“Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you,” I say gratefully.

“I like you.”

“You can’t.”

Nate looks at me like I said something stupid. “Why?”

“Because I’m the band manager,” I say obviously.

“You are not the band manager,” he says, shaking his head.

“The guys know that I am the band manager,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“But I like you,” he says, putting his hands on my shoulders.

“Yeah, right,” I say amusedly. Ever since Nate found out my secret, I couldn’t sleep and have a peace of mind. After we talked, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

“You think I’m kidding?” he asks.

“You’re always kidding.” I grin. “If I tell the guys, do you think they’ll be angry?”

Nate thinks for a moment.

We’re here in the backstage room of the concert ground. Zeke, Lance, and KY are setting up their instruments on the stage.

“At first,” Nate finally says, “they will feel betrayed.” When he sees my expression, he quickly adds, “They will move on though, and they will accept you wholeheartedly.”

“You think so?”

“I know,” he says, smiling at me.

He’s just trying to make me feel better, I think to myself.

“You said you understand why I have to lie,” I say. “Do you, really?”

He nods.

“Why?”

“Because you want to be with us.”

The expression on his face and the confidence in his voice makes me laugh.

“What?” he asks, watching me, “Isn’t that the reason?”

He’s so adorable, looking innocent and all.

“It’s one of the reasons,” I admit. “But it’s not the only one.”

“What are the other reasons?”

“I need money for my tuition fee.”

And then I tell him the story how I lost my scholarship. He looks like he wants to know something, but I beat him before he can ask more personal questions.

“Nate, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“How did you find out that I’m just pretending?”

“Secret,” he says slyly.

I hit his arm. “You said that lying isn’t aloud!”

“I’m not lying,” he says amusedly. “I’m just prolonging telling you my secret.”

“When will you tell me then?”

He slings his arm on my shoulder. “Maybe someday.”

“When is someday?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” he says wryly, poking my forehead. “One more question; I’ll kiss you.”

My eyes widen at what he said. I quickly push him away. He chuckles as he moves closer to me.

“What are you doing?”

“What are you doing?” he mimics. “Are you afraid of me?”

I scoff. “In your dreams!”

Before he can put his hand on my face, I hit him with a pillow, and then quickly walk away. I can still hear his laughter as I make my way to the stage.

“What happened to you?” the lighting director asks.

“Nothing,” I say. “Why?”

“You look pale.”

I force a smile and go where the guys are. Nate follows soon after.

I watch the band practice for a while. I hear from the staff that there are already people outside. I’m not going to observe anymore. It’s the last performance before the Thanksgiving vacation. I want this concert to be a success.

During their break, I give them bottles of water and towels.

“Can you give me a hand?” Zeke says.

I go to where he is and help with his messy hair that runs past his mid-back.

“It’s long,” I comment.

“Will have a haircut as soon as we wrapped this tour,” he says.

“The usual?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

I receive a message from Naomi. She said she’s already waiting in line. I want to go out and meet her but I’m needed with the preparation here.

I text her and say I’ll see her after the show.

I almost slap myself when I remember that I haven’t told the guys yet that Naomi is coming. I already created a story. I met her when I was in College; we were roommates, and she’s still studying; which is true.

“Guys, can I ask for a favour?” I ask hesitantly.

“Sure, what is it?” Zeke says.

“Depends on what it is,” KY interjects.

Nate rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Is this about your friend?”

I nod. I already mentioned it to him last night. “My friend— Naomi, she’s coming, and she badly wants to meet—“

“Is this the girl we saw on your laptop?” Lance asks. He looks excited.

“Yeah,” I say. “Is it okay?”

“Of course!” Zeke says, jumping up from his drum set and high five-ing Lance.

After the concert, I make sure that the guys are all settled down in the backstage room before I go to where Naomi is.

Because the Meet and Greet took place before the show, there are only few people lurking in the mosh pit area.

A grin makes its way on my face as I remember that two months ago, I was like these people. Then fate collided with my plans.

“Brielle!”

I lost my balance when she tackles me in a bear hug.

“I missed you!” she screams in my ears.

I close my eyes. I didn’t miss that pitchy voice that can make any ears ring. I pull away from her. We both wear huge smiles on our faces.

“I missed you too, Yumi!”

We hold hands and jump together like idiots. But this is Naomi, my long time best friend whom I haven’t seen for months. Besides, being crazy with her is fun.

“How are you?” we both ask at the same time. We end up laughing instead.

I missed this feeling. For the past few weeks, I was surrounded by guys. It was different when I’m with a girl friend.

“Are you alone?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says.

“Why didn’t you bring our friends with you?”

She rolls her eyes. “You know them, they don’t like going to concerts.” She glances around excitedly and asks, “Where are they?”

“Backstage,” I answer. “Are you ready to meet them?”

“I’ve been waiting for this since I found out that you’re living with them!”

“No offense, but. . .” I point to her messy hair.

