Kellan groaned and dropped his head back on the seat. I completely understood the feeling. Guess I know why no one was really hearing what he was saying now.
The station started taking callers after that, and every single one of them were diehard Kell-Sex supporters who helped twist everything Kellan had just said into something else entirely: "He loves Sienna! And did you hear his voice when he said it? Sigh. Best boyfriend ever!"
Best boyfriend ever? God. Not only had the fans stolen Kellan and given him to Sienna with a big red bow around his middle, they'd even stolen my praise of his significant other skills.
While Evan shook his head in disbelief, Kellan looked over at me, "Remind me to never do another interview for that radio station."
Duly noted.
Raising an eyebrow, he added, "Are you sure you still want me to be vague?" I bit my lip, but nodded. The hype would die off sooner or later. If I could keep my privacy, I wanted to.
The boys were playing at another House of Blues tonight, but in Dallas this time. I'd never been to Texas before. For some reason, I kept picturing Kellan in a cowboy hat everywhere we went. It gave me the giggles, which Kellan found adorable. When I told him why I was laughing so much, he shifted his weight to his hip, put his hand up to his hairline like he was wearing a Stetson, and drawled, "Well, hello, little lady."
Griffin immediately beaned him in the back of the head with a Hacky Sack. "Dude, grow some balls. You're an embarrassment to penises everywhere."
A tight smile on his face, Kellan reached down, grabbed the sack, and tossed it across the bus. He nailed Griffin right in the junk. As Griffin's face turned bright red and he doubled over in pain, every boy nearby cringed in sympathy and let out a long, "Oooooh."
Justin shook his head as he patted Griffin's shoulder. "Wow, ouch. Guess you won't be having anymore kids there, huh, Hulk?"
Griffin weakly lifted his hand and flipped him off.
As everyone onboard chuckled, Justin's bassist, Mark, rushed onto the bus. Looking around, he searched for his band mates. Spotting Justin first, he told him, "You are not going to believe who's here."
A really uncomfortable feeling started sizzling in my gut as I watched Justin's cute face contort into confusion. "Ah, okay, who's here?" I locked eyes with Kellan and I could see the same expression on his face that was in my heart. Please let it be anyone but her.
Filling me with dread, Mark's gaze swung around to Kellan. "Sienna Sexton, man."
Kellan and I both exhaled at the same time. Damn. It. Kellan twisted around to face Mark. "She's here? Why?"
Mark shrugged. "I don't know. She's got some uptight blond bitch with her who told me to find you, stat. Who the hell actually uses the word 'stat'?"
Kellan sighed again. "That would be Tory." He looked over at me. "I guess we should go see what Sienna wants." Wishing I could do anything other than agree, I nodded.
Maybe for moral support, or maybe just out of morbid curiosity, Evan and Matt followed us to where Sienna was waiting. Griffin stayed behind. He still couldn't sit up straight. Sienna was in a private office of the club that someone had hastily converted into a green room. Thing 1 and Thing 2 were guarding her door, keeping all the looky-loos away. Since no one was here yet besides the staff, I thought that was a tad unnecessary.
Both of the men looked at Kellan like they didn't know who he was. When Kellan moved between them to grab the doorknob, they each put an arm in his way. Irritated, Kellan told them, "I'm Kellan Kyle, remember? You've seen me before?" No muscles in their faces moved, neither did their arms. Irritated, Kellan raised his hands. "Sienna asked for me." One of them spoke into a headset, waited a few seconds, then opened the door for us.
"You can go in. Ms. Sexton is expecting you." Kellan rolled his eyes as he reached back for my hand.
Sienna turned to the door the minute we stepped through it. She was just as breathtaking as the last time I'd seen her-flawless, glowing skin, perfect body wrapped in tight, revealing clothes, and long, dark shimmering hair. Much to my disappointment, no sudden deformations had struck her down since we'd parted ways. Damn. Tory was behind her, leaning against a wall with a scowl on her face as she flipped through a planner bursting with colorful Post-it Notes.
"Oh my God, Kellan! It's been so long." Sienna moved to embrace him and Kellan held his finger up. She didn't toss her arms around him, but she did peck his cheek lightning fast. "It's absolutely lovely to see you." I hadn't missed the fact that she hadn't even acknowledged me yet, or Matt and Evan either. All her focus was on Kellan.
As Kellan swished his hand behind him, she finally glanced at the rest of us. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on your tour?" he asked.
In a shy, yet flirtatious way, Sienna raised one bare shoulder and averted her eyes. "I'm playing nearby, and had the night off." She looked back up at him. "I just couldn't miss out on an opportunity to see you perform."
Kellan slowly nodded. "Well, it should be a good show."
Sienna clasped her hands together, pure joy on her face. "It's going to be fabulous. I can't wait!"
Looking confused, Kellan asked, "Did you want to see me, just to tell me you were watching the show tonight?"
A look flashed over Sienna's face that reminded me of Nick. It was an expression of annoyance, of someone who clearly didn't like to be talked to in any way but with the utmost deference. It vanished instantly as she gave Kellan a broad smile. "Actually, I had a brilliant idea, and I wanted to run it by you."
Kellan deliberately placed one arm over the other. "Yeah? What's your idea?"
Sienna frowned at his posture, then immediately brightened again. Watching her emotions flip back and forth was like playing with a light switch on a wall. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm being hounded nonstop to perform the new single at every show."
She lifted a brow in question. Kellan nodded. "Yeah, I'm getting that a lot too."
Biting her lip, she poked a well-manicured nail into his chest. "I can't really perform it without you."
