by N. Kognytao
“Sounds like you’re in love,” Aaron murmured.
She let out a small laugh, hanging her head and nodding.
“I think it’s the beginning stages, but yeah,” she agreed. “I really like the guy.”
“Then there’s nothing complicated about it,” the guitarist assured. “Love is not complicated. Life when you’re in love is what can get complicated. And your situation…it is a big complicated.”
“I worry that this is going to affect my ability to work at RM.”
“Because of Mr. Gracie? No, he really will leave you alone about your private life—”
“No, it’s not about that,” she said quickly. “I mean, I guess a little. But I feel inspired with him, and yet Mr. Gracie warned me that we might fight because Braydon can be a bit cold and he’s not good at maintaining relationships…what if I can’t write without her? Or what if we have some sort of falling out and I can’t write at all?”
“I think you’re getting ahead of yourself,” the guitarist chuckled, setting his instrument down. “You know that writing songs is an emotional thing. Find the inspiration, whether for happy or sad songs, with him. Seems like he’s already become a very important person to you.” Aaron hesitated, rubbing his hands together. “But…you may want to emotionally prepare yourself for the fact that there is a probably a lot more to him. He seems really complicated. You need to evaluate if you feel ready to handle that. He might be too much even for you and your optimistic, happy-go-lucky attitude.”
“I don’t know, that happy-go-lucky optimism has carried me through some very difficult things,” Leah reminded him. Aaron’s smile turned a little sad, but he nodded.
“Yes, that’s true.”
Leah looked up at her friend.
“Did you ever meet Amy Linden? She was in our grade in high school.”
“I don’t think so…”
“She was a bit of a loner, seemed afraid of everyone, got angrier then hell when someone commented on her lazy eye or the way she looked. I was working with her on a project for English right before Meggie went into the hospital. She came over, and Meggie asked her about her eye, and Amy snapped at her.” She sighed heavily. “After she went home, my mom told us both that if someone ever acts like that, it’s because someone made them react that way. Turns out that Amy’s lazy eye was due to an injury from her father beating her years before.”
“I never knew that…”
“No one did. My mother found out from Amy’s aunt and told me so I understood why she was so sensitive about it.” She shrugged. “That always made me realize that no one is born complicated or strange. They’re made that way based on things that have happened to them. I don’t know what’s happened to Braydon, but I don’t want to change the way he is. I just want to understand him.”
Aaron shook his head, playfully rolling his eyes.
“You’re a pathetic romantic, you know that? Maybe you should try your hand at writing romance novels.”
Leah quickly shook her head. “I’ll stick to sappy love songs.”
Chapter Ten
Tim was not sure if he should knock or text, but after some careful consideration, he pulled out his phone and texted the occupant of the loft.
Open the door. I have coffee.
He waited, leaning against the opposing wall and waiting for the door to open.
Eventually, it did.
Braydon was dressed in his one of his typical long-sleeve sweaters, most of which were baggy and faded with sleeves low enough to cover his hands to his knuckles. His hair was its usual mess and her face was drawn in exhaustion.
“Did I wake you?” Tim chuckled, stepping forward. He reached out and took the coffee from his hand, stepping back to allow him into the flat.
“No,” he answered. “I haven’t been to bed, yet.”
He eagerly consumed the hot coffee from the Muse Café, which Tim knew was his favorite. He walked easily into the flat and shrugged off his coat, hanging it next to the door.
Braydon looked him over as he walked toward the living room to gaze out the large windows on the far wall. The writer’s brows furrowed together in confusion.
“I will never understand your sense of style,” he murmured, sitting heavily on the couch, trying to avoid looking at the pages strewn across the coffee table overrun with corrections marked in red ink.
He looked at the younger man before pressing his hand over his chest.
“Do you have any idea how much this is worth?”
“Too much for how it looks,” he quipped. “When did you become such a label queen?”
Tim smiled thinly in response, walking toward the coffee table and looking over the pages.
“Is this the new one?”
“New series,” he affirmed.
“I thought you were going to only do stand-alones now,” he noted, picking up some of the pages and glancing over them.
“Well, that asshole Lingard and the publishers want a series. And I need to find a way to feed myself.”
He sighed, setting the papers down and sitting across from Braydon, taking a sip of his own coffee. He looked around, surprised to see one thing he had become very accustomed to seeing. Slowly, he turned his eyes to the younger man, watching his heavy eyelids close as he took another drink of coffee.
“Are you…” He hesitated. “Are you quitting smoking?”
He opened her eyes, startled that Tim had noticed the lack of an ashtray. He sighed, looking away from him.
“I should quit,” he agreed. “Figured this was as good a time as any.”
The CEO of RM Entertainment was so taken aback he could not disguise his shock.
“Well, that is a change in attitude. Whatever happened to, screw you, I smoke and you’re just going to have to deal with it?”
He lowered his eyes again, taking another drink.
“Did Ms. Dillon ask you to stop?”
“No.”
“Are you stopping because of her?”
He refused to meet his brother-in-law’s eyes.
