Rock My World

by Lee Piper

  Chill the fuck out, Grace.

  After all, Levi and I were in love. We openly shared our deepest secrets last night and then solidified our strengthened connection through insanely passionate sex. Lots of it. So Katrina could call Levi. Hell, she could talk to him until her phone ran out of battery, for all I cared. But if she ever laid a finger on him, I would have it removed and shoved into her ear hole. She would walk around all day unknowingly flipping people the bird. With that comforting thought, I reverted back to Mr. Overenthusiastic and continued taking notes with my slightly warped pen.

  When we broke for morning refreshments, Levi was nowhere to be seen. I was totally okay with it. Really. And as fate would have it, I bumped into Aemon.

  Oomph.

  Literally.

  “You okay, Grace?”

  I rubbed my sore arm and tried to disguise the dull, pounding pain. “Yeah, I’m all right. You?”

  He laughed. “Of course. I’m stronger than I look, you know.”

  “Sure you are.”

  He laughed again.

  Uh-oh, here it comes.

  Aemon’s eyes turned serious. “Where’d you get to yesterday? When a woman leaves me like that, it’s usually because she’s doing the walk of shame.”

  I averted my eyes. “I ah, just had something I needed to do.”

  “I see.”

  My eyes flew back to his. He did see. Shit.

  “So where’s your student teacher?”

  “He has a name, Aemon. I introduced you, remember? It’s Levi.”

  “Okay then, where’s Levi?”

  “Ah, I’m not exactly sure. He took a call during the last session and didn’t … um, come back.”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “It’s a free country. I can’t exactly get pissed because he answered his damn phone, can I?”

  “That’s not what I meant. I was referring to if you were okay with him not coming back.”

  I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. “If you’ve got something to say to me, then just say it. Quit with the bullshit already.”

  Aemon’s eyes narrowed and he took a step closer. “All right then, I will. I don’t think he’s the guy for you, Grace. There, I’ve said it.”

  I rolled my eyes. “And let me guess, you are?”

  But Aemon ignored me. “He’s not gonna stick around. I’ve seen his type before, they say all the right things and make you feel like a million bucks, but when another opportunity comes up, they move on to it the first chance they get.”

  He must have noticed my dangerous expression because his tone then softened considerably. “Look, we’ve known each other a long time. I just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.”

  I counted to ten in my head. And then to twenty.

  “Grace, say something.”

  Thirty. I held up my finger, telling him to wait. Forty. Once I reached fifty, I spoke. “Aemon.” My voice was measured. “I get that this is your perverse way of looking out for me. Believe me, I do. But I’m not going to justify my relationship with Levi to you. Now, if you want to keep your balls, I suggest we change the subject. Quickly.”

  He sighed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I moved threateningly towards him. “Okay, okay. Let’s just go back inside, the next session is about to start.”

  “Good idea,” I muttered.

  Aemon and I made our way back into the conference hall and sat down. I actually did really well during the next two hours. I mean, I didn’t even let the empty seat on my right serve as a distraction. After all, there was no way I was going to let Aemon’s words torment me.

  Much.

  Okay, that was a complete lie. They continuously churned over in my subconscious and then randomly popped up in the forefront of my mind when I least expected it, paralyzing me with fear. Clearly, my brain was a sadist. Is there any truth in what Aemon’s prophesizing? Will Levi ultimately leave me? Is this phone call the catalyst of a catastrophic downward spiral? Can my internal monologue possibly get any more dramatic?

  I shook my head. I had to trust in what we shared. Surely our relationship was strong enough to survive a freakin’ phone call. After all, what else could I do? Pray?

  I snorted.

  By the time we broke for lunch, I was mentally drained. It felt as though I had been dragged through the most exhausting obstacle course ever created. However, despite my internal battle between merciless negativity and determined positivity, I somehow managed to take notes. Lots of them. In fact, many pages had been filled with my dogged efforts. Katrina’s name only appeared five times. And there were only two references to Levi dumping my ass. I scribbled them all out until the words were smeared patches of blue ink on white paper.

