A Face in the Crowd

A FACE IN THE CROWD

CHRISTINA KIRBY

SOUL MATE PUBLISHING

New York

A FACE IN THE CROWD

Copyright©2016

CHRISTINA KIRBY

Cover Design by Leah Kaye Suttle

This book is a work of fiction.  The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Published in the United States of America by

Soul Mate Publishing

P.O. Box 24

Macedon, New York, 14502

ISBN: 978-1-68291-143-3

www.SoulMatePublishing.com

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

To Em, Jessica, Tiffany,

and all the other oncology nurses out there

who take care of patients and their families

during the most trying time of their lives.

You are the cheerleaders, caretakers, hand-holders,

and guides who get people through.

Acknowledgements

A big thanks to my editor Janet. Here we go again.

To my friends next door, thanks for taking the kids so this mom can work.

Jen, Em, Hagans, Brian – Is anyone up for a concert?

To the readers who have followed me from Warm Springs to Atlanta, I hope you enjoy Lexie and Oliver’s story.

Chapter 1

Lexie never tired of looking at the Atlanta skyline. The throngs of people, tall buildings, and energy of the city made her feel alive. She tapped her brakes again. Based on the traffic currently choking the lanes around her, she wasn’t the only one who loved the city.

She glanced at the clock on her dashboard for the tenth time and sucked in a breath as a car sandwiched its way into the miniscule space between her car and the Lexus in front of her.

“Come on.”

Another minute ticked by. She was barely going to have time to change clothes, much less shower before her best friend, Simone, showed up at her apartment.

While stopped beside an eighteen-wheeler, she raised her arm and sniffed at her armpit. The truck’s driver smirked down at her through her open sunroof. Face burning, she lowered her arm and returned her eyes to the road. She hoped she didn’t smell like the hospital, or like anything she’d come into contact with during her shift. Ol’ trucker boy probably smelled better than she did. She shifted in her seat, blocking the man’s view, and glanced at her appearance in the rearview mirror. Tragic. Stray hairs were loose from her braid and her makeup was completely gone; melted away with the stress of the day and the long hours on her feet.

Not that she didn’t love her job, but after the day’s rough shift she was looking forward to a night out. And, tonight was special. Tonight was going to be epic the same way it was every time they saw their favorite band, Survival of the Fittest, perform live.

She and Simone had been looking forward to the concert for months and considering tickets had sold out in three hours, it was a miracle they were going.

Traffic shifted. Lexie darted around the big truck and cut across two lanes. Two blocks later, she turned into her apartment complex and thanked her lucky stars when she noticed a parking space close to the front door. Grabbing her bag, she headed inside and hurried into her bedroom. She tore off her scrubs as she walked, dropping them on the floor among her other dirty laundry. In her bathroom, she splashed cold water on her face until she heard Simone’s familiar voice yelling at her from the living room.

“Tell me you’re not running late.”

Lexie blotted her face dry and threw her towel back on the side of the sink. “Nope, just cutting it close.”

“So, how was your day?” Simone joined her in her room and sprawled out on the bed.

Lexie had known Simone for almost two decades. She was part of almost all of Lexie’s childhood, adolescent, and young adult milestones. The good and the bad. She knew she was lucky to have such a good friend. Other people in her life came and went, but Simone was always there.

“It was long. I was saddled with three patients and two of the three were in bad shape.” She turned off the light in the bathroom and emerged a new woman. It was amazing what cold water, a hairbrush, and a fresh coat of makeup could do for you.

Simone nodded to Lexie’s choice of clothes, “I see you’re going the T-shirt route.”

“What other route is there?”

“Don’t ask me,” Simone laughed, unzipped her hoodie, and revealed the same shirt.

Lexie placed her hands on her hips. “What are the odds?”

“Considering we bought them at the same time, at the same concert, I’d say pretty good.”

“Give me two minutes.” Lexie stepped over a pile of clothes and into her closet. “I’ll get another shirt.”

“Suit yourself, you know I don’t care if we match. We’re so cute,” Simone said it in a ridiculous voice as if speaking to a puppy.

Lexie flipped through her other band shirts. She held one out, and Simone shook her head, so she tried another one. The second earned her a thumb up.

“You always look good in green.”