“It’s not good for someone who depends on her voice to be near second-hand smoke,” he murmured.
Tim laughed before he could help himself.
“Then why couldn’t I make you stop?” he teased. “I’m a singer, and you didn’t think about my exposure to your bad habit.”
“4Ever had disbanded by the time I started smoking. You weren’t singing anymore.”
He shook his head.
“I would have never thought that a young woman you barely knew could change your habits so drastically. I’m impressed. Seems her charm extends off the stage.”
Braydon finally lifted his eyes.
“Is that why you’re here?”
“Of course it is,” Tim said, his voice turning quiet.
“As her boss, or my brother-in-law?”
He sighed, tilting his head to the side.
“I haven’t decided, yet.”
They were silent for what felt like hours. Braydon continued to drink his coffee, refusing to be the one to start the conversation. As he felt the cup get emptier, he slowed, wanting to have the distraction from what he knew would be a difficult conversation.
“Ken and Sarah asked how you were,” Tim started suddenly. Braydon stopped, the rim of the coffee cup pressed to his mouth.
“What did you tell them?”
“To call you.”
“And they told you that I never pick up the phone?”
“Naturally.” He laughed, rolling his eyes. “Why don’t you call them once and a while? They are your parents.”
“I have nothing to report to them,” he said coldly. “Nothing has changed.” He eyed Tim. “Unless you told them I was seeing someone.”
“The only person I told was Emma.”
“Which means she told them.”
Tim sighed. “Everyone is just looking out for you. You’ve never been in a relationship before. You’ve only had one-night stands.”
&
nbsp; “That’s easier.”
“Then what’s different about Ms. Dillon?”
Braydon fell very quiet, his eyes distant as he tried to think of an answer.
“I honestly don’t know…”
Tim was silent, waiting for him to continue, seeing the way his thoughts turned behind his eyes. Finally, he sighed heavily.
“I feel very calm, and yet very happy, with her,” he murmured, barely audible.
Tim leaned back in his seat, his eyes wide.
“Wow…”
Braydon still refused to meet his eyes.
“Okay,” he said, nodding. “So she is special. That must scare the hell out of you.”
“It does.”
The CEO of RM Entertainment looked around the flat, trying to think of how to ask all the questions that were bouncing in his brain. Finally, he decided it was best not to ask them at all. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and forced a gentle smile to his face.
“I’m happy to hear that, Braydon.”
He was clearly surprised by his reaction.
“That’s it?”
His smile broadened as he shrugged. “That’s it.”
“For now?”
“For now,” he agreed, laughing. “I’m trying not to let my protective nature take over.”
“That must be difficult for you,” he teased. “I am pretty good about taking care of myself, Tim. I’m an adult, now.”
“I know,” he said. “I just want to watch out for you.”
“Well, then, Mr. Gracie, what does RM Entertainment have to say about my new relationship?”
Tim’s demeanor changed once more, his shoulders straightening as he leaned forward and put his coffee down on the table in front of him.
“You know that you must keep this relationship discreet, right?” he said strongly. “If it were to come out that you were dating our promising new talent, a lot of people would question my motives for promoting her so quickly.”
“I can be discreet,” she assured.
“It would be unfair, also, if she were known only as being the girlfriend to my younger brother, rather than for the talent she very clearly has,” Tim continued. “You know how cruel people get, and they are particularly cruel with young women in the spotlight.”
“I know,” Braydon assured. “I would not want her talent to be ignored, either.”
“But…” Tim hesitated. “I also want to be sure you won’t distract her.”
“Ah,” he murmured, “there it is.”
He stood, going to throw his empty paper cup away. Tim turned.
“I’m serious, Braydon.”
“I have no plans to distract her,” he said sharply. “I’m doing what you said. I talked to her and told her that I disappear when I work. I’ll try to keep her from worrying. And I don’t plan to dump my baggage on her. Which, thank you for telling her that I was complicated.”
“I’m just trying to watch out for the both of you,” Tim defended. “And this isn’t only about her work. If she becomes as big as I think she can, you’re not safe from the media spotlight.”
“If I was worried about that, I wouldn’t have published any of my books,” Braydon said, walking back to the living room, wishing he could smoke to calm his nerves from the stressful conversation. However, he had committed to quitting—in no small part because of Leah—and he had to contend with pulling out a pack of gum from his pocket instead. Popping one between his teeth, he sat heavily in her spot once more.
“Braydon…”
“I will remind you, Tim, that I am not an employee of RM,” he said. “You cannot control what I do.”
“Do you understand why I’m worried?”
“…yes.”
“With my father in prison, and that shit storm with 4Ever disbanding…the company cannot afford another scandal, and something like this could destroy the company, which would put a lot of artists out of work, including Ms. Dillon.”
“What do you want to do, then?”
“…I’m going to do everything I can to keep your name away from hers. I’ll tell her new manager about your relationship and I will have him impress upon Ms. Dillon that any fame she achieves puts you in a bad position. I have a feeling that will be better motivation than telling her that her career will be at stake.”
