by Alex Wolf
“It is but you’ll see pictures like that once a week and hear gossip even more. The bigger the band gets, the more they’ll be followed around. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“He tried to call all day.” I showed her my missed calls. It was a vertical line that read ‘Gage’ down the whole screen. “He sounded genuinely worried that I’d seen them before he could talk to me. But I don’t know…” I blew out a sigh.
“Yeah, but like I said. It will keep happening. Can you deal with that? Because that’s life being with Gage.”
“I know. I need to think about things, but I do want to go see him. Maybe being in the atmosphere I can get more of an idea of what’s going on with him. You’re invited to visit Jake too.” I smiled.
She shrugged with her usual casual attitude. “Jake’s just a fun little boy toy. I don’t care what pictures I see on the internet. I just happened to come across Gage’s this morning and worried for you. They looked like they were about to full-on make out.”
I felt a pang in my stomach again. I already knew I’d torture myself later analyzing every little thing in the photos. And it really wasn’t fair to Gage. I wouldn’t want to live my life with everyone watching every single detail. How did he even relax?
“They weren’t. They didn’t.”
“So, you want to go?”
I nodded, envisioning the beach and waves in my mind. “Yep.”
“Let him know we can leave in the evening or the morning.”
“I’ll call later. What do you want to do today?” I was already tired of thinking about all this shit and just wanted something to take it off my mind for a bit.
Val got that mischievous grin on her face. “Well, I have to go shopping now that we’re going to the beach. Dinner after?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Gage
I was on edge all day waiting to hear from Bristol. I thought I’d gotten through to her on the phone, but who knew? Valerie might’ve talked her out of it, especially since I didn’t know how Jake was treating that whole situation. He might not be too wild I invited Val to come too, but I’d do anything to get Bristol here. If that included him falling in line, so be it.
Everything was different with Bristol and I wasn’t sure why. We honestly didn’t know each other all that well. I should be thinking about work, but I wasn’t. I needed things right with her in order to get words out on paper, and that scared me a little.
I was writing in my room when my phone screen lit up. I grinned at her name and answered it quickly as if she might change her mind and hang up.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” She sounded nervous.
I frowned as I sat up.
“You gonna be on the plane?”
“We can leave Friday evening. Does that work?”
I could practically feel her smiling through the phone. A warmth rushed through my limbs at the thought of her being here with me next weekend.
“Yeah, it works.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Can’t wait to see you.”
“Gage?”
“Yeah?”
She let out a sigh. “Please don’t hurt me.”
My chest tightened at her words. For the first time, I really processed the entire gravity of our situation—all the risk she was taking by trusting me. “I won’t. I promise.”
“Okay.”
Once I knew she was coming for sure, everything turned bright and vibrant again. I made plans in my head as we continued talking. I knew Valerie would be with her, but we could take them out to some parties and shit. We could have dinner at the house and swim and hang out. I thought that was more Bristol’s style but if I could get her in that dress again, it was worth dealing with a club for one night.
I hung up and dropped my head back. Everything hit me even harder all at once. What was I doing? It was reckless.
Bristol was so innocent and pure, and she was handing her heart over, completely exposing herself. I didn’t want to hurt her. I shouldn’t have promised that to her. I wasn’t sure she fully understood what she was getting herself into.
But, it was just a weekend. It would be good to get her here, have a good time and talk. Really talk and lay everything out in person.
I grabbed my phone and fired off a text to Jake. I’d need him to play nice with Valerie for a few days.
Gage: They’re coming Friday night
Jake: What?
Gage: You heard me. You only get to fuck Valerie this weekend, thanks buddy.
Jake: Cockblock
Gage: So it was written
Jake: You owe me
I dropped the phone beside my chair and closed my eyes. My notebook was on the other side. I could’ve probably stayed up for a bit and written some lyrics, but I just wanted to sleep and wake up next Friday.
Bristol
I was glad to be so busy the following week. I got a few text messages from Gage but tried not to obsess about him. I needed to focus on the now.
I was trying to have a job lined up before I got back, so I’d have a place to work this summer. I also wanted to figure out all the classes I needed and make sure I had everything for them. Knowing myself, if I procrastinated it’d eat at me the whole time we were in California. This way I could actually have a mini-vacation and chill.
Valerie went on like everything was normal, studying for a summer class she decided to enroll in and hanging out. She seemed excited to go to LA, but it was more for the party aspect than seeing Jake. I didn’t care about any of that. I wanted to spend time with Gage, most likely falling more in love with him and having my heart shattered. Maybe it’d even be immortalized in a song. Jesus, I should’ve said no and just went on with my life here. How the hell do you say no to a rockstar, beaches, and California?
I stayed up late to go over all the classes I needed to enroll in and finished planning everything for the trip. I had to have outfits for any situation, and not having an itinerary was irksome, but I could make it work. I didn’t get to shop as much as Valerie.
