OverExposed: Making Me Love You

“Holy crap,” I breathed when we approached the doors to the music hall. There was a massive crowd of people waiting outside the hall for the doors to officially open. Large crowds are one reason I avoided going to concerts. It wasn’t because I had a phobia, I just despised large groups of people all pushing and migrating towards the same thing.

The week had flown by rather quickly thank god. I had been waiting for Friday night since LAST Friday and finally it was here. The night I would get to see Adam. I glanced at the clock on my phone wondering where Kennedy was. She was always running behind it seemed.

Someone shoved Ashley aside to make their way near the front of the crowd to be closer to the doors. Ashley stumbled into me making me kinda fall into someone since I was wearing heels.

“Watch it, bitch!” Ashley growled regaining her balance. I quickly apologized to the man I had bumped into and inched closer to Ashley.

“Where do you think Kennedy is? Do you think she will be able to find us?” I asked concerned that maybe Kennedy had finally arrived, but was lost searching for us in this sea of people.

“We both have phones. She can call if she can’t find us,” Ashley snapped still miffed about the girl that shoved her aside. She played at the short, red plaid tied around her neck. For the concert, she had gone bold and sexy wearing a red plaid mini skirt that hung low around her hips. Her black button down top ended just below her belly button leaving a teasing strip of midriff exposed. She had even found a short, red plaid tie to go with her outfit. Typically she didn’t wear things that…short…or sexy, so it made me wonder why she had made an exception for tonight. Sure it was a concert, but we had gone to a rock concert before and she hadn’t dressed like this.

She tapped her converse clad foot impatiently on the concrete. She hated large crowds even more than I did. Just then I was bumped into from behind. I glanced over my shoulder as a girl breathlessly apologized. Then her light blue eyes rose up to meet mine.

“Kennedy?”

She squealed and threw her arms around me. “Oh thank god, I finally found you guys!” she breathed stepping back. “I’ve been searching all over. I’ve run into some….interesting people to say the least.”

“Why didn’t you just call us?” Ashley asked.

“Because…um…” a sheepish grin went across Kennedy’s face. “That would’ve been too easy,” she nervously chuckled.

“You didn’t think about it, huh?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Shut up. I still found you guys, right?” she pointed out.

“You look cute,” I complimented. Her freckled cheeks flushed pink. Kennedy was probably wearing the most sensible outfit out of all of us which didn’t come as a surprise to me. Her fiery auburn hair was in its usual thick mess of waves like she had run all the way here. The only makeup she had added to her face was the very thin line of black eyeliner around her bright blue eyes. She wore a plum tank top that flowed out from her chest; the sides reaching longer than the front or back. Over the top she wore a silver studded, sleeveless denim jacket. Her long, ivory legs stretched out from a pair of short, dark denim shorts where her feet were clad with flats.

“Thanks,” she said tucking some hair behind her ear. “You do, too.”

I beamed. “Thank you.”

It had taken me forever to finally decide upon what I would wear upon finally seeing Adam again. I wanted to make a good impression on him and wear something sexy…bold…like Ashley’s outfit. The only thing I worried about with wearing something like that is giving him the wrong impression of me. I wanted to come off sexy, but still wearing something that was very….ME. Finally, after having dug around in my closet for HOURS, I had found the perfect outfit.

Starting at my feet, I wore diamond-studded strapped, heels. Heels that I was beginning to think were a bad idea to wear since I was going to be standing around a lot. Moving up; my legs were tightly wrapped in a pair of low riding, purple skinny jeans to show off the curves of my hips. With my skinnies, I wore a white button down top with a black waist vest that had suspender straps stretching up over my chest to wrap over my shoulders and crisscross in the back. To top everything off, I had styled my hair so that some of the shorter layers swept across one side of my face and had then carefully placed a black fedora on the crown of my head.

Each and every one of us was indeed ready for a Maroon 5 concert. The three of us turned when there was a loud noise of applause and excited shouts as the doors finally opened to us.