“I don’t think you have to worry, Tim,” he murmured. “…it was a long time ago, and anything that does come up you can wave away as rumor.”
“…but I don’t want you to be put in that same position.”
“I’ll be alright, Tim.”
“This balance that you’ve maintained over the last few years will be disrupted if you let Ms. Dillon into your life,” he said. “There is no way for you to know how this will work out for you. If you need to go back on the medication—”
“No,” he snapped. “I don’t need medication, damn it.”
He raised his hands peacefully.
“Alright, sorry I brought it up.”
“Half the time I feel like Emma and my parents tell you what to say to me because they’re too afraid to say it themselves.”
“…that’s not entirely inaccurate.”
He flung a throw pillow at the older man as he laughed. Tim smoothed over the tassels on the side of the pillow.
“In all honestly, I am worried about you.”
“I know you are.”
“And I’m worried about Ms. Dillon,” he continued. “So…I guess the only thing I can really say is that if you need anything, concerning Ms. Dillon or not, you can tell me.”
“Thank you, Tim.”
Chapter Eleven
As Leah was sitting in Studio Two listening to the tracks they had finished, searching for anything she wanted to change, the door suddenly burst open. Jay and Leah whirled around and Aaron leapt up from the couch in surprise. Yasmine let out a startled cry while Keith and Carson quickly looked up from the magazine they were mulling over.
Standing in the door way was a tall man with greying hair at the temples and thick glasses around his dark eyes. He was in an immaculate suit and his expensive watch glittered as he held the heavy studio door against the wall.
“Holy shit!” Jay cried. “What the hell are you doing here?!”
Briefly worried that they were in some kind of danger from the broad stranger, Leah tensed, but when Jay leapt out of his chair and ran to meet a strong handshake and half-hug, she realized the man was another close friend of the producer.
The singer carefully stood, casting a wary eye around to the other musicians, who were all just as confused about the stranger.
“I heard that I had another brat or two to take care of,” the man answered. He looked around the room, his eyes finally settling on Leah. “Vocalist, right?”
“…yes?” she answered hesitantly.
The man looked over Leah with hawk-like intensity. The young woman backed into the soundboard, nervous.
“How old are you?”
“T-twenty-three.”
“Hmm…” He scrutinized Leah once again. “I supposed I can work with that.”
“What?!” Leah snapped, not sure what the stranger meant.
“I thought you were retired,” Jay interjected.
“Not really,” the man said, finally stepping out of the doorway and allowing the door to swing shut. “Hello, everyone. My name is Alexander Stuart. You may call me Alex. From now on, I am your manager.”
While Leah felt a little easier knowing who the man was, she was also surprised at the demeanor of the manager she had been assigned. He seemed cold and distant, his dark eyes hard-set in his angular face. Leah felt the immediate need to break the tension of the room caused by Mr. Stuart with a silly joke, but there was a part of her that was sure it would be unwelcome.
“Tim pulled you out of retirement to manage these kids?” Jay asked, surprised.
“Not exactly,” he corrected. “He called and asked who I would recommend to manage a younger version of Michael. I
told him that there was no way he found a younger version of Michael, and after some argument, I agreed to come back for a time to evaluate this new promising talent.”
“Wait,” Aaron started, raising his hand, “you’re managing her on a bet with Mr. Gracie?”
“No, I’m an employee again, but it more or less started as a bet with Tim.” He turned to Jay. “It’s weird to hear Tim be called Mr. Gracie.”
“I know,” the producer laughed. “You get used to it after a while.” He placed a hand on the taller man’s shoulder and nodded to Leah. “This is her, Leah Dillon.”
“That’s me,” Leah affirmed, walking forward and extending her hand. “I guess I’m your new problem.”
“Seems that way,” Alex agreed, shaking her hand. “I saw the recording of your first performance opening for Glaring Nights. You’ve got some promise.”
“…thanks? I dunno, I thought the audience asking for an encore from a female opening act for a male band was a pretty damn good show,” she bragged with a broad smile.
“One good show doesn’t mean anything. It’s the ability to do that over and over again,” the manager said. “And now, you need to focus on getting yourself out there as more than an opening act, which means you need to come with me immediately.”
“Um…for what?”
“Your first interview.”
“My what?”
“Get up. Let’s go. She’s already waiting for you.”
“Wait, wait! What about the songs?! What about everyone else?!” Leah protested, surprised when Alex walked over and took her hand, pulling her upright and guiding her to the door.
“Jay, I’m leaving them in your hands,” Alex called over his shoulder.
“Wait a second!” Leah called.
“Come on.”
The new manager practically yanked Leah out the door while the other four turned to the producer.
“Um, is Leah going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine,” Jay assured. “First interviews are generally with RM-friendly websites anyway.” The producer leaned back in his chair, his face pensive.
“What is it?” Yasmine asked.
“I’m just surprised that Alex is here. Back in the final days of 4Ever, he was their manager. And for the first two years of 4U’s solo career, he was 4U’s manager.”