Kiss The Sun

Chapter 17

I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. Cat stood behind me, admiring the black slip with simple silver beading she had put me in. I looked at her in the mirror as she touched up the blowout of my hair. No matter the tension between us, no matter the connection we both had to Jake, she was still in my corner, still trying her best to make me look great. 

She told me I was ready to go and I walked out of the bus to find Jake smoking. He had on a loose white shirt that exposed a large portion of his chest, as well as his dangling necklaces, with a dark black blazer and a round black hat on his head.

I tried my best not to gasp.

He looked great. I shook my head. 

Cat walked out after me. His eyes moved to her and back to me, checking to see if I watched him take her in.

I did.

Just the three of us, at last. I wasn't ready for this. I started walking, Jake and Cat followed behind me.

"Do you know where we are going?" Cat asked.

"Yeah, it's actually in the venue for tonight. We are gonna use the empty stage." I answered her, pulling the door open. Jake grabbed it from me and held it open for us both. When we walked in, there were cameras and a couple people walking around.

 I scanned the room for Beth and saw her in the corner in a white jumpsuit and a beautiful patterned vest. She pointed away and sent three men scurrying. I smiled to myself. She started fidgeting with her camera, screwing in the lens, twisting it and taking test photos for the lighting. I loved watching her in her element, so focused, so zoned in. So beautiful. Her natural curly hair rippled down her back. Finally, she noticed me, still in the doorway, even after Cat and Jake were gone. 

"You look great, mama." She smiled at me. As I walked closer, she added, "I'm going to try to pose you as least awkward as possible, but they want it to be pretty intimate. If you hadn't written so soft of a song..."

"Hey," I chuckled, "if they knew they got the wrong muse for the photo, maybe they'd understand."

Beth's eyebrows raised as she connected the dots. "Oh my god, Sam?" She whispered loudly. 

I shushed her. "It's very complicated, Beth, but please let's get it over with." She winked at me in response. 

"Alright everyone! Let's get started!" She shouted to where everyone stopped moving and talking to look at her and listen. "We are gonna do some individual shots first."

She directed me to the stage and posed me a few different ways. Cat landed by her side, also directing and posing me on the stage. I was trying to pretend it was like all of our other shoots, just the four of us, no other, wandering eyes.

I took a deep breath. Just the four of us.

Wait.

Where is Lilianna?

I scanned the room, but could not find her. She wouldn't miss this, I knew she wouldn't. But where could she be? Before I could think more, Beth yelled, calling for Jake to join me on stage. 

Here we go.

"Alright first I need you to stand below the stage, facing her," she directed Jake. "Brooklyn, come to the edge of the stage, right in front of him." 

I walked to the edge as he met me there. We were close, but my heigh above him on the stage gave me a bit of edge, a bit of distance. Beth directed me to act like I was signing. I held up the microphone as she started shooting.

"Something's missing." She mumbled. "Lean down," she called out. "Get right in front of his face. Think Stevie and Lindsay, Silver Springs. Sing it in his face."