"Look, you're running behind. They're waiting for you backstage in makeup. Grayson, you're going to need to follow me...you can't go with her."
"Why not?" I challenged, arching a brow.
"Because you're a distraction." Maddie rolled her eyes as if she didn't have time to explain. "Carly, take Everly to makeup. I'll accompany this guy to join the others."
"Others? What others?"
"The other guests of the band," Maddie exhaled, closing her eyes momentarily. I didn't have to know her to know that I was completely rattling her patience.
Everly kissed me quickly before she followed the other girl that had been standing beside Maddie.
"Come on, Romeo." Maddie sighed. She led the way down a hallway and paused outside a red door before opening it. I walked in cautiously, my eyes assessing the room.
There were several black leather couches set up facing each other, along with a long coffee table that was loaded down with pastries and fruit. A counter to the left of the room housed a coffee maker and a refrigerator. There was a large TV on the far wall with The Today Show on.
There were five other people in the room. I didn't recognize the two girls, but I knew Kyle, Cam and Marcus well enough.
Marcus was lounging by the coffee maker, animatedly talking to Cam about something. Kyle sat on one of the couches, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a pretty girl with short blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes. Beside her sat a girl with shockingly red hair and a massive grin. Had her hair been braided, she would have borne a remarkable resemblance to Pippi Longstocking herself.
When we walked in, all eyes looked up at us. Kyle's easy smile dimmed several notches as we eyed each other warily.
The last time I had seen Kyle, prior to our brief encounter at Everly's house, I had knocked him out cold after a school dance for merely speaking the truth. Well, that and for touching my girl.
I'd gone to the bathroom and when I had returned, I saw Kyle across the dance floor, grinding up against Everly. When she realized it wasn't me behind her, she started to tell him off.
At that point, I was seeing red. I knew that Kyle wanted Everly. I hated him for it, even if I couldn't blame him. I likely would have walked away when I saw them kissing on the dance floor of a Halloween party months before—if the second she left he hadn't started making out with some other girl. Kyle didn't deserve her any more than I did.
"Kyle, if you touch her again, I'll break your hands," I said. I couldn't even recognize my own voice, so twisted with anger it was.
"She deserves so much more than the scraps you throw at her," Kyle spat angrily, glaring back. My eyebrows shot up, and I saw Everly wince out of the corner of my eye. The verbal punch hit where it hurt, just like Kyle intended. He was right I wasn't giving Everly nearly enough. It was nobody's fault but my own, but hearing the truth and seeing her wince enraged me. I didn't want it to be true. I wanted to be worthy...I wanted to feel worthy, but I wasn't and I didn't. Even Everly's hand against my chest couldn't stop the rage from flying out.
The punch happened so quickly that it took even me by surprise. One moment, I was subdued with Everly's hand on my chest, and the next minute, my fist was slamming against Kyle's jaw with a shocking intensity. Kyle's head flew back on impact and he stumbled. He stepped back a few steps before he regained his footing. My blood was roaring.
Kyle slowly ran a hand across his mouth and wiped away the blood from the split in his bottom lip, glowering at me. People formed a half circle around us, gearing up to watch a fight. Someone turned the volume of the music down.
"You're fucking unhinged, man," Kyle said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Your reaction when I call you out on how you treat her is to punch me? Guess the truth hurts."
I snarled, my lip curling cruelly.
"Kyle! Stop it," Everly exclaimed, trying to pull back on my arm. I felt like a caged animal, and Kyle's words were only egging my uncontrollable rage on. Everything resurfaced in that moment—my parents' divorce, my mom's suicide, every insecurity I had ever had because of it...and the startling realization that Kyle was right.
"Tell your fucking boyfriend to stop it, Everly!" Kyle retorted, glaring hotly at Everly. "He treats you like shit and you know it. We know it. He fucking knows it!"
"You think you're better for her?" I scoffed, staying still only because her hands were pressing hard against me, tethering me to her.
"I guess that doesn't really matter, does it?" Kyle asked. "Because she's with you...for now. But she'll open her eyes. Sooner or later, you'll let her down one too many times, and I'll be here."
Everly's hands were no longer able to keep me in place. I darted out and around her, my fist colliding with Kyle's jaw again. This time, Kyle fell against the coffee table, completely knocked out...
"...help yourself to coffee and some breakfast," Maddie was saying, gesturing to the tables. I blinked at her retreating back.
"Well, this just got interesting," Kyle remarked dryly after the door had closed behind Maddie. The blonde girl he had his arm around gave him a warning look while the redheaded girl stood up eagerly and approached me, her hand stretched out in greeting.
"Hi! I'm Crimson! It's nice to meet to you. You have to try the chocolate croissant; it's to die for!"
"Hi..." I shook her hand.
"Where are you from?" Crimson asked, not picking up on my discomfort as I shoved my hands back into my pockets.
"He's from Newcastle," Marcus answered before I could. "We went to high school together."
"Oh my God! That's awesome! So you guys are friends?"
"Not particularly," I said, trying my best not to scowl at Kyle.
"He's close with Everly," Kyle responded automatically, his lip curling up in a near snarl.
"Awesome!" Crimson didn't seem to notice the hostility in the room, or maybe it was just her way of trying to neutralize it. She led me to the vacant couch across from Kyle and the blonde girl. I sat down obediently, still eyeing Kyle.
"So, you know Kyle, Marcus and Cