Get Rocked? (The Next Generation #2)

by K E Osborn

  I had no friends. Caleb was my only friend and he ruined us by giving himself out to Maddie. Who knew how long that had been going on for? I shook my head as I drove and wiped my cheeks with my sleeve. Graduation was coming up and, after all my hard work, I was going to have to miss it because of HIM. I sent a text message telling him to move on, that I was moving up north and he should forget about me. He tried to call, a lot, but I just let it ring out every time. Seeing his face light up my phone made my chest hurt in a way it never had before, the pain tore through it every single call. I could never forgive him and I lived out of my car for the next two weeks until I found another job and a flat I could live in. I had to move on without Caleb. I couldn’t believe he did that to me. To us! I would never forgive him for it. And for as long as I lived Caleb would be in my bad books.

  Pain devours me as I relive the memory. Caleb really hurt me and now I’m kissing him? After everything he just draws me back in like a moth to the flame. I pull away suddenly and glare at him while he smiles so brightly it makes my knees weak.

  “Don’t,” she warns taking a step back as I look into her beautiful sky blue eyes. I swallow hard and gently but reluctantly let go of her arm revelling in the tingle shooting from my lips straight down to my cock. I have to try my hardest to rein it in otherwise this could get very awkward.

  “Why are you here, Caleb? How did you find me?”

  I’m taken aback by her question. “Find you? Indi, I didn’t know you’d even become a nurse. I don’t go from hospital to hospital looking for you.”

  “Sorry, I just thought…” she trails off and then looks away. The energy between us is palpable and I know she’s feeling the tension just like I am.

  “Annie drank too much and passed out. It’s her birthday, and well…we were at her party and it seems she needed my help,” I say.

  “Needed your help getting wasted, Caleb? Really? I knew this rock star lifestyle would turn you into them,” she says with bitterness to her voice. She goes to walk off again. I shake my head and grab her arm a little more forceful this time, but she spins back and glares at me.

  “Listen, I know your parents had issues, and this has flowed through to you being to be scared to love. And I realise they chose a path that has closed you off from emotion. I also know you worry about me getting too involved with the whole sex, drugs and rock and roll thing. But Indi, I’m not that guy.”

  “Then why is your cousin passed out in the hospital?”

  “Because she took it upon herself to get drunk. I was just the one who found her in that condition.”

  “So you didn’t give her the alcohol?”

  I huff and shake my head. “Seriously? You think I would feed my baby cousin alcohol? Especially considering who her father is? C’mon Indi, cut me some slack here.”

  “Okay, sorry. I haven’t seen Annie for years, I’ll go check on her.”

  “Thanks, Indi, I appreciate it.” I follow her back to Annie’s bay.

  I can’t help but look at her arse as she walks toward Annie’s room. I shake my head and try to calm my erratically beating heart. Seeing Indi again has shaken me to the core, especially considering I had no idea I’d be seeing her tonight. She looks amazing and is even more beautiful than I’d remembered. Everything inside me is tingling being so close to her again. I’ve missed her so much, it’s been six long years. Running in an endless cycle of missing her then hating her for leaving without saying goodbye. I watch as her shoulder length wavy blonde hair sways from side to side with each movement, and I wish like anything I could run my hands through it as I kiss her passionately. But outweighing that emotion is the fact that I want to take her somewhere private and talk to her. Find out why she left and why she didn’t say goodbye. Unfortunately, right at this moment I have to think about Annie and that’s making me furious.

  We walk into Annie’s bay and she’s sitting up in the bed awake. Finally!

  “Oh, good you’re awake,” I say as I walk over shaking my head. “What were you thinking, Annie? Your dad is going to kill me for this,” I say while Indi adjusts Annie’s drip.

  “I think Dad’s more likely to kill me for this than you,” she replies and then winces as she raises her hand to support her aching head.

  “Indi, is she going to be okay?” I ask.