Lexie paused in front of her standing mirror and gave herself one last glance. “I need all the help I can get. Ready?”

“I’ve been ready for months. Let’s go.”

The parking lot was swarming with cars, but Simone’s car was small enough to fit into the tightest of spaces. Riding in Atlanta in a Mini Cooper always put Lexie on edge. She had no desire to be crushed, but she had to admit it was good for parking purposes.

The huge arena taking up more than its fair share of real estate wasn’t their usual scene. They chose to go to shows held at smaller venues making for a more up close experience, but Survival of the Fittest was big time, so they had to take what they could get. These guys hadn’t played a small venue in years.

“Sorry we missed the supporting band,” Lexie yelled over the noise of the crowd.

“You have no reason to be sorry. Plus, I read somewhere that they aren’t that good. We didn’t miss anything.”

Leave it to Simone. She was always reading something somewhere about someone. Simone was a pop culture junkie, which saved Lexie from having to read any sort of reviews since Simone recapped everything she read anyway.

Lexie kept her eyes trained on the back of Simone’s black shirt as she snaked through the crowd. They were doing their best to get as close to the stage as they could manage. At their stopping point two rows back from the security bar in front of the stage, Lexie praised the gods there was no one in front of her who had the potential to block her line of sight. Standing at a measly five-three didn’t exactly do her any favors when it came to having a good view. Simone on the other hand, was five-foot-ten and gave half the boys surrounding them a run for their money. She and Simone always looked borderline comical when they were together, and if Simone wore heels, Lexie either donned them as well or refused to stand close to her.

The lights went down a few minutes later, and everyone pressed in a little bit tighter, determined to get close to the band. The energy of the crowd was almost palpable. She let out a yell as the first chord sounded from behind a screen. When it dropped revealing the band, everyone went crazy, but the noise was soon drowned out by Survival’s music.

After two hours of jumping and singing, Lexie was sweating like mad. With her hair plastered to her neck and face, she turned to Simone. They grabbed each other’s arms and laughed, each too high on adrenaline to form a coherent thought.

The band exited the stage and anticipation for the encore mounted. The crowd chanted. The sound started as a mumble but quickly turned frantic as the fans demanded more. Slowly, and with dramatic flair, the band members made their way back to the stage one at a time.

First, David sauntered his way back over to the bass, followed by Leo on the drums and Bailey on the lead guitar. Lexie’s eyes followed each member’s progress, but once lead singer Oliver hit the stage, she didn’t see anyone but him.

Oliver made his way back to the mike and shouted, “Do you want some more, Atlanta?”

Lexie’s scream mixed with the other fan’s and echoed throughout the room as Oliver sang the band’s first number one. As he moved from one side of the stage to the other, Lexie danced, arms over her head, as she let go. In the chaos of the noise, the heat of the bodies moving as one, and the music, she didn’t have to think or feel. She could just be.

A hand reached out for her and Simone hit her arm, mouth open in shock. Lexie blinked once and raised her eyes to meet those of Oliver. Up close, he was even better looking than in the magazines. Her heart stopped or maybe it leaped from her chest. She wasn’t sure. As if controlled by a stranger she reached for his hand and allowed him, with the help of two security guards, to pull her up onto the stage.

With her stomach in her throat, she stood awkwardly while Oliver sang to her. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. Survival never pulled people up onto the stage. At least, they never had. But, there he was, positioned behind her, with his stomach pressed to her back. The heat of his skin and hers, melded together, so hot she feared their clothes would ignite.

Her eyes found Simone’s, who peeked out from behind her cell phone where she was recording what promised to be the best moment of Lexie’s life.

She dared a glance over her shoulder and feared she would faint when Oliver offered her a grin from behind the mike. Dear God he was hot. He pressed into her closer and placed a hand on her hip. Red, hot heat surged into her face. The move was definitely one she wouldn’t want her dad to see, but she was glad it was happening. As the song wound down, Oliver moved to stand beside her. Over his shoulder she saw his brother, Bailey, wailing on his blue Fender. The entire experience was surreal. His brother looked up and smiled, but something was wrong with his face.

She narrowed her eyes to get a better look, sure the lights were playing tricks on her. At the same time, he swiped a hand over his face and when he pulled it away, blood was smeared across his upper lip. He went back to playing, but his nose continued to bleed.

