by Kylie Walker
Trevor sighed and scrutinized Roman. He leaned closer. He could see the tiny splattering of freckles that adorned Roman’s pale arms.
“Is everything okay with you man?” Trevor raised his eyebrows and hesitating, pausing his breath while he waited for an answer.
Roman shrugged. “Just tired, I guess. Why?”
“You’ve been acting funny since I... told you that stuff. Are we cool, or...?”
Roman sighed and sagged into the back of the leather seat. “I need to tell you something,” he groaned and winced, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Okay.” He couldn’t even imagine what kind of landmine he was about to walk into.
“You’re a hypocrite.” Roman’s voice was steady as if he’d been waiting a long time to say that. “You’re not following through on the very same expectations you have of other people.”
Trevor leaned forward in his seat. “What do you mean?”
“You’re keeping a major secret from your girlfriend when you should be telling her the truth. Even if it means it will harm the relationship.”
Trevor had been pondering that very thing. They were still new to this thing between them. He didn’t want to hurt her, not in any way. Yet he was hurting her by not being truthful with her, and if he was truthful? He would hurt her then, too. In his mind, he couldn’t choose which would hurt her less.
“Look, you demanded that Grant tell Emelia the truth, that he come clean. Yet, you’re not demanding the same for yourself. And I think you won’t feel at peace with this until you do.”
Trevor looked out the window, pissed at himself. He was scared. He didn’t get scared, and if he did, he worked through it without a second thought. But with this? He couldn’t get past how terrified he felt inside.
Roman touched his arm. “I mentioned to Emelia how glad I was the two of you were able to work out a hard issue, and she looked at me like she had no idea what I was talking about. That’s when I realized you haven’t spoken to her about this.”
Trevor linked his fingers together. “I don’t know how.”
He and Emelia were supposed to attend a party together tonight. She had been looking forward to it since he’d told her about the invitation. Maybe, if he brought it up tonight while they were surrounded by people and wine and gourmet food and music, it would buffer the blow.
Maybe she would be less inclined to bash his head in. Perhaps she’d listen.
“I’ll tell her. I’ll do it tonight.”
Roman looked out his window, effectively putting space between them that to Trevor, felt like miles.
That evening, Emelia looked radiant.
Trevor’s chest welled with pride to have her on his arm as they entered the private condo. She wore a form-hugging silver metallic dress and red shoes, her hair down around her shoulders in a perfected wave. She was mingling with everyone, friendly, approachable. He admired her kind and genuine and the way she made people feel at ease.
He whisked her around the room, greeting people, making small talk, sampling treats from silver trays. He didn’t want it to end. He wanted to memorize her, just this way.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered into her ear when they had a moment alone. His heart pounded because in the back of his mind he still had to deal with the looming confession about her brother.
“Thank you.” Her eyes twinkled. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Trevor glanced around the room. “Let’s go up to the roof. The crowd is getting to me.” It wasn’t a total lie.
Emelia shrugged. “Sure, that sounds good to me.” She wrapped her slender, toned arms around his neck. “But first, kiss me.”
She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. She tasted like cherries. He wanted to plunge right in and kiss her for eternity, forgetting the world around him existed.
“Come on,” he groaned with desire. “Let’s go somewhere private.”
“I’ll follow you,” she whispered seductively into his ears.
He put his hand to the small of her back, needing to touch her. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself ever when he was around her.
He led her to the ladder leading up to the small yet cozy rooftop. He couldn’t stop thinking about stealing her away to the shadows, ripping her panties off and burying his face between her legs, pushing her over the edge of pleasure.
Trevor wasn’t going to be able to focus on anything until he heard the sounds of Emelia’s moans of pleasure rushing through his ears. He held her hand as they made their way up to the rooftop.
“Its gorgeous up here,” Emelia chimed breezily as she pushed the hair off her face. “Really peaceful and quiet.”
Trevor wrapped his arms around her from behind and gently gave her a little squeeze. “It’s the kind of stuff dreams are made of,” he whispered into her ear and tickled her cheek.
She slowly spun around while still cloaked like a cocoon in his arms. “Thank you for being so good to me.”
Trevor felt a pang of guilt as it practically slapped him in the face. The way Emelia stared at him though, it melted his insides. He knew what he had to do. And he knew what was coming next.
He moved her across the rooftop to an outdoor couch with white cushions. He used fluid movements to push her panties down to her ankles. He gently pushed her legs apart and stared at the beautiful womanhood between her legs.
“You are so gorgeous,” he said as he gave her a hungry, passion gaze stare.
She was already wet, glistening. She was always ready for Trevor, no matter the time or the situation. He pressed his lips to the fleshy, pink and swollen parts of her pussy. He tasted her sweet nectar. He felt her back arching. She tugged on his scalp and gently grazed his back with her fingernails, scraping his skin with the passion sensors sparkling and alive inside of her.
Trevor hardened at the sound of her sensual moans. His bulge poked through his pants, desperate to escape. Emelia’s cries of passion continued to swell and become louder. Trevor circled his tongue around her clitoris, making swirling, perfect soft kisses across her pussy.
