Chapter 4: Beautiful Stranger
"Oh, my God!" Vicky yelled over the crowd of hundreds, maybe even thousands of girls around her and Sara. "This is like being back in high school!"
Sara started to laugh at her friend's comment. This did seem like being in high school all over again, except they weren't here to enjoy themselves. They had work to do, and it wasn't about to be interrupted by the screaming girls around them. She grabbed Vicky's hand and started leading her towards the end of the aisle where security guards were standing and watching the crowd. The concert hadn't even started, and already there were unruly fans everywhere. She quickly flashed their passes and the two were led to the backstage area were Anastasia and another woman were standing and talking.
"Sara!" Anastasia called. She walked over to the two and quickly led them towards the other woman. "This is Leonie Messer. She's Darren's manager."
"Pleased to meet you," Leonie said in her thick Australian accent.
"Pleasure is mine," Sara replied. "This is my friend, Vicky Po." Vicky quickly waved her hello, trying not to become too noticed. She knew Sara was on a mission to solve this case and wasn't about to get in her way.
"I'd have you meet Darren, but he's quite busy," Leonie said. "If you want to continue your investigation right now, you're more than welcome to. You have my authorization. But let me just warn you, the concert starts in less than ten minutes. You'll have thousands of screaming fans, and being beneath the stage while everything is going on is the last place even the roadies want to be."
"Thanks for the warning," Sara kindly replied as she and Vicky started back for the floor. "We'd better get back to our seats before someone tries to take them," she added, pulling her friend along with her.
"That was so cool," Vicky squealed. "I've never been backstage at a concert before, let alone met the musician's manager. I can't wait to meet Darren. He sounds like a great guy."
"How do you know?" Sara skeptically asked as she turned to face her.
"I read up on him today before we left. The guy's a musical genius. Did you know he was the lead singer of Savage Garden?"
"No, but at least now I can put a name to a face. I've heard their music before. Don't they sing that song. 'I Need You,' or something along that line?"
"'I Want You,'" Vicky corrected as she made her way back to their front row center seats.
"Whatever," Sara muttered as the opening bands began. She sat back in her seat, wishing that she were working instead of listening to the music, even though it was quite good. Vicky, on the other hand, seemed to be all up in the boy band swing of things. She was out of her seat through most of the opening, yelling as if she were still in grade school. Sara couldn't help but laugh at her outright nutty antics. She had never seen her act this way before. Usually Vicky quite reserved.
The second opening band, Specificus, seemed to last a little longer than the band that preceded them. Just as she was beginning to think this was never going to end, Sara heard a familiar voice come over the speakers around the arena. "Creepin' up on you is the wrong thing to do." he sang as the screams around the arena became loud enough for Sara to wish she had brought earplugs. She knew that this was Darren Hayes, but as he walked out onto the stage, he was unrecognizable.
Sara remembered Darren from his Savage Garden days, when he had that long black hair and the oddest outfits during concerts. Now, he had cropped golden blond hair and was wearing faded blue jeans, a white shirt, a brown leather jacket, and Raybans. As he continued to sing, he took off the sunglasses and she had her first glimpse at his beautiful faded sapphire eyes. Her heart nearly leapt into her throat as she realized that she was developing a schoolgirl crush on a pop star.
*~*~*
As Darren walked out onto the stage that Friday night, he could already feel his body weaken. It seemed as if his lack of sleep was getting to him at the worst possible time. He tried to concentrate on the tasks at hand, and was doing a pretty good job as he walked out on stage and started singing "Creepin' Up On You." The excitement of the crowd usually managed to pump up his adrenaline, but tonight, it just made him weaker. He continued to sing, hoping that this feeling would end soon.
He took off his sunglasses thinking that more light would do the trick, and as he turned towards the front row, he spotted the most beautiful pair of emerald eyes he had ever seen. They belonged to a young woman who appeared to be around his age with long, dark hair and a pretty smile. She wore a black leather jacket with a baby blue shirt underneath and faded blue jeans.