Her gaze refocused on Oliver. “Your brother,” she tried to explain over the music.

When he didn’t register what she was trying to say, she pointed.

Oliver’s head whipped around. For a brief moment, his eyes widened and then, as quickly as she’d seen it, the look was gone. Oliver finished the song and led her back to the edge of the stage where she was lowered back into the crowd. When she looked up, he met her gaze. The moment was brief, but she felt it. A moment of recognition between them. One that said he was sad it had to end. She wanted to reach for him, but she couldn’t. Instead, she stood frozen as fans around her pushed in and slapped her on the back. Oliver waved to his admirers and rushed off toward his brother.

Whether or not that song was meant to be the last, she wasn’t sure. She honestly couldn’t feel much of anything. It was as though her body was numb after the assault of so many emotions at once.

As they moved with the crowd toward the exit, Simone turned to her, “Best. Show. Ever.”

“You always say that,” Lexie countered, but she couldn’t stop smiling. This time, she was inclined to agree.

“Seriously, though. That was amazing.” Simone’s hands flailed as she continued to freak out over what had occurred. “I mean, things like that don’t happen. Not to us. We’re just, you know, normal.”

“You better send me that video.”

“Why? So you can watch it over and over again every day for the rest of your life?”

“Exactly.” Lexie laughed as they climbed back into Simone’s car. “I’m scared to think how stupid I looked up there.”

“Don’t be silly.” Simone wove through the crowd narrowly missing a group of teenage boys in skinny jeans. “You looked great and if it makes you feel any better, no one was looking at you but me. Every other girl there was trying to figure out how to be you or how to kill you.”

“Gee, thanks. That makes a girl feel better.” Lexie leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

“Yes, Mrs. Brown has some sort of meeting at work and she needed me to come in, but it’s only for half the day so the entire weekend won’t be wasted.” Simone pulled out of the lot when it was finally their turn and got into another line of traffic waiting impatiently to get onto the expressway.

“That’s something at least.”

Poor Simone worked as a nanny, which she didn’t love, but the world of television was a hard place to get a job, especially for a writer. Being a nanny allowed her time to write while she made a living. It wasn’t glamorous, but the kids she watched were fun and Simone claimed that they gave her great ideas.

“When do you go back?”

“Tomorrow,” Lexie sighed. What she needed was an entire day of sleep.

The traffic lightened up once they made it onto the highway. With the lights shining out of all the office buildings closed for the night, the evening was peaceful and still warm, even with the late hour.

“Are you hungry?”

“I’m always hungry.” Lexie sat up as she tried to remember the last time she’d eaten.

“Are you sure you’re not too tired?”

“I am too hyped to be tired, but I’m sure fatigue will slam me later.”

They stopped at Waffle House and ordered, as was their tradition. There were a few other patrons there, but none paid them any attention.

“I didn’t know it was possible, but Oliver and company looked even better tonight.”

Lexie grinned. “You might be the most boy crazy person in the world.”

“It’s true, I know a hot guy when I see one.” Simone speared a bite of waffle onto her fork. “I kept hoping that Bailey would look down into the crowd, see me towering over everyone around me, point, invite me on stage, and then ask me to go on the road with them.”

Lexie winked. “Next time.”

“Before tonight, I never would’ve believed something like that could happen, but after your little thing with Oliver . . .”

Lexie just laughed and kept eating. Bailey wouldn’t be the one she would choose.

The following morning at work started like any other. After getting up and getting ready while the rest of the world slept, Lexie made her way through the darkened streets and arrived at the hospital with plenty of time to spare before her shift began. She swiped her badge to clock-in and readied herself in the locker room before her huddle report with the charge nurse.

“Good morning, Lexie.” Laura stopped beside Lexie’s locker and leaned against it, arms crossed over her chest. It was the position she took when she wanted to gossip. “Hey, did you hear the rumor?”

“Not yet,” Lexie closed her locker and stepped up to the sink next to some other assembled nurses. “What’s circulating in the rumor mill today?”

“Supposedly, there’s someone famous on our floor. There was a big commotion last night and the ER was full of people giving security a headache. Then, whoever it was causing the uproar was moved up here.”

Lexie stared at her reflection in the mirror and withheld her grimace. “Any idea who it is?”