  I guessed that Levi was at the café we went to yesterday. After mumbling something comparable to a farewell to Aemon, I negotiated my way past countless people standing in between me and the main glass doors of the convention center.

  He was out front, pacing up and down the footpath on his phone, face creased in concentration. “What about Finn’s symbols? His high hats?” Levi paused, listening to the person on the other end. “Right. And how many sticks does he have left?” He paused again. “Well, tell him to get up and go get some. Now.” Levi spotted me standing a couple of feet away and his eyes instinctively softened. “Have you sorted out the special delivery?” He nodded. “Okay, text me when you hear back. Later, fucktard.”

  My eyebrows rose in surprise. He wasn’t still speaking to Katrina then. “Everything all right?”

  He nodded, eyes bright. “C’mon, let’s go eat. I’m starving.” Levi grabbed my hand and we walked to the café, he bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet the whole way.

  Twenty minutes later, we were part way through our lunch and I was internally laughing at myself. I was officially eating off a wooden chopping board and admiring a table number stamped on a ten-inch vinyl record. Hipsters were awesome. I wasn’t going to ask about what was up with Levi. Clearly something big was unfolding, but if he didn’t want to tell me, then I wasn’t going to force the issue. I was growing as a person. Who would’ve thought?

  “Katrina called earlier.”

  I swallowed with effort. “I know, I was there.”

  “She told me that Tsunami pulled out.”

  “Who the fuck’s Tsunami? And what did they pull out of?”

  Levi shook his head in amusement. “I love that mouth of yours, kitten. It’s so sweet.” I narrowed my eyes at him and he laughed. “They’re the second band in tomorrow night’s lineup.” He noticed my blank expression and sighed. “You know, the gig Adrift is headlining? The one we’ve both got tickets to go see?”

  “Oh, right.”

  “Well, turns out Tsunami can’t play. Their lead singer has tonsillitis and his voice is fucked. Which means…”

  I put down my organic, fair trade, free range and God-only-knows-what-else slider. “Yes?” I drew out the word until it had at least seven syllables, forcing Levi to finish his damn sentence.

  “Katrina wants Mondez to play.”

  “What?”

  “After you went up to the room last night, I showed her our latest EP recording.”

  I looked at him, confused.

  “It’s saved on my phone. Anyway, she loved it. So when Austen from Tsunami canceled on her, she phoned, asking us to play instead.”

  Sitting back on my wooden crate, I stared at him, bewildered.

  “I’ve been calling the boys all morning trying to get shit sorted. We need to organize our instruments, hardware, plane tickets, everything. It’s fucking hectic.”

  “Plane tickets? When do they get here?”

  “In four and a half hours. We’re gonna check out the venue later on tonight. After we’ve seen what it’s like, we can figure out what we need to borrow from the guys in Adrift tomorrow. We’ve never played anywhere except The Hole, so it’s gonna be unreal performing in front of a large audience. Katrina say
s The Ruby Room holds up to two hundred people and I’ve heard that Adrift pull a decent sized crowd.”

  I shook my head, stunned.

  “Crazy, huh?”

  “Crazy,” I agreed, trying to take it all in.

  ****

  The afternoon session was weird, to say the very least. Aemon sat on my left and Levi on my right. They’d both been polite enough when we first sat down, but I could feel an undercurrent of seething hatred festering between the two of them. Which meant that whenever I glanced at Levi and he was on his phone, I only had to look at Aemon to see him frowning at me. That knowing look on his face was freakin’ annoying.

  I sighed, forcing myself to focus on the guest speaker. Only it was beyond impossible. The child psychologist from Adelaide was, without a doubt, the most boring presenter I’d ever had the misfortune to sit through. If anything, I was glad for the constant vibrations coming from Levi’s direction, at least they jolted me awake at periodic intervals. The combination of a late night, an exhaustive internal battle and this guy’s droning monotonous voice was a recipe for a well-earned sleep.

