Sonya had secured first class seats for the band and once he boarded the plane, he plopped into his seat and buckled up, and waited for takeoff. The rest of the crew, who needed to be on the set in New York, had been placed in coach, Evie included. He tried to have her seat moved, but Sonya said it couldn't be done. He might have been able to push for it anyway, but a part of him was unsure Evie would even want to be with him right now. She'd been quiet this morning as they all filed into the bus to drive to the airport. Of course, he hadn't been bubbling over with conversation either, and it didn't help that Bryce kept throwing him daggers with his narrowed eyed glances. It was like the guy knew he'd screwed up. Heck, he probably expected it, and wondered what had been taking so long.
Last night he'd wanted a fix, more of what he'd been using earlier in the night. He hadn't intended to get high, but old habits were difficult to kick. He knew Evie wouldn't be onboard with it, knew she probably never even smoked a joint. He'd gone there anyway, tried to drag her down the rabbit hole with him. He'd been an asshole, but damn her, why didn't she stuff him down the hole and bury him in it?
He'd immediately regretted the words he'd said to her, but once voiced, he couldn't take them back. She heard them, heard his lies and still walked into his arms and held him. He didn't deserve her.
"Here you go," Leon said and slapped two magazines against his chest.
"What's this?" Bellamy asked in confusion.
"Take a gander, Lover Boy. You know Tony Jones from the show will be asking you all about it."
He glanced at the first gossip magazine with a photo plastered on the front cover of Evie and him in the elevator. He was resting his chin on her shoulder with a dumbass smile. The caption read: Rock star Bellamy Lovel rekindles his love affair with Emerson Reid. "What in the world? Rekindle?" He opened the magazine and flipped to the page where the article was located.
He read the tag line: A young Reid first met Lovel when she tried to pull him off the stage in a death hug. He glanced at the grainy photo. Beneath it, the date 1987 was printed. He remembered that night, but never connected the teen with being Evie. She would have been young then, about fourteen if he calculated right. She hadn't yanked him from the stage. He'd missed his footing, and her hand had been on his. That was all that had happened. He remembered being glad he hadn't hurt her.
He looked closer at the photo just to be sure. Had it really been Evie that night? It was fuzzy, but he'd recognize her unruly hair anytime. He read the rest of the article. According to Lovel, he is the first to say he and Reid are an item. Reid is still denying her involvement with the rock star. The article went on with speculations and other such nonsense.
He switched to the next magazine... "Holy shit." He glanced around him and spotted Leon in his seat, shaking his head at him. He returned to the magazine. The photo was of him when he'd been giving Leon the bird. Heck, might as well have been the whole world since Leon wasn't even in the photo. Then there was one of Bryce punching him. The reporter was good. He could practically see the spittle flying from his mouth. The caption: Reid's brother is less than thrilled to have Lovel in bed with his sister. No kidding.
Once the plane was in the air and the seatbelt sign was turned off, he stood and headed for the curtain that separated first class from the rest of the plane.
Leon's hand snaked out, stopping him. "Where are you going?"
"I need to warn her about this." He tapped the magazines, but mostly he just wanted to see her.
"You'll be recognized," Leon said. "There are a lot of people out there behind the curtain."
Bellamy shifted his gaze to Leon's baseball cap.
"Really?" Leon voiced with annoyance but took it off his head and slapped it at him. "Keep it pulled down low so no one sees that pretty face of yours."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me when you're mauled out there. And don't expect flowers when you're in the hospital either."
Bellamy made his way down the aisle where Evie was seated, the magazines tucked under his arm. She sat near the window, leaning her head against it as she peered outside. Bryce sat on the end seat. Luckily for him, the middle seat was vacant.
Bryce glared at him, but he didn't say a word as Bellamy climbed over his legs and slipped into the seat beside Evie. "Jesus, I forgot how cramped the seats are back here."
She turned to look at him. "What are you doing?" she hissed.
"I got bored."
"Then watch a movie or something."
"I voted for something." He grinned. Her lips twitched, threatening to smile and he knew he had her. He turned in his seat just enough so he didn't have to see Bryce glaring at him. "I missed you."
She smiled then. "We were together at the airport...uh," she glanced at her watch, "thirty minutes ago."
"Seems longer."
"Nice hat by the way," she commented as her gaze slid to it.
"You like it?" He ran a hand over the rim. "Stole it from Leon."
"Bet he was thrilled."
"Oh for heaven's sake," Bryce said, clearly not caring for their small talk, but they ignored him.
"I wanted to warn you too. Media stuff." Her smile slipped, but he had to let her know what was going on before someone else did. He handed her one of the magazines that Leon had given him earlier.
"Oh God, that photo is awful."
"Really?" He glanced at it again.
"Well, you look lovely as ever," she said, "but I look like a crazy person with my frizzy hair coming loose from my bun."
"Kinda like that look."
