Moving Forward (Moving Neutral, Book Three) by Katy Atlas Read Free Book Online

the audience was jumping up and down with excitement.
    Liv’s voice rose with excitement and pride as Blake walked onto the stage, wearing a black tee shirt and jeans, his hair in that just-out-of-bed, insanely hot style.  His eyes scanned the crowd, not seeing me, but their blue was visible to me from fifteen feet away. 
    He looked good.  He looked happy.
    I felt my chest rise a little as I realized that I’d done something that made him happy — even when he wouldn’t let me. 
    The crowd around me was cheering like crazy, and Blake waved from the stage, at ease and relaxed.  Glancing down at the strings of his guitar, he gave a small smile and started the first song.
    I held my breath and tried not to blink.
    They were playing Liv’s songs, not the songs that Blake had written for Moving Neutral, but he still nailed every cord and note — his timing was perfect, his skill breathtaking.  He couldn’t have been practicing any of their songs for more than a few days, but he already sounded like he was one of the band. 
    I let myself watch his face, just for a second.  I couldn’t help myself — he was in his element, so relaxed and sure of himself, the way he’d looked on tour over the summer.  I realized how much I’d missed seeing him this way. 
    It made me realize h ow much he must have missed it.
    I lowered my eyes every time he glanced into the crowd, but he didn’t seem to see me.  We’d figured that the stage lights would be too bright to notice me in the crowd, as long as I hung back a little, and so far, the plan seemed to be working.  For the next three songs, I just listened, watched the crowd, and tried to enjoy the music. 
    Until.
    At the end of their sixth song, Liv took the microphone back from the lead singer, and the crowd silenced again, the murmurs more animated this time.
    “ So, some of you might know that Blake has a new song,” she said, her voice lilting and almost flirty, trying to goad the audience into wanting to know more.  “Some of you might even have heard it,” she raised her eyebrows with a smile, and the audience cheered.  I tried not to blush as Liv continued, playing into the excited crowd.  “So, I was wondering — do you guys want to hear it again?”
    Blake’s expression was confused, but not angry — he looked like he had no idea what she was doing, but he seemed to be going along with it.
    “Sorry guys,” he cut in , raising his voice to get picked up by the other microphones.  “No can do — it doesn’t have lyrics yet.” 
    The crowd was quiet, waiting for the big reveal that they sensed was coming — even though they had no idea what they were in for.  I took a deep breath, feeling my body go tense with nerves, and started to make my way through the crowd toward the stage.
    “It has lyrics,” Liv grinned at Blake, turning her attention to the audience.  “You guys have heard the lyrics, right?”
    I was grateful that I couldn’t see Blake’s face — his reaction was the wild card, and I had no idea what would be going through his head at this moment.
    As I made my way through the crowd and over to the side of the stage, people started to recognize me.  I squared my shoulders and moved as quickly as I could, and the people around me started to clear a path — either recognizing me or just figuring that I was somehow part of the show.
    On the stage, Liv caught my eye and broke into a grin.  “In fact,” she said, and I could feel the crowd’s excitement start to grow as she spoke, “it doesn’t just have lyrics.  It has a singer , too.”
    I felt every eye in the house on me, as I paused next to a small set of stairs that led onto the stage.  Liv gestured for the crowd to start clapping and then walked to the side of the stage and offered me her hand.  I grasped it, weak-kneed, and let her pull me onto the stage.
    “You guys know Casey Snow, don’t you?” Liv yelled into the mic, and the crowd started cheering, clapping