Emelia’s cries of ecstasy filled his ears. He felt triumphant as her euphoria took over. She came with wet, warm wetness filling his mouth. The sensuality of the moment was something that Trevor never wanted to forget.
Emelia’s eyes sparkled like the stars twinkling in the sky above them. She grinned with giddy playfulness as she slipped her panties back up her hips. “That was a fun surprise,” she said as she nibbled on his earlobe.
Trevor felt himself becoming distant. It was as if his mind were shutting off due to the guilt taking over his mind. He had to come clean. The truth was burrowing under his skin, and it was downright painful.
She gave him a worried glance. “Hey,” she whispered as she gently stroked his back. “What’s wrong?”
Trevor steeled himself and turned to her. It was now or never. “I need to confess something to you. I don’t want there to ever be any secrets between us. I feel like I owe you that much, especially with everything you’ve already been through.”
“Okay...” Emelia’s eyes flickered with unease. She removed her hand from his back and rested it in her lap.
He took a deep breath. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Emelia. I do remember you from high school. I didn’t at first, but then Roman reminded me, and it all came rushing back. I... wasn’t very nice to you back then, behind your back. I thought if I pretended not to remember you, it would be easier to forget how I acted then.”
A cautious smile crossed her lips but quickly faded. “Okay. I understand. I mean, it was a big school and we never really hung out in the same crowds, so. I forgive you for what you probably said about me.”
“I called you Dumpling.”
She gave a surprised expression. “Oh. I... see. Well, I was a little heavier back then.”
Trevor shook his head and cupped her cheek. “No, Em. You’re perfect. You’ve always been perfect. Remember that, please. It was me wh
o was far from perfection.” He gathered himself and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “That’s not all.”
She nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“The night Campbell and Kyle were driving home, there wasn’t one car that ran them off the road. There were two.”
Emelia stared at him with confusion. “How do you know about that?”
“I know because I was there.” His heart froze.
“You were there?” Emelia shook her head in disbelief. “Why?”
“For a very short while, I hung out with some bad kids. Kids who had it out for Kyle because he was different. He was a perfect target for hazing. And the kids hazing him, it was part of their initiation ritual. Nothing was going to stop them.”
She didn’t say anything; her eyes transfixed on his face.
Trevor scratched his temple. “I knew they were going to follow him home after he left his shift at the Burger Queen. They weren’t expecting Campbell to pick him up though. I knew what they were planning, to... to run him off his bike. So I got in my car, and I waited, intending to intercept them. My plan didn’t work. They followed Campbell’s car. I thought if I could ram them with my car, that I could prevent them from hitting your brothers. But...”
He was pretty sure Emelia was holding her breath. Her face had paled, her lips, trembling.
“But... when I bumped into their car, it... it actually drove them forward into your brothers. Instead of preventing it, I... I caused the accident. It’s my fault, Em.”
She didn’t say anything. Why didn’t she say anything? Desperate, Trevor shifted to look directly at her.
“Both cars went down the embankment. It was too steep for me to help, so I drove down the street to the gas station and told them to call 911. And I waited for the ambulance and the cops and then. And then I left. No one ever knew it was me. And I never came forward, until now.
“I’m so sorry.” He tried to hold her hand, but she jerked it away. “I was a stupid kid back then. I couldn’t hold it in any longer, and I had to tell you.”
Trevor hoped that his confession would be enough to keep Emelia calm and forgiving. When she turned her tear-filled eyes on him, he knew it was over. Emelia shot up from the couch like a cannon. “I have to go,” she croaked.
He stood up too. “Emelia, wait!” He cried out and rushed to her side.
She spun around. “Don’t follow me,” she warned.
He was frozen. His feet were rooted to the ground, and he couldn’t move. In a flash, she was gone.
Chapter Twenty Six
He couldn’t talk about it with anyone — not even Roman.
Trevor had yet to discuss the events that had transpired on the roof with Emelia. She had been giving him the cold shoulder for several days now. He had ultimately decided that it was probably best to give her some space and allow herself to process the blow of a confession he’d given her.
He couldn’t eat, sleep or function without her by his side. His passion and enthusiasm for their relationship was stronger than ever. He wished he could turn back the hands of time and make better choices.
Trevor was prepared to grovel at her feet if that’s what it took for him to get her back, or at least get her to talk to him. He was willing to take baby steps. She had been staying in Chloe’s room ever since his confession. He missed her terribly and tossed and turned at night. His reached for her in the middle of the night and always came up empty. The void in his heart grew bigger each day. He had to fight to win her back, no matter the cost.
He got up on the morning of their second to last city. The tour was winding down, and summer was coming to a sudden end. Trevor couldn’t believe how fast the tour had sped past; how much had happened. If only he still had Emelia by his side, he would be in a perfect place in his life. He didn’t want to end the tour without her next to him. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were dull, his hair dishevelled. He threw a t-shirt over his head and stared at the tattoos across his arms that he had acquired over the years.