“Oh no,” she says, quickly combing her hair with her fingers.

I laugh as I watch her frantic movements. “You’re sweating as well!”

She scowls at me. “FYI, I just watched a concert. Come on!” She grabs my arm and we both run to the restroom.

She wipes her face with a towel and I start brushing her hair.

“So, how are you and Prince Nate?”

I give her a pointed look and glance around us. “Shut up, someone might hear you!”

She purses her pink lips. “You’re still a worry wart!”

“You’re still careless,” I mutter.

“Relax, I already checked, we’re alone.”

I tell her that Nate will keep my secret for me.

“Isn’t he too nice?” she asks, raising her eyebrow.

I shrug. “He’s always nice.”

“Maybe he has a hidden agenda,” she teases.

“Stop with your crazy ideas!”

She grins. “Seriously though, I’m glad he’ll not expose your true identity. If ever, I won’t meet him and the other guys.”

“Ha! I knew it,” I say. “You don’t want the guys to know my secret so that you can meet them!”

“Well, of course,” she says cheekily.

This is how Naomi and I roll.

“How do I look like?” she asks after tying her hair in a ponytail.

“Gorgeous, as usual.”

“Do I smell?” she asks hesitantly. “People pressed on either side of me during the concert.”

I sniff and say, “Well, you kind—“

“Oh my God,” she panics, her eyes widening. “I can’t meet them like this!”

“Relax,” I say, putting my hands on her shoulders. “I’m just kidding! You smell just like you.”

She frowns. “What does that mean?”

“Never mind,” I say hastily. I glance at my watch and realize we only have an hour before we need to leave. “Let’s go!”

Naomi takes deep breaths before we walk out of the rest room.

When I open the backstage room, only Zeke, Lance, and Nate are there. KY is probably taking a shower already.

“Hi guys!”

They all look at me for a second, then their eyes shift to Naomi who’s standing still beside me.

I’m used to this. Since we were kids, guys have been staring at her.

“This is Naomi, my best friend,” I say.

Naomi smiles at them. “My goodness, I’m such a huge fan of your band!”

I catch Zeke with his jaw hanging open.

Yumi is acting like an obsess fangirl right now. I already told her that it’s not advisable to freak out when she meets them, yet here she is, wearing her heart on her sleeve.

 I can’t blame her though, when I first met Infinite Chase, it took all my will power not to jump right at them.

 “This is Nate, Lance, and Zeke,” I continue.

“Hey,” Nate says, smiling at her.

“Hi,” Lance and Zeke say at the same time.

“Hello, I’m Naomi.”

“Brielle talked so much about you,” Zeke says.

“It was very nice meeting you,” Naomi says, a wide grin plastered on her face.

I elbow her and whisper, “Don’t fangirl. You’re too obvious.”

She smiles sheepishly and says, “Can’t help it.”

“What’s the girl talk?” Lance asks, glancing between me and Yumi.

“They’re talking about us,” Zeke says amusedly.

KY looks surprised when he walks inside the room. “What is going on?” he asks.

I introduce Naomi to KY, and then proceed to explain my made up story that Yumi and I met on campus. We were roommates, and I’m a year ahead of her. Truth is she’s just a junior, and I’m supposed to be in my third year in college as well.

I let Naomi talk with the band. She even takes some pictures with them, and of course, she hand them their albums so that they will get signed.

The guys ask her questions, and she answers them cheerfully.

Lance didn’t surprise me when he inquires, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Yumi’s blush is prominent on her face.

“Ignore Lance,” Zeke says, “He’s rude like that. I’m curious though, are you single?”

Lance whacks Zeke on his head.

I laugh at them. They’re really a duo in making people laugh.

One of the staffs comes in the room and tells the band that their instruments are already in the tour bus. We need to get back on the road. We have a long drive ahead of us.

The guys say farewell to Naomi, and they give her a hug.

She looks like she’s seen a unicorn or something.

When Naomi and I go out, she starts screaming, and jumping up and down. “Oh my God,” she says repeatedly. Her eyes are shining bright. She looks so happy. It’s contagious.

“I don’t even know what to say!” she exclaims. “Was I alright? I hope I didn’t—“

“Naomi,” I interject, putting my hand on her arm so that she’ll stop jumping and moving. She’s so energetic.

“What?” she asks.

“You’re okay. The guys like you.”

“How did you know?”

“Duh, you didn’t see their faces.”

She grins and gives me a hug. “This is the best day of my life! Thank you so much, B!” she says. “This is one of the perks of being a band manager, even if it’s a pretend one.”

“Keep your voice down,” I whisper. The bus is just around the block.

“I hope they won’t find your secret!”

“I don’t want to lie to them forever,” I say, heaving a sigh.

“Why don’t you just tell them the truth?” she asks, “They are good people. They will understand. Nate did.”

“Nate is another story.”

