You're The One // Greta Van Fleet

Clinton

Leaning back in my chair, I scan the wall of monitors in front of me. I've spent the better part of the afternoon in the control room of the venue after dropping Colleen with Brianna with a massive case of blue balls. It took a solid hour before I could look anyone in the eyes after that kiss. The feel of her soft skin and warm breath as I drew near. Her vanilla scent that I've always noticed but never inhaled so deeply I felt drugged until I had her in my arms. And my God, the feel of her against me, closer than I ever dreamed and yet still not close enough. I'm like a fucking addict. How the hell will I ever recover? I replayed every second of that kiss on a loop, simultaneously turning myself on and pissing myself off. I should have waited. I shouldn't have pressed her up against a wall like a fucking caveman. And I definitely shouldn't have opened the pandora's box of wanting Colleen so damn much I can barely stay focused.

I knew having her here would make doing my job difficult, but I never imagined I'd be in physical pain. And son of a bitch, I'm fucking sore. I've done the mental equivalent of walking it off—which took longer than I care to admit—but shit. Good thing I'm a pro at shutting off my baser instincts. Otherwise I would have torn out of this control room hours ago to hunt Colleen down.

If I let my mind wander back to that kiss any more than I already have, I'll do a hell of a lot more than hunt for her.

And like the karma that is my life, when I'm finally ready to give in to crossing the line, there's no time for any of it. We're at the biggest venue on this tour. Brianna's safety is my focus for the night. Later, when the show's over I'll start entertaining the dirty thoughts I've had on hold for weeks. And once I get Colleen back to my hotel room...

I shake the image of her bare skin out of my mind and get back to my fucking job.

I'm due to relieve The Kid from his assignment standing guard outside Brianna's dressing room door, every personal guards least favorite task. Standing on duty for hours on end with very little movement and typically nothing that needs handling is a damn bore. But someone's got to do it and what better job to give to the rookie? He's paying his dues like the rest of us did at the beginning of our careers.

Plus, I needed to be hands-on with tonight's plan. I've been reviewing everyone's assignment and all potential threats, including any visible weak spots in our plan. After going over every scenario with my next in command, I'm confident we have a solid detail. I'll brief The Kid on his role when I relieve him of his current penance. Until then, I'm crossing t's and dotting i's.

I hand the file with my notes to Marcia, the venue manager.

"Are your people up to speed on all of this?" I ask.

"We're good to go, Clinton. Our venue security is tight. They know exactly how to handle anything that comes their way."

I nod. Although that's what every single venue manager would say, I actually believe her. This is the tightest ship I've ever dealt with. Most managers blow smoke up my ass to get me off their backs. I fully admit I'm OCD about security compared to other rock star security leads, but I've already experienced what can go wrong when you're responsible for the safety of America's sweetheart pop star. I'm not putting Brianna, or Zack, in that position again.

I stand up and head out of the control room, turning back to Marcia before leaving. "Thanks for your diligence."

She nods. "Just doing my job."

"You do it better than most." I catch her beaming out of the corner of my eye. She deserves the acknowledgement.

I head down the hallway, just enough time to see Colleen for a few minutes before escorting Brianna to her pre-show backstage mark. Except that Ryan is stalking toward me with a frown and what looks to be an ax to grind.

"You've got us on fucking lock down, man." Ryan crosses his arms. He isn't typically bothered by my protocol. The guy is easy going as anyone, almost to an unhealthy degree, so he doesn't give me too much shit.

"You know the drill. Bigger venue equals more restrictions."

"This is bullshit. Alex is pacing the floor. Seth is pushing all my buttons and Jace looks like he might puke."

"To be fair, Jace always looks like he might puke. He seen a doctor about that?"

Ryan brushes a hand past me. "He's fine. It's an allergic reaction to fame. But fuck, we're going stir crazy. We usually wander the venue, check out the early access fans. Talk to people that aren't the four of us that we're fucking sick of looking at already."

I shake my head. Fucking divas, these guys. The only person on this tour who doesn't give me a headache is Brianna, the actual diva.

"You could have gone back to the hotel. Taken a nap."

"A nap? We've got pre-show jitters." Ryan steps into my space. "Next time, I want a fucking disguise so I can prank people. Turn this potential energy into kinetic energy. We aren't caged animals." Ryan freezes. His eyes narrow before looking just over my shoulder and off into the distance.

"Caged animals." He snaps his fingers. "Fuck yeah." He points at me and spins on his heels before heading in the opposite direction. "Gotta song to write! Catch you later."

That was fucking strange. But not unusual. Creative types do that every once in a while. They get a spark of an idea and rush off to work it out. Fine by me. Now I can head to my original destination.

I make it to Brianna's door minutes later to find The Kid standing guard. When we make eye contact, he only holds it for a few seconds, dropping his eyes and looking...sheepish?

"Everything go to plan?" I ask, watching him carefully.

He nods. "Yes, sir."

His uncertain tone gives me pause. "You sure about that?"

This time he looks me in the eye. "They've been in there the whole time. Ordered some take-out about two hours ago. Lots of giggling and...discussion."

"Discussion." He's got my full attention, now. I cross my arms. The way he said the word was loaded with unspoken meaning. I need the glossary. "What kind of discussion."

The Kid looks away, rubbing and twisting his neck. "Not for me to say."

I lean closer, looking at him carefully. "Are you blushing?"

