Page 30 of Paint Our Song

No, what actually happens is this: Miles is frozen in place, silent, and his heart races. He watches Calvin the entire time. Calvin plays with his eyes down on his guitar. He avoids looking at the crowd, and yet the way he moves—it’s so graceful. The large screens that surround the stage show a close-up of Calvin, his hair sticking to his forehead and neck with sweat. The way he’s smiling ever so subtly makes Miles’ heart leap in a way he doesn’t understand. He’s seen Calvin play live before, without his band, with a much smaller crowd—and between that and this huge festival, it’s the same. All he sees is Calvin.

“I’m so happy you’re finally able to watch them live!”Gabby yells in his ear when their first song is done.

The crowd cheers, and Theo walks around the stage and crouches down to high-five people in the front. They play a few more songs. They play “Make You Mine,” which is one of Miles’s favorites, and Miles is disappointed that Calvin’s not the one who sings it even if it was clearly expected. He’s always been a fan of Theo. He follows him on social media and watches his livestreams, and it’s only now that Miles realizes that he doesn’t actually care much for him.

Right before they play their last song, Theo says to the crowd, “We are all thankful for all the support, and hope that you continue supporting us in whatever paths we take.”

Miles isn’t sure if he only imagines it, but he’s pretty sure Chase rolls his eyes at Gil.

After the last song’s done and the band gets off the stage, Gabby leans toward Miles and asks, “When are we going backstage?”

“I don’t know? I don’t want to bother them.”

“What? Calvin wouldn’t have given you a backstage pass if he didn’t want you there! You’re honestly being so weird about Calvin. Have you ever had an actual friend before, aside from me?”

He narrows his eyes at her. “Yes?”

And that’s when it seems to dawn on Gabby. She pulls back, eyes wide. Gasping, she clasps a hand over her mouth. “Oh, wow, you’re into him. Like, actually into him.”

“I don’t—Gabby, what are you talking about!?”

The next band’s already on stage and the crowd’s loud, and they’re packed like sardines, and someone bumps into him. Gabby studies him with a calculating gaze and Miles’ cheeks burn.

Miles splutters, “I’m not into him. I’m a huge fan, and I don’t want to look like an idiot in front of the band!”

“You’re going to look like an idiot either way!”

He rolls his eyes. “Lovely talk. Thank you.”

Gabby grabs his hand and starts pulling him toward the side. Sighing with exasperation, Miles lets her. They zigzag through the crowd and the closer they get to the sides of the field, the fewer people there are. Gabby stops walking when they’re in an empty space that has actual oxygen they can breathe.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Miles demands.

“Listen, Miles.” Gabby holds him by the arms, tight, and stares right at him. “You’re an amazing guy.”

“This is really weird.”

“There’s a reason so many people like you. I know you’ve got some weird commitment thing since Matt, where you can’t date anyone for longer than two days.”

“Okay, rude.”

“You also have this weird thing where you don’t know how incredible you are.”

“Huh?”

Gabby narrows her eyes and tightens the grip she has on his arms, and a headache starts brewing in Miles. She says, “You’re a catch, and even Calvin Lowe’s just a guy! You’ve got this! You’re funny, kind, you work hard, and you’re not hard to look at! If it didn’t make me want to throw up,I’dask you out!”

Miles pinches the bridge of his nose. “Never say that last part again.”

In the end, he does feel a lot better despite Gabby’s odd version of a pep talk. Before he knows it, he’s being dragged again, this time toward the cordoned area that leads backstage. Being dragged around seems to be tonight’s agenda. The guard manning the entrance to the backstage area looks at the lanyard around their necks, nods, and steps aside to let them pass.

“Go right ahead,” the guard says. “Follow the signs to the tour buses.”

“Where do we go?” Miles asks, feeling entirely out of his element. The man shrugs.

Miles hopelessly looks over at Gabby, who’s waving him on. “Let’s go!” she insists.

Spurred by Gabby’s encouragement, he leads the way inside.