  At last we filed out the main doors. The cool Melbourne breeze slapped me awake and I instantly felt more refreshed. I turned to face Aemon. “Guess, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  “Look, if you feel like going out for a drink or anything tonight, you know, to catch up on old times…”

  “She doesn’t.”

  I glared at Levi, who in turn, was glaring at Aemon.

  “How about you let Grace talk for herself?”

  Levi moved until he was standing within spitting distance of Aemon, hands clenched in tight fists. “How about I beat the shit out of you for making a move on my woman? Show some respect, you conniving dick.”

  Whoa. Levi’s temper is so goddamn sexy. I mean, focus, Grace.

  “For fuck’s sake, both of you calm down.” I pushed Levi to the side and looked at Aemon. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not really in the mood for a trip down memory lane tonight. I just want to head back to the hotel.” Softening my rejection, I then added, “But I’d really like us to hang out before I head back home.”

  Levi growled, it resonated directly with my enraptured female parts.

  Aemon smiled at me. “It’s a date.”

  I gritted my teeth. “No, it’s not. Man, if I give an inch you take the whole damn mile, don’t you?”

  He grinned wider.

  “You won’t be smiling when I’m through with you, asshole,” Levi threatened quietly.

  Aemon’s grin faltered briefly when he met an unblinking steel blue glare. He’d clearly just failed some testosterone-fuelled test because Levi nodded. “Just as I thought.” Levi turned his back to him and faced me instead. Stepping in close, he threaded his fingers through my hair, leaned down and kissed me.

  Deeply.

  Minutes later, he pulled back, nipped my bottom lip and murmured, “Ready?”

  I melted. Sighed. And quite possibly swooned. To be honest, I couldn’t even comprehend his simple question. I just wanted him to touch me again. We’d gone almost twelve hours without this type of heated contact and it almost killed me.

  “Let’s go.”

  Aemon was nowhere to be seen, so Levi and I strode back to the hotel, hand in hand. As we walked through the foyer, he asked, “Drink?”

  “God, yes.”

  When we stepped into Oblivion, I instinctively noticed that the bar felt different. There seemed to be more people, even though the place was in no way full. In fact, on closer inspection I could only see two new additions to the usual corporate and elderly types. But something in their youthful vibrancy made the place feel less suffocating than usual.

  Levi let go of my hand and stared straight ahead. I gazed up at him, perplexed.

  “Prepare yourself, kitten.”

  “Huh?”

  “Gracie, Dickwad.”

  I turned my head in the direction of the sound, just in time to be twirled around in the air like I was starring in a freakin’ ballroom dancing contest. “Fucking hell, Dom, put me down.”

  He laughed, before plonking me back on my feet and ruffling my hair like I was three.

  I punched him in the stomach and my arm screamed bloody murder. “Goddamn it.”

  “You all right?”

  I grimaced up at Levi’s concerned face but nodded, rubbing my hand over the smarting pain.

  “You throw punches like a girl.” Dom chuckled, completely oblivious.

  Narrowing my eyes at him, I threatened, “Want me to try again?”

  “How about I take a look at that arm for you?”

  My face lit up. “Riley.” She’d been standing behind that annoying mountain of muscle and jest. I shoved Dom aside and threw my arms around her, immediately ignoring the thumping ache. “It’s so good to see you.” Pulling back, I stared at her. “Hang on, what are you even doing here?”

  She smiled broadly down at me, looking as faultlessly gorgeous as always. “Levi thought you might like some company at the gig tomorrow night.” She shrugged one shoulder. “You know I never pass up a chance to watch the boys play, so I swapped my shift with Mae, booked a room here and ta-da.” She opened her arms wide.

  I smiled at Levi, mouthing a heartfelt, “Thank you.”

  He grinned and winked at me, while I quickly gripped the back of a nearby chair. Useless knees.

  Dom stepped closer to Levi, inspecting him up and down. A teasing smile played about the corners of his mouth. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Gracie here got an A plus on that school project I gave her.”