"Damn. The guys weren't kidding when they told me I'd be put through it with this assignment. I thought they meant the boredom, but this is fucking worse."

"Sure. It's a pain in the ass." I roll my hand forward. "But go on with what they were discussing. Why the closed lips. I need to know what might pose a threat to Brianna." Or to Colleen, but I don't put it out there for The Kid to dissect.

"I overheard them talking about...girl stuff." He glances at me then darts his gaze away. "You're name might have been mentioned."

"And?" That's not such a big deal. I've known both of them for a while in my personal life as well as professional. They're bound to mention me once in a while.

"And something about a hot kiss."

Well, fuck. I've been working for hours not to think about that kiss and one line from The Kid ruins the whole effort. She told Brianna about it. She's thinking about it too, but honestly how could she not. It was a fucking epic kiss.

And I can't wait to be able to do it again.

I smack The Kid on the back, sending him on his way.

"Don't worry about it, Kid. In this line of work, we overhear things. You'll learn to tune it out."

He nods and takes his break before the craziness of the night really begins. I told him the truth. We do start to tune out the things we overhear, but I'm sure if it's my name mentioned, he'll be quick to listen up. I don't blame the guy. Occupational hazard.

I knock on the door and wait for an invitation to enter. Which arrives in the form of a swinging door and a beautiful woman sitting across the room.

"Hi." Colleen smiles from her spot sitting on Brianna's dressing room couch. She's changed into a sparkly blue dress since I saw her last. And her soft, blonde hair is curled. Her eyes are twinkling with joy, the happiest I've ever seen her. My ego swells three sizes knowing I did that. I put that smile on her face.

Then I realize I'm smiling back at her, standing in the doorway like a lovesick fool. I mentally shake myself out of the stupor and fully enter the room, passing Brianna's stylist who'd opened the door.

"Ah," Brianna says as she points at me from her make up chair. She's in shut down mode pre-concert so uses her voice sparingly. Already in her pink beaded body suit and silver boots, the opening outfit for the night, Brianna is minutes from being in front of nearly 80 thousand people singing her heart out. But she's calm enough to enjoy my little love coma.

"Yes, here he is." Colleen's still smiling, her eyes watching as I approach the couch the entire way. I'm guessing she's told Brianna every dirty detail from today, not that there were many to tell. Maybe later on there'll be more.

I take the open spot next to Colleen, even though that isn't my usual stance before a show. Normally, I'd stand guard by the door, be the one to open up when it's time to escort the artist to the opening mark. I've got some time and I need a fix in the form of close proximity to the woman I can't get my mind off of.

"Stage manager should be here in a few minutes for your call time." It's not my job to update her on her schedule, but this venue is a beast unto itself. I've involved myself in every step of the night.

"At least you don't pull a Harry Styles and get rolled out in a box," Colleen laughs. Brianna smiles at her through the mirror as the stylist puts on the finishing touches to her look. "The claustrophobia would do me in."

I nod. "The security issues with that move isn't something I'd like to deal with either."

"I'd think he's perfectly safe in a box being wheeled under the stage."

"That might have been the original intent, but it only took a show or two for the public to figure out what he was doing. Then it was pandemonium whenever the box rolled out. People waited for it." I shake my head.

"Wow. Guess those stagehands took their life in their own hands to roll him out there."

"Not stagehands. That was security. All it would take is one nut to jump the barrier and throw the entire place into a shit show. No security lead in his right mind would leave that level of responsibility on stagehands."

"Huh," Colleen tilts her head. "Never thought about it like that."

"It's my entire job to think of that stuff."

"You're really good at your job," she says, her voice going quiet.

Our eyes lock and before I know what I'm doing, I picture peeling her out of her clothes. And she's looking at me like she's picturing the same. Fuck.

A knock sounds on the door.

"Ms. Royce, five minutes."

"She'll be ready." I answer for her so she can continue to save her voice. When I glance at Brianna, she's shaking her head and fanning herself with her hand while a smile spreads from ear to ear.

Great. Apparently, I'm terrible at keeping things with Colleen under wraps. I look over at the woman in question, realizing that I don't want to keep things under wraps. I want to declare her. I want to shout, Mine! I want everyone to know.

But we haven't talked about what this is. Or how it might affect Katie. Or what happens if things don't work out. I literally lost the ability to hold back anymore and demanded she jump on a plane. And she did it. Now I don't know what's next.

But when I lead Brianna out of the door, Colleen and a second bodyguard waiting to follow us, I catch her gaze. I see the need, the wanting, in her eyes. And suddenly, what's next isn't so scary. I can't fucking wait to find out.

Heated looks, longing, no privacy yet...gah! How was the tension? Did you feel it? Should I dial it up a notch or are we good? I'd love to know your thoughts! Plus I wanted this to be longer, and I might still go back to add some dressing room details, but I'm sick today so my brain isn't in the mood. UGH.

I didn't have a song in mind for this one, BUT I have been listening to a Taylor Swift playlist as I write because the entire world has been watching a full on romance novel played out in real life for months now, and what better inspiration than that? Plus, have you seen some of her body guards? I imagine Clinton in their position and its been very helpful for this plot 🥰

So anyway, here's the song I selected at the last second before posting today, because Clinton knows even if he doesn't know...she's the one.

https://youtu.be/S2pa-Eb4wLE

Thank you so much for reading!!