  “She’ll be fine, but she will have one hell of a hangover by the looks of it. I’m giving you some fluids to rehydrate you. Hopefully, it will make you feel better. But it won’t fix you completely sweetie, I’m sorry,” she says kindly. I smile at her bedside manner toward Annie. Indi always liked Annie, but Annie probably doesn’t even remember her.

  I exhale and look at her. “Annie, how did you get the alcohol?”

  She bites her bottom lip like she’s trying to think of something to say. “I think I was stealing them from people when they weren’t looking,” she says and I slump my shoulders.

  “Why?”

  She shrugs. “Felt uncomfortable and wanted to escape.”

  Indi subtly shakes her head and I tense up knowing that Indi hates drugs and alcohol because of her parents’ issues, so this must be causing her hate me even more. I gaze across at her and I can see she’s probably thinking I’m turning out just like her parents, and Annie is following in the same footsteps.

  “Indica—”

  “Don’t call me that! I’ve told you so many times, Caleb—”

  I bring my hands up in surrender. “Okay, sorry. Indi, I know what you’re thinking, but this isn’t a common occurrence, is it Annie?”

  She shakes her head and creases her eyebrows and then looks between Indi and me like she’s wondering what’s going on.

  “Not common, so it does happen, just not often then, right?” Indi says sounding pissed.

  “No. This is the first time I’ve done this, and the way I feel it will be the last time I’ll ever drink again. Why the hell do people do this shit?” Annie asks.

  “How old are you Annie?” Indi asks with a frown.

  “Seventeen today.”

  Indi glares at me.

  “What? I told you it was her birthday party—”

  “Not her seventeenth, Caleb. Can’t you see how fucked up this is?” she says and I exhale and run my hand through my hair.

  “Indi, I swear it’s not like this all the time,” I say and she shakes her head.

  “I have other patients I need to tend to. She can leave in an hour or so when the drip runs through. I’ll talk to you then,” she says and moves to leave.

  I start to panic that this will be the last I’ll see of her. So I grab her elbow and she turns to face me, glaring at me so intently that all I feel is iceberg cold emanating from her.

  “Don’t Caleb,” she berates and I exhale and let her elbow go. She turns and walks toward the door.

  “Indi,” I call out as my heart races frantically, but she continues on and leaves the room. I slump my shoulders and decide not to go after her. Seeing Annie like this would have brought up some bad memories for Indi and I don’t want to add to her stress even though everything in me is telling me to chase after her.

  I walk out of Annie’s bay feeling completely overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted. I lean up against the wall and take in some much-needed air. I hadn’t realised I’d stopped breathing in there. Seeing Annie like that brought back memories of my parents and how drunk they would get. Knowing that she’s heading down that path at such a young age makes me so angry I just want to scream. Let alone the fact that the man I’ve been dying to see for the last six years shows up and kisses me. Well, let’s face it, I’m not in a great headspace right now. I move off from the wall and go to check on Mr. Stevens, who came in with abdominal pain. I walk in and he’s now looking paler than last time I checked in on him.

  “Mr. Stevens, how’s the pain now?” I ask and he smiles at me as he holds onto his abdomen.

  “Well, it’s not that great, but there are far worse things in life. I just wish my family were her
e, the people I love. They’re all gone now and there’s no one left,” he tells me.

  Pain shoots through my chest and straight into my heart. Caleb and his parents were the only family I had left and I threw them away.

  “Sometimes when life gets hard you just have to fight through the tough times you know?” he says. I smile and nod trying not to let my watering eyes overflow, so I blink away the tears.