"That's it," Bryce said and stood up. "I don't want to hear this."
"Good," they both said in unison and chuckled, which won them an eye roll from Bryce.
"There's an empty seat in first class," Bellamy offered. "Make yourself at home." Once he was gone, he turned to Evie again. She had started reading the article, and he studied her face as she turned to the next page and caught sight of the photo taken in 1987. Her faced flushed from her cheeks and spread to her neck. She shot him a horrified look. "I never tried to–"
He swallowed her words behind a kiss. Once she relaxed, he came up for air. "I know." He told her what had happened, his version, not what the article said, or what she believed had happened. "I thought I had hurt you. I wanted to find you after the concert, but the security detail wouldn't allow it. They told me you were fine. They would have heard by then if someone had been hurt."
"I was fine. A little embarrassed though when I found your necklace was tangled up in my hair."
"My necklace?" He thought for a moment then remembered and chuckled. "So that's where it went. I never knew. Just thought it fell off somewhere."
"I still have it, you know."
He stared wide-eyed at her. "You do?"
"I thought one day I would be able to give it back to you. I even brought it with me, then felt stupid handing it over."
"Didn't know you were such a fan." He searched her face. He'd seen fans and the crazed way they looked at him as if he were untouchable, but still, they reached as if reaching for something unreal, a fantasy. Hell, he'd been star struck before too. No one was immune, but Evie never acted as if she cared he wrote and sang songs for a living. She always made him feel as if he were her friend. He couldn't believe he was thinking this. He'd never had a woman as a friend, but realized Evie was that to him and so much more.
"Do you know I was actually scared to take this job because of that night? I thought you'd recognize me and have me arrested." The faintest trace of humor lit her eyes as she peered at him.
"Might still," he teased, "You in handcuffs, me dressed in a uniform…"
She slapped the magazine at him. "Stop it."
He was still smiling at her, as he sighed in relief. They were back on track. The tension of the morning had slipped away. "I'm glad you overcame your fear and took the job. I hope you haven't regretted your choice."
"No," she met his gaze, "I haven't regretted it."
&nbs
p; He brushed his knuckle affectionately across her cheek. She always had her hair pulled into a tight bun until he messed it up. "I just figured it out."
"What did you figure out?"
"You wear your hair in a bun so you don't get unexpected jewelry stuck in there?"
She lightly touched her hair and pouted. "It's always in the way. Can't do a thing with it. Not everyone is graced with great hair like yours."
Sure her hair was a bit on the wild side, but he loved running his hands through it. Loved how it felt when it brushed against his chest.
"Holy–"
He glanced at what she was looking at and inhaled with a cringe. It was the other magazine. "I know. Not one of my most flattering moments."
"Whom were you flipping off? When was this?" She read the caption. "Oh God." Her gaze riveted to his.
"It was after Bryce punched me and then Leon gave me hell for sleeping with you. Seemed like everyone was angry with me."
"They shouldn't have been. You didn't do anything wrong. I'd have flipped them off too if I'd known."
"You, Miss Book Marm? Now, that I would pay to see, but seriously," he said and reached for her hand, "I have to know something. Tony Jones is bound to ask questions about those photos of us. How do you want me to spin it?"
Chapter Sixteen
We Were Thrown Together
Bellamy arranged for Evie to come backstage for the show. She was in the dressing room with some of the other crew. They could watch the show on the monitor mounted on the wall.
The host with his charismatic persona introduced the band with their new CD clasped in his palm, showing off the great artwork. Bellamy in the forefront, bending at the waist as he pointed at the camera, while the rest of the band posed in different stances. "Let's welcome the ever popular Civilized Heathens," Tony Jones announced. "They'll be opening their tour in New York at the Hard Rock on the first of September. That's only ten more days, fans. And they will be in Los Angeles at the Greek on the twentieth and twenty-first."
The audience clapped as the camera panned to where the band stood onstage, ready to perform. Bellamy wore black slacks and a black button-down shirt. The song they performed was one of their hits from the latest album, edgier than some of their other works. Bellamy danced around the stage as he belted out the lyrics, and he did his signature move that made her think of long hot kisses that would eventually lead to sex. The man really did it for her, what more could she say?
Once the song ended, the audience went wild with screams, whistles, and cheers. Bellamy bowed and thanked everyone. Tony Jones made his way onto the stage. "That, my friends, was the Civilized Heathens. Stay tuned. We'll be right back after the break to talk to the band."
They didn't have to wait long. The members of the band were all ushered to another section of the stage where they took a seat on a long couch, T.C. at the far end, followed by Clark, Maury, Leon, and then Bellamy closest to where Tony Jones took his chair behind his desk.
Tony Jones's first question was about the photo with Evie and Bellamy in the elevator. He held up the magazine and the camera zoomed in. She cringed, wishing they hadn't.
"I don't know, Bellamy," Tony Jones said as he eyed the photo, "she looks a little upset with you, don't you think?"