By the time Friday came I was exhausted. But, I deserved this trip and a good time, and first-class plane tickets were a nice touch. All I had to do was get through an orientation at a small chain restaurant down the road from our apartment. They hired me on the spot and said I could start waiting tables and possibly even learn to bartend. It was perfect.
I went home after orientation to make sure everything was packed. I paced back and forth in the apartment. It wasn’t like it my bag was that big. I finally bit the bullet and zipped it up. It was done. I had clothes for anything that might come up and special things for Gage’s eyes. Even if it was a short fling, I wanted to make some kind of impression.
Valerie walked in the front door and I turned around to look at her.
“Someone’s anxious to leave.”
I rolled my eyes. “You said I need to get out and experience life.” I held my arms out at my bag. “Here ya go.”
“I did say that.” She snickered. “I guess I’d take advantage of this situation if I were you too. Oh wait… I am!”
I shook my head at her, grinning. “We’re going to have a good time. Beach house, hot men, clubs and fancy restaurants. How can we go wrong?”
“I think the beach is perfect for us right now. We can forget about everything. We should plan something for graduation too.”
I nodded, but it wasn’t like I had a lot of money to travel. It was fun to think about, but definitely a pipe dream. There’s no way I could afford to go to California right now, even. But, I did have a new job, so who knew.
“Well, I did just get a job for the summer. So, who knows?” I wrinkled my nose.
“And after next semester, you’ll be a teacher. Then you can make the big bucks.” She tried to hold back another grin.
I shook my head and walked over. Valerie smiled at me as I hugged her. It was a good thing she was going to law school. She’d need that money to keep up with her lifestyle.
She went back to her room and made sure she had everything in her bag. We decided to get a bite to eat before we left then come back and grab all our things. Valerie drove us to a local pizza place. Once inside we gushed over what California would be like and what kind of stuff we wanted to do. Valerie was into the city life and clubs, but I kept thinking about Gage on that balcony, holding me from behind and watching the waves crash on the shore. It all sounded so romantic.
My phone lit up and I grabbed it from the table.
Gage: be on that plane
It was so hot when he was demanding. I turned to Val. “It’s Gage. Are we good on time?”
She sipped her tea with a devious smile. “Calm down. We’re all good. Check is paid.” She smiled at the young waitress I hadn’t even noticed collecting Val’s debit card.
“Thanks. One day I’m paying you back for all this shit with interest.”
“It’s fine. Really. Dad’s money anyway.”
I grabbed my purse and followed her to the car and we went back home. We retrieved our bags and made sure we had what we needed before taking an Uber to the airport to avoid paying for parking.
Valerie stood in line in front of me to check us in. I glanced around as I twirled a lock of hair around my finger.
I didn’t normally get this way, but I didn’t just fly off in the sunset to meet lead singers of bands every day. How did girls do this regularly? Would I be one of them?
“Jesus, Casper. It’s just a fun vacation.” Valerie glanced in my direction and must’ve noticed how pale I looked.
“I’m fine.” I shot her a fake scowl.
Valerie approached the woman behind the counter when it was our turn and we each got a physical copy of our tickets. We checked in our bags and headed to the gate as I took a slow breath. I felt like an obsessed groupie taking a paid flight to go service my rockstar. Did that make me a bad person? I played back the sex in my head and smiled. The sex was fantastic. It was worth every moment with Gage for me.
Once we were in the luxurious first-class seats I leaned back and smiled at Valerie.
“I could get used to this.”
“Definitely.” She put on a sleep mask, even though the sun was still up.
I laughed, staring at her and the flight attendant shaking her head.
The woman asked if we’d like a drink and Val shot up in her seat and peeled off the mask in one smooth motion. “Oh yes.”
We glanced at each other then back at the woman.
“Mimosas,” we both said in tandem.
I’d only ever seen this type of service in the movies. We clinked our glasses after wiping our hands down with warm towels as everyone prepared for takeoff.
I let my mind wander for a moment as I took a sip from the champagne flute.
I let myself think a year ahead. In my fantasy, I was flying every chance I could to see Gage on his tour. We were together in that exciting fast-paced way that rockstars date people in romantic movies or books. I’d be a teacher by then of the perfect class of children in elementary school and visit on weeks that I had off.
I’d be in the front row of his show as he serenaded me with some song that he wrote about me. There would be summers in tropical places and long trips to Europe as we wandered around holding hands. The paparazzi would take pictures and report about his girlfriend and how happy they looked.
It was all a fairytale and probably the most dangerous thing I could do to myself—get my hopes up like that. But, I couldn’t stop. It was okay to dream, as long as I kept my expectations realistic, because they were so realistic. I rolled my eyes at myself.
I blinked as the plane rocketed forward and before long the bottom dropped out and we were like a bullet, piercing through the clouds over the mountains.
Just as quickly as I’d let the angel on one shoulder whisper stories of a perfect happy ending, the devil on the other shoulder came out to play.
It was funny how he waited until I was in the sky with nowhere to run to haunt me.