She raises her eyebrow as she smirks. “Another story, huh? What happened to Kyle Yves, the love of your life?”

“Oh, you know, he’s busy ignoring me. Not that I’m new to it.”

Unfortunately, it’s time to say goodbye.

“When will I see you again?” she asks.

“Are you going home this Thanksgiving?”

“Yes,” she says. “What about you?”

“I don’t know,” I say, “but we can meet.”

“Alright.”

We hug once again.

“Call me!”

“Sure!”

“Take care,” I say.

She drives a hundred miles for this night. It’s worth it, though, because he finally met Zeke, her ultimate crush, and the rest of Infinite Chase.

“Have fun with the guys!” Naomi winks at me and walks back toward the concert parking lot.

I find the guys inside the bus, eating Chinese food. They give me a bag and I eat with them.

We’re in the living room, and even though we’re all exhausted, we decide to jam here. Actually, we didn’t plan it. It just happened. We can’t sleep. It’s the last night after all.

Mr. Handsome calls, congratulating the band for the success of their tour.

Juliane sends me a text a few minutes later and tells me the dates of the band’s next shows.

“Goodbye canned goods and sandwiches!” Lance says, whooping.

“I can’t wait to eat a homemade meal,” Zeke tells me. “I’m tired with takeout foods!”

“Me too,” Lance agrees.

That puts a smile on my face. I didn’t expect that they’ll miss the food I prepare for them.

“Let’s watch a movie,” Zeke suggests.

“Play something good,” Lance tells him, and then he turns to us. “This is awesome, our last night in the tour—“

“You still have shows before Christmas,” I remind him.

“I know,” he says, grinning. “But those places are close to home.”

“You’re really going home for Thanksgiving?”

“Yeah,” he says.

“Absolutely,” Zeke agrees.

Nate nods.

I glance at KY, but he looks busy writing on his notebook.

“What about you?” Nate asks, “You can go home if you want. Then come back a day before the concert.”

I swallow hard. That’s what I’m afraid of— going home. My mom is expecting me. She’ll no doubt ask questions, especially why I’m avoiding her. And if I go home, she’ll easily find out that I didn’t enroll, and I stopped studying. When that happens, I won’t be able to continue being the band manager anymore.

“You can go with me,” Nate says, sensing my hesitation.

“Thanks,” I say gratefully.

I ponder on his suggestion as I watch the movie. I don’t even know its title. The guys are leisurely sprawled on the couches while KY is still concentrating on the corner, holding a pen and a notebook. I can’t seem to get him out of my head. Even if he’s just sitting still, his presence affects me.

What is he doing? Is he writing a new song?

I sigh.

I wonder if you think of me like I think of you.

“Wake up!”

I roll over and—

“Ow!”

I almost fell to the ground if Lance didn’t catch me.

“Easy there, Sleeping Beauty,” he says amusedly.

I realize a second later that I slept in the living room with the guys.

Oh my goodness, I slept with Infinite Chase in the same room.

I know, nothing happened, but still.

I’m fangirling inside, but outside, I’m calm as I wake the shirtless Nate. Well, he’s shirtless most of the time. Lance goes to where Zeke is lying on the floor. KY is not here. He’s probably awake already

I push the curtain aside, and see we’re already outside the house.

“Hey!”

Nate stirs in his sleep, and murmurs something.

Is he dreaming?

“It’s time to go,” I say, “We’re here.”

“I’m the handsome Prince,” he says, eyes still closed. “Kiss me so I can finally wake up.”

Despite his antics, I smile.

“Is he still asleep?” Lance asks.

I nod.

He grins mischievously and drops down beside Nate. “Here’s your kiss,” he says, making smooching sounds.

Nate’s eyes open quickly. He scrambles away when he sees Lance’s face a few inches from his mouth. “Go away!” he says, kicking him.

Lance laughs and continues to move closer to him. Zeke stands up from the floor and joins them. He and Lance both wrestle Nate on the couch while he fights them off.

Nate is laughing while shouting, “Bri, help me!”

I grin as I watch them. They are so funny, they are like, brothers.

In the corner of my eye, I see KY smiling at them.

I blink. I’m not sure if it’s the first time I see him smiling affectionately at his bandmates.

No, the first time was when we were in the supermarket in the middle of the night.

Just like that, I’m back at square one. I remember the reason why I liked him. It’s easy as that. I forgot how he was rude to me during the tour. What I only recall is his good and redeeming qualities.

KY catches me staring at him. I prepare for the blow, but to my surprise, he smiles and says, “Welcome home.”

*****

Okay, I typed this for about four hours haha I’m slow! So, long comments are appreciated :)

The song for the chapter is 1,2,3,4 by Plain White T’s Don’t forget to like the Facebook page: facebook.com/ilurvbooks

I realized something while writing this; Nate acts just like his father! Haha if you want to know his family background, read My Imaginary Boyfriend. (:

Thank you! =)