The Star Kissed Collection

by Jamie Campbell

  The cab driver stared at me, asking me something in Italian. Oh right, I needed to tell him where to go. I rifled through my bag, desperately trying to find my copy of our itinerary. It had all the hotels listed on it.

  I eventually found it with shaking hands and showed him the address. He nodded and sped off, hopefully that meant I would end up where I needed to be.

  Chapter Five

  Cole had sent me eight messages and tried to call five times in the few hours since I fled the arena. I sent him a message back saying I was okay and at the hotel. I didn’t want him to worry about me, not when he was the one standing up for me.

  I had paced in my small room for what seemed like forever. I was too angry to do anything productive and too upset to calm down.

  In the end, I did the only thing I could think of. I fired up my laptop – thankfully my luggage was waiting for me when I arrived – and Skyped Dallas.

  “Hey, chicky, what’s up?” She said happily. Just seeing her face made me calm down a little. I missed my best friend so much, she seemed way too far away at that point. “Oh no, what’s really up?” I must have looked as horrible as I felt.

  “They’re accusing me of leaking photos and selling them to the media,” I blurted out. The filter between my brain and mouth was no longer operating. “They all hate me.”

  “Aww, Rosy. Tell me the story, I’m sure it’s not as bad as it sounds.” She pursed her lips and listened to my entire story. It wasn’t like there was that much to tell though, all I knew was that someone had sold the photos and they blamed it on me.

  When it was all out, I was starting to calm down. Apparently a problem shared really was a problem halved. Except, it was still a problem. “What am I meant to do, Dallas? They don’t trust me anymore.”

  “I’ve seen the photos, they aren’t that bad,” she insisted. I had seen the pictures too, I had trawled the internet making sure I saw every one of them. That only added to my misery because they were private photos, definitely not ones for the public to see.

  They weren’t that bad, it wasn’t like the boys ever got up to too much mischief. But they did show the unprofessional side of seventeen year old boys as they played up drinking and partying. The point was they weren’t the kind of image Two Dimension wanted to portray and that was why it was such a big deal that they were out.

  “It’s not about the photos being bad, it’s the fact they shouldn’t have got out in the first place. I’m just as upset as they are and I’m being blamed for them. Maybe I should just come home, Scott offered to pay for my ticket.” I rested my head on my hands in front of the screen. The little image of me in the corner reflected back my puffy red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Ugh, it was a good thing Cole wasn’t there to see it.

  “Well, normally I would say to stand tall and forget about what they think because you know the truth.”

  “But?”

  “But I’m really missing my bestie. Come home, Rosy. Forget all about the loser boys and we’ll hang out all summer. It will be fun.”

  So tempting. “What about Dax? Aren’t you hanging out with him? You said you were going to have a summer romance to rival Grease.”

  Dallas rolled her eyes and, for the first time, I noticed her own puffy eyes. “Dax and I aren’t together anymore, we broke up.”

  “Oh, Dal, I’m so sorry.” Didn’t I feel like a cow going on about my problems when she was suffering with her own. “What happened?”

  “He said he wanted to spend the summer partying with all his stupid friends. Apparently having a girlfriend felt like a dead weight around his neck. Whatever, he was a loser anyway.” She was putting on a brave face, I knew it when I saw it – even halfway around the world. “So, come back and we’ll eat ice cream together until we get really fat. Then we can go to one of those fat camps and hide out in the woods for the rest of the summer.”

  I couldn’t suppress a giggle. “That does sound tempting, you have no idea.”

  We sat in comfortable silence staring at each other as the minutes passed by. Neither of us were going to solve our problems in one Skype call, that was painfully obvious.

  “Hey, Rosy?” Dallas finally said, perking up a little.

  “Yeah?”

  “I should go but I kind of want to ask you something and you might get angry. So I want you to know you can say no and it will be cool. But I have to ask, you know?” I was dizzy by the time she stopped talking.

  “Um, yeah?” I said, hoping that was the appropriate response. My brain needed to be un-fuzzed to have the conversation.

  “Do you think it would be alright if I went out on a date with Andy?” She asked, before quickly adding, “I mean, we kind of bonded at the prom and he’s been calling a lot and he asked me to the movies and I kind of wanted to say yes. But then I thought about you and that you might be interested in him. But then I thought you had Cole, right? You wouldn’t be interested in him so maybe-”

  “Dallas,” I interrupted. There was only so long I could listen to her ramble and it was about half the time she could ramble for. “It’s okay. Andy is a really great guy, I would be happy for you to go out with him.”

  “Really?” She was definitely perkier now.

  “Yeah. He’ll treat you much better than stupid Dax. Just do me a favor.”

  “Anything.”

  “Don’t break his heart, he really is one of the nice guys.” I forced a smile. Even though I was happy for Dallas and Andy to go out together, I still felt a little twinge of something stabbing at me. I couldn’t put a finger on what it was and I probably didn’t want to know either.

  We said our goodbyes and reluctantly ended the call. I missed her about two seconds after she disappeared from my screen. Rome and Meadowbrook were practically on opposite ends of the earth, way too far away from each other.

  I considered checking in with Jemma but it would have to wait until I was in a better mood. I didn’t have to pretend that everything was great with Dallas, but Jemma was a whole different story. If she cried, I knew I would cry too and I wouldn’t be able to stop again.

  I spent hours flicking through the television channels. Most of it was in Italian so I would watch to see if I could follow the storyline without understanding the dialogue. The conclusion was normally that I couldn’t and would try another show. I went around and around TV land until there was a knock on the door.

  My stomach clenched, I could guess who it was and I wasn’t in the mood to see anyone. I considered ignoring the persistent noise but Cole would probably only get the manager to open the door for him. Celebrity status got you that kind of service.

  I double checked the peephole to make sure it was really him before opening the door. I stood there without saying a word.

  “Have you been here all day?” He asked. A weird first question.

  “Yes.”

  “Can I come in?”

  “If you’re game enough.” I waited until he had crossed the threshold before closing the door behind him. “I didn’t leak those photos, Cole.”

  “I know you didn’t.” His bright green eyes were sincere, I softened a little. But only a little, because if I let my wall completely down, I would collapse into a heap on the floor. And I really didn’t want to do that.

  “Everyone else thinks I did.”

  Cole took a tentative step closer to me. I didn’t move so he took my hands in his and squeezed them gently. “They don’t. Well, maybe Scott, but he doesn’t trust anyone. We all know you wouldn’t do something like that.”

  I shook my head, he couldn’t trick me into believing him. I was there, I saw the looks on the guys’ faces. “They did think it, I could tell.”

  “No, you didn’t stick around and listen to us talk it over. We went through the logistics and it could have been anyone that sold the photos. We are travelling with dozens of people, any of them had the same opportunity as you did.”

  “But I wouldn’t do it. You know that, right?”

  “Of
course I do,” he said seriously. I did believe him on that point. At least I had one person in my corner.

  That still didn’t resolve the matter, however. “I was thinking I should go home. I don’t want to get in between any of the band.”

  “You are not going home. Nobody wants you to leave.”

  “But they’re not-”

  “No arguments.” He pulled me closer, using his height advantage to place my arms around him. I linked my hands behind his back. “You are staying and that’s the end of it.”

  My head rested against his chest, I could hear his heart thudding away in his ribcage.

  “Promise me, Mel, you’ll stay?” His hand was cradling the back of my neck. I inhaled the scent of his cologne, distinctly his.

  “Hmm,” I mumbled. He was making all my resolve crumble. Go home and sweep floors at Burger Nation or stay with Cole and snuggle into his embrace? The decision sounded easier than it actually was.

  “Was that a yes?” A laugh escaped his lips.

  “I guess so.”

  I wished it felt better making the decision. Somehow, I doubted things would remain the same as they once were. My carefree summer was suddenly weighing on me heavily.

  Chapter Six

  They say you learn something new every day. The one thing I learned that day was that Cole had amazing powers of persuasion. When I tried to have breakfast in my room, by myself, he had insisted I come down to the dining room with him. Which meant I was sitting at the table with all the members of Two Dimension.

  And it was quiet… deathly quiet. Nobody said a word to each other which I was certain meant they all still blamed me for the leak. If their fans could see us, they would hunt me down with pitchforks for being the death of the band’s spirit.

  I hadn’t encountered Scott yet that morning. It would only get a thousand times worse when he saw that I hadn’t packed up and left in disgrace. Cole told me repeatedly not to worry about it, but it wasn’t like I could flick a switch and turn off the churning in my stomach.

  Cutlery clinked on porcelain while others in the room had hushed conversations. Our table was the only silent one. The tension was palpable and electric, ready to send me crazy at any moment.

  I couldn’t sit there any longer. I had to say something to break the ice. “So… how was the show last night?”

  Cole gave me a grateful smile. “It was really good. The venue was nice and the crowd were loud. Everything we needed, really.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Yeah.”

  Silence again. I had tried to spark some conversation and it failed dismally. My solution was to eat faster so I could end my torture. I shoveled down my food, not even tasting it anymore.

  I excused myself from the table with the excuse I had to finish getting ready before we started the day’s activities. As I left the room, two men caught my eye. It felt like they were watching me as they sipped on their coffee. I glanced their way and they averted their eyes. They looked familiar but I couldn’t place where I had seen them before. It sent an unwarranted shiver down my spine.

  I shrugged off the feeling as just being paranoid and a little crazy before grabbing my stuff from the hotel room. I was waiting in the lobby by the time the boys were finished with breakfast.

  Our itinerary for the day said the guys were going to film their next music video in an old mansion on the outskirts of the city. I was really excited when I first found out about it. Actually watching Two Dimension film their video and do their thing made me go all fan girl. I tried to recapture that initial excitement.

  The bus picked us up and we drove for more than an hour before reaching the house. It was huge, easily one of the biggest mansions I had ever seen. The grey stone walls seemed to go on forever in both directions, the building easily three stories tall.

  Scott was waiting on the circular cobblestone driveway. He told the boys to hurry inside but stopped me before I could move. I gave Cole a nod to make sure he would do as Scott said.

