Page 52 of Toxic Kiss

But I keep fucking up,

and even worse, you say,

Baby, it's okay. I forgive you.

The crowd screams, and I raise my arms to the rafters, soaking in their energy and letting it fill me. My hands tremble slightly, just enough to catch my attention and remind me that it hasn’t stopped since it started last night. I clench the mic tighter to hide it.

You’re such a fucking saint

despite the pain you live through.

You try to give me time,

and in return, I give you issues.

I turn just enough to look at Haven.

And when you finally say goodbye,

just know that I’ll always miss you.

I’ll always miss you.

“Reno! I love you,” I yell, and the crowd goes insane.

“Encore, encore, encore,” they chant, and I hold my hand to my ear, encouraging them louder.

I use the moment to gulp down some water, and the bottle almost slips through my fingers. A twitch. Something I can blame on adrenaline and sweaty hands. Fear prickles the back of my brain, just enough to be distracting.

Eren glances over, and I stare at him for a beat too long.

“You good?” He mouths.

Nodding, I wave it off, but I know someone else is watching. Haven notices. Like static from across the room, my attention is pulled to her. She sees every move I make. Her eyes travel up and down my body. I quickly look away.

Turning back to the crowd, I walk over to the mic and growl like an animal.

“Who wants to hear Deadly Under Pressure?”

And just like that, the room swims. The lights blur. I shake my head to clear it, but it doesn’t help. The mic drops like a gavel, my pulse pounds hard. Thud, thud, thud. Everything slows and my ears ring, and nothing makes sense.

Taking a step to my left, I lock eyes with Haven. Fear licks up my spine. A strong jolt of vertigo twists my balance. The crowd and the lights go sideways.

I try to call out and my voice sounds wrong, but every molecule in my body screams her name. My legs buckle. I grab for the mic stand and miss.

Gasps ripple through the crowd as my knees hit the stage. I lift my head and watch as Haven runs toward me. She looks like she is moving in slow-motion. My lip twitches up.

So beautiful. Then…everything goes black.

HAVEN

What the hell is happening? Cyrus stumbles to the side and looks at me with panicked eyes. Something is very wrong.

“Get a medic,” I yell at a stagehand.

When I turn back, Cyrus falls to his knees. My legs are moving before my brain has time to contemplate if it’s a good idea. The crowd is screaming. Lights still flash in manic patterns across the stage, but all I see is him.

“Cy!”