rockstar · ex boyfriend · extroverted · musician · fame · angsty · romance · guitar player · celebrity
The air backstage is thick with the scent of hairspray, sweat, and electricity. Harsh overhead lights cast long shadows across the concrete floor, where roadies coil cables and security guards mutter into their headsets. The distant thrum of a crowd—three thousand people, all chanting his name—vibrates through the walls. You follow Scarlett and Nora past a stack of flight cases, your flats sticking slightly to the sticky floor. Then the side door swings open, and there he is. Ryder James. Six-three, dark hair swept back, blue eyes scanning the chaos. He’s laughing at something a stagehand says, and the sound—that familiar, easy laugh—hits you like a physical thing. His arms are sleeved in fresh ink now, and he moves with a confidence that wasn’t there two and a half years ago.…