by Lyra Parish
"Wow, you look beautiful," he said.
"Thanks," I said standing on my tiptoes stealing a kiss. He plopped his arm over my shoulder and we walked out of the store and down the street. With him beside me, I felt beautiful. Women tried to make eye contact with him but he only saw me.
"I love not hiding us," I said, and he interlocked his fingers with mine.
"Watch out for the paparazzi," he said, giving me a wink.
I rolled my eyes and elbowed him as we took a turn and walked into Central Park. The sounds of the wind traveling through the trees caused orange leaves to fall to the ground. Canoes traveled across the pond, and in the distance buildings stood like towers behind them. Central Park was strange and beautiful and I loved it—the beauty of nature surrounded by cement and busy streets and people.
My stomach growled and I felt like everyone around us could hear it.
"I'm hungry," I said.
"What are you in the mood for?"
"You."
He lifted an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, but I could use a little snack."
"Do you like pizza?"
"Who doesn't like pizza?" I asked.
He pulled me through the park and we came out on the street. Another block and we were standing in front of a pizza by the slice food truck. Ace pulled out some cash and handed it to the guy then handed me a slice of pizza that smelled like Italian heaven and was bigger than my head. He grabbed two bottles of water too.
"This is one of my favorite things about New York," he said as he sunk his teeth into cheese and bread.
A small moan escaped from me as I took a bite of soft bread and mozzarella cheese—total foodgasm.
We walked to a set of benches and people watched while we finished our food—occasionally wiping our face with a napkin.
"I'm going to need a run after that," I said.
Ace looked down at my ankle then back up at me. "If you say so," he laughed.
"It totally doesn't hurt anymore and I don't plan on kissing the pavement anytime soon."
"I could throw in so many corny pickup lines right now," he laughed.
I shook my head at him. "Really? Like what?”
He lifted his eyebrows and looked at me. "Did it hurt?"
"Did what hurt?" I took a big drink of water.
"When you fell from heaven."
Water went all over the sidewalk from my spewing from laughter. I loved spending completely carefree time with Ace. A tight knot formed in my stomach when I thought about leaving. I didn't want to leave this, not right now, not when our relationship was developing into something monumental.
Ace pulled out his phone and gave me a little grin.
"We should probably start heading back. We have a band meeting at five. And you know how Miley is about time."
I sucked in a breath and released it. The clock was ticking down, and our day was coming to an end. We walked around Central Park one last time before Ace hailed a cab. On the ride back to the buses, he held me in his arms in silence. It had given me too much time to think.
Before we got out of the car, Ace's finger slid across my jaw and he kissed me so soft and gentle that my voice had disappeared. Emotions stirred inside of me as he pulled my bottom lip between his teeth then sucked. His eyes fluttered open and he brushed his nose against mine.
The driver cleared his throat.
"I guess it's time to go," I said.
"After you pack, grab your guitar and meet me on the bus. I want to change your strings."
"Hmmm, so sexy." I laughed.
As soon as my feet hit the pavement, Jenny ran across the parking lot with a huge smile on her face.
"Elizabeth!" She breathed hard.
"What?"
She took in a deep breath and released it. "Romeo asked me out on a date."
"What? Romeo? I would have never thought. I'm so excited for you. When?"
"Tomorrow night. And I actually said yes. Sorry, I had to tell someone. The twins already threatened to kick his ass all the way back to Los Angeles." She couldn't stop smiling. Happiness was a fitting look for her.
I wanted to tell her that I was leaving. I needed to tell her. I gave her a hug.
"Text me and let me know how it goes," I said, hoping she would get the hint.
"I'll tell you when I get back." All she needed was to see my face.
"What?" She placed her hands on her hips and gave me her signature look.
"PHASE is making me leave tomorrow. I fly out at five in the morning."
"What the hell? Why?"
I rolled my eyes. "Jack is an ass. It's a long story. Apparently I broke my contract and I'm being threatened. I'll see you in LA when you're back from tour. Next week we have to do lunch. We have to stay in touch."
"Deal." We walked to the bus together. "I'm excited. I can't tell you the last time I've been asked on a date and actually went. It's been so long I was starting to think there was something wrong with me."
"I think you intimidate people. You're pretty and you’re outspoken. And maybe people think you're a lesbian. It's not that far-fetched," I laughed, thinking back to a few weeks ago.
After we stepped on the bus I grabbed my duffle bag and started packing. Once my clothes were together, I walked to Ace's bus with my guitar in hand. I punched in the code and walked onto the bus. Nik was standing with his arms crossed and Jex stood with his hands on his hips. Ace had his back against the counter and a woman was inches from him. His hands were on his hips and his face went blank when he saw me. She glanced over at me and smiled before taking him into her arms and kissing him. I couldn't watch and turned around and walked off the bus. I heard Nik and Ace call my name in unison but I didn't stop walking. The thought alone made me sick. My heart was shattering into a million pieces. Who the fuck was that woman?
"You must have seen Misty," Sarah said leaning against bus six.
"What?" I glanced over at her and my nostrils flared.
