We’re standing in the wings, waiting to go back onstage, and Hayden asks, “Are you okay, Gabriel?”
“Yeah, as good as I can be, I guess,” I tell him and shrug my shoulders.
“I know the last half of the album sucks for you.” He gives me a wry smile.
“Understatement of the year, right there,” I laugh. “Just one more song to go, anyway. Then the meet and greet, and then hibernation.”
“Bring on the hibernation,” Harrison grins at me.
We head back out onstage for the encore, and the audience cheers loudly.
“I can’t thank you all enough for coming out tonight,” I tell the crowd.
They scream again, and I wait for the crowd to quiet down before continuing.
“I wrote a lot of Heart Wide Open while I was”—I pause and make an exaggerated thinking pose with my finger tapping on my cheek—“man, how would you describe it?”
“Angry,” Hayden says into his mic. “Very, very angry.”
I almost laugh because I wasn’t actually expecting anyone to chime in, but I fake an enlightened tone, as though he’s just given me the answer to my question and say, “Ah, yes, that’s it. Thanks, Hayden.”
“Any time, bro,” Hayden replies.
The audience laughs at our playful banter, and I laugh along with them before continuing, “So, yeah, I was very angry for a long time. What I discovered, though, is that you can’t hold onto that anger forever, or it will eat you alive. When you eventually let it go, sometimes you’ll be surprised by what’s left behind.”
I smile at the crowd, and despite my inner turmoil this evening, I’m at peace with everything. I’ve accepted that she couldn’t be with me, even though it still occasionally hurts.
The crowd cheers as Sebastian starts playing his guitar, with Hayden playing a soft beat on the drums and Harrison playing a bass line. They repeat the same eight bars of music as I continue my explanation of the song.
About the AuthorWriting a book wasn’t something I ever thought I could really do but inspired by a song, I aimed to do it. With a lot of coaxing from my friends for me to finish it so they could find out the ending.
I released Gabriel and Ariana’s story, The Album, on March 14th, 2020. Harrison and Heather’s story, The Wedding, came out on June 6th, 2020. Sebastian and Lita’s book, The Baby, was released on November 18th, 2020.
The first book in the companion series, Gabriel’s Album, is available for pre-order and will be released on March 14th, 2021. It’s Gabriel and Ariana’s story retold from Gabriel’s point of view.
I hope that you will fall in love with the Cruise Control world the same way that I have.
Author Links:
Website ¦ Goodreads ¦ Facebook ¦ Twitter ¦ Instagram ¦ Newsletter
Sexy cover
ReplyDeleteSounds like a must read! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOMG! That cover!
ReplyDelete