She stared back at him, a surprised expression on her face, as he did the same to her. Darren continued to sing, his energy skyrocketing as the woman kept her gaze straight at him. She seemed so familiar, yet was as much a stranger to him. It was the eyes that made him think back to his dream. He wanted to believe that this was the woman he was imagining, the woman he always seemed to be running into, but never seeing the face of.
She was the absolute most beautiful creature Darren had ever laid eyes on. Her thin, nimble body swayed as he continued to sing. Her dark, full hair fluttered across her face as a few gusts of cool air hit her cheeks from the air conditioning unit set up below the stage to keep it the electrical wires from overheating. Her energy continued to emanate from her body as he stood in front of her, soaking it up like it was the sun's rays. She seemed to be keeping him alive onstage.
It was as if only a couple of moments had passed as Darren continued to gaze into her mesmerizing green eyes, but the concert was almost half over, and it was about time to start singing the ballads. He disappeared behind the stage as the band continued to play, that overwhelmingly energetic feeling quickly vanishing as he made a quick change into another outfit, a much lighter one. It seemed as if the woman was his only source for life on stage, and leaving her made him weaker. He needed to be back onstage, needed that energy again before he passed out.
And as Darren reappeared, the crowd went wild, but his eyes returned to the beautiful stranger in the front row. He felt the life being brought back into him as her gaze consumed his body. The opening lines to "I Can't Ever Get Enough Of You" began to play as he sat down in front of her, his feet dangling off the stage as he sang, "I know that I have only ever held your hand, but just one touch is more than enough to understand there's a master plan. And although I know I don't believe in destiny, maybe it found me."
*~*~*
Sara felt her heart melt as Darren sat in front of her, the lyrics of his song echoing through her ears, "Now my world is filled with so many things, but nothing compares to the touch of your skin. There's a symphony and melody that plays whenever you're around. I think I've been found."
Sara prayed that he'd leap off the stage and just come to her, sing to her that song, touch her soul like it had never been touch before. The power of the moment consumed her as she leaned on the barrier and stared into his deep sapphire eyes. In that exact moment, she remembered her dream, and the pair of eyes she had gazed into at its end. His eyes were almost exactly like the eyes of the man she had seen, only a bit more faded.
Her heart quickened as she bit down on her lip. If Darren was the man, then he must know something about her past, about the connection she felt as he sat before her. Sara could see he was making that song about her, pouring his heart out knowing she was the only one who could possibly understand, and all she could do was stand there and listen, hoping that she'd see him backstage after the show was over.
"I can see the sun, and I can feel the rain. I can hear the wind call your name. I can feel your love, but there's one thing I can't do, I can't ever get enough of you. No I can't get enough of you," Darren continued to sing as he stared at Sara with his passionate, beautiful eyes. The euphoric feeling of connecting with him through this song was more than she anticipated. She could barely contain the tears that were welling up in her eyes.
"Now I know that in the past I've been much too keen, but your eyes are the kindest that I've ever seen. I guess there's some things you just know. There's a voice inside telling me to hold on, and never let you go." he sang with unbelievable truth. Sara's tears began to flow freely. Somehow there was a connection between them; otherwise this song would mean nothing to her. Her heart was in her throat as she reached out to him, begging him to touch her.
"There's a tune that plays. It's a sacred sound. It's a symphony I hear whenever you're around. Now my world is filled with a whisper of love and a promise of tomorrow."
*~*~*
Darren saw her reach for him, and as he was about to leap off the stage to take her beautiful hand into his, a security guard positioned himself between them, blocking the view. His heart sank, shattered into a thousand pieces as if it were glass that had been run over by a car.
"I can see the sun, and I can feel the rain. I can hear the wind call your name. I can feel your love, but there's one thing I can't do, I can't ever get enough of you. I can't get enough of you," he tried to sing even though it pained him not to be able to touch the one thing he needed the most.