  “Melrose, I thought I made myself quite clear yesterday,” he started. What, no hello?

  “You did.” I tried to sound confident. I’m not sure it worked. “But I didn’t do it and Cole wanted me to stay. I wasn’t going to run away like I was guilty.”

  “Come on, you and I both know it was you. And I understand, you wanted to make some extra money on the side and you weren’t hurting anyone, right?”

  I ignored him, I didn’t even know what to say. Obviously he had already made up his mind and wasn’t prepared to change it under any circumstances.

  Scott continued anyway. “Get back in the car and go home. By the time you get to the airport, you’ll have a ticket waiting for you.”

  “I can’t leave, I didn’t do anything,” I insisted. He was growling the words at me and it was taking every bit of my determination not to burst into tears. Perhaps I shouldn’t have nodded toward Cole that it was okay to leave me alone with him.

  “I’ll take this to the police.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” I pleaded. “I wouldn’t do that to them, I couldn’t do that to them. I care about Cole, I didn’t leak those photos. You have to believe me.”

  “I don’t have to believe anything, I know girls like you and what you’re capable of. You can beguile a teenage boy but not me. I can see the real you.”

  “So can I.” I had never been so relieved to hear Cole’s voice before. I hadn’t seen him approach and neither did Scott as he whipped around to face him.

  “Melrose needs to go home,” he said resolutely.

  “Melrose is staying or I’m leaving too.”

  “Cole, you can’t-” He held up a hand to stop me talking. I gladly complied.

  “She didn’t do anything and I won’t accept you speaking to her like that. Are we clear?” I had never heard Cole speak so sternly before. I really believed he was going to walk out if Scott didn’t agree.

  They had a stare down, but we all knew who held the real power between them. Two Dimension could exist without Scott, he could be replaced. Cole, however, was irreplaceable.

  “That’s what I thought,” Cole said before stepping around the man and grabbing my arm. He pulled me into the house without another word being said.

  The second I was inside, I tried to shake off the entire confrontation. I desperately hoped that was the end of it but somehow I doubted it would be that easy. I made a mental note never to be alone with Scott again.

  The mansion was stunning. Large chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, gold practically dripped from every corner. Cameras and equipment were already set up on the back patio area.

  “Hey, Mel, make sure you get a shot of this,” Luke called out. He was posing next to a statue of a half-clothed woman, mimicking her.

  “I don’t think I’ll be taking any more photos,” I replied. I didn’t think they’d want me anywhere near a camera with their lingering doubts about my innocence.

  Reed, standing to my right, answered. “You have to, you’re our social media liaison.”

  “I thought I was fired. Or at least suspended pending the real leak.”

  I looked around at the five boys, they were all shaking their heads.

  “Come on, Mel, I can’t stand here all day. Tweet the photo, people will love it.” Luke continued to hold his pose.

  Cole gave me a smile, silently confirming that I should do it. I took the phone out of my handbag and hurried over to snap a picture of Luke goofing around with the statue. I had it tweeted in under a minute.

  I sat on a lounge chair out of the way while the guys went to wardrobe, hair, and makeup. Within an hour they were back and ready to roll.

  I took another few photos as they performed their new song over and over again. I even took a quick ten second video that I would run past the band before uploading as a sneak peak later. The song hadn’t been released yet so I wouldn’t want to give anything away that I shouldn’t.

  By lunchtime, I was starting to relax but
still on edge. Scott was keeping his distance, staying well away from me. Good. I tried to keep an eye on him at all times in case he headed my way.

  They broke for lunch and Cole escorted me to the catering tent. It was only a little makeshift roof set up over a long table with food piled high in the middle. Everyone in the crew grabbed a plate and made their way through the line.

  Cole and I sat on the lush green lawn as we ate in the sunshine. “I love the new song,” I gushed.

  “Yeah? You don’t think it’s lame?”

  “Not at all. Did you write it?”

  He nodded, a cute little smile playing across his lips. “Yeah. You really like it?” I nodded enthusiastically. “It’s kind of about you.”

  “Are you serious?” He wrote a song about me? I went through the lyrics in my head, it was a love song about a chance encounter, meeting and falling in love with your soul mate on the same day, and how that love would never be able to fade. Oh my God, he was talking about me?

  “Yeah, I’m serious. You inspired me, you’re my muse.” He wasn’t looking me in the eye and I swear I saw a faint tinge of pink to his cheeks. I loved that I could have that effect on him.

  “That’s so sweet. I love it even more now.”

  “And I love you.” He leaned over and planted a kiss on my forehead. My heart swelled for him, it was going to burst one day.

  “I love you, too.” I had never said it out loud to him before but as the words escaped my lips, I knew they were true. I loved Cole like he was my soul mate, just like the song said.

  We changed the subject to something not so blush-worthy as the rest of the guys joined us. Thankfully our lunchtime meal had more conversation than our breakfast one did. Everyone seemed to be getting back to normal and it wasn’t a moment too soon.

  The afternoon passed by much like the morning. The guys had to perform the song repeatedly until we were all sick of the same song. At least they only had to mime it and not sing it live every take. They wouldn’t have had any voice left by the time they were due on stage.