  “What school project?”

  “Ignore him, Riley. He’s talking out his ass,” I muttered.

  “So who was it, bro?” Dom persisted, “Don’t tell me it was that woman who kept shoving her tits in your face? You know, the one from school you told me about? She was supposed to be here too, right?”

  I glared at Levi, who glowered at Dom.

  “I mean, correct me if I’m wrong but I always took you for an ass man myself.”

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  Dom stared hard at Levi, then looked at me, and back to Levi again. His roguish eyes widened when recognition finally dawned. “You sly dog.” He punched Levi in the arm.

  “Leave it, Dom,” Levi growled out.

  “It was Gracie here the whole time, wasn’t it?”

  Levi swore under his breath while Dom bent over double, slapping his thighs and hooting with laughter.

  Putting fisted hands on my hips, I directed my glare at Dom. “What’s so funny? You got a problem with me or something?” I couldn’t help but notice Riley smiling gleefully in my peripheral vision.

  He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Not the fists, anything but the fists. I’m still hurting from your last hit, Gracie.”

  “Jerk,” I muttered.

  Dom wrapped Levi in a one-armed man hug and congratulated him on finally getting laid. It looked like he was presenting him with a fucking award or something.

  “You’re going to tell me every last detail,” Riley whispered in my ear as we watched the two men. I smiled, nodding.

  The boys finally broke apart. “Ready to go?”

  “Now?” Levi looked confused. “But where’s Finn and Tyler?”

  “They’re still dropping our gear off at Auntie Val’s. Katrina’s going to drive them in. Finn couldn’t get on the plane fast enough when he heard we were coming here, you’d think he’d be over her by now.” Levi shook his head sadly. “Anyway, we’re meeting them at The Ruby Room in half an hour.”

  Levi looked at me, his eyes downcast. “Mind if we rain check that drink?”

  Dom rolled his eyes and made obscene whipping gestures in the background.

  Ignoring him, I pulled Levi closer by the belt hooks and reached up behind his neck. Pain? What pain? I drew his face to mine. “It won’t taste as good without you.”

  He kissed me, his hands resting lightly on my hips. “I love y
ou,” he murmured, quietly enough so the others wouldn’t hear.

  “I love you too.”

  “Wait up for me?”

  I nodded. “Now go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you return.”

  With a final wink and mischievous smack on my ass, Levi turned away. He smiled goodbye to Riley but then caught Dom making melodramatic doe eyes behind his back, so punched him in the ribs. Surely he’d broken at least four? Apparently not. Dom just laughed it off, yanked Levi into a headlock and manhandled him out of the bar.

  “You had to sit next to that the whole flight over?”

  Riley sighed. “Yeah.”

  “Girl, you deserve a drink. Come on, let me introduce you to Patrick. He’ll pour you something strong enough so you can forget all about him.”

  “I highly doubt it.”

  We spent most of the evening in Oblivion, drinking, eating, and catching up on two weeks’ worth of news. Patrick was completely enamored with Riley. He reenacted all of his most heroic stories for her. I’d already heard most of them and watched in fascination as she politely nodded and smiled for a heck of a lot longer than I ever could. That was the thing about Riley, she always made you feel like the most interesting person alive. Even when you weren’t. She had the patience of a saint.

  We eventually got away from Patrick, though not before he slipped Riley his number, and headed up to her room. It was on the very top floor of course, and her corner suite had the most breathtaking city views.

  I whistled. “Not bad.”

  She rolled her eyes at me, moved into the next room and settled herself down on the seven-seater sofa, tucking slender legs beneath her. Riley stared at me as I sat beside her. “Okay, spill.”

  “Spill what?”

  “Don’t play coy with me, Grace Anne Thompson.” I grimaced at the permanent reminder of Mum’s first name. “I’ve been waiting days for an update on you and Levi. Did it ever cross your mind to call me back? Or text? I mean, I wanted to give you space and all but, God.”