by TM Watkins
Chapter Thirteen
I woke to the sound of something crashing, I bolted upright and barely grabbed the sheet in time to cover my naked body.
“Sorry.” Curtis mumbled climbing into the bed. “Knocked over the... thing. Something.”
“Where did you go? I thought you were asleep.”
Well you were supposed to be asleep, considering that you've got a big night tomorrow. I bit my tongue and refrained from saying anything to remind him of the pressure that was building. I could see it easily, he looked so stressed out.
It hadn't taken much convincing, in fact it was his idea to go to bed. Not just for sex but for sleep. Not once did I think that he would want to return to the party. But clearly he had.
The smell of beer was heavy around him as he kissed my neck. It didn't take a genius to figure out he'd gone downstairs to drink again.
“Just for a nightcap baby.”
He nipped kisses down my body, pushing me back to the bed. When he reached my stomach he frowned at it.
“Hellooo.” he mumbled against the skin. “Are you in there?”
As the sheet was tossed to the end of the bed Curtis repositioned himself. I watched in pure disbelief as continued to talk to the non-existent fetus.
“You need to tell your daddy you are in there.”
He pressed his ear to my stomach and then looked at me with a frown.
“Why isn't he talking to me?”
“It was yesterday Curtis, he would be the size of a pinhead.”
“Oh okay. I can't wait. Nine months is too long.”
The smile was broad and I don't think that I have ever seen him this happy. Even if he was completely drunk.
“Yeah, I know right.” I fake laughed, rolling him onto the bed. “Come on, let's get you back into bed.”
It was lucky that he hadn't bothered with shoes considering that he was crawling on the bed. Not so good was the fact that he'd gone down there without a shirt on. I tugged his jeans off and pulled the sheet back over us. I almost missed it given that it was dark but the smudge on his skin was odd. Flicking on the bed side light and ignoring his protests at the harsh light, I looked upon the deep red mark on his lower stomach.
He chuckled when I pulled at his shorts, murmuring that I was a dirty girl. Except that I wasn't. I was a trusting girl who was clearly an idiot. Another red mark, a little lower and a little less smudged.
“What the hell Curtis?”
“What?” he cracked half an eye open at me.
I got up from the bed and began to dress, ignoring the tears that were running down my cheeks. Walking into the dressing room, I found my purse and put on a pair of shoes. Curtis leaned on the door frame, frowning in his own drunken way.
“What are you doing baby?”
“Leaving.” I snapped at him, wiping the tears. “You've got fucking lipstick all over your dick.”
He frowned and looked at his shorts, pulling the band out with an even bigger frown.
“Don't remember getting blown.” he slurred.
“Well then clearly you've got a problem with alcohol. Get the fuck out of my way.”
Thankfully he was too drunk to stop me, even if he did try. He followed me out of the bedroom and down the stairs, telling me to stop.
“What's going on?”
I turned with a gasp, Austin was standing in the doorway of a room beside the staircase. He was sober, his ominous presence was a little scary. Curtis groaned and fell back to the stairs, the guard grabbed him and helped him down.
“He's got lipstick all over his dick. I don't need this shit so I'm leaving.”
“Without an explanation? That's a bit harsh.”
“Well then you explain how come there's lipstick smudges down there. Did you put them there?”
Austin rolled his eyes as he leaned on the door.
“Fucks sake Frankie, I'm not gay and he's my cousin.”
We both turned to the groaning and complaining Curtis. Amid the protests that he didn't misbehave there were a few complaints that he didn't feel so good.
“Put him in my room Jack, make sure the mouth is pointed into the toilet bowl and tell Eden she's getting the joyous duty of babysitting him tonight. Make sure the idiot doesn't die.”
“Sure thing.”
The other guard helped Jack lift Curtis up and remained at his posting as Jack took Curtis upstairs. Austin nodded his head, wordlessly gesturing for me to follow him.
I hadn't been in this room, it was kind of like a den or a study though there were no books. Just a few leather chairs. The walls were a deep, rich green color with dark wood panels around the lower half of the wall.
In the far corner were a few people, huddled in and having a deep discussion about something clearly enthralling. There wasn't a drink to be seen, not even the remnants of anything alcoholic. A few looked up, soon followed by the rest of them. They all offered pleasant smiles, tipping their heads in a rock star way of greeting me. I returned the quintessential greeting as if I was one of them.
“Not everyone that comes here has to get plastered.” Austin murmured. “Not everyone wants to get plastered.”
I turned to the brooding stare that was pinned to me, he turned and sat on a tub chair in the opposite corner to his friends. Close but far enough away that our conversation couldn't be heard. I sat down in the next seat along, it was turned to face Austin's seat with a small round table in between us.
“Sometimes we drink to escape our demons. To forget the pain. You didn't drink tonight.”
His hand had been resting on the arm of the chair, it flicked at me or rather at my stomach.
“You pregnant already?”
“He tried or maybe he forgot.” I shrugged. “Timing is wrong but he doesn't know that yet.”
