Page 90 of Fame & Chaos

“So?” he asks once Mum finally lets me go. “How was it?”

I throw my head back and drag in a huge breath before looking at him again. “It was everything,” I admit honestly. “Everything I ever imagined it would be and more. I finally get what you meant all those years when you talked about the rush of being on stage. I felt like the fucking king of the world up there.”

Dad grins proudly.

“Did you see that chick throw her top at me?” I ask with a laugh.

“Yeah,” Dad says seriously. “I paid her to do it.”

Mum scoffs and slaps him on the chest. “He absolutely did not.”

“She totally looked paid off.”

“She did not!” Mum laughs before turning back to me. “You were incredible tonight, Caleb. Absolutely incredible. You belong on that stage.”

Dad nods firmly. “You’re better than Colt.”

I bark out a laugh. “No one’s better than Colt, and you know it. I’m absolutely telling him you said that, though.”

Dad groans dramatically. “Fantastic. I’ll never hear the end of it now.”

I shake my head, smiling before my expression softens slightly. “I really couldn’t have done this without you, though. So… thanks.”

Dad immediately reaches out and grips both my shoulders firmly. “Son, you did the hard work. Your talent got you here, not me.” He smiles proudly. “But fuck, it’s good finally seeing you get the chance you deserve. You’re gonna be incredible at this, Caleb. I can feel it.”

The lump in my throat catches me off guard. Hearing Dad say he’s proud of me always hits harder than I expect.

“Thanks, Dad.”

He squeezes my shoulders again before letting me go. “Now go get ready for your first after-party. It’ll be tame compared to the ones I used to go to, but you’ll still have fun.”

I grin and nod before heading toward the green room, though honestly, there’s only one thing on my mind right now.

Indi.

I pull out my phone and send her a quick text.

Me: Hey, Indi, what did you think? I’m in the green room if you wanna come backstage. I can get someone to bring you in :) Otherwise, I’ll come find you once the crowd dies down a bit.

I hit send before shoving the cell back into my pocket and heading down the hallway.

The green room is chaos when I walk in. Everyone’s buzzing from the performance, talking over each other excitedly while adrenaline still crackles through the room.

We fucking did it.

And we killed it.

I head straight for the fridge, grab an icy bottle of water, and down nearly half of it in one go. Singing under stage lights is brutal. Between the heat and the adrenaline, I feel like I’ve sweated out half my body weight. Dropping onto the couch, I let myself finally breathe while replaying the last hour in my head.

My first crowd.

My first real show.

And Indi was there for all of it.

The thought alone makes me smile again.

But after a few minutes, I notice she still hasn’t replied.