we head back to the bus."

I sat on one of the couches and pulled out my phone to see if anyone was talking about our performance. There were already pictures on Instagram and Twitter was going crazy. I smiled widely before clicking off my phone and shoving it into my pocket. "Hey, Pipe," I chirped.

"Yeah?" she responded. Her usually curly hair had straightened a bit from the sweat and action, so she pulled it back with a bandana.

"Do you want to sneak to the balcony and catch the rest of the show?" I asked her with a sly grin on my face. I was curious and could hear the muffled sounds of guitars and drums through the wall, but I was too nervous to go alone. I hoped that Piper would be up for a little adventure.

She smiled and hopped up from the couch. "I actually had the same idea," she said as she pulled the green room door open and held it for me. I quickly followed her as she seemed to know where she was going. We twisted through the hallway, up some stairs, down another dark, deserted hallway and through a set of double doors. Finally, we arrived to a nearly abandoned balcony, overlooking the entire venue.

R5 was already through their first few songs and the crowd was going absolutely insane. I thought that they were crazy when we were performing, but this was next level crazy. They were dancing and singing at the top of their lungs, and the energy was contagious. The light show was perfectly timed and the beating of the bass drum caused a tight feeling in my stomach. This was one of the best feelings I had ever felt.

I couldn't help but dance through a couple songs. I was mesmerized by Ross's stage presence. Everything about how he carried himself, so effortlessly and full of energy, was entrancing. I couldn't take my eyes off of him for the entire set.

He held his microphone between his index and middle finger, his lips grazing the surface as he sang. During the verse breaks, he flipped the microphone in the air, catching it without even looking. He even shot the audience a little smirk, knowing that he had blown their minds. He was confident, he was passionate, he was in his element.

With every beat, his entire body moved. On cue, he would groove, placing his hands in just the right places to drive the crowd wild. He caressed the neck of his guitar as he strummed the chords he knew so well. The way his hips thrust captivated and pulled me in, as I'm sure he was well aware of. Every so often, he'd run his fingers through his long, wavy blond hair as he stared out into the crowd. He never stood still; his feet were always stepping in time with every beat..

There wasn't a time when Ross wasn't into the music. At any given moment, his face expressed the exact emotions he was singing. He'd tease and taunt the audience, flashing them a smile that traveled from his lips up to the corners of his big brown eyes. During intense lyrics he'd hold the microphone stand close to his body and squeeze his eyes shut as if he were remembering the exact situation and feeling the emotions all over again. Eventually, the crowd took over for him and he stood in awe, even though this clearly wasn't his first big live performance. He smiled a goofy grin and swayed his head as his fans sang to him.

By the time they reached their last encore song, I was drenched in sweat once again and my voice was nearly gone. Piper had danced so much that she could barely feel her feet. We decided to sneak back down to the green room before the fans started to flood out. Despite the late hour and the amount of work we had done for the day, we felt so alive. "That was such a party!" Piper laughed as we rushed through the hallways. Her voice was hoarse and she looked like she wanted to cry.

I would be lying if I said I didn't feel tears coming on, too. I took a deep breath and walked past our green room to the backstage area, hoping to greet them when they got off of the stage. "That was dope!" Rocky laughed as he high-fived Riker. "Trina, I saw you up in that balcony," he mentioned when he saw me. "Enjoy the show?"

"I must say, that was an experience." He patted me on the back and caught up with his younger brother. I congratulated Ellington, Rydel, and Riker on a fantastic opening show, saving Ross for the very last. I started slow clapping as he approached me. "You're really something else when you're up there," I told him.

He chuckled and tossed a towel over his shoulder. "Shall we?" he asked, stopping about a foot in front of me and inviting me to walk with him. "So, you watched the show?"

"Just wanted to see what all the screaming was about," I joked.

His eyelids started to droop, the exhaustion hitting him. "I watched part of your show from the side," he said, stopping by the door to his green room. His hand rested on the knob. "It was enticing. Your lyrics are... very moving. I'd love to talk to you more about them."

My heart was pounding in my chest. "You know where I'll be," I murmured, trying to keep my cool. He nodded and pulled the door open a crack, letting out the laughter that those four walls contained. Soon, it closed again and I was left alone in the hallway. I couldn't understand the feeling in my chest because I had never felt it before. Was I falling for him?