Her Song

38 - A Gesture So Grand

**Kim**

"Well? How do I look? And don't think that excessive flattery is unwelcome, it is absolutely required!"

I emerged from the bedroom into the sitting area of the two bedroom suite I was sharing with Van, Lucy and Bas. Tony and Zac were sharing another two bedroom suite with Georgie and Steven. It felt like decades, rather than a couple of months, since we'd all been together.

"Oooh baby! You look hot enough to put me in danger of turning straight. That rock star boy of yours might need to mud wrestle me for you," Tony waggled his eyebrows and leered extravagantly. Rather than switching teams he'd be more likely to insist that said mud wrestling happened naked. Although the possessive hold he had on Zac's upper thigh was an indication that he probably wasn't that interested in naked mud wrestling with anyone other than his boyfriend.

"You look gorgeous Kim." Zac's compliment was less over the top but just as greatly appreciated by me.

"I don't look too much like a disco ball?" I asked taking a pinch of sequined fabric between two fingers. I was wearing a mini-dress sequined in the greens and blues of a peacock's feathers. The neck was high and the sleeves were long and fluted. The only skin I was revealing was that of my legs, although admittedly I was revealing a lot of leg. My hair was worked around my head in a loose french braid and twisted into a messy knot on one side. My eyes were dark and my lips were glossy. I felt gooood. Better than I'd felt in ages. I still had moments of sadness for my baby but the overwhelming grief that had popped up at the most unexpected of moments, particularly once my thoughts were no longer filled with the online attacks on Van, had for the most part dissipated. I had my best friends with me here in New York and after tonight's Polarstar show we were going to celebrate.

"You look really pretty Kim," Bas said and lifted his drink in my direction.

"Sebastian! She looks more than pretty! She's a glamourous boho goddess!" Tony reproved him. Tony's general attitude toward Bas made me giggle. When we'd all first met Bas Tony had been kind of in awe of Bas's fame. Now he seemed to see it as his duty to keep Bas humble.

Bas rolled his eyes and smiled at me. He and I both knew that he saved his most effusive compliments for his fiancee.

"Are you ready to rock?" Tony's gaze bounced from Zac to Steven to Bas and then back to me. Lucy and Georgie had already headed off to the venue. Georgie was helping out and I had the night off.

"Yep."

"Sure."

"Uh huh."

"Yeah."

"Are you ready to raaawwwk?" Tony roared like a cheesy old school radio DJ and leaping to his feet he flung up a hand that was less heavy metal devil horns and more the sign for 'I love you' in sign language. Right at that moment either interpretation worked pretty well for me.

"Hell yeah!" Steven punched both fists in the air. His time as Tony's business partner had managed to loosen up his buttoned up banker demeanour.

Tony gave him an approving look as he herded us out of the suite. We descended to the ground floor and crossed the lobby, trailing security guys in our wake to the waiting car.

"Does everyone have their passes?" I asked as we all crammed in. There was a general murmur of confirmation and Tony went so far as to dangle his pass in front of my face. I batted it away and narrowed my eyes at him.

"I'm so glad you're all here. We're going to have the best night!"

Bas and Tony shared a cryptic look before Bas said warmly, "We sure as hell are."