"Cause when we make love I lose track of time. I can't count all the colors I see in your eyes. And while your heart beats in mine it's true. I can't ever get enough of you." The painful thought of losing her invaded his mind as he tried to position himself in a better view of her. They could still see each other from his new viewpoint, but it was impossible to reach out and touch her porcelain skin.
*~*~*
Sara was just as crushed as Darren had been when the security guard interrupted their sacred moment. She moved away from the barrier, wiping the tears from her face hoping that he hadn't seen them. She felt her heart sink into her shoes as her body shuddered. There was no way to get that moment back, so she thought.
"Now my world is filled with so many things, but nothing compares to the touch of your skin. There's a symphony and melody that plays whenever you're around. I think I've been found," Darren kept singing. She could see it in his eyes, those distant blue pools, the pain that remained as he gazed at her longingly.
"I can see the sun, and I can feel the rain. I can hear the wind call your name. I can feel your love, but there's one thing I can't do, I can't ever get enough of you. I can't get enough of you. I can see the sun, and I can feel the rain. I can hear the wind call your name. I can feel your love, but there's one thing I can't do, I can't ever get enough of you. I can't get enough of you."
*~*~*
"Oh, no, no. I'll never get enough of you. No matter where I go. No matter what I do. The one thing that's true baby, I can't ever get enough of you," Darren finished the song as he continued to stare at her, the longing becoming more apparent than he hoped it would. It didn't matter to him if the whole world saw it as long as she did too.
With their eyes remaining transfixed on each other throughout the entire concert, no other song seemed to evoke the power that "I Can't Ever Get Enough Of You" had. It was as if he had written it especially for her, even though they had never met or seen each other before that day. It just seemed as if he had known her in a previous life, maybe, and that this song was their only connection to each other.
Darren had to meet her after the concert. It was imperative that they at least spoke for even a minute to confirm all these strange feelings that were beginning to run freely through his head. He began to wonder if it was love at first sight or something deeper that coursed through his veins about this woman. No matter what it was, he'd find out as soon as the concert was over.
"Oh, my God!" Vicky yelled over the crowd of hundreds, maybe even thousands of girls around her and Sara. "This is like being back in high school!"
Sara started to laugh at her friend's comment. This did seem like being in high school all over again, except they weren't here to enjoy themselves. They had work to do, and it wasn't about to be interrupted by the screaming girls around them. She grabbed Vicky's hand and started leading her towards the end of the aisle where security guards were standing and watching the crowd. The concert hadn't even started, and already there were unruly fans everywhere. She quickly flashed their passes and the two were led to the backstage area were Anastasia and another woman were standing and talking.
"Sara!" Anastasia called. She walked over to the two and quickly led them towards the other woman. "This is Leonie Messer. She's Darren's manager."
"Pleased to meet you," Leonie said in her thick Australian accent.
"Pleasure is mine," Sara replied. "This is my friend, Vicky Po." Vicky quickly waved her hello, trying not to become too noticed. She knew Sara was on a mission to solve this case and wasn't about to get in her way.
"I'd have you meet Darren, but he's quite busy," Leonie said. "If you want to continue your investigation right now, you're more than welcome to. You have my authorization. But let me just warn you, the concert starts in less than ten minutes. You'll have thousands of screaming fans, and being beneath the stage while everything is going on is the last place even the roadies want to be."
"Thanks for the warning," Sara kindly replied as she and Vicky started back for the floor. "We'd better get back to our seats before someone tries to take them," she added, pulling her friend along with her.
"That was so cool," Vicky squealed. "I've never been backstage at a concert before, let alone met the musician's manager. I can't wait to meet Darren. He sounds like a great guy."
"How do you know?" Sara skeptically asked as she turned to face her.
"I read up on him today before we left. The guy's a musical genius. Did you know he was the lead singer of Savage Garden?"
"No, but at least now I can put a name to a face. I've heard their music before. Don't they sing that song. 'I Need You,' or something along that line?"
