Coming Back

By: Carm

“Hello?”

Silence.

“Hello?”

Silence.

“Gina?”

Click.

Dan sighed as he hung up his phone, turning to the rest of the guys. “If she’s not gonna talk to me, why does she keep calling?” Everyone turned away, and Dan groaned. Space could be given, time could be taken apart, but it just made it harder when his girlfriend said she wanted space, then called him. Her number wasn’t listed, it never showed up on Caller ID. He knew who it was though. He knew her breathing, the sharp intake of breath when he said her name, just before she hung up. He just wanted to talk to her, ask her if she’d had enough time, but never got the chance. She hung up too fast.

“Maybe she just wants to hear your voice.”

His head turned to Erik, eyes narrowing. “I’d like to hear hers, too.” He sighed and shook his head. He had to go on stage, stand in front of a crowd of screaming girls, and try not to get yanked off the stage. More importantly, he had to concentrate. He had to keep his mind on the concert, then afterwards, he could think about her. With a couple of days before the next concert, he thought that he might even bite the bullet and go to her house. All she could do was slam the door in his face, and then he could stick his foot in and stop it.

He shook himself, then moved up to the side, waiting for the band to start. The first riffs came to his ears, then he was on. O-Town ran to the stage, the screams deafening, the lights blinding. Dan pushed Gina to the back of his mind, concentrating on performing. He made it through over half of the concert before he felt the tug in his heart, looking out into the crowd. He could have sworn he saw her. The hair was different, loose instead of the braids that he’d seen constantly for over a year. She was looking directly at him, but then again, there were a lot of girls that did that. She was quiet, though, not screaming, not freaking out.

Backstage for a quick costume change, he looked around frantically. “Dude, somebody tell me that I didn’t just see her. Front row, just to the left, right there in that middle section. Was that her?”

“Dan, you’re losin’ your mind, again.”

“Come on, Jacob, I’m serious. I think I saw her. You think she was callin’ from out there?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you hear noise?” Trevor asked him. “When she was on the line?”

“I don’t know. I just know I didn’t hear her.”

“Then maybe it was.”

Dan sighed. Back out. He had to sing. He had to do his job. Shaking himself, he started back out. Stools sat in front of a row of microphone stands. He sat down and tried to smile at the crowd. His eyes scanned the row. Her head was down. He willed her to look up. Behind him, the band started again, and he caught her eyes. He whispered her name, turning his head from the microphone. She blinked, and he began.

You can lose your faith in loving, you can lose your will to trust, you’ll see... You can’t lose me...

The verses traded off, coming back in a round to him, and he kept his eyes on her. The girl next to her thought she was getting his eyes, and she swooned. Gina just stood, watching him. She held her phone tightly in her hand. A tear squeezed out of the corner of her eye.

The song ended, the concert continued. Dan noticed the next time he looked out for her that she was gone, slipping out during the last costume changed. His heart fell. At the show’s end, standing backstage, Dan groaned. Everyone else gave him a wide berth as he peeked out the back door, watching as security filtered the VIP’s from the rabid fans.

His phone rang. It was in his hand. Had been since he’d gotten backstage.

“Hello?”

Silence.

“Gina, don’t do this.”

Silence.

“Gina...”

“Dan? I, uh...”

He sighed with relief. Her voice was soft, faint, but there.

“Gina, where are you? I can have security let you back...”

“No. No, I’m not.. I mean... I’m out by your limo. Um, the security guy out here let me stand over here because he remembered me, but...”

“I can come...”

“No! No, I’ll...”

“I’m already on the move.”

His feet went quickly over the floor as he pushed past people, heading to the back entrance. A security guard went rushing after him, followed quickly by the rest of the band, in various stages of dress. Dan paid none of them any attention as he burst through the back door and made a mad dash for the car. She was standing there, shivering in the cold. Her jacket was far too light. He rushed up to her, stopping just in front of her.

“Dan. I, um... I...”

He waited, but whatever words she had wouldn’t come. He didn’t know if she was at a loss or if the words she’d previously chosen were inadequate. Or maybe, he thought, she was just hoping to get away before he got there. He didn’t say anything as they stood in silence, just opened his arms. Gina rolled her lips, blinked her eyes. She felt her feet moving, going closer to him, though she hadn’t made a conscious effort to go. Before she knew it, she was in the circle of his arms, head resting against his chest, and while they stood in temperatures just above freezing, she thought, I’m suddenly so warm.

The End

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