Jenny walked off bus six and glared at Sarah then looked at me. The blankness of my face alerted her because her smile fell from her lips. She turned and looked at Sarah, and then I heard words tumble from her mouth.
"Holy shit," she said. "What the fuck is she doing here?"
That was all the confirmation I needed. Jenny covered her mouth and I immediately boarded the bus before the tears fell. I could hear Jenny screaming, then the bus shook with busy feet. I climbed into my bunk and shut the curtain.
"Elizabeth," Jenny said.
I opened the curtain and Ace stormed in.
"Elizabeth," he said.
I closed my eyes and tears toppled from the brims.
"I don't want to see you at the moment," I said.
"Are you going to let me explain myself?"
"I need time to process this."
"I'll give you all the time you need. But I won't stop fighting for you. I won't disappear. But I'm already late to my meeting with the label and I have to go." Ace waited for me to say something, but I didn't. After he walked away, Jenny looked at me with sad eyes. There was nothing I could say and I felt stupid. I pulled my curtain closed and tried to hold back the tears. After an hour, I pulled my guitar, clothes, and equipment from under the bus and called a cab.
"Please," Jenny said from the steps of the bus when I grabbed my things and walked away.
"I'm sorry," I said. Those were last words I said to her as I loaded my guitar into the trunk. I had the driver bring me to a hotel down the road where I would shuttle to the airport in the morning. I rode in silence and looked out at the buildings, not focusing on one of them.
As soon as I stepped inside the room, I plopped down on the bed and fell asleep in the clothes I’d been wearing all day. I knew the tour would eventually end, but after the day we shared, I never imagined it would end like this.
38
Elizabeth
I flew back to California and promised my parents I would see them after I dealt with PHASE. At
the moment, I didn't want to be around people. I was in a bad place where I felt like my own biggest enemy. I felt ridiculous. I should have listened to what Ace had to say, but I was hurt. He had called and texted every free chance he had and I ignored each one. Didn't he understand I needed my space? He even threatened to find my address and pop by when he was back in Los Angeles. I almost texted him after that one, but I wouldn't break my silence. Not over text at least. There were too many things to deal with, but PHASE was number one on my list.
Monday morning, Jack would be waiting for me at the office and he would more than likely fire me. Pictures of us together had floated around the Internet and there was no denying it. Even if PHASE paid me crazy amounts of money to write an article about our relationship, I couldn't and wouldn't produce anything other than mediocrity. I owed them their privacy and knew it would be an injustice to the Hathway family to write about the personal things I knew and experienced. Regardless of how much my heart hurt, I wouldn't be the revengeful ex-girlfriend. But we weren't even a couple, so I couldn't even claim that title.
I tossed and turned all night long. ZZtop was happy for me to be home and meowed for hours. Once the sun rose he fell asleep purring beside me. I stared at the ceiling in my apartment, then glanced over at the clock on my phone. I unlocked my phone and scrolled through my texts and missed calls. Ace and Jenny were tag teaming me. They were officially the relentless duo.
My phone rang and before I ignored it, I saw it was Jules. She always was the early bird.
"What in the hell are you doing home?" she asked.
"I'm drowning in my misery. Wait, how did you know I was home?"
"I went to feed your cat this morning and the deadlock gave you away. I needed to go to the grocery store really quick so I thought I’d call you."
"I was awake; you should have knocked."
"I'd rather wake you up by calling you. Multitasking. Anyway, I got the scoop from Jack too. He's always been a bullshit bully."
I could hear the elevator music of the grocery store in the background. She was the only person I knew that went shopping at 7 a.m. Seriously?
"He is bullshit," I agreed.
"What are you doing tonight?" There was a hiccup of excitement in her voice. I knew she was up to something.
"Nothing. Eating a tub of ice cream and going to sleep early."
"No you're fucking not. You're going to get dressed and finish the job. The last show always has way more energy than any other. You still have you access passes?"
I shot up in bed when I realized what she was saying.
"I didn't even think of that."
"That's why you keep me around. So, get some rest then get your ass up. Grab your camera, and finish your job. Don't let Jack's punk ass deter you. Go on your own free will. And one thing, about the pictures of you and Ace floating around…"
"It's totally true."
She squealed.
"I'm totally going to be fired."
"Who cares. You're talented enough to freelance. Everything always works out in the end."
Talking with Jules made me feel so much better. The invisible weight on my shoulders was slowly lifting.
"I'm not talking to Ace right now."
She huffed in the phone. "Why not?"
"I'm stupid. I owe him an apology for overreacting and being ridiculous."
"So why not tell him to his face?"
"I love your craziness," I said to her, meaning every word.
"I love you, too. Keep me updated."
After we hung up, I pulled the covers up to my chin, smiling like a crazy person. Jules had fed me a load of courage. Tonight, Band of Brothers would play in Los Angeles to finish up the tour and I did still have my access passes. My heartbeat practically stopped thinking about going back. I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes.
If this would be my final hoorah as a music journalist, I'd make it the best damn one I could. I checked the clock and set my alarm for late afternoon before falling asleep. I would need time to get ready and drive to the concert, but I knew time would feel as if it were standing still.