  “Don’t worry Mr. Stevens, your test results will be back shortly,” I say. He smiles then winces with pain. I rest my hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him. He knows what it’s like living in this world alone, with no one to help you through the tough times. And he’s here in this hospital, pretty sick and all alone. Like most days lonely patients make me think that maybe I was too quick to walk away from my second family. But then the image of Caleb and Maddie comes back and I cringe and shake my head, knowing that Caleb is heading down a path of destruction. He will be famous one day, of that I have always been sure, and with the rock and roll comes drugs and alcohol. You only have to look at his dad and uncle for proof of that. So even if I could forgive Caleb for Maddie, I can’t get past his imminent death when he overdoses. That’s something I can’t cope with. I walk out of Mr. Stevens’s room and continue on with my job, trying not to think about the perfect kiss I just shared and the sensation that washes over me when Caleb touches me. I can’t think about the way he makes me feel like I’m home when he’s near, or the way my heart flutters when I look into his gorgeous eyes. I can’t think of that right now. But it seems for the last half an hour while I’ve been trying to get on with work, Caleb is all I’m thinking about. I can hear yelling coming from Annie’s room so I walk over to hear Caleb and Annie arguing. I hesitate waiting for them to stop and then I head inside.

  “How are you feeling Annie?” Indi asks walking in gaining my attention. As she does, it’s literally like she’s in slow motion and I’m seeing her for the first time. She really is breathtaking.

  “A bit better thanks, Pixie,” Annie says and then her hand shoots up to her mouth as Indi smiles.

  “Pixie?” Indi asks and Annie shrugs.

  “You look like one. A cute little pixie,” Annie says and I can’t help but laugh. Not just because it’s funny, but because it is actually true.

  “Is she still drunk?” I ask and Annie scowls at me.

  “No, she shouldn’t be. Do you still feel drunk, Annie?” Indi asks as she detaches the drip.

  “No. I didn’t actually mean to say that it out loud, it just kinda slipped out…sorry,” Annie says and Indi giggles and it’s like heaven to my ears. Hearing Indi laugh is the only thing that matters to me. I want her to be happy.

  “No, it’s okay. I kind of like being a pixie,” she says as she takes Annie’s blood pressure.

  Annie winces as the blood pressure cuff squeezes tightly around her arm. “Geez, a master of pain type of pixie, right?” Annie asks and Indi and I both smirk.

  “Sorry. I know this sucks, but you seem to be doing much better now. You’ve been here for three hours and I think you’ve sobered up enough to go home,” she says and Annie tenses and looks at me.

  I don’t want to leave Indi yet. We haven’t said anything that needs to be said. I walk over to Indi and half-smile as I take her hand in mine. A current of electrical energy flows through our hands as her soft skin ignites mine.

  “Indi, we need to talk, but not now. Will you give me a moment to speak to you, say over lunch tomorrow?” I ask quietly, so Annie can’t hear.

  “I’m working tomorrow, and anyway it’s not a good idea. It won’t change anything. So what’s the point?” she asks and it’s like a hot knife stabs me right in the chest. She pulls her hand from mine taking the electrical surge with her as she looks back at Annie and smiles.

  “No offense, Annie, but I hope I don’t see you in here again. Take care of yourself, okay? And no more drinking,” she scolds, but with a smile that I’m sure is easing Annie, but it sure as hell isn’t easing me.

  I need to talk to her!

  “No offense taken. Thanks for looking after me, I really appreciate whatever it is you did for me,” Annie says. Indi smiles at her and then looks back at me and I can’t help but notice the tears in her eyes. I want to take her pain away. I want to scream that I love her and I have forever. She turns to walk out and I exhale in frustration.

  “Indi, please—”

  “Take her home, Caleb, she needs to recover,” she instructs and walks out of the room taking another piece of my broken heart with her.

  I walk out quickly because I can’t stop the tears this time, and I definitely do not want Caleb to see me cry. I wonder if he’ll follow me out, but I can’t hear his footsteps behind me as I race out of the room and lean up against the wall trying to breathe yet again. I hear Caleb and Annie start taking and I can’t help but overhear.

  “You okay, cuz?” Annie asks and I tense up waiting to hear what he has to say.

  “Yeah, just wasn’t expecting to see her today that’s all,” he says and I nod knowing exactly how he feels. I wasn’t expecting to see him either.

  “Who is she?” Annie asks.

  I thought Annie didn’t recognise me.

