Underneath by V. J. Albert (best e reader for academics TXT) 📖

woman from earlier awaits them already. She doesn’t smile like she did when they arrived. It’s possible that she knows about the incident, that she knows about Luca insulting the famous Henry Shaw.

“Please exit through the right door. Then you have to walk down the hall and back to the main entrance. From there you'll find signs to show you how you get to your seats.” She pauses for a moment before she picks up two bags that stand on a table next to the right door. “This is the present you get for buying the VIP package with Meet & Greet. Have fun with it and enjoy the concert.”

By now, Luca has already let go of his sister’s arm and both of them take their bag, Luca murmurs an almost inaudible thank you and then opens the right door to get back to Alexis. He never wanted to see her more than right now.

Luca feels kind of bad for insulting Henry Shaw but then again in his opinion the younger lad deserved to get an honest statement from him, not an act trying to play along as if he was here voluntarily.

Whatever.

He just walks out without really looking back if Chel's following him suit. Because of her he’s even here, to take care of her, be a big brother. But today he doesn’t want to be any of that. Luca doesn’t want responsibility, not today. Or that’s what he tells himself at least.

Chel thanks the woman kindly and then tries to look apologising for what happened with Luca at the Meet & Greet. She’s still ashamed of being here with someone who was so rude to someone who did nothing to him in return. All Chel wanted was enjoying the Meet & Greet and then the concert from her idol. Of course, she knew that it’ll be hard with Luca having to be there because he disliked Henry so much (Chel really couldn’t think of reasons why he did till Luca slammed all his reasons into Henry Shaw’s face).

“Are you out of your mind?” Chel asks when they got out of hearing range of the woman. Luca turns around to his sister and looks at her.

“I was just being honest!” Luca shrugs. What does his sister want from him? She's the reason he had to be in a room with Henry Shaw in the first place. Did she expect him to be all excited? Say yes when asked if he wants a photo with a person he dislikes?

Hell no!

“I can’t believe you, Luca! You just destroyed a wonderful moment for me, but you don’t even care. You always just care about yourself. You’re one of the most selfish persons on earth. You don’t know shit about Henry. Everything you threw at him is media Henry, not the real Henry!”

“How can you be so sure that he’s a saint?” Chel rolls her eyes.

“I don’t think Henry’s a saint, but I know there’s more to him than just his media image!”

“People in this business are all shallow and empty shells. Henry can’t be different!”

“You’re being ignorant! Not everyone is the same, you idiot!”

Yeah right.

“Fame is getting to everyone, I tell you.”

“Think what you want but I can’t believe you had to destroy something that was supposed to be special for me. I hate you.” Chel almost runs back to the main entrance. She's glad she'll barely see him at the concert, just for the fact that he'll sit seven rows behind her with Alexis and she'll sit front row with Emily.

That's something she won't let him destroy as well. He had damaged enough for one day; even a week, a month. Chel didn’t know that she could be so angry at her big brother whom she loves so much most of the time. But today he simply crossed a line and he doesn't even recognise, doesn't care.

When they arrive back at the main entrance it’s already 4:59. A guy from security asks them if they need help to find the right door that leads to the floor seats. Luca and Chel both deny at the same time. They still get led towards the concert hall.

The other eight VIP fans are already sitting in their front row seats when they enter. Chel walks towards the stage and shows a guard her ticket before he lets her take her seat. Luca follows her sullenly; he shows his ticket but doesn’t sit down yet. What for? Emily will be here soon and take the seat.

While Luca is standing, staring around and being in awe of how huge the hall is, Chel’s inspecting the content of the VIP bag. There’s a poster, a tour shirt, a wristband, a keychain and a portable battery charger in it.

“I’m sorry, Chel”, Luca suddenly says.

“For what?” His sister looks up from her gift bag to see her bother looking back at her apologising.

“For ruining your Meet & Greet”, Luca answers and then adds, “I know how important it was for you to meet Henry. It wasn’t fair of me to wreck your moment like that.”

“Your apology won’t make what you did undone, you know.”

“I know, Chels. And I guess I deserve that you’re mad at me, but I want you to know that I love you and I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Yeah, that would’ve been even better, wouldn’t it!?” Chel says sarcastically.

In that moment Alexis and Emily come strolling into Luca’s view.

Finally.

Luca was already wondering when Alexis would finally save him from the awkwardness between him and his sister after the incident at the Meet & Greet.

The two girls show their tickets to a guard and are let to the front row block. Alexis sits down on her seat in row seven while Emily walks towards Luca to switch place with him. Before Emily can reach the two siblings a security guy is stepping in and telling her she’s not allowed front row.

“It’s okay. I’m switching my seat with her because she’s my sister’s best friend”, Luca explains but the guard just stares at him unfazed, not letting Emily pass. “Come on, where’s the problem?”