"'I Want You,'" Vicky corrected as she made her way back to their front row center seats.
"Whatever," Sara muttered as the opening bands began. She sat back in her seat, wishing that she were working instead of listening to the music, even though it was quite good. Vicky, on the other hand, seemed to be all up in the boy band swing of things. She was out of her seat through most of the opening, yelling as if she were still in grade school. Sara couldn't help but laugh at her outright nutty antics. She had never seen her act this way before. Usually Vicky quite reserved.
The second opening band, Specificus, seemed to last a little longer than the band that preceded them. Just as she was beginning to think this was never going to end, Sara heard a familiar voice come over the speakers around the arena. "Creepin' up on you is the wrong thing to do." he sang as the screams around the arena became loud enough for Sara to wish she had brought earplugs. She knew that this was Darren Hayes, but as he walked out onto the stage, he was unrecognizable.
Sara remembered Darren from his Savage Garden days, when he had that long black hair and the oddest outfits during concerts. Now, he had cropped golden blond hair and was wearing faded blue jeans, a white shirt, a brown leather jacket, and Raybans. As he continued to sing, he took off the sunglasses and she had her first glimpse at his beautiful faded sapphire eyes. Her heart nearly leapt into her throat as she realized that she was developing a schoolgirl crush on a pop star.
*~*~*
As Darren walked out onto the stage that Friday night, he could already feel his body weaken. It seemed as if his lack of sleep was getting to him at the worst possible time. He tried to concentrate on the tasks at hand, and was doing a pretty good job as he walked out on stage and started singing "Creepin' Up On You." The excitement of the crowd usually managed to pump up his adrenaline, but tonight, it just made him weaker. He continued to sing, hoping that this feeling would end soon.
He took off his sunglasses thinking that more light would do the trick, and as he turned towards the front row, he spotted the most beautiful pair of emerald eyes he had ever seen. They belonged to a young woman who appeared to be around his age with long, dark hair and a pretty smile. She wore a black leather jacket with a baby blue shirt underneath and faded blue jeans.
She stared back at him, a surprised expression on her face, as he did the same to her. Darren continued to sing, his energy skyrocketing as the woman kept her gaze straight at him. She seemed so familiar, yet was as much a stranger to him. It was the eyes that made him think back to his dream. He wanted to believe that this was the woman he was imagining, the woman he always seemed to be running into, but never seeing the face of.
She was the absolute most beautiful creature Darren had ever laid eyes on. Her thin, nimble body swayed as he continued to sing. Her dark, full hair fluttered across her face as a few gusts of cool air hit her cheeks from the air conditioning unit set up below the stage to keep it the electrical wires from overheating. Her energy continued to emanate from her body as he stood in front of her, soaking it up like it was the sun's rays. She seemed to be keeping him alive onstage.
It was as if only a couple of moments had passed as Darren continued to gaze into her mesmerizing green eyes, but the concert was almost half over, and it was about time to start singing the ballads. He disappeared behind the stage as the band continued to play, that overwhelmingly energetic feeling quickly vanishing as he made a quick change into another outfit, a much lighter one. It seemed as if the woman was his only source for life on stage, and leaving her made him weaker. He needed to be back onstage, needed that energy again before he passed out.
And as Darren reappeared, the crowd went wild, but his eyes returned to the beautiful stranger in the front row. He felt the life being brought back into him as her gaze consumed his body. The opening lines to "I Can't Ever Get Enough Of You" began to play as he sat down in front of her, his feet dangling off the stage as he sang, "I know that I have only ever held your hand, but just one touch is more than enough to understand there's a master plan. And although I know I don't believe in destiny, maybe it found me."
*~*~*
Sara felt her heart melt as Darren sat in front of her, the lyrics of his song echoing through her ears, "Now my world is filled with so many things, but nothing compares to the touch of your skin. There's a symphony and melody that plays whenever you're around. I think I've been found."
