crowd boos and complains, but he just chuckles into the microphone. “Some of you might not know this, but this is my favourite song on the whole album. This song makes me the luckiest guy in the world. Because the girl who inspired it is sitting just over there.”
He turns and looks at me. He’s sweaty, red-faced, and his hair is wet and dishevelled, but he’s still incredibly gorgeous—and everyone else melts away as he locks eyes with me. It’s only when I hear chants of “Autumn Girl! Autumn Girl!” that I realize the crowd out there knows me too. It’s so bizarre.
“Now, she’s a little bit shy, so she’s going to stay out of sight for now, but, Penny, baby, this one is for you.”
He strums the first few chords of “Autumn Girl” and I’m taken straight back to the time I first heard it, on my bed, listening to the recording that he made me. I want to tell Sadie Lee how amazing this is, when I realize that in all the emotion I’ve let the phone drift down; Sadie Lee and Bella are now facing the black box I’m sitting on. Not a good view at all! I whip the phone back up so it’s pointing at Noah and whisper an apology to them both.
Noah finishes the song to thunderous applause, then he jogs offstage and straight into my arms. We head back to the dressing room arm in arm, the noise from the crowd following us like a wave of love and support.
“You were incredible!” I say. “The best. I’m so proud of you.”
“That was excellent!” He can’t wipe the grin off his face, and I know my expression mirrors his.
If only TheRealTruth could see us now, they’d know their threats were pointless. Maybe there is something to this rock-star life after all.
“G-ma, Bella, what did you think?”
On the screen, Sadie Lee is wiping tears from her cheeks. “Noah, I have no words. You light up that stage.”
“Thanks, G-ma. You’re the best.”
“You kids go have fun now. It’s going to take me at least another hour to get this one to calm down after that.” Bella is running around on the screen, singing Noah’s songs at the top of her lungs.
“Goodnight!” Noah and I both say in sync, waving to the phone. I go to turn it off, and the battery flashes red.
“Oh no, I need a charger . . .”
I scan the room, desperate for a glimpse of my lost cable. But, instead, the rest of Noah’s band literally bounces into the room, and even Blake has a huge smile on his face. He smiles at me and I smile back. Maybe I did misjudge him.
“That was awesome ,” Blake says to me as he passes. “Are you coming back to the hotel with us, Penny?”
“No, man. I have something planned for us,” says Noah, interrupting. He drops off his guitar with one of the technicians and sheds his leather jacket, then begins rooting through his duffel bag.
“Oh, cool.” With a couple of bounding leaps, Blake jumps on Ryan’s back, one fist pumping in the air. I laugh, watching them.
“Where are we going?” I raise one eyebrow at Noah.
He tosses a red beanie my way, then pulls a grey beanie down over his own hair. “I thought it would go well with your hair.”
“If you insist,” I say, putting on the hat.
“Now these.” He passes me a pair of glasses. They’re just frames, really—they don’t even have any glass in them. Noah puts on a pair too, but they go a bit crooked.
I reach up and straighten them on his face. I smile. If this is meant to be some sort of disguise, it’s not going to work. “You still look gorgeous—you can’t hide that!” I say to him.
“We don’t need a total disguise, just something to throw people off a little. Besides, where we’re going, no one will expect it to be me, so I need to play to that.” He pulls at my hand, and I follow him.
“But where are we going?”
“Why, we’re going to watch the world’s hottest boy band, of course.”
My face drains of colour, and I stop moving. He turns round as my hand slips out of his. “Penny? What’s
He turns and looks at me. He’s sweaty, red-faced, and his hair is wet and dishevelled, but he’s still incredibly gorgeous—and everyone else melts away as he locks eyes with me. It’s only when I hear chants of “Autumn Girl! Autumn Girl!” that I realize the crowd out there knows me too. It’s so bizarre.
“Now, she’s a little bit shy, so she’s going to stay out of sight for now, but, Penny, baby, this one is for you.”
He strums the first few chords of “Autumn Girl” and I’m taken straight back to the time I first heard it, on my bed, listening to the recording that he made me. I want to tell Sadie Lee how amazing this is, when I realize that in all the emotion I’ve let the phone drift down; Sadie Lee and Bella are now facing the black box I’m sitting on. Not a good view at all! I whip the phone back up so it’s pointing at Noah and whisper an apology to them both.
Noah finishes the song to thunderous applause, then he jogs offstage and straight into my arms. We head back to the dressing room arm in arm, the noise from the crowd following us like a wave of love and support.
“You were incredible!” I say. “The best. I’m so proud of you.”
“That was excellent!” He can’t wipe the grin off his face, and I know my expression mirrors his.
If only TheRealTruth could see us now, they’d know their threats were pointless. Maybe there is something to this rock-star life after all.
“G-ma, Bella, what did you think?”
On the screen, Sadie Lee is wiping tears from her cheeks. “Noah, I have no words. You light up that stage.”
“Thanks, G-ma. You’re the best.”
“You kids go have fun now. It’s going to take me at least another hour to get this one to calm down after that.” Bella is running around on the screen, singing Noah’s songs at the top of her lungs.
“Goodnight!” Noah and I both say in sync, waving to the phone. I go to turn it off, and the battery flashes red.
“Oh no, I need a charger . . .”
I scan the room, desperate for a glimpse of my lost cable. But, instead, the rest of Noah’s band literally bounces into the room, and even Blake has a huge smile on his face. He smiles at me and I smile back. Maybe I did misjudge him.
“That was awesome ,” Blake says to me as he passes. “Are you coming back to the hotel with us, Penny?”
“No, man. I have something planned for us,” says Noah, interrupting. He drops off his guitar with one of the technicians and sheds his leather jacket, then begins rooting through his duffel bag.
“Oh, cool.” With a couple of bounding leaps, Blake jumps on Ryan’s back, one fist pumping in the air. I laugh, watching them.
“Where are we going?” I raise one eyebrow at Noah.
He tosses a red beanie my way, then pulls a grey beanie down over his own hair. “I thought it would go well with your hair.”
“If you insist,” I say, putting on the hat.
“Now these.” He passes me a pair of glasses. They’re just frames, really—they don’t even have any glass in them. Noah puts on a pair too, but they go a bit crooked.
I reach up and straighten them on his face. I smile. If this is meant to be some sort of disguise, it’s not going to work. “You still look gorgeous—you can’t hide that!” I say to him.
“We don’t need a total disguise, just something to throw people off a little. Besides, where we’re going, no one will expect it to be me, so I need to play to that.” He pulls at my hand, and I follow him.
“But where are we going?”
“Why, we’re going to watch the world’s hottest boy band, of course.”
My face drains of colour, and I stop moving. He turns round as my hand slips out of his. “Penny? What’s
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