The audience laughed and Bellamy waited until the laughter died down before he spoke. "She wasn't exactly open to the idea of dating me."
"I'll date you," someone yelled from the audience, and more laughter was heard.
Bellamy grinned, but he slouched in his seat as if he weren't comfortable being put on the spot. It surprised her because most of the time he seemed so sure of himself, but this time, it was personal. The world was seeing a glimpse of what most would deem private and not of anyone's concern. "Yeah, thanks," Bellamy said to whoever had wanted to date him in the audience. "But I'm taken," he added.
"What?" Evie said, and she looked over to where Bryce stood. He stared back at her with raised eyebrows and she shrugged. Bellamy wasn't supposed to say that. They discussed this and decided they would say the reporter had it all wrong. They were just friends. Obviously, she'd decided that scenario, but Bellamy had his own story.
Tony Jones then showed the old photo of what appeared to be her dragging him from the stage. "Yes, ladies, it seems Miss Reid has made her claim." Again the laughter as the camera panned in for a closer shot.
"You have it all wrong," Bellamy said with a chuckle. "She was getting away." The audience responded to his humor with a roar of chuckles. "Really though," Bellamy spoke again once he could be heard, "I didn't realize she was the poor teen I almost trampled until I saw the photo in the magazine." He went on to explain how he had slipped and tumbled off the stage. "It was ten years later before I met her again. She still had the necklace." He spread his shirt to the side and showed off the white-bonelike carving of the hippocampus. Baring his chest caused quite a few catcalls.
She'd given him the necklace, which she'd stuffed in her purse for safekeeping, as soon as they'd checked into their hotel rooms. The necklace had brought her here to him in 1997, it was the link Kelsey had told her it would be. Only she had to retrieve it from her jewelry box when she arrived. It had disappeared on the journey. She still didn't understand the whole time travel thing, even if she was the time traveler.
"There you have it first," Tony Jones announced. "Boy falls on girl and girl decides boy is worth catching." He went on to ask each of the other band members a few questions about their love lives, but since reporters hadn't caught them on camera, the guys were pretty evasive on who they were seeing. As far as she knew, at this time, only Maury was dating anyone seriously. "Let's talk about the new album. The band has been together over ten years?"
"Fifteen to be exact," T.C. said. His dyed black hair appeared even darker on screen, and his blue eyes bright, making them stand out. He wore black pants and a black vest, showing off his muscled arms.
"Fifteen?" Tony Jones looked surprised. "What, were you five when you started Civilized Heathens?"
T.C. chuckled. "We were fourteen and fifteen years old."
"Thirteen," Bellamy said and raised his hand. "Didn't turn fourteen until the following month."
"That's a long time," Tony Jones said. "So how do you keep the music fresh? What's different about this album that isn't on your other seven releases?"
"Of course," Leon said, "we have some of the same funk as we do on the other albums, but we have a new groove to the scheme of things too." Leon had chosen to wear a blue T-shirt and white pants. His blonde hair brushed away from his face as if he'd slicked it back.
"How long did it take you to write the songs?" Tony Jones asked. "I'm not sure of the process. I assume you write the songs then put the words to music?"
"That's just about the process," Bellamy said. "Though sometimes it's the other way around."
"One time," Leon began, "I labored over the music for weeks. When I gave Bellamy the track to listen to, no lie, he came back to me in ten minutes with the lyrics."
"That's incredible," Tony Jones said.
"He's exaggerating. It might have been fifteen minutes," Bellamy joked.
"As for the total record," Clark spoke up. His dark locks were parted to the side. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he actually looked pretty cute on screen. "It took about eight months," Clark said and glanced at Leon to confirm the timeline. Leon nodded.
Bellamy crossed his legs, his foot on his knee. He had a toothpick in his mouth, taking it out only when he spoke. This was a nervous habit he'd adopted when he'd much rather have a smoke. He kept two or three toothpicks in his pocket for such emergencies. "Of course it wasn't every day for eight months," Bellamy said. "It would be four or five days at a time, then a short break before we started up again."
"There have been times where you've been criticized about your personal lives," Tony Jones said. "Is there ever a time you wanted to leave the limelight and forget all this?"
"Sure," T.C. and Clark said at t
he same time.
Maury, who'd chosen to wear a red shirt and black jeans, said, "Hell, yes." His dimple winked when he smiled.
Leon nodded and said, "It's crossed my mind a time or two."
"All the time," Bellamy said. "Like now," he stood and took a few steps forward as if to leave, but then quickly turned around and sat down again.
Tony Jones laughed at his clowning around.
"Just kidding," Bellamy said with a grin, but then more seriously, he spoke the truth. "It's sometimes difficult to deal with the press, with them constantly hounding you for information, and it's never about the good things, you know? They want to document your screw ups."
"You've been keeping them busy," Clark teased. "It's kept them off our backs."
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