Austin nodded and it felt like I was being subjected to some family inquisition. He rested back against the seat, crossing one leg. His finger scrapped under his lip, rubbing the stubble that was breaking through the skin. Austin had the same bright green eyes as Curtis, they narrowed at me as he sighed slightly. The penetrating gaze was oddly familiar, something tingled in my mind as something crazy occurred to me.
“You've been at the restaurant with Curtis, haven't you?”
Austin cracked a slight smile and nodded.
“You knew about his crazy obsession.”
He nodded again.
“Did you ever wonder why he bought that house?”
“He's got too much money.” I offered.
Austin shook his head with a wry smile, his fingers flicking on the leather arm rests.
“One night you mentioned that you'd gone to the roof of your apartment block to look at the view.”
I frowned, trying to remember ever having that conversation.
“It was right at the beginning, you were talking to a woman who was a photographer. She was showing you pictures of the desert and you two got talking.”
“I remember that.” I gasped. “She was a great photographer. Did he buy that house for the view?”
Austin nodded and picked up his bottle of water. He wasn't a drinker, or at least he wasn't drinking tonight.
“Curtis needs to lay off the alcohol.”
I changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the fact that Curtis has spent a shit load of money based on a conversation I'd had. What if I was being polite to the woman?
“Can't disagree with you on that one Frankie but the problem is that he's got too many demons. Once they take hold they tend not to let go.”
“How come you don't drink?”
“Because I don't have assholes for parents and I don't have any siblings.”
Fair enough I suppose. Even without hearing it from Lola I figured that there was some serious issues with his family. He hardly ever talks about them and when he does, he's always got a frown. Except when he talked about James. Why he would idolize the bastard I don't know but clearly he did.
“He's going to wake in the morning
with one hell of a hangover and he probably won't remember much.”
“If you're trying to defend him you're not doing a very good job at it. How about we cut to the chase here. Lipstick. Dick. Pants down. Not me. Are we on the same page here Austin?”
“Sure.” he nodded. “He screwed up, he's drunk and probably didn't realize or forgot. It's not an excuse but that's how it is. He'll wake in the morning and he'll see the lipstick, he'll realize that he's fucked up big time and you won't be there. Then he'll go searching for you and will miss the performance tomorrow night and prove James right.”
Way to go Austin, make me feel bad and ensure that I don't leave.
“You know there is a chance that he might not have, it's a long shot but it is entirely possible.”
“How?” I snapped.
“I wouldn't have a clue Frankie, sometimes life is just that crazy. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't jump to conclusions. Especially when he's drunk and can't defend himself. You should wait until morning, let him sober up and then talk to him. This is a whole new world for him, for any of us really. We were signed to the record label at seventeen, famous at eighteen. What kind of a life do you think he's had? What kind of women do you think he's faced?”
Austin looked at me with determination.
“He said he's never fucked a groupie.”
“Not all women that cross our path are groupies. My point is that those that come into our life are just after the exterior of us. The life of a rock star, the money, the parties. It's all they want. Then along comes Frankie and she doesn't recognize the rock star sitting in her restaurant. She smiles at him and he's smitten. He drags his obliging cousin along and she still doesn't recognize him. Now this obliging cousin can read between the lines, he can see his favorite cousin falling in love and the poor thing doesn't even realize it. Why? Because he's never seen it for himself. His parents sleep in separate bedrooms and have done so for a really long time. He looks to the neighbor who isn't much help for a view of what love should be. She was knocked up by a pervert teacher. He looks at the world around him and sees women who get down on their knees just so they can tell the world they've blown a rock star. Part of him expects that this Frankie chick would be like that. That once she realizes he's this rock god that she'll be all over him.”
He chuckled and took a swig of his water. A young couple walked into the room, moving straight to the other group. Austin nodded at them, watching them for a moment. He turned back to me with a lopsided grin, one that I had seen Curtis give me when he was amused at something.
“But she's not all over him, well she is but not because he's a rock star. Frankie treats him like a normal person. She yells at him when he does something wrong, she threatens to walk out when he pretends to misbehave. Frankie doesn't want his money, tries to give it back. Says he can see her mind ticking over with thoughts about how to repay him. He knows that she's better than any other woman that has ever fluttered their eyes at him. A million groupies couldn't compare to her but still he struggles with the concept that she's the one. So where is his guide to the world of true love?” Austin shrugged. “It's nowhere so he has no clue that it's happening until it's pointed out to him. So he knows it but he doesn't believe it.”
Austin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. His gaze still pinned to me.
“And now he's screwed up, or seemingly he's screwed up. His cousin doesn't know for certain and of course Frankie doesn't know. The only one that knows for certain is too drunk to be coherent. He'll sober in the morning and he'll be sorry. Does that mean Frankie should forgive him?”
He shrugged. “It's not the cousins call on that one, that's Frankie's business. But you see the problem is, she loves him. She may not see it but it's there. Everyone around them talks about the way they're always making gooey faces at each other, always together. And deep down, she knows that he needs her. She knows how much he's changed just in the few days they've known each other. What she doesn't know is how much he's changed since that first smile. She gives his life meaning. His life used to be just about the music and his drum kit but his life was spiraling out of control. Every time his family rang him, they would tell him about how great their lives are. Picking away at him and reminding him at how he had screwed his life over by taking this path. Along comes Frankie and she gives him hope. Hope that his family are wrong. Hope that his life is worth living.”