“A ticket is not assignable to another person. I’m sorry.”

“But who the fuck cares if I sit on this seat or my sister’s best friend?” Luca shouts and is really mad now. He doesn’t want to sit front row, so close to the stage, so close to Henry fuck-you Shaw. For sure, he wouldn’t survive the damn concert next to his fangirling sister who might even cry or worse, hyperventilate. Luca isn’t ready to put himself through this, not ready at all. Especially now that they aren’t on best terms with each other. Chel has to calm her embarrassment towards Luca down first which might take weeks. So now is totally not the time for this. He might freak out if he really has to stay there.

“It doesn’t matter, Sir. I just follow the rules. You’ve got VIP tickets, you’ve been to the Meet & Greet and so this front row seat is yours.”

“Is this your final say?”

“It is indeed, Sir. I’m really sorry.” When the guard, whose name is apparently Darren (when you can believe the nametag he’s wearing) finishes his sentence, another guard named Phillip comes around to take over the shift from Darren. Darren whispered something into Phillip’s ear, Phillip then nods and then guard one is moving away from the scene.

To Luca it’s off control now, he thinks. He’s not in the mood to start a fight with the second guard which has for sure got instruction to not give a damn about what Luca says just to get to switch his place. Luca feels like in prison now. The guard probably even has the allowance to not let Luca out of the arena before the show is god damn over.

Okay, maybe this is a little overdramatic. 

“I’m sorry Emily.” Luca really is. If it was for him, she could even sit on the damn stage to be even closer to her idol, Henry Shaw. He didn’t plan to sit that close to the stage, so close to a concert he doesn’t want to be at and for sure he doesn’t want to sit so close to a person he doesn’t like.

This is god damn shit fate!

Emily wanders back to row seven and Luca collapses into his seat.

He feels like he’ll die today.

 

Henry is backstage getting ready for the show. He’s standing in front of his hanging rail bare-chested, picking out his outfit right now. His opening act is already with Luisa, the stylist. Nathan is running around checking his guitar equipment and Marcus is trying to get the backstage chaos under control.

“Marc, can you stop for a second and help me pick out a shirt? You too, Nathan!” He shouts at his friends that scurry around him like weasels.

“Seriously Henry, you are the style guru, not us”, Marcus says and continues working.

It’s not Henry’s problem which clothes fit together. It’s more of a I-don’t-know-which-one-looks-better situation. He’s not even sure why he cares. Henry never did before, but today he does. He wants to look good, really good. Why, he isn’t sure himself. Maybe it has something to do with this boy. Luca, was his name, right?

Henry has never been insulted like that in the last few years. It was quite a shock to him and everyone who was with them in the room. The popstar feels awfully sorry for the boy’s sister. She must have felt totally embarrassed.

Somehow that whole insulting thingy isn’t why he can’t get the boy out of his head. The boy’s so good looking. Henry thinks he has never seen anyone as attractive to him before. Most of his so-called relationships were PR stunts and had nothing to do with him being involved with the woman.

Henry knows that he’s not just attracted to women but also men. To him it’s not about gender or just the look alone even. For Henry personality is the most important part.

And still, Luca’s look alone left Henry breathless and speechless. He’s so beautiful; Henry can’t even really find words to describe him. Henry just never felt like this. Never felt such an attraction towards someone just alone from the appearance.

It’s really confusing for Henry because why would he be attracted to someone who has insulted him? Everything that Luca has said was actually just his image, his media picture. It wasn’t really an offence towards the real Henry Shaw, but it hurts that there apparently are people out there that see him like this. In fact, Henry has never thought about what his image really showed of him. He’s not sure why he never did.

Henry picks the pink shirt with the white dots and Harryhhh

puts it on.

As he is buttoning his shirt, two guards walk past the open door, talking about some boy having a VIP ticket and still wanting to switch his seat with someone from row seven.

The person they’re talking about couldn’t be anyone but Luca. Henry is sure, so he calls out to them, making them stop in their tracks.

“Can we help you, Sir?” One of the guards asks when Henry appears in front of them.

“Who did you just talk about?” He asks, just to be sure he didn’t understand their conversation the wrong way.

“There’s this boy in the arena. He was at the Meet & Greet I suppose because he has a VIP ticket with Meet & Greet plus front row seat.”

“What about him?” Henry is more than curious. Front row? How should Henry survive a concert where the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen is sitting that close to the stage he’ll be on? How is Henry supposed to function and not just stare at Luca like an utter idiot?

“He wanted to switch his seat with a girl he claimed as his sister’s best friend. I’ve got the instructions to not let anyone in the VIP row except they have a ticket, Sir.” The guard with the nametag ‘Darren’ says.

“It’s just a switch though,