  “No one…she’s no one,” Caleb says and my whole body tenses up while I take in shallow breaths. Those words stung and even though I know we’re not on good terms, hearing him say that I’m no one confirms that I did the right thing walking out six years ago. I’ve thought about nothing but Caleb for the last six years and now that he’s right in front of me, he kissed me and then dismisses me yet again. The realization that he hasn’t changed at all slices through me.

  I didn’t see Indi again after she walked out. I wanted to go after her, but I needed to tell Colt I had Annie and I was bringing her home. That phone call was not pleasant and Colt demanded to know why I’d taken Annie from her party, but I decided Annie needed to step up to the plate and understand what she did was wrong. She needed to own her mistakes so I was going to make her tell Colt what had happened. Even if she hated me for it.

  I drove her the hour and a half home to Oxfordshire and she slept most of the way. I did feel sorry for her though. She told me Aston tried to kiss her and that’s why she went off the rails. I was shocked because I was sure she would have wanted him to kiss her, but I guess I was wrong. I made a mental note to text Aston and see how he was doing when I get home. Seemed like tonight was a shit night for all of us. Although I can’t say seeing Indi was shit, it was far from it, it’s just leaving her that was shit. It took every ounce of strength in me to leave the hospital, but I didn’t want Annie to worry about me and Indi. I knew if I caused a scene with Indi, Annie would ask questions – questions that I didn’t want to answer.

  So I let Indi go.

  It was almost as hard as realising she had left without saying goodbye. As I drove home, I relived the kiss. It was brief, but I know she was there in that moment with me. I know she felt it, and I know she wanted me to kiss her back. I think it might’ve been the best kiss I’ve ever had. Even though she broke away from me.

  We got back to the manor and walked inside to a waiting Colt and Lia. Annie’s parents were not happy when she told them what had happened, but she left out the part about Aston. Probably a good call because if I know Colt like I think I do, he would gut Aston like a fish if he found out. Colt sent Annie to bed and after she left Colt broke down. I’d seen him cry before when he learned that he wasn’t my father, but this was different. He was hurting and he explained it in that he felt like he was failing as a father, even though Lia and I tried our hardest to tell him that this wasn’t his fault. He took the blame hard and I knew I couldn’t help him, but Lia definitely could.

  Colt asked me to stay in the guest room because it was too late to drive all the way back to London. He was angry with me at first, but once he realised the reason I didn’t call him from the hospital he soon calmed down. Let’s face it we all know he would make a scene and anyone
with a camera phone could record it and release it to the press. I know I probably should’ve called, but honestly, I want our band to make it and having a scandal like the lead guitarist getting wasted and having to go to hospital is not something I wanted before we’ve even begun.

  So that leaves me where I am now. Lying on the spare bed and staring at pictures of Indi on my phone. She looks different now. Her hair is shorter and she’s grown up. Her body has filled out in all the right places and just thinking about her gorgeous face makes my heart tingle and my dick twitch. I feel like I want to call her, but what good would that do? She said “no” to seeing me again. She obviously has a reason, I just wish I knew what the fuck it was.

  I watch the time on my phone tick over. I haven’t slept at all, and all night all I could think of was her. Wishing I could touch her again, even just to smell her. I fantasized about kissing her lips and holding her body to mine. It feels like all the progress I made over the last six years to try and forget about her was all in vein. I’m utterly addicted to her, and I don’t think I can stay away from her. I will see her again, it’s just a matter of when.

  I look at the time, it’s six-thirty in the morning. I really just want to go home and wallow. So I get up, make the bed and walk downstairs thinking everyone will still be asleep. I proceed to the kitchen and notice Colt sitting at the dining table with his head in his hands. I exhale and walk over to him.

  “Did you get any sleep?” I ask and he looks up at me and shakes his head.

  “Not a wink.”

  I nod and take the seat next to him. “It’s not your fault you know?”

  He runs his hand through his hair and exhales. “I just want the right life for my girls, you know? I’ve been where Annie is now, and if she goes down this self-destruction path, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  I slump my shoulders. I knew he’d be upset by this, I just didn’t realise how much of a failure he must feel like.