Austin paused for a moment, taking a breath and a long, slow blink.
“Do you understand why Frankie should stay?”
I nodded, feeling my throat tighten painfully as I gulped.
“I'm not saying you should forgive him, just let him speak before you decide the future.”
Chapter Fourteen
Bright gleaming blue eyes looked up at me with a cheesy grin.
“Thanks mommy one.”
I narrowed my eyes at Jaxon as I put the plate of breakfast in front of him. Well, it was brunch that was closer to being lunch considering it was nearly midday.
“Mommy one, huh?”
“Yep, got two mommies now. Mommy two is a bit of a meanie but she's cool.”
Eden looked up from her laptop, sipping her coffee with a wry smile hidden behind the cup. Yep, she'd won them over. How? Her no-nonsense attitude, her distaste for anything other than country music and her inability to be affected by their good looks and... well I was going to say charms but that wouldn't be correct.
No, these boys had more than charm, they were something completely different. They were cheeky and crazily enough, lovable. Between them they always managed to be doing something crazy, something fun and always laughing or messing around. It was fair to say that these four pests had grown on me. The fifth pest was yet to show his face. Austin said he was still passed out on his bathroom floor.
I had checked on Curtis after agreeing to stay to hear him out. Eden had dragged a chair into the bathroom and was sitting there tapping away at her keyboard. Working and babysitting a passed out drunk at one am in the morning. Yep, she was living the high life.
With the pests fed, I returned to the kitchen to clean up. Yes, the clean freak strikes again. All that was left was to feed Curtis whenever it was that he dared to show his face. I had been eating as I cooked the meals, picking through bits of food and feeling full rather quickly.
The boys had discussed tonight briefly, there seemed to be a lot of tension in the air. I knew what the tension was, it was bubbling away below the surface waiting to explode. Anxiety was rippling through me, creating a serious tension knot in my shoulder. I hated this, I hated waiting for a fight.
I didn't know how this was going to end and that worried me.
After checking on Curtis in the early hours of this morning, I had packed the bags in preparation for my departure. I wasn't taking them with me of course, I had just packed them out of courtesy. Little did I realize what kind of message it could send.
Thumping echoed through the entry, thunderous steps boomed down the stairs as Curtis yelled my name. Everyone that was at the table had fled, like rats fleeing a sinking ship. It had once been filled with five people, a lot of cutlery, plates and cups. Now there was nothing. Not even a trace of them ever being there. Where they had gone I had no clue but it was clear that they didn't want to be dragged into this mess nor to witness it.
I was in this on my own.
Curtis skidded into the room, panic filling his face. I walked into the dining room and placed a plate of food onto the table for him.
“Frankie.”
“Eat your breakfast Curtis.”
I turned back to the kitchen to continue the cleaning. It had never been this clean. I was being super awesome at this scrubbing thing. We will ignore the part where Evan said I was wearing a mark into the bench.
I was staring out the window, my fingers gently tapping on the metal of the sink when an empty plate was put onto the bench beside me. He had downed the whole thing in less than a minute. That, I was not exp
ecting.
“Why are your bags packed?”
“Do you not remember last night?”
“No.”
“You left the bed after I fell asleep, returning drunk. I removed your jeans and found lipstick all over you.”
I turned, taking a deep breath.
“You had lipstick on your dick Curtis. That's why I packed the bag. I was leaving and out of courtesy I packed the bags so that you wouldn't have to.”
He said nothing. If he was shocked or if he had suddenly remembered everything I don't know.
I wiped the tears away. “You were so damned drunk you couldn't even stay upright. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Austin asking me to stay and hear you out, so come on Curtis. Tell me you didn't cheat on me last night. This is the part where you fight to keep me or let me walk away, which is it?”
Again, he said nothing. I watched as he gulped, gazing out the window with a look of pure pain.
“Fine.” I huffed as more tears streamed out. “Don't care what Austin thinks, this is just shit. I'm done.”
As I walked away I felt his rough grip wrap around my arm, the same way he had done in the jail.
“I have no memory beyond walking downstairs to get a drink. I wanted water but was distracted by the beer.”
“So you don't even know if did happen, do you?”
Curtis shook his head, lowering it as his hand ran through his hair. It stopped at the nape, his eyes reached mine, holding just as much pain.
“You know you've got a problem with alcohol when you can't even remember if you cheated on your girlfriend or not.”
He nodded sadly, reaching for my fingers that were hidden behind my folded arms.
“Please don't leave.” he whispered sadly.
“But don't you see Curtis, this is going to happen again. Next party you're going to get drunk again and what then? Do I have to stay by your side to ensure that you behave yourself? I shouldn't have to do that. You should want to be faithful to me and no amount of alcohol should stop that. Austin made me believe that there was something here worth staying for.”