Platinum (All That Glitters #3)(83)

It was different this time, seeing Chloe and Damon onstage together.

That first night, Damon had been a nobody. He had played one song, and Trihn had felt so proud of him.

Now, when Damon walked on that stage, there were as many cheers for him as there were for Chloe. The fans adored him. He wasn’t here by chance or luck. He was here because he was meant to be here.

All the hours recording and doing promotional tours, all the endless tour dates away from home, all the time he’d had to be away from her had coalesced into this one moment. Damon Stone had been made to be on that stage.

He hadn’t been joking when he said that he played a bunch of instruments. He went from guitar to bass to drums and back to guitar. He played three songs on the piano, and then, he ended up with a trumpet that he recorded live and then fed into the feed for the crowd.

His talent and complete adoration for the music mesmerized Trihn. Somehow, he had taken Chloe’s tour and made it about both of them.

By the time “Heartbreaker” and “We Never Met” were played as the grand finale, the crowd was in an uproar. Philips Arena was on its feet, and Trihn couldn’t blame them. Damon and Chloe made a rocking duo.

Damon came offstage with a wide grin and sweat dripping down his face. He took off his baseball cap and wiped his forehead with his soaked shirt. Chloe followed behind him, living off the energy from the concert.

Chloe catapulted into Damon’s arms. He laughed and swung her around before placing her back down on her feet.

“That’s the best it’s ever been!” she said, jumping up and down.

“It really was,” Damon agreed. “God, that crowd. It’s like a life force.”

“It so is. One more bow!” Chloe grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward the stage.

He apologetically looked at Trihn, but she didn’t say anything as he and Chloe ran back out together.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for bringing down the house tonight here in the ATL. I’m Chloe Avana, and this is Damon Stone. And we love you!”

Chloe blew a kiss at the crowd, then at Damon, and then back at the crowd. She hoisted his hand in the air, and the room erupted all over again.

This time, when he ran back offstage, Damon scooped Trihn right off the ground, pulling her against his chest. Trihn tightly held on to him. She slid down his body, and he planted a kiss on her lips.

“I want you at every show.”

She laughed. “I wish.”

“Let’s make it happen.”

“Damon…”

“We can try.”

“I have the fashion show,” she reminded him.

“It’s better when you’re here.”

“I think so, too, but I have work.”

“You’re right,” he said, leaning toward her. “I’m just on a high from the show, and I want you here for everything.”

“Mr. Stone, we should move this to the dressing room,” Mateo said. “People will be backstage any minute.”

“Sure,” Damon said. He pulled Trihn forward and back into the dressing room.

He stripped out of his shirt and toweled off before changing into a new shirt.

“Chloe was pretty…affectionate after the show ended,” Trihn said. Then, she quickly added, “Not that I think anything is going on.”

“Well, good. There are just a lot of endorphins and so much excitement by the end. It’s hard not to want to celebrate when you come offstage. Plus, she’s not normally this high-stress, so it’s easier to want to celebrate with her.”

She thought Chloe was a little touchy, but it was innocent, so it really didn’t matter. Trihn didn’t want to stress about it when it was clear that Damon was into her and only her. He had told her that time and time again.

“I believe you.”

Damon leaned down and kissed her on the lips. “I’m going to go meet some fans, and then we can go back to the hotel and repeat this afternoon.”

Trihn laughed and pulled him in for another kiss. “Deal.”





THE NEXT DAY, Trihn had to forcibly remove herself from the hotel premises.

She and Damon had spent all night in his room, and to say that she didn’t want to leave would be the understatement of the century.

The idea that he’d had after the show kept ringing through her mind the entire plane ride home.

She wanted to stay. She wanted to join him on tour. She wanted to be with him for every concert and every different city. She didn’t want to miss a moment of it.

But reality crashed back in, and she knew it wasn’t possible. If she didn’t have the fashion show to worry about, she might have made it work for a little while. But what would happen when school starts? She couldn’t leave school. That would never be an option.

By the time Trihn landed back in Las Vegas, she felt more confident about her departure.

But when she switched her phone off Airplane Mode, the slew of messages didn’t help anything.

The first few were from Bryna.

Are you with Damon?

Bitch, answer your phone.

Your face is showing up online. Tabloids are kind of going crazy. When you get this, don’t check the news.

Trihn frowned and kept reading. The next message was from Stacia.

Hey! Answer your phone! We’ve all been calling you! Bri is flipping her shit, and now I’m worried.