Page 42 of About to Fall

And his voice. Goodness. He sang the song Madeline, and his voice wrapped around every word like it was a gift for my ears. His songs found their way into my heart in a way I had never felt before. I loved Micah before, but this concert did me in. I was wrecked. And honestly, so was every other female in this audience.

Micah finished the song, and then we cheered and I followed a group of about thirty people to the backstage area. Those of us with VIP tickets were sitting in the front row, and we had already been given a briefing about where to go after the show. We were waiting in line to see Micah when a security guard came up to us, asking to see our tickets.

Chapter 15

We all had lanyards. Upon arrival at will call, I had exchanged my digital ticket for a package that included a lanyard. I had it around my neck, and I held it to the side so that the security guard could check it out when he came near me. Was a large man with aviator glasses and a frown that was etched into his face and looked like it had been there for years.

"Where'd you come by this ticket?" he asked.

"Uh, on the internet, but, uh, the guy I bought it from, he had a receipt from Ticketmaster and everything. It's a real ticket, I promise. I paid double what that guy paid."

His frown stayed in place as he looked me over. I knew my makeup looked good and natural, but wearing that disguise made me feel like I was lying to him.

"I know it's a good ticket," I said. "He forwarded me the information straight from Ticketmaster. They wouldn’t have given me this thing if it didn't work at the door, right? They scanned it earlier."

I had a bad habit of talking when I got nervous, and this was unfortunately one of those times when I could see that my overexplaining was working against me. The man's expression was getting more cautious and not less cautious like I intended.

"I promise it's a good ticket," I said.

I almost added that Micah would want to see me if he knew I was there, but I kept it inside. I would hope for the best and save that for a bad situation.

"What's your name?" he asked.

I had to think about it for a second and realize that I didn't want to tell him my name was Sue.

"Claire," I said, just in case he asked me for my driver's license.

"Come with me please, Claire," he said.

I glanced at the people in line behind me. It was a group of four who looked like mothers and daughters. I reluctantly followed the guy who headed down a hallway with me. There were other people around, and no one looked suspicious. It crossed my mind that Micah knew I was there and sent for me, but this guy wasn't with Micah. I stared at the back of his uniform, which clearly said Nashville Police. I was wondering why the local police would need to be involved with ticketing.

"I know Micah," I said to him. "I'm here to surprise him."

He opened a door and stepped back as if letting me walk inside. I expected my statements to clear everything up, but for some reason it made him look at me even more suspiciously.

"Just wait right here, please," he said, gesturing into the room.

I rounded the corner and saw Micah standing there, smiling at me.

He held open his arms and I walked into them, feeling so relieved that I could just pass out.

"Oh, my gosh, I was freaking out," I said, hugging him, holding onto him. He smelled like the perfect mixture of sweat and cologne. I held him and breathed in the scent. Whatever smells he was omitting were scientifically triggering me. I felt like I wanted to crawl inside of him.

He pulled back, looking at me. "What are you wearing?" he asked with a little grin.

"A new dress," I said, giving a little curtsey. It was nothing like the clothes I would normally wear.

"I mean on your face."

"Oh, my, it's a fake… Allison helped me with it. She went to beauty school and she's all into theater costumes and stuff. She helped me with the… wait a minute. How did you even know it's me? Did Birdy tell you I was coming?"

"No, she didn't Claire. Nobody told me. I saw you sitting in the front row when I walked out there, and that's the first I knew of it."

I held onto him, looking up at him, our faces only inches away. "You knew I was out there that whole time?"

"Yes."

My jaw dropped. "I look nothing like myself in this," I insisted.