Sara prayed that he'd leap off the stage and just come to her, sing to her that song, touch her soul like it had never been touch before. The power of the moment consumed her as she leaned on the barrier and stared into his deep sapphire eyes. In that exact moment, she remembered her dream, and the pair of eyes she had gazed into at its end. His eyes were almost exactly like the eyes of the man she had seen, only a bit more faded.
Her heart quickened as she bit down on her lip. If Darren was the man, then he must know something about her past, about the connection she felt as he sat before her. Sara could see he was making that song about her, pouring his heart out knowing she was the only one who could possibly understand, and all she could do was stand there and listen, hoping that she'd see him backstage after the show was over.
"I can see the sun, and I can feel the rain. I can hear the wind call your name. I can feel your love, but there's one thing I can't do, I can't ever get enough of you. No I can't get enough of you," Darren continued to sing as he stared at Sara with his passionate, beautiful eyes. The euphoric feeling of connecting with him through this song was more than she anticipated. She could barely contain the tears that were welling up in her eyes.
"Now I know that in the past I've been much too keen, but your eyes are the kindest that I've ever seen. I guess there's some things you just know. There's a voice inside telling me to hold on, and never let you go." he sang with unbelievable truth. Sara's tears began to flow freely. Somehow there was a connection between them; otherwise this song would mean nothing to her. Her heart was in her throat as she reached out to him, begging him to touch her.
"There's a tune that plays. It's a sacred sound. It's a symphony I hear whenever you're around. Now my world is filled with a whisper of love and a promise of tomorrow."
*~*~*
Darren saw her reach for him, and as he was about to leap off the stage to take her beautiful hand into his, a security guard positioned himself between them, blocking the view. His heart sank, shattered into a thousand pieces as if it were glass that had been run over by a car.
"I can see the sun, and I can feel the rain. I can hear the wind call your name. I can feel your love, but there's one thing I can't do, I can't ever get enough of you. I can't get enough of you," he tried to sing even though it pained him not to be able to touch the one thing he needed the most.
"Cause when we make love I lose track of time. I can't count all the colors I see in your eyes. And while your heart beats in mine it's true. I can't ever get enough of you." The painful thought of losing her invaded his mind as he tried to position himself in a better view of her. They could still see each other from his new viewpoint, but it was impossible to reach out and touch her porcelain skin.
*~*~*
Sara was just as crushed as Darren had been when the security guard interrupted their sacred moment. She moved away from the barrier, wiping the tears from her face hoping that he hadn't seen them. She felt her heart sink into her shoes as her body shuddered. There was no way to get that moment back, so she thought.
"Now my world is filled with so many things, but nothing compares to the touch of your skin. There's a symphony and melody that plays whenever you're around. I think I've been found," Darren kept singing. She could see it in his eyes, those distant blue pools, the pain that remained as he gazed at her longingly.
"I can see the sun, and I can feel the rain. I can hear the wind call your name. I can feel your love, but there's one thing I can't do, I can't ever get enough of you. I can't get enough of you. I can see the sun, and I can feel the rain. I can hear the wind call your name. I can feel your love, but there's one thing I can't do, I can't ever get enough of you. I can't get enough of you."
*~*~*
"Oh, no, no. I'll never get enough of you. No matter where I go. No matter what I do. The one thing that's true baby, I can't ever get enough of you," Darren finished the song as he continued to stare at her, the longing becoming more apparent than he hoped it would. It didn't matter to him if the whole world saw it as long as she did too.
With their eyes remaining transfixed on each other throughout the entire concert, no other song seemed to evoke the power that "I Can't Ever Get Enough Of You" had. It was as if he had written it especially for her, even though they had never met or seen each other before that day. It just seemed as if he had known her in a previous life, maybe, and that this song was their only connection to each other.
Darren had to meet her after the concert. It was imperative that they at least spoke for even a minute to confirm all these strange feelings that were beginning to run freely through his head. He began to wonder if it was love at first sight or something deeper that coursed through his veins about this woman. No matter what it was, he'd find out as soon as the concert was over.