Page 30 of Pretty When It Burns (When The Lights Go Down #1)

Chapter twenty-seven

"Supernova" - Nic D/Loveless

Mia

The final chord of the song rings out and the crowd goes crazy one last time. It doesn’t seem real—I’d just done that, again.

Performed, on stage, with Grayson, like I’ve been doing it my whole life.

Although it still seems surreal, the nerves aren’t as present this time. I just felt alive.

As the lights dim and the band prepares for the next part of their set, I start to jog offstage to watch the rest of their performance. Before I can get too far, Grayson grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze, pulling me close for just a second.

“You killed it, beautiful,” he says into my ear before letting me go.

I beam back at him, the rush still fluttering in my chest. As I come off the stage, I catch a glimpse of two very familiar faces near the edge of the crowd just beyond the security barricade. I freeze.

“Oh no,” I whisper to myself.

Grayson and the band are beginning the next song and still have half a set to perform. I’m on my own for this, and there they are: my older sisters, Makenna and Macy.

Of all the people that could’ve shown up tonight…

“Mia!” Macy calls, waving crazily from beside a very serious-looking security guard with Makenna right next to her.

“Miss Alexander, do you know these two?” the guard asks, clearly unamused by Macy’s enthusiasm.

I want to tell him no, that I have no idea who they are and to send them away, but what ends up coming out instead is, “Yes, sir. They’re my sisters.”

He opens the barricade and Macy launches forward like a human confetti cannon, throwing her arms around my neck with no warning. I stumble a little before hugging her back, trying to stabilize myself.

“You were amazing!” Macy gushes. “Like actually, life-altering amazing. And Grayson? Oh, my God, the chemistry! The talent you both have! And the way he looks at you, sis—I mean, damn.”

Makenna, the oldest of the three of us, stands behind her with her arms folded, dressed like she’d just come from negotiating a corporate merger. Her expression is… unreadable.

I step back from Macy, my heart still pounding.

“What are you two even doing here?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even.

“We saw the viral videos!” Macy exclaims, still beaming. “So we hopped on a plane. Surprise!”

Makenna raises a brow. “Mom didn’t mention that touring with a band also meant becoming a member of it.”

“I didn’t know it did,” I say honestly. “In fact, it doesn’t!”

They exchange a look, then turn back to me.

“You looked happy up there,” Makenna says finally. “That’s new.”

“It is. I am.”

There’s a pause while I try to determine how Makenna is feeling, but I still can’t read her when Macy breaks the silence with a dramatic gasp.

“Wait. Are we about to get the full meet-the-boyfriend moment?”

“Well, I’m not going to pull him off stage,” I huff. “If you behave, you can meet him after the show. Come on, follow me.”

I lead them backstage through a maze of cables, crates, and the crew, ducking us into a quieter space off to the side of the stage. From our position, we can still see Grayson and the band as they play their hearts out, the crowd electric and screaming every lyric along with them.

Macy presses as close as she can get before going on stage herself, her eyes wide with excitement and intrigue.

“This is so cool. Do you get to watch from here every night? Grayson is way hotter in person, by the way.”

“She gets to watch from here when she’s not out there with them,” Makenna says, standing with her arms still crossed a few steps behind us. Her eyes flicker from me to the stage. Is she… impressed?

“Actually,” I say, very matter-of-factly. “I spend most of my time in the media booth, or out in the crowd taking pictures. As you can see, I don’t spend the whole show out there with the band.”

Macy turns to face me.

“You belong out there, Mia. Seriously. You and Grayson are magnetic.”

I laugh, but something tightens in my chest.

“I had no idea what I was getting into when Grayson asked me to go on this tour. But I love him, and it felt right. It still feels right.”

Makenna finally gives me her full attention, eyes full of emotion. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look more alive.”

Finally hearing her say it, my oldest sister’s approval means everything to me. I’ve never felt like either of my sisters really knew me—understood me—but at this moment, I feel more connected to them than I ever have.

“You know, I’ve spent my whole life playing it safe,” I tell them. “This wasn’t the safe choice, but it feels like the first thing I’ve done in a long time that’s actually for me.”

Makenna nods slowly, like she still doesn’t quite understand—but wants to.

The swell of the music draws our attention back to the stage as Grayson holds the mic out to the crowd, the whole room chanting the last line of Still Bleeding.

The song ends and the crowd erupts again.

Grayson looks overwhelmed—in the best way—by the energy of the crowd, sweaty, flushed, and completely alive.

This is the version of him I love the most.

“He’s going to be insufferable after this,” I smile, thrilled to see him back in his element on stage.

“Goodnight, Charlotte!” Grayson yells over the speakers.

Macy bumps her shoulder on mine.

“He’s so in love with you. You’re so in love with him. It’s cute.”

Makenna arches her brow. “So… How serious is this?”

I take a breath, feeling the warmth of Grayson’s gaze from the stage as the band passes off their instruments to the crew.

“Serious enough,” I tell them.

Macy squeals, already on board with planning the fantasy wedding playlist with Rylee. Makenna doesn’t say anything else right away, but I catch the corner of her mouth twitching with what looks like the beginnings of a smile. Just slightly.

Grayson finally reaches us at the edge of the stage, still trying to catch his breath, a towel slung over his shoulder.

“Hey, beautiful—” he starts, stopping short when he notices Makenna and Macy on either side of me. “Oh. So this is happening.”

“Grayson,” I say with a warning smile. “You remember my older sisters, Makenna and Macy.”

Grayson has been going through so much. I don’t want the intensity of my sisters’ inevitable interrogation of him to be another thing he has to go through.

“It’s nice to see you both,” Grayson grins easily. “Great of you to come out and support the band, and your incredible sister of course.”

His hand slips around my waist and pulls me close to him. I don’t even mind that I feel the sweat from his skin seeping into my shirt.

“Do you want to show them around? I think there’s a bar in the greenroom—we can have a drink and celebrate.”

“Ooh, yes!” Macy gasps, clapping her hands together. “Do we get a cool VIP wristband? Can we pretend we’re famous, too?”

Makenna rolls her eyes as Grayson laughs at Macy’s enthusiasm. “Come on.”

We start walking down the hallway, Makenna just a few paces behind us.

I can tell she’s still taking everything in—Grayson’s affection towards me, the way the crew acknowledges us as we pass by, asking us if we need anything.

How I seem to belong in a world that just a few weeks ago had no idea who I was.

As she does with everything, ever since we were kids, she plays her feelings close to the vest. I still can’t tell what she’s thinking, but she’s definitely watching.

“Are all of your shows completely wild like this?” Makenna asks once we reach the greenroom. “We might’ve almost died a few times while we were by the security barricade.”

“They didn’t used to be,” Grayson shrugs, smiling a little. “But when you and your girlfriend break the internet two nights in a row, apparently it gets a little more… chaotic.”

That earns the smallest hint of a smirk.

Macy pours herself a glass of champagne and flops onto the greenroom couch.

“So tell us everything! We want the whole story. How did you two run into each other again after all these years?”

Grayson looks at me, then smiles. “Now that’s a story worth telling.”