After I woke up, I fed the cat and showered. The heaviness had almost vanished and a nervous energy surrounded me because Ace had no idea what I had in store for him. I chose a cute little dress and applied light makeup. I caught a glimpse of myself and I looked like the typical girl next door. What the hell was I doing?
The drive to the venue took way too long and the thought of what I would say put me on edge. After I parked my car on the side of the arena, I sat there trying to calm my nerves. I used my passes to get past security and made my way up the ramp that led to the stage. No one looked at me twice. No one even gave two shits that I had returned. I stood with one leg bent and the other straight, camera tossed over my shoulder, and waited for the show to start.
It started the way it always did with a blackout then beats to the first song. Halfway through the set, Ace started talking to the audience.
"This song is dedicated to a woman that I love, but I never got the chance to tell her."
The crowd aww'd and my heart broke. Ace sang with so much emotion—his words, his pitch, and his screams at the end of the song dug deep holes into my soul. I didn't want to be the one to hurt him. He had already experienced too much of that.
"It comes as no surprise
I got caught up in your eyes
I wouldn’t take it back if I could
I don’t want to, no."
The song was too much. Before long the band played their encore as always and I didn't stay for the finale of the last song. I packed up my things wondering what the hell I was doing there and what exactly I was trying to accomplish.
It was stupid. I was stupid. A text would have done the job. For a moment, I leaned my back against the cool wall of the hallway. When I closed my eyes the look on Ace's face had burned into my eyelids. I had to take back control because I was slowly losing every ounce I had left.
Steps echoed behind me. I swung the camera over my shoulder and picked up my pace. I didn't want to talk to anyone or have anyone recognize me. I had had enough fun for the night and my courage had vanished.
"Elizabeth." A deep voice sounded from the end of the hall and echoed off the walls until it reached me. I kept walking, not answering.
"You didn't fool me."
I looked over my shoulder to see Nik shaking his head with a big grin on his face. I stopped and crossed my arms.
"Yes, Hathway?"
"Do you call all of my brothers that?" he asked, falling into step next to me.
I shot him a side glance and couldn't help but smile.
"I should start, shouldn't I?"
When I searched his face, I could see how much they all looked alike, even Jenny. The brothers were strong men with strong personalities, but Nik was more aware of others’ feelings. During the interviews Nik had given, he actually seemed to care and have compassion for others. It wasn't hidden or locked behind some door. Everyone that knew Band of Brothers knew that.
"What's with the getup?" He looked me up and down.
I stopped and placed my hands on my hips. "What are you talking about?"
"This." He held out his hand toward my body. The dress was short and accentuated my waist with a nice little laced scoop neck.
"And where are you going in such a rush? Don't you realize what happened back there?" He pushed open the exit door and the cool night air swept through my hair.
I stopped walking toward my car and turned to him with lifted eyebrows.
"Enlighten me, please." I gave him a little smile.
"I'm not sure what magical spells you carry in the lens of your camera but…You had to have noticed something different."
The set list had changed slightly, so did the color of the lights. Then it dawned on me and basically knocked the breath from my body. Tonight, Ace didn't pull a woman onstage, even to keep up the appearance of bringing her back to the bus. Actually the entire so
ng was cut, and instead he sang a love song. September.
My mouth slightly dropped open.
"Bingo. I knew you were a smart girl," Nik said. "A pretty one too."
He winked at me, then tilted his head in the direction toward their buses. "We've missed seeing your face. And to answer the question that's burning inside of you, last night was exactly the same as this one. No groupies, well for Ace. And he's been quiet and closed up. Glad you’re back, Elizabeth. Now . . . go see my brother so that permanent frown on his face will disappear. I know you're dying to."
He squeezed my hand and I couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, and I'm glad you don't dress like that all the time. You'd have to carry a bat around to keep men from you. Seriously. Hot."
I shook my head and followed the sidewalk behind the stage that led to the buses.
I walked past the crowd of people who were already lined up for autographs. Some women rolled their eyes at me while others looked at me with envy. I punched in the code to open the door to the bus and took a few steps inside. As soon as my feet hit the second step, my heart lurched in my chest. I heard water running and melodic vocals echoing on the shower walls. I'd never heard this song before and the words shocked me to the core.
"The look in your eyes haunt me. As you poured into my soul. Running free. You know me. You see me. For who I am. Haunted. I'll always be haunted by the memories of us."
He stopped singing for a moment, then started humming vocal runs, with high notes that dropped down low. He had so much control in his voice even after performing for two hours. My heart almost beat from my chest and I was nervous with sweaty palms. Moments passed and I listened closely to the lyrics. I sat on the leather couch in shock because Ace Hathway had written more than one love song.
"Elizabeth."
I jumped and held my hand to my heart. The words that I wanted to say to him had fled to the hills once my name left his lips. The towel around his hips reminded me of the time we spent together. My eyes started at the V and made their way up to his heated gaze. I swallowed as he walked toward me.
"You look beautiful." His words resonated in the air and my body trembled on the inside. I was so nervous.