The sounds from the cheering crowd bounced off the walls of the small venue.  The place might have been a bit of a dive, but it had excellent acoustics.

I might have still been in a mood because of Cameron, but overall the show went amazingly well, all things considered.  I even got a chance to do an encore by myself since I was the top artist on the bill.  Typically since Stells was the headliner, the only time I did one was when she used our song.  She would usually surprise me with it because she liked making me uncomfortable.  She even pulled me out on the stage once in my pajamas just because she could.  I was on stage singing about sex and desire while I was in pink bunny pajamas and mint green slippers.  It had to be quite the sight.

Overall, the show tonight was a success.  The place was sold out, not because of me by any means. This was a surprise show that supported a local shelter for women suffering from domestic abuse. When I found out why I was playing here, I signed mine and Link's cut back over to the charity foundation.  I didn't need the money and it felt like the right thing to do.  I hoped Link felt the same way since I had already made the decision for the both of us.

Money was never my driving factor for wanting to pursue my music career.  It was the love of the way the notes and melodies gave me a voice that people were able to relate to. Every song I wrote was an expression of myself. I could go through the rest of my life without making another dollar from it as long as I was able to connect with someone. I really loved what I did and always had.

I walked through the dark corridors with my guitar on my back.  They were a lot quieter than what I was used to.  Stells always had a mob of people backstage and I was actually surprised to find that I missed the company.  I would have to call her when I got back to the hotel room tonight to let her know I was thinking about her. 

When I got back to the little room set up for me, I grabbed a towel to dry some of the sweat off.  I shook my aching fingers and muscles out.  It had been a while since I played my guitar that way.  When I was on tour with Stells, I didn't get to showcase my skills as much because I had a solid band behind me.  Most nights it felt like I was only allowed to have my guitar with me for show. Tonight's show was different; it was a stripped-down version with just me, a drummer, and a bassist. 

I was exhausted, but it felt terrific. 

I placed my guitar back in the case and closed it.  I didn't trust anyone else to touch it.  I had another guitar I liked a lot that got scratched one time by a roadie and it irritated me to the point I couldn't even play it any longer.  I was really possessive of my instruments.  I took very good care of them to make sure they stayed in one piece.  

There was a little hesitant knock on the door as I started packing my things up to head to the hotel I booked for the night.  I turned to see one of the staff members nervously standing next to the door.

"Miss Miller?" He said in a squeaky voice. 

It made me laugh; he was clearly very young and new to all this.  There was no reason for him to be anxious around me. It was incredibly adorable and flattering.

"You can just call me Jess. What can I help you with?" I smiled as I strolled over to him.

"Miss Mil...Jess. Um, some guy asked me to give these to you."  The poor kid couldn't even make eye contact with me.  This was one of the parts of the job I was secretly torn on.  I loved that people could appreciate what I did, but I hated that they sometimes acted like I wasn't a regular person. 

He reached out his hand and handed me a large, beautiful bouquet of multicolored flowers. 

"Did he say who he was?" I asked, looking for a note or card without any luck.

"No, he just asked me to give them to you. I'm sorry I didn't get his name. I am so stupid, I should have asked." The boy swallowed, beating himself up too much.

"Oh hey, no, it's no problem. Thank you for bringing them to me." I pulled them to my nose and inhaled the pleasant aroma.  No one had ever given me flowers before and I had never realized how wonderful they smelled. 

The kid stood there like he wanted something else. He paused a long time without saying anything to me.

"Can I help you with something else?" I smiled sweetly at him as he fidgeted around.

"Um, if it's not too much trouble.  Can I get a picture with you? My friends and I love your music and it would mean a lot to me. I constantly battle with depression and anxiety. Your music has helped me a lot through some dark times. I'm a huge fan."  He blushed.

"It's no trouble. Get over here. I would love to take a picture with you." I slightly teared up a bit at his kind words. It always felt good when someone genuinely appreciated the music I made.  I had learned to spot the difference between an actual fan and one who pretended to be a long time ago.  This kid was the real deal. 

The pale boy stepped closer to me and pulled out his phone to take a selfie of us.  His hands were shaking as he stood next to me. He didn't even get close enough to get us both in the frame.  I rolled my eyes and grabbed the phone out of his hands to take the picture. 

I stepped slightly in front of him to get a better angle and leaned back against him.  His heart was thumping against my back. I leaned my head against him to get a good angle and snapped a few pictures of the two of us.

"My friends are never going to believe this. They are going to be so jealous." He smiled as he relaxed a little behind me.

I turned my head back and kissed his cheek, snapping one last picture. When I stepped away from him and handed his phone back, he was smiling at me like I just brightened his world.  His cheeks were bright red and little splotches of heat covered his neck.  He was so sweet.

I loved this feeling. I never felt like I deserved it, but it always filled me with a little bit of hope that the world wasn't bad as it felt like it was sometimes.

After I said my goodbyes to my new friend, I gathered my things and made my way back to the hotel.  The flowers were sitting on my front seat as I drove. I couldn't keep my eyes off of them.  They were so thoughtful and just what I needed right now. It was funny how something so simple and small could turn your day upside down.

My mind started wandering about where they came from.

Did Cameron send them to me? Was this his way of apologizing to me for being an inconsiderate asshat? It wouldn't get him completely out of hot water, but it would be a good start. Deep down, I knew better than that. It was only wishful thinking on my part to think he would make some gesture to show me he still cared. He was too busy pumping his super soaker inside of Kelly to even think about me anymore.

They could be from Link or my dad. The guy who brought them in could have just been a delivery guy.  It would explain why he didn't say anything.  Who knew if I even know the person who gave them to me. They obviously wanted to stay anonymous for a reason.

I got into the elevator at the hotel, clutching the flowers to my body with one arm and my hardshell guitar case in the other. 

I walked down the empty hall to my suite, yawning the whole entire time.  As soon as I made it into that hotel room tonight, I was going to take a shower and crawl under the blankets to get some much-needed rest. In fact, I might call down to the front desk to see about extending my stay another day. I could lay in bed and eat ten pounds of chocolate without anyone judging me.

I laid my guitar case down on the ground to fish my keycard out.  I caught a whiff of the earthy scent of the flowers and lowered my nose into them to enjoy them just a little bit longer. Smiling one last time, I began humming softly as I went to reach out for the door handle to unlock it.

"I see you like my gift." A voice called out from the shadows.