One Love.

I walk into the dressing room, groaning when I see our guitarist still clutching his stomach.
“Ian, are you going to be okay for tonight?” I ask worriedly.
He leans back on the couch, breathing heavily. “Sorry, Val, doesn’t look like it.”
Emmett, our drummer, plops down on the couch, sighing. “Suck it up. It’s not like we have a backup ready for whenever one of us gets sick. You’re going to have to pull through.”
“Dude, I’m dying here,” he scoffs.
“It’s a thirty minute set, how bad can it be?” Emmett mutters.
I wince, knowing that Ian had been suffering for a week already. He’s performed onstage ever since getting sick, but it seemed to be exceptionally bad today. He was pale and his forehead was damp with sweat.
We didn’t need him passing out onstage. We were going to have to find someone else.
Just then, the door swings open and my boyfriend steps into the room, smirking knowingly. “I thought I’d find you here.”
“John!” I squeal. The answer to my prayers. I forgot our bands were playing in the same venue tonight, except he was on the main upper floor, and we were in the basement. And since we were known mainly for our acoustics and John knew how to play guitar (and didn’t go on until 7), it worked out perfectly.
He slips his arm around my waist and I throw my arms around his neck. “Happy to see me?” he chuckles by my ear.
“No more than usual,” I say smiling. We pull away and he smirks.
“Valerie, I know you,” he tells me with a glint in his eye. “You want something.”
I pout, pretending to act offended. He gives me a look and I shrug in defeat. “Well…” Then, running my hands through his hair because I knew it was his weakness, I murmur, “You know how to play most of our songs, right?”
His eyebrow raises suspiciously. “Yeah…why?”
I bite my lip innocently, batting my eyelashes. “Ian’s feeling a little under the weather.”
“Fuck that,” he groans from behind me and stands from the couch. “I feel like hell.”
John sighs as he disappears into the bathroom and I giggle. “So, as I was saying-“
“Say no more, sweetheart.” His lips brush against mine lingeringly. “Nothing would make me happier than to play by your side.”
~
After the set, I joined John backstage upstairs on the main floor, where the guys were all waiting for him.
Garrett glares at him. “Dude, we’re on in like ten minutes, what were you doing?”
“Warming up,” John grins.
The boys pull him away for a bit to warm up and perform their ritual chant. He finally returns to me and sighs. I rest my mouth beneath his jaw. “Have fun out there.”
He groans. “Don’t do that to me, darlin’. You know I’d much rather be having fun back here with you.”
I pull away to roll my eyes at him. “Later.” I smile. “Thank you for stepping in for Ian. And I loved having you onstage with me. Really. I owe you for sure.”
I meant it. Having John play while I sang felt so special. It was the one reason we’d gotten together in the first place: our love for music. My passion and his devotion was something we found in each other that just clicked. It felt surreal to have the same thing happen onstage and share something that we found so dearly to us. And it showed.
“The pleasure’s all mine,” he mumbles as he kisses my cheek. I feel his lip curl into a smirk. “And if you want to repay me the favor now…”
I scoff. “John, you go onstage in like two minutes-“
He laughs. “Not like that.” Then, he says softly, “Come onstage with me.”
My eyes widen. Was he nuts?
“Just for one song?” he presses. “Come on, you said yourself you owe me.”
I bite my lip as the band starts to make their way out onto the stage. He had to go. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Fine,” he huffs. “But if I call your name, your sweet ass better be right behind me!”
He gives me a quick kiss and I laugh as he runs toward the stage doors.
A smile grows on my face at the feel of butterflies fluttering in my stomach. There was something about the idea of singing with him that made me grin like an idiot. I felt the rush when he was onstage with me, but being onstage with him? It was like a whole other environment. I mostly sung the exact kind of love songs that John typically hated, except mine were more about heartbreak which he said he liked. I guess if he was willing to play with me proved he wasn’t lying. I honestly think he just tolerated my music because I’m his girlfriend.
We were the only ones that knew that, however, aside from our closest friends. So our relationship wasn’t public per say.
But he played with me in front of dozens of people. That had to say something.
I sigh as I watch from side stage, admiring his energy as he jumped around and nodded his head. I’d made him get a haircut, and I was grateful that he actually listened to me because he looked so much more attractive when his hair wasn’t long and greasy and unkept.
The audience screeches as they end the song and John mimics them. They go back and forth before he finally laughs. “You guys are fucking crazy. I love it!”
They whoop and cheer and he shushes them. “Alright, alright, alright, we’re gonna slooooow things down here. It’s a more recent song, I don’t know, maybe you guys have heard of it. It’s called Raining in Paris?”
He’s met by a collected scream and he chuckles. “I’ll take that as a yes. This is going to be a little different though, alright? I’m gonna invite someone up here, a couple of you might know her. Help me give a warm welcome to the amazingly talented, Valerie Price!”
Crap. That was me.
I stare at him and he looks at me, grinning. “Valerie,” he sings as the guys begin to leave the stage, walking past me. Jared nudges my arm.
Slowly, I join him and find a chorus of cheers. A few people were calling my name excitedly.
“So, uh, Val here is gonna sing with me.” He gestures to the other microphone on the stage and I smirk, leaning into it. “Only ‘cause I owe him a favor for filling in for our guitarist and played for me earlier tonight.”
A few fans scream with enthusiasm. John chuckles, pulling the guitar over his head. “Let’s give ‘em a song, huh?”
So we sang. I felt a certain sense of pride and joy to be in the spotlight with him.
I sang the last verse of the song, and while the crowd cheered, John pretended to get on one knee, quickly standing back up and giggling at me, but it was enough to rile everyone up. I blush, surprised that he’d even take it that far.
He flashes me a smile before approaching the mic. “Give it up for Val, everybody.”
They cheer and I bow before taking my leave. I feel my heart pounding in my chest. Holy crap, the sight of him kneeling nearly gave me a heart attack.
“If you guys have never heard of her before, you should look her up and give her band a listen,” I absentmindedly hear him announce. “I dig some of their tunes and she writes nice songs. I really like her voice. I, uh, really like her.”
The cheesy way he says his last sentence makes my heart melt. Just when I think he couldn’t be any more charming, he giggles. “God, I really hope she’s not hearing any of this.”
I laugh. He couldn’t be more adorable.
Sneaking back onstage, I smile as he sighs. “I am going to shut up now.”
Before he could notice me, I run up beside him, grab his face and kiss him hard on the lips before scurrying back.
He stares over at me in astonishment, a goofy grin on his face. He tries to tell me something over the microphone, but I couldn’t hear a word. The audience was way too loud.
John licks his lips before smirking at the crowd. “Just so you know, all you guys out there, back off. That’s all mine.”
I guess that was as official as you could get.