Kellan looked down at her finger, then back up at her. "Nick can give you my vocals, or you can hire another guy to sing my part."
Irritation flashed in her eyes before she cooed, "It's not the same. I'd like to perform it again with you. Really wow the fans. Blow the lid off this place."
Raising his eyebrows, Kellan looked around the room. "You want to perform the song tonight? Here?" I understood his confusion. It was a hole in the wall compared to the arenas Sienna played at.
Sienna seemed overjoyed by the idea, though. Vigorously nodding, she told him, "Wouldn't that be wild? Nobody would expect it. What do you think?"
Kellan seemed unsure, and looked back at Evan and Matt for guidance. Evan was frowning; he'd heard and seen just what the media was doing with Kellan and Sienna. Matt-ever the manager-was smiling; he knew how huge this would be. The place would go absolutely crazy if it happened.
Seeing that he still needed to be persuaded, Sienna leaned in and told us, "Just imagine the headlines tomorrow, and what that could do for your friends' careers. 'Sienna Sexton surprises the audience on Avoiding Redemption's sold-out tour . . .'"
Kellan worked his lip while he gazed down at me. Not seeing any harm in this, I nodded. Looking back up at her, he asked, "All you want from me is one song?"
Giggling, she nodded. "This is going to be great. For all of us." I sighed, and hoped that was true.
It was decided that the D-Bags would go up last, by whom, I don't know. It made sense I guess. Sienna coming in last would be a great topper to the evening, and her coming in right after the D-Bags performed would make the night flow better. And, I hated to say it, especially to Justin, but the bulk of the crowd was here for Kellan. The D-Bags closing out the show made sense. Kellan didn't agree, and fought to keep Justin as the closer, but he was overruled.
Sienna stayed hidden away while all the bands performed. Not a single one of the fans had caught on to the fact that she was in the building. I had to admit, being in on such a huge surprise gave me a buzz. I had to share the knowledge with someone, so I texted Anna and Denny. He immediately responded with, Really? Wow. A couple of minutes later he added, Wait, she left Montana to do a show in Dallas? Anna just texted back, Jealous!
That took me back. She was in Montana? How was that in any way "nearby"?
I didn't have time to worry about it though, because the D-Bags were up. Maybe it was the extra electricity in the air, but they killed it on stage. Everything about the performance was perfect. Just listening to them stirred my creative juices. I'd been on a bit of a holding pattern with writing lately. I tried to fit it in during quiet moments on the bus, but there were so many people and so much activity, it was challenging. And backstage was no better. It was like one never-ending party, which was fun, but not very conducive to writing heartbreaking romance.
When the boys walked off the stage, the chanting for the crowd's favorite song began. From the angle of where I was watching, I could see a few Kell-Sex shirts in the crowd. They were going to freak when Kellan and Sienna took the stage. I instantly saw a downside to this plan and wondered if maybe it wasn't such a great idea. We were trying to squelch the rumors, not help them grow. It was too late, though. Sienna was already primed and ready for action.
Everyone waited near the stage for the clamoring to reach a near-frantic level. I thought the crowd might bring the house down if the boys didn't go back out there. Kellan laughed as he stood beside me, waiting for the most opportune moment to reappear and announce the surprise to the fans. I squeezed him tight while the noise from the audience vibrated my chest.
When I was sure ceiling panels were about to break loose, Kellan gave me a long, lingering kiss. When he pulled away, his eyes were blazing. "I better go up there, so I can get this over with and take you to bed."
Feeling better already, I grinned. "I like that plan."
Kellan swatted my butt, then turned and dashed onstage. The noisy chaos of stomping and clapping switched to shrieking. Kellan held his hands out as he reached the mike. The noise didn't stop, so he had to speak above it. "What are you guys still doing here? It's over."
Kellan shooed his hands at the audience, like he wanted them to leave. I laughed at the display, and several people in the crowd did too. As he was doing that, Sienna came up beside him. The outfit she was wearing was not the one she'd arrived in. Before, she'd been wearing tight jeans and a tight sleeveless top. Now she was wearing a sheer white top with a black bra underneath. A black bra? With a sheer top? And with the way the lights hit her shirt, she may as well have only been wearing the bra.
The crowd went nuts and Kellan peeked behind him. This was not the plan. Kellan was going to play with the crowd, then verbally announce Sienna. She was supposed to wait for her cue. While Kellan straightened as he stared at her, dozens and dozens of cell phones were whipped out. Waving to the crowd, Sienna beamed as she walked right up to Kellan. Her arms slid around his waist as she playfully kissed his shoulder, then rested her head against it. The crowd gobbled up the affection. Kellan spun around, discreetly getting away from her. A seamless smile plastered on his face, he told the hollering crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Sienna Sexton."
By the tight way he said it, I could tell he wasn't pleased. A staff member handed Sienna a mike while the rest of the D-Bags took their positions. Ignoring Kellan for a second, Sienna bowed and thanked the crowd. When she was done speaking, Kellan signaled Matt to start the song. The fans went absolutely ballistic when Kellan started singing, and Kellan's irritation fell away as his professionalism kicked in. Kellan was a showman through and through, and regardless of his feelings about his singing partner, he'd give the crowd the best performance he could.
After singing a duet with Kellan that nearly brought the house down, Sienna brought both hands to her lips and blew a steady stream of kisses into the mass of enraptured fans. While she basked in their plentiful praises, Kellan gave the audience an appreciative wave, then he looked over his shoulder to where I was waiting offstage. When we locked gazes, he shook his head, then discretely shrugged. Like it or not, there was no denying the fact that that song was a gargantuan hit, and Kellan and Sienna performing it together was electrifying.