Here we go!

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Shortly after we had found our seats, Ashley ran into her boss and Kennedy started chatting it up with the guy Ashley’s boss had brought along with him. I suspected Ashley’s boss was the reason she had dressed the way she did. He was definitely a major stud, but for some reason Ashley kept poking at him and teasing him. She claimed to dislike her boss, but I wondered if that wasn’t a lie she was telling herself. If Wesley had decided to come, he was nowhere in sight which disappointed me a bit, but soon the concert started. Of course, we had to sit through the bands that opened up for Maroon 5. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t HIM. While Ashley and Kennedy stood up to dance to the beat of the music, I remained sitting. One reason was because I was the only one wearing heels and reason two was that I wanted to save my energy for when Adam finally came on stage.

The band that was currently playing left the stage after their last song ended. Kennedy and Ashley collapsed into their seats on either side of me.

“Tired?” I teased. Ashley shot me a glare from the corner of her eye before removing her phone from the cup holder on her seat to check her messages.

“Why won’t you dance?!” Kennedy whined gazing at me with large, sad blue eyes.

“Because I am waiting for Maroon 5 to come on,” I reminded her. We had had this conversation after each band played. “Plus I’m wearing heels,” I grimaced.

“That’s your own idiotic fault,” Ashley chimed in resting her elbow on my arm rest and leaning in.

“I know, but I wanted to look tall compared to him. These heels give me a couple more inches to work with,” I answered as coolly as possible when it came to speaking to Ashley.

“Do you think we’ll be able to touch his hand or something?” Kennedy inquired bouncing up and down in her seat excitedly.

“Calm down, weirdo,” Ashley sighed relaxing back in her seat. Kennedy ignored her and looked towards me with hopeful eyes.

A small smile crossed my face. “I certainly hope so,” I giggled quietly.

Just then all the lights in the music hall went out. A few girls screamed while everyone else remained very still. My eyes flicked around the place not able to even see my own hand in front of me. What was going on? Just then a voice rang throughout the stadium.

Ooo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo
Ooo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo

Then there was silence until everyone around me began standing up screeching and reaching out towards the stage. The security guards held them back as everyone in the stadium began filing towards the front of the stage in the hopes of being closer to Maroon 5. Kennedy had stood up and started screaming, jumping up and down like a rabbit hyped up on caffeine. Ashley just stood beside Kennedy clapping and smiling like an idiot. Her boss, Jared, and Kennedy’s friend, Phillip, had made their way down and around to us where they stood on either side of the girls. Me? I was still sitting as I waited in anticipation for what was to come next.

Slowly I stood when I heard the faintest sound of a male chuckle breathe into the microphone. I squeezed my way between Kennedy and Ashley; my eyes focused towards the sound of the voice since it was still dark inside the music hall. Only now there were lights that allowed us to see the band’s silhouettes. Suddenly, a bright array of spotlights lit up the stage and a few rows of people up near the stage. My breath caught in my throat when Adam was illuminated by the lights as he began singing once more.

You and I go hard, at each other like we going to war
You and I go rough, we keep throwing things and slammin' the door
You and I get so, damn dysfunctional we stopped keeping score
You and I get sick, yah I know that we can't do this no more

But baby there you again, there you again making me love you
Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head let it all go
Got you stuck on my body, on my body like a tattoo
And now I’m feeling stupid, feeling stupid crawling back to you

So I cross my heart, and I hope to die, that I'll only stay with you one more night
And I know I said it a million times
But I'll only stay with you one more night

I was too shocked to even jump up and down screaming his name as he started moving across the stage reaching out to some of the members in the audience. Kennedy frantically waved her arms at him hoping to catch his attention and draw him over here. He had changed about as much as I had in the past eleven years. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the passion and emotion I heard whenever he sang.