Who was I kidding? I wasn’t Gage’s girlfriend and never would be. I was just a girl that he was sweet talking to get into bed. And look how easily he’d done it. A few words and I was taking treats out of his hand like a puppy. I looked at Valerie and took another sip as I forced myself back to reality.
Just enjoy yourself.
It was a fast flight, and we watched a movie as we drank another mimosa. I was going to end up landing buzzed, but it felt right. I needed a bit of courage to do something so out of my comfort zone.
We straightened ourselves up as we landed, and I checked my face in the mirror with a nervous smile. We walked through the tunnel at LAX that opened up to a large waiting area. Once we made it to baggage claim I scanned the crowd. It was no joke that this was a large and chaotic airport.
Most of the people were in business suits, looking like they were on a mission to catch a connecting flight. I wondered where they were all going, and who they were going to see.
But, I knew I was right where I wanted to be.
Thanks, champagne.
I nudged Valerie as we walked past one of our favorite actresses. LA was so surreal. I hadn’t even thought about the fact we might meet people that we’d seen in movies or on TV.
My eyes darted around the room and I lifted on my toes when I saw two guys in the back grinning at us. They had ball caps pulled over their heads and I pointed at them after I got Valerie’s attention. She took a long look and giggled as Jake awkwardly lifted a hand in the air.
We met them, and Valerie jumped into Jake’s arms as I stared nervously at Gage. Why was I so awkward?
I still couldn’t see his face too well with his hat pulled down. Gage reached out his hand and pulled me against him in a rough embrace as I breathed him in. He smelled like the ocean and I closed my eyes as I slipped my arms over his shoulders.
He leaned down and exhaled warm breath over my neck as he spoke. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I pulled away slowly, not wanting him to stop touching me.
We grabbed our bags and all headed to the parking garage. Jake held up his keys and the lights flashed on a gray SUV with tinted windows.
Maybe they were already famous, judging by the clandestine disguises and secret-service-looking vehicle.
Valerie joined Jake in the front while I slid into the backseat next to Gage, smiling shyly as he leaned in to kiss me. Our lips brushed as the engine started and I heated in ways I hadn’t since he’d left.
Jake drove us through the city and while I wanted to take everything in and stare at the famous buildings and landmarks, I couldn’t pull my eyes away from Gage. His hand slid onto mine and our fingers intertwined.
He grinned at me every time I looked up at his face.
“What? Do I have something on my face?”
He shook his head. “Just glad you’re here, with me.”
Jake turned off a main road and wound through a neighborhood. He pulled down a long driveway and drove into a garage as I tried to look around. It was the biggest garage I’d ever been in. There were four cars total.
Gage kissed my cheek before hopping out. We took our bags into the house and I froze up for a second when I saw a few guys sitting around the large, open living room drinking beer and laughing.
It hit me that I was standing in the house with a band that was going to be known by the entire world. From this viewpoint, they were just some younger guys hanging out. It was all so surreal.
This was what they called work.
Work looked like fun to me.
Introductions were made, and I smiled shyly and said hi to everyone. There were a few extra bodies in the room and I found out they were from another local band. The guys were just as gorgeous as Nine Muses, all with the shaggy rocker look. Gage kept his arm around my waist the entire time. I wondered if it was his way of staking a claim, letting everyone know I was his.
“Okay. That’s that.” He gripped my hand and led me to a massive staircas
e, and down a hallway to a door on the end.
My jaw dropped when we walked inside.
“This is your room?” I stared around at the place.
There was a large TV screen, fireplace and even a corner set up with a soft chair covered in pillows. I saw the glass doors that led to the balcony and turned to face him.
“All the main rooms on this floor have the same floor plan, but this one’s the biggest. It’s a great place to write.”
The windows were all open and a nice breeze blew through the room.
“I can imagine. It’s beautiful.”
Gage set my bag on the floor and glanced around with a smile. “Hard to compete with the Rockies, but yeah, it’s a close second.”
“Yeah.” I stood there, awkward as ever.
I didn’t know what to do or say. He had me here. I had an idea of what he wanted to do to me, but we were in a house full of people. I’d never even fooled around at a party or anything where people were around.
He stalked over to me with hungry eyes and cupped my face with both palms. “Fuck, I missed you.”
He kissed me before I could respond—kissed me like a starving man.
I moaned against his mouth as I slipped my hands around his waist. My knees went weak and I was pretty sure he had to hold me up.
I put a hand on his chest and pushed him slightly away. “I don’t know. There’s so many people here.”
One of his hands went to my ass, and the other in my hair as his mouth slid up next to my ear. “And they’re all going to hear you scream my name, and they’ll know you’re mine.” His lips smashed into mine again before I could get a word out.
He deepened the kiss and both hands were firm on my ass as he shoved my back up against a wall. I couldn’t stop him if I wanted to. It was heaven. I couldn’t believe I’d gone so long without him.
He flipped me around and pressed my chest against the wall, then yanked my pants down, exposing my bare ass to the ocean breeze. I heard a thud as one of his knees hit the ground and he massaged my ass with both hands and spread me open.