Aria (Duet Series Book 1)

by Jennifer Hartmann

  "That's true.” Noah shrugged his shoulders with modest accord. "I'm basically a triple threat."

  "How am I not falling in love with you right now?"

  "I don't know," he laughed. "Where did I go wrong?"

  Chelsie couldn't help the laugh that escaped her mouth. She never expected to be standing in her living room, exchanging quips with Noah Hayes. She regained her composure and cleared her throat. "Can I get you anything? Something to drink?"

  Noah shrugged and followed her as she headed into the kitchen. "Sure, why not. But I'm going to watch you make it. I don't want you slipping any poison in there."

  "You would deserve it." Chelsie gave him the side-eye as she opened the refrigerator. She puckered her lips in disappointment when she realized she hadn't gone shopping in two weeks. There was a half-gallon of Sunny Delight, an assortment of odd condiments, a package of hot dogs, and month-old string cheese. "Uh, my tips were kind of bad this month. Sorry."

  "Yikes. Sunny D, it is."

  Chelsie pulled a glass out of her cabinet and poured him a drink. "Not exactly a celebrity-worthy cocktail.” She offered him a sheepish glance. "Want to sit down?"

  Noah followed her lead as she made her way back to the living room sofa. A silence settled between them. The last thing Chelsie wanted to talk about was their unexpected rendezvous, but she needed to find out what Noah knew about her past. "So," she began, watching as Noah took a swig of his juice. She wrung her hands together and took a deep breath. "What exactly do you know?"

  ***

  Noah found it hard to believe he was sitting on Chelsie's couch, sipping on Sunny Delight. A few days ago, she was just another one of Devon's conquests he had aimed to annihilate. Today, he was her confidante; an unlikely companion. Noah knew all about her dark past – more than Devon may ever know. For some peculiar reason, Noah felt the need to give her solace. Maybe it was the wounded, forsaken look in her eyes – or maybe it was the troubled way she'd spilled her guts to him. Her strong and fiery spirit had been reduced to a lost and lonely, young woman who'd experienced more than her fair share of bad luck. Noah would never forget the way she had clambered into his lap and taken his face into her shaking hands. She had begged him to never speak a word of it to anyone.

  Luckily for Chelsie, she would never remember that moment.

  Noah sat beside her, repeating the horror stories she had confessed to him the night before. Chelsie had the same damaged look in her eyes. Noah spoke of the physical abuse she had told him about – the black eyes, broken ribs, concussions, and forced sexual encounters. The emotional abuse had been the worst – Ian had isolated her from her friends and family. He had made Chelsie believe he was all she had. One night, he had tackled her to the floor, his fingers wrapped around her throat like the Grim Reaper. He’d asked her if she wanted to know how it felt to take her last breath.

  That had been the turning point for Chelsie. She was twenty-two years old when she'd finally had enough. She had found the courage to leave Ian.

  After a two-year stalking episode, Chelsie had left her parent's house and moved in with Lisa. During that time, Ian was arrested and convicted of rape by another victim. He was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. It was going to be a while before Chelsie had to worry about looking over her shoulder again – though, that day would inevitably come. It was only within the last year that she'd gotten her own apartment and created a new life for herself. She hadn’t had contact with her parents in years. They had desperately tried to help Chelsie leave Ian, but she was in too deep at the time. The relationship had disintegrated. Things were said that could not be taken back. Insults were thrown. Chelsie regretted all of it. Still, she didn’t have the courage to reconcile – she was too ashamed to go down that road and open those closed doors.

  Noah noticed Chelsie picking at a sofa pillow, so he stopped to ask her if she was okay. "We don't have to talk anymore," he said. He set his glass down on the coffee table and found her eyes. "That's basically all I know."

  Chelsie gave him a small smile and clutched the pillow to her chest. "Thanks for being so cool about this, Noah. I feel like I've come a long way, but I'll never truly be… you know, free. It will always be this black cloud hovering over me."

  "It will always be a part of you,” Noah agreed. “But use it to shape you into an even stronger person.” Noah tried to be thoughtful with his words – they were a powerful tool.

  Chelsie’s gaze lowered to her lap. "I'm afraid if Devon even gives me another chance, I'm just going to keep screwing up. Who would want to date a nut job like me? Nobody wants to deal with that kind of baggage. Especially a guy who has his pick of the litter."

  "Stop undermining yourself. That's your first problem," Noah said. He was firm in his delivery. "From what I see, you're an amazing girl with a lot of great qualities. And I won’t lie – I noticed you waiting tables long before Devon set his sights on you."

  Yikes. Had he gone too far?

  Chelsie's head shot up. Her nose crinkled at the confession. "Huh? I thought you hated me from the beginning.”

  "I never hated you. I was just being an asshole because that's what I do. You are smoking hot, even sitting here in your sweatpants."

  Double yikes. Noah needed to stop talking.

  Chelsie inched the pillow up to her chin, trying to hide her pink cheeks. "Uh… thanks.”

  The doorbell rang, startling the tension that had developed between them.

  "Oh, my God… Lisa." Chelsie jumped to her feet and raced over to the front door. "I completely forgot about our lunch date.”

  "I need to get going, myself.” Noah stood from the sofa and followed her lead. He halted in his tracks when Chelsie whipped around to face him. Her eyes were sparkling with genuine candor.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Really.”

  Noah was about to reply, but the knocking persisted.

  "I'm coming!" Chelsie shouted. She ran the rest of the way to greet her friend in the doorway. "Sorry, Lisa, I lost track of time. Noah was just leaving."

  Lisa had a perplexed look on her face as she glanced over at him. Noah offered a wave.

  "Uh, hey.” Lisa looked back and forth between himself and Chelsie. "Am I interrupting something? Should we reschedule?"

  Noah cleared his throat. "Like she said, I was on my way out. It's nice to see you, though."

  Chelsie interrupted. "I'm a hot mess, Lis. Let me freshen up. Ten minutes?"

  "Of course," Lisa said. As Noah brushed past her to walk out the door, Lisa placed a firm hand on his arm. Her voice turned low and ominous. "Don't go there," she warned.

  Noah tensed his jaw. He had to suppress his man pride from saying something scathing. He pulled his arm back and decided to play dumb. "I’m not following."

  Lisa crossed her arms over her chest. "You heard me. Just leave it alone."

  Noah was aware of a ‘Best Friend's Duty’. It was an unsaid rule to protect your friend from the scum of the Earth at all costs. Noah forgave Lisa’s assumption that he was on a mission to get in Chelsie’s pants and break her heart. She had a right to jump to conclusions – Noah had not been on his best behavior.

  He let out a sharp breath and shook his head. "It's not what it looks like.” Noah stepped past her and into the hallway, then headed out to his car. He needed to clear his head because he, too, had a date that afternoon.

  6 Chapter Six

  It was Friday night, and a week had passed since Chelsie's mortification occurred in the presence of Devon Sawyer. Again.

  It had been almost a week with no contact. No follow-up phone call begging for a coffee date. No text message forgiving her for making a giant ass out of herself.

  Nothing.

  It was a tough truth to swallow: Chelsie had blundered any chance she may have had with the famous musician. And now, she was drowning her sorrows in a fruity cocktail with Julia and Lisa.

  "You know," Julia began, taking a sip of her giant, frozen daiquiri. "You can always con
tact Devon yourself, Chelsie. You did immediately save his number to your phone, right?"

  "Yes, Julia. I'm not a complete idiot," Chelsie replied. Though, she didn’t entirely believe that statement. "I just don't feel comfortable bugging him. I feel like he would contact me if he really wanted to."

  "True," Julia shrugged.

  Chelsie's shoulders sagged in defeat. "I suck at life. I'm doomed."

  "Don't be such a Debbie downer," Julia said. "You'll find the right guy. No one nearly as good-looking or successful, but somebody will come along."

  Lisa rolled her eyes. "Really not helping, Jules." She turned to Chelsie. "Hey, do you want to get out of here? Depression and alcohol rarely lead to good things."

  Chelsie shook her head. "Thanks, but I’m okay. I just need to forget about Devon and enjoy myself. I've been harboring guilt and self-loathing all week. I have to move on from this." Her phone buzzed as she brought her straw to her lips. She glanced at it, then did a double take. Then she did a triple take – just to make sure. "Um, guys…?" Chelsie trailed off.

  "What?" both girls asked in unison.

  "Devon just texted me to meet him at Marley's."

  "Fuck yeah!" Julia exclaimed, chugging down her daiquiri and flinging her purse over her shoulder. "Let's get out of here! I am totally having sex with Noah tonight."

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lisa said. She grabbed Julia’s hand to hold her back. "Are we even invited, Chelsie? Is this just a 'you' thing?"

  Chelsie couldn't contain the beaming smile on her lips. She turned the phone around to face her friends, Devon's text message in full view: "I miss u. Bring your friends and meet us @ Marley's."

  Thirty minutes later, Chelsie had her arms linked with Lisa and Julia as they strolled into Marley’s. The last time she had been there, the night had ended in heated words and a swift exit. But Chelsie was feeling optimistic. She had smoothed over her contemptuous relationship with Noah, and Devon sounded eager to see her.

  It was going to be a good night.

  When they made their way inside, Chelsie heard her name in the crowd. She looked up to find Devon Sawyer waving to her from atop the balcony. Chelsie waved back with a schoolgirl grin and marched up the stairs to the V.I.P. room.

  "Hey," Devon said. He had a genuine smile on his handsome face. "I'm so glad you could make it. I've been meaning to get in touch with you all week."

  Chelsie reached over and gave him a hug. A delicious shiver crept up her spine as his body pressed against hers. He smelled of musky cologne and expensive liquor. She couldn’t help but nuzzle her face against the crevice of his neck and breathe in the intoxicating scent of him. Devon responded by running his hands up and down her back.

  “Hey, how come you never greet me like that?” said a familiar voice to her left. Chelsie pulled herself away from Devon and smiled at Noah. He was leaning against the wall with a beer in his hand. When they made eye contact, Noah gave her a playful wink.

  “I see you two are finally getting along?” Devon glanced back and forth between Chelsie and Noah.

  Chelsie shrugged. “For now.” She turned her attention back to Devon. She took him by the hand and led him over to their customary corner of the room. “We should probably talk about how things unfolded last week. I want to explain myself.”

  Devon held his hand up and stopped her before she could continue. “No need. I know exactly what happened. My bandmate is a dick.”

  She couldn’t help but chuckle. “I won’t argue that. But I want you to know the person you witnessed that night wasn’t me. I’ll have a drink every now and then, but I don’t get blackout drunk.”

  “Chelsie, I know this,” Devon assured her. He lifted his hand and tucked a strand of rebellious blonde hair behind her ear.

  Chelsie’s heartbeat sped up and her eyelids fluttered at Devon’s touch. She inhaled sharply as his fingers swept through her golden locks. “I didn’t freak you out?”

  Devon shook his head. “It takes a lot to freak me out. The reason I didn’t call you was because the band got a pretty amazing opportunity and it took up a lot of my time. I wanted to contact you when my mind was clear.”

  Chelsie barely heard him. His hand was stroking her cheek and her legs began to quiver. She pulled him over to the adjacent couch with a flirtatious grin. “Sorry, standing is becoming problematic.”

  Devon’s blue eyes sparkled as he studied her face. “God, you’re beautiful.”

  Chelsie lowered her gaze to escape his intense stare.

  “Hey, look at me,” Devon said, taking her chin in his grasp and raising her head so they were face-to-face. “I mean it.”

  When their eyes locked, Chelsie knew he meant it. She hadn’t heard anyone say it with such sincerity before. The only time Ian told her she was beautiful was after a beating or a rape – it was his way of “apologizing” to her. Those words had fallen on deaf ears ever since.

  Chelsie responded in the only way that felt right. She leaned into Devon and kissed him hard. He kissed back with an equal amount of fire, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body against his. Chelsie decided she wanted this. She had been running from men for too many years. It was time to gain back control of her life. Men were not the enemy. Devon was not the enemy.

  “Where do you want to go from here?” Devon asked, pulling back slightly to speak. His voice was husky and full of promise.

  Chelsie wasn’t prepared to answer that question. She sat up and swept the hair back from her face. “I don’t know. All I know is I want to keep seeing you. I’ve never dated a famous person before, so I’m sure there’s more to it.”

  “Famous or not, I’m still just a guy who likes a girl. We don’t have to complicate this.”

  Chelsie considered his words, still hesitant to believe that Devon Sawyer wanted to be with her. Her. Granted, he wasn’t aware of her tremendous baggage and relationship history – no, Noah was, of all people, the one to be graced with that knowledge – but it was still something Chelsie was having a hard time coming to grips with. She had never felt like she was destined for great things. She was a shattered girl from a small town.

  ‘Leap or retreat’, her mother would always say.

  “I want this,” Chelsie said. She cupped Devon’s face between nervous palms. She watched his face morph into genuine relief. “Let’s try to make this work.”

  Leap.

  And, so, they made their relationship official.

  Four weeks had passed by. Four weeks of touring, paparazzi, crazed fans, and after-parties. The entire month had been a blur and Chelsie was loving every minute of it. She had cut back her hours at her job, so she was able to travel with the band when they played out of state. She had a good chunk of savings her parents had given her when she’d turned eighteen that she’d barely touched until now. It helped her keep up on her rent payments. Freeze Frame played a lot of local shows, but it was always a treat when she was flown to San Diego or Chicago on a first-class ticket, seated next to her celebrity boyfriend.

  That took getting used to. Devon Sawyer was her boyfriend.

  Lisa and Julia were incredibly supportive, albeit a tiny bit jealous of Chelsie’s newfound fame. It wasn’t just Freeze Frame making headlines – it was Devon’s mysterious, new girlfriend. The tabloids had been having a hay day with their story, and Julia made sure to text Chelsie covers of the newest gossip magazines whenever she was out of town. It was thrilling to be a household name – yet, it was also intimidating that every woman in America wanted to burn her at the stake. Devon did his best to shield her from the spotlight, but technology made it impossible.

  Chelsie was standing backstage at the United Center in Chicago. She placed a pair of ear buds into her ears to drown out the deafening screams from the audience, as fans waited for Freeze Frame to take the stage. Devon was sipping from his water bottle while Noah tuned his guitar. Tad, the drummer, twirled two sticks between his fingers as he paced the room.

  “This shit never gets an
y less nerve-wracking,” Tad said, grabbing a Red Bull from the mini-fridge and popping off the tab.

  “Don’t be a pussy,” Noah shot back. His words were muffled from the cigarette dangling out of his mouth.

  Chelsie studied Noah as he fiddled with his guitar strings. Her blossoming friendship with the snappy guitarist had been one of the stranger things to unfold throughout this crazy journey. No one seemed to question it – Chelsie figured their friendly alliance was preferable to their initial lethal banter.

  “Want me to grab one of the techs?” Chelsie offered. He huffed through his cigarette as he struggled with the strings.

  Well, mostly friendly.

  Miles breezed past her, phone to his ear, and Chelsie could tell by his tone of voice who he was talking to. Chelsie smiled. Lisa and the Freeze Frame bassist had become quite cozy with each other during the past month. While nothing was official, they talked and texted constantly. It was apparent they were enjoying each other’s company. Lisa’s face lit up when she spoke of the skinny, long-haired musician. Chelsie was eager for Lisa to join her in the spotlight as a “Freeze Frame Girlfriend”.

  “All right, boys, it’s show time.” Their band manager, Sean, bustled around the room and made the rounds to all four men. Noah had finally gotten his guitar in tune and it was time to make some music.

  Chelsie could hear the screams of every woman in the Chicagoland area. She jumped up off her chair as the men made their way out, watching with anticipation from the side of the stage. It was always a rush watching them play. While Devon was her main attraction, Chelsie couldn’t help but fixate on Noah sometimes. He played his instrument with such passion – almost as if it were more of an erotic experience than a musical one. It was incredible to watch him hone his talent in front of the crowds. Chelsie watched as sweat dripped down his bronzed neck, soaking the collar of his t-shirt. She shook her head and refocused her gaze on Devon. The crowd was eating them up. Devon could sing. He wasn’t a synthesized pop artist in a boy band – no, Devon Sawyer was the real deal. His voice was raw. His range was incredible. Chelsie got goosebumps every time he opened his mouth.