Time seemed to slow everything down around me as he continued to sing “One More Night”. I could no longer hear the ear shattering screams of the girls that made up ninety percent of this auditorium. All I could hear was that tenor-soprano voice filling my ears drowning out everything and anything. My eyelids fluttered closed as those beautifully sung words wrapped around me to tease and caress my skin. My heart rate sped up as I imagined those words to be his fingers drifting slowly, mischievously over me.

I opened my eyes and stayed in a daydream like trance while he sang three or four more songs. I had lost count the moment he opened his mouth to sing. Each and every time he danced his way over to the center of the stage where Kennedy, Ashley, and I stood, Kennedy stretched out her hands in the hopes he would just brush his fingers by hers. While I quickly darted my gaze away afraid he would see me looking like a lovesick teenager even though I was 24. It wasn’t only that, but it made me feel bad for fawning over him since I had a boyfriend. I yearned to be near him again though without the security guards blocking my way. I wanted to hear him sing quietly to himself, softly plucking the strings to his guitar the way he had when I had found him alone on the forest path.

I abruptly stumbled into Kennedy when Ashley shoved me officially yanking me from my memory.

“What?” I hissed.

“He’s offering a girl from the crowd the chance to sing a duet with him,” she quietly spoke in my ear since her voice was probably dead from the screaming.

My eyes widened as Ashley’s words settled in my mind. He was…picking a girl from the crowd…to sing a song with him? I vaguely wondered what it would be like to sing alongside Adam. That day in the forest, I had wanted to sing out with him, but couldn’t because I hadn’t known the words. What would it be like now that I did? Ashley nudged me saying I should be jumping up and down wanting him to pick me, but I vehemently shook my head. I had terrible stage fright and singing up there beside Adam of all people would definitely not help the situation. Fed up, Ashley placed both hands behind my back and gave me a hard, solid shove forward making me break through the security guards as I stumbled to regain my balance.

I whipped around to glare at Ashley as I stuttered trying to apologize to the guards. Suddenly my hat was lifted off my head causing some strands of my hair to stick out from the static friction.

“You there,” Adam’s voice spoke into the microphone taped beside his mouth. “Come sing with me.”

My entire body froze as the guards released my arms. I met wide, frightened eyes with Ashley while she stared on amused. A smile broke out across Kennedy’s face even though her eyes were wide with worry and shock for me. She knew about my stage fright. Slowly, I turned around and found myself gazing into those familiar hazel eyes once more. A lopsided grin played across his face and my fedora dangled from the tips of his fingers. He was crouched down at the edge of the stage staring at me with a dark brow quirked in question.

The muscles in his arms flexed beneath the smooth, tan surface of his skin as he stretched a helping hand towards me.

“No need to be afraid. I don’t bite…hard,” he winked making a few girls swoon and squeal in excitement.

Ashley gave me another shove forward forcing me to grab onto Adam’s hand for support so I didn’t faceplant onto the floor. Adam tugged me towards the stage where the guards then proceeded to help lift me up by my armpits onto the stage. His fingers still intertwined with mine, he pulled me down the stage toward the microphone stand. He yanked the wireless microphone out of its holder and jammed it into my hand.

“So what’s your name sweetheart?” he asked once more leading me upstage.

“Um, Alyce. Alyce Jameson,” I shyly answered.

“Well, Alyce, I’m about to make all of your dreams come true,” he said flashing me a sexy, crooked smile.

I kept staring into those eyes willing him to remember me. I wanted to see the sudden flash of remembrance in those eyes at seeing me; hearing my name hesitantly uttered from my lips. But I found nothing. Not even a questionable glance like my face seemed familiar. I know I had changed a lot, but I had still hoped something might click. That I might get just a little of his time if he remembered me. That’s what I get for wishing for the impossible.

I sadly met his gaze and plastered a happy smile onto my face as I thought regrettably to myself: not all of my dreams, Adam. Not the most important one.
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Ashley's outfit:
Kennedy's outfit:
Alyce's outfit: