Damien checked his watch for the third time in the back of the black van. The driver kept glancing at him in the mirror like he knew something was off.
"Boss, are you sure about this?" the driver asked quietly. "Manager Victor said night scenes start in thirty minutes."
Damien didn't answer right away. He just stared out the tinted window at the long line of fans waving black and violet glow sticks stretching down to the street. His heart was already beating too fast.
"Tell them I'm stuck in traffic," he finally said. "I'll be there. Just... buy me two hours."
The driver sighed but nodded. "You're the boss."
Damien slipped out on a plain, black cap and a mask that covered half his face. He looked nothing like Damien tonight and that was the whole point.
He stepped out of the van two blocks away and walked the rest of the way like any other fan. No one looked twice. Good. His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was his Manager, Victor Hale.
He answered on the second ring.
"Where the hell are you?" Victor's voice was sharp. "We're waiting on set. The director's already pissed."
"There's traffic," Damien lied smoothly. "There's a big accident on the highway. I'll be there soon."
"Damien, don't play games with me. Your schedule is tight this month. One wrong move and the whole drama timeline collapses."
"I know. I'll make it."
He hung up before Victor could argue more. His thumb hovered over the screen for a second, then he switched the phone to silent. Tonight he wasn't Damien the actor. Tonight he was just a man who needed to see her.
Inside the arena the lights were sticks waved like sea. Damien found his VIP balcony seat on the second level, far enough back that no one would notice him but close enough to feel every beat. He sat down, and pulled the cap lower, and waited.
The crowd screamed when the stage lights exploded in violet and indigo. Smoke rolled across the floor and there she was there.
Raven.
She stepped out in a sparkling black bodysuit with a deep violet accent that hugged every curve, and black thigh high boots with violet shines, shining under the spotlights, and raven black hair with deep purple steaks falling in waves down her back. The crystal encrusted black microphone in her hand caught the light like it was made of stars.
Damien's breath caught.
She didn't say anything at first. She just lifted the mic to her lips and started singing. The first note hit him straight in the chest.
The song was slow, sexy, and full of longing. Her voice wrapped around the lyrics like a silk and every time she moved her hips the crowd lost their minds and Damien couldn't look away.
He had first heard her voice six months ago on a late night drive after a sixteen-hour shoot. The radio played one of her songs and something inside him shifted. He downloaded every track that night, watched every performance and saved every photo. He told himself it was just admiration.
But it wasn't. It was an obsession and now she was twenty meters away, singing like she knew he was watching.
Mid-song she walked to the edge of the stage, pointed the mic at the crowd, and smiled that dangerous half-smile.
"LA... are you ready to feel something tonight?"
The arena exploded.
Damien gripped the railing and his palms were sweaty.
She sang the chorus again, eyes closed, and head thrown back. The purple lights made her skin glow and every note felt like it was meant for him alone.
He imagined what her voice would sound like whispering his name instead.
The thought made heat rush through his body and a staff member passed behind him in the balcony but Damien kept his head down.
"You enjoying the show, sir?" the staff asked politely.
Damien nodded once. "More than you know."
The guy laughed and moved on.
Raven switched to a faster song next and the beat dropped hard. She danced across the stage like she owned gravity. The black boots flashed with every step and her hair whipped around her face while sweat made her skin shine.
Damien's mouth went dry.
He had seen a thousand beautiful women in this industry. Actresses, models, idols. But none of them hit him like this. None of them made him risk his entire career just to sit in the dark and watch.
His phone buzzed again but he ignored it.
Another song and it was slower this time. She sat on a stool at the front of the stage, legs crossed, and the mic close to her lips.
"This next one... is for anyone who's ever aawanted something they're not supposed to have," she said softly.
The crowd cheered and Damien's heart slammed against his ribs.
She sang like she was telling him a secret. Her eyes scanned the balcony section for a moment. For one crazy second, he swore she looked straight at him.
He knew she couldn't see him. The lights were too bright but his body reacted anyway to heat, want and need.
The song built and built until her voice cracked the last note, raw and real that the crowd lost in it.
Damien stayed frozen in his seat.
She stood up, bowed once, and got hair fall over her face. Then she lifted the black encrusted crystal microphone high like a trophy.
"Thank you, LA! I love you!"
The final note rang out, long and perfect. It stayed in his chest even after the lights dimmed.
Damien gripped the railing so hard his knuckles turned white. His pulse was everywhere.
Her final note still vibrated in his chest. Damien gripped the railing, with his heart pounding. Tonight he would find a way backstage no matter who he had to bribe.