Free Appassionato by Erin M. Leaf

the baseball cap pulled low over his eyes so that even if someone saw him he wouldn’t be recognized. He watched the people walking around while the stage crew worked above him to get ready for Duncan’s concert.
    I should be up there, overseeing , he thought then felt Duncan’s presence in his head urging him to keep looking for Emma.
    Jake sighed, wanting to take off the cap and run his hands through his sweaty hair but not daring. Right now he was just another nondescript technician doing something esoteric under the stage. He scanned the crowd again then felt his heart trip. She was right there in front of him. He recognized her hair, the way she cocked her head. She wasn’t facing him, but she didn’t look as if she were going anywhere soon as she leaned on the security fence to people-watch. He figured she must be waiting for the crowd to ease up so she could make her way back to her seat. He pulled his radio from his belt, hands shaking.
    “This is Jake. I’m looking for the security guard at the west end of the floor security fencing.” He looked at the guard who stopped his scanning to stare right at him. The guard nodded imperceptibly. Jake took a deep breath, thankful that modern security included things like ear feeds so he wouldn’t have to go out into the crowd. He could just imagine the kind of ruckus it would cause if he was seen. He pressed the button on his radio again. “Do you see the woman to your left? Her name is Emma. Please escort her through the fence to me, okay?” Jake waited until the man gave him a thumbs-up. He watched him talk to Emma, and he could feel her confusion when the guard motioned toward the barrier. He silently urged her to slip through, hoping no one would notice. He could feel Duncan coming, and he hoped that the other man kept his head down and stayed out of sight of the screaming fans. Then he saw Emma duck through the narrow space the guard created and slip under the stage. She walked a few steps, watching her feet in the dark, then stopped and looked up right into his eyes. Jake froze, unable to speak.
    She was beautiful. He could tell she was nervous, and he could also tell she knew who he was. He drew a breath then silently urged her further under the stage, ducking behind one of the pillars that held up the flooring. The lift sat unused a few feet to his left, the dim strip lights illuminating the path the performers were supposed to follow to get on stage. The lights accentuated her hair, throwing highlights onto her curls, making him want to thrust his fingers into the softness and hold her still as he kissed her. She swallowed, and he saw her eyes widen, then suddenly Duncan stepped up beside him, sliding an arm around his waist. Jake leaned into his friend’s embrace gratefully as the three of them stared at each other.
    Duncan was the first to break the silence. “Emma. Don’t be afraid.”
    Jake’s heart tripped in double time at the emotion in his friend’s voice, and he reached out a shaky hand to her. He could feel Duncan trembling. Emma lifted her arm, not saying a word, eyes wide. Jake could feel her in his head, feel her apprehension and attraction at war with each other. He could sense Duncan’s fierce arousal, and it only ramped his own higher. When her hand touched his, Jake’s knees buckled at the spark that jumped between the three of them. Duncan held him up, so Jake pulled Emma in, folding his arms around her shaking body while Duncan moved closer, slotting himself alongside her as well. The three of them held on for dear life as a thousand images flashed before their eyes. Jake shuddered as he felt Emma’s consciousness slide into him, and he knew Duncan felt her as well. She gasped as Jake felt Duncan slip into his mind and then into Emma’s, and then his own sense of self reached out. Duncan leaned in, blindly kissing Emma, then Jake, their mouths so close together that in a second, the three of them were kissing each other messily,