Page 41 of When the Stars Rise

Dean calls him a drama queen. Fans call him a god among mortals. The media calls him an enigma. You never really know which version of Bastian you’ll be getting on any given day.

But no one can deny his talent or uncanny ability to stay relevant and continually reinvent himself. After three decades in the music industry, Bastian isstillone of the biggest rock stars on the planet.

He pulls me into a hug and kisses me on both cheeks before releasing me. “That was better than the original.”

I shake my head. “A poor imitation. Nobody sings like you do.”

Bastian is one of the greats. Eccentric. Insanely gifted. Wildly unpredictable. And a total legend.

He pulls me aside to a quiet corner and lets out a weary sigh. “I’ve reached my threshold for boredom and inane conversation. My soul is withering.”

He’s so dramatic that I laugh even though he’s probably serious. He says things like that all the time. “Last time I spoke to you your soul was empty,” I remind him.

“LA does that to me. But you filled my soul with your music.” He gifts me a rare smile. “Seeing Stars at the Drive-Thruis brilliant.”

I return his smile. “You’rebrilliant.” Bastian was the inspiration behind the song which became the title of the album, and heisbrilliant.

“How would you feel about collaborating with Asher on your next album?” he asks, taking me by surprise.

“Collaborating?” I say it like I don’t understand the meaning of the word.

“Just a song or two.” He waves his hand in the air. “You could write some music together and record it. You wouldn’t even have to be in the studio together.”

I shake my head. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll pass. Asher and I reached our expiration date a long time ago.”

Bastian lets out a sigh of disappointment. “Sex ruins everything, doesn’t it?”

Tell me about it.

I laugh a little but don’t comment. “Night, Bastian.”

“Send Julian my love,” he calls after me.

I’m laughing to myself as I weave through the crowd but make a mental note to grill Jules for information. Bastian was the one who found him. They’re both British and met in London years ago. I often wondered if something happened between them.

Just before I reach the door, I’m stopped by a familiar voice. “That was a hell of a performance.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Hayley

I spin to face Noah,who is slow clapping. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m starting to wonder the same thing.” With a shake of his head, he turns and walks away. I follow him out the door to the hallway, where the music is muffled. “Don’t let me get in your way.” He waves his hand toward the room we just left. “Why don’t you get back to your party?”

“I’m ready to leave now. But why are you here?” I prompt.

His jaw clenches. “Right now, I don’t have a fucking clue why I’m here. You were too busy getting cozy with your ex to notice me.” He crosses his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes on me. “Maybe he’s not your ex. Maybe you’ve been fucking him this whole time.”

My jaw drops and my hands ball into fists. I seriously want to punch him. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’mridiculous?” He nods a few times. “Yeah, okay, I’m the ridiculous one.” He opens his mouth as if to say more, thenshakes his head and walks out the door, leaving me standing alone in a dingy hallway.

God. He’s so infuriating sometimes.

I take a few calming breaths before exiting the club.

Noah hasn’t gone far. He’s leaning against a brick wall next to the club with his hands tucked in his pockets, eyes downcast and despite his comment, I hate that I’m responsible for making him feel this way.