It was true that he might fit the stereotypical appearance of a rock star, but today when he woke up, he just didn’t feel that foundation in his soul. It was fitting, because there was something missing, a part of him that he desperately needed to get back.
He left his hotel room and walked to the elevator. Chloe’s room was on a lower floor than his penthouse suite. Trevor’s goal was to be able to catch Emelia before she left the room for the day.
His heart pounded as he took cautious steps down the hallway towards Chloe’s room. He stopped in front of the little white circular plaque that read ‘Room 411.’ He took a deep breath and hesitated briefly before rapping his knuckles against the heavy hotel room door.
A few seconds later, Chloe opened the door. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that said ‘NYC’ with a picture of an apple underneath it. She gave him a neutral glance as if she didn’t want to play favorites. He respected her unbiased demeanor.
“Hi Trevor,” she said politely.
“Hey Chloe,” he responded with slight trepidation. “Is Emelia around?”
“I’m here,” Emelia answered for herself. She approached him with a stony expression and her hands buried in her back pockets.
Chloe glanced uncomfortably between them. “I uh...was just leaving.” It was clear that she was nowhere near ready to leave but wanted to give them privacy to talk.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Trevor turned back to face Emelia. “I miss you. There’s a lot I want to say to you.”
Emelia gave a weak shrug. “Well, now’s your chance.”
“Please Emelia.” His voice sounded a lot like begging. “I tried to stop what I knew was going to happen. I would never hurt your family. Never.”
Emelia’s features softened, but she remained unapproachable. “I know.”
“Can we work on things?” Trevor’s voice was a glimmer of hope.
Emelia’s face contorted with a mixture of emotions. “I don’t know.”
His heart skipped.
“I need time, Trevor. Time to process, to see if I can forgive. My brother is dead. He’s never coming back, and Campbell has to live with the memory of that night for the rest of his life.” She covered her mouth with a hand.
Her pain was gutting him.
He deserved it.
No matter how many times he silently apologized to God, to himself, to whomever he thought needed to hear it; he still deserved this pain.
“Goodbye, Trevor.”
Emelia closed the door, leaving him in the dust of her denial.
He left, heading down to the lobby to catch up with his driver. It was time to head to the arena for tonight’s show, and his bandmates had already left. He made a short detour to grab a six-pack, then sat stiffly in the back as they sped down the road. Inside, things seemed to be in working order. He cared, but he didn’t. He felt deflated, yet his mind never stopped trying to figure out how to make things right with Em.
His phone rang. Burt. Almost immediately, another call came in. And then another. Heading to the dressing room, Trevor ignored the other calls.
“Hey, Burt. What’s up?”
“You canceled your show for tonight without telling me?”
Trevor frowned. “What are you talking about? No one canceled the show.”
“Check your Facebook and Instagram pages. According to your official sources, you guys canceled.”
“I’ll call you back.” Trevor ended the call and pulled up the band’s social media. Sure enough, their authorized sites had cancellation notices for tonight’s performance, with thousands of comments from ticketholders.
“What the fuck?”
Roman raced down the hall, his voice preceding him into Trevor’s room. “What the fuck is this, Trevor? It says we’re canceled.”
Trevor threw up his hands. “I don’t know.”
“It’s a mass confusion out there. Our fans think we ditched them!”
His first thought
was Emelia. She was their social media manager. She wouldn’t sabotage them like this, would she? Christ, he had to find out.
“You have access to all our pages. Start posting that there was a mistake. Get the word out. If you have to, take the pages down for now.”
Roman shook his head. “I can’t! No one can. It’s like our pages have been hacked or something.”
“Fuck!” He had to get to Emelia, see what she’d done and make her fix it.
He didn’t think that was something she would do. She wasn’t that hateful or spiteful. She was extremely angry with him though, and he couldn’t put it past her to want to seek revenge for what had happened to her brothers all those years ago. Even still, it just didn’t add up.
“I need to go find Emelia,” Trevor grumbled. He had to confront her about this; he had to know if it was her or not. His instincts were kicking into overdrive. “I’ll be back before the show.”
“Trevor, you can’t leave! We go on in less than two hours.”
Ignoring his friend, Trevor hastily rushed away, determination surging through his bones. Catching his driver, he gave instructions to head back to the hotel. Frustrated at waiting for the elevator, he finally took the stairs two at a time until he’d reached the sixth floor.
He pounded on the door to Chloe’s hotel room. “Chloe. Let me in. I need to speak to Emelia.”
When he was met with silence, he dialed Em’s cell. He’d already tried three times on the way over here. Nothing. A weird panic unfurled in him. Was she not answering because she was guilty or had something happened to her? If he let them, all sorts of ideas would run loose in his mind, but he had to stay focused. He had to find her.
He knocked again. Nothing. Was it possible they were ignoring him? Jesus, was Chloe involved in this, too. Was either of the women really capable of revenge? Nearly bursting with anger and worry, Trevor made his way back to the lobby. He rushed toward the front door, almost running over Chloe as she walked in. She grabbed his arm to steady herself, her eyes huge with surprise.
“Trevor!” She gasped.
“Where is Emelia?” He growled.