Page 110 of Spotlight Hearts

“Ready to go out there and remind them who we are?” he murmurs against my ear.

I lean back into him, smiling. “Always. You gonna let me kiss you on stage tonight, or are you still pretending to be shy?”

Kai huffs a laugh and nips at my earlobe. “Keep pushing, and I’ll kiss you so hard the front row will need therapy.”

Michael appears beside us. “You two are disgusting. Save it for after the show, or I’m going to start charging the fans for the pleasure of seeing you two sickenly in love.”

Min-ho walks up quietly, adjusting his in-ear monitor. “Leave them alone. It’s cute.”

“Cute?” Michael groans. “It’s obscene. I need hazard pay for sharing a tour bus with these two.”

Kai flips Michael off without letting go of me. “You’re just jealous no one wants to make out with you on stage.”

“Actually,” Michael says, grinning, “Harry’s got me lined up for that ‘win a date with a star’ promo next month. I’m the lucky winner. Pray for me.”

Min-ho raises an eyebrow. “You’re demi. You hate that stuff.”

“Yeah, well, tell that to the label,” Michael mutters. “They think it’ll boost numbers. I’m already dreading the awkward small talk. What do you even talk about on a date?”

I chuckle. “You’ll survive. Just don’t fall in love with the first person who asks all the deep questions.”

“One date would never be enough to fall for someone,” he replies. “Unlike Min-ho…” He nudges him, and he shakes his head, looking away.

Min-ho’s gaze drifts toward the side of the stage where Rafe, our head bodyguard for the past six months, is standing with his arms crossed facing the crowd. Rafe glances toward us at almost the same time and gives Min-ho a small, subtle nod. Min-ho’s ears turn pink before he quickly looks away.

Interesting.

The lights dim. The roar gets louder.

We step out together.

The set is electric. We move through the songs with the kind of easy chemistry that only comes from actually having friendship and love between all of us. During the bridge of one of our slower tracks, I pull Kai close, forehead resting against his for a moment while we share the mic. The crowd loses it; I’m not sure they will ever grow bored of the little touches. Phones light up the arena like stars.

After the final encore, we do the usual meet-and-greet for a small group of super fans who won the VIP package.

One girl, maybe nineteen, steps up with wide eyes and a shaky smile.

“I just wanted to say…seeing you two together has meant everything to me. Thank you for showing the world what real love looks like.”

Kai glances at me, then back at her. His hand finds mine without hesitation.

“We’re lucky,” he says simply. “Really lucky.”

She beams. “I hope I’m that lucky some day. Can I get a photo?”

We pose with her, arms around each other. As she walks away, I catch sight of Min-ho talking quietly with Rafe. It’s strange to see Min-ho being so open to someone new. I think it took him longer to talk to me when I first joined the group, and we were on stage together every night. Rafe says something, and Min-ho’s ears turn pink again.

“Do you think there’s something there?” I ask Kai.

His eyes follow mine, and he nods. “I’d bet on it. Just don’t let Harry get wind of it, or Min-ho will be his next target for promo. Nothing sells more than falling for a bodyguard, right?”

We laugh, and I lean into his side as we watch the room.

“Still happy you stuck around?”

Kai turns to me, eyes warm and bright. “Every single day. Are you happy I did?”

“Absolutely. Unraveling your control every single night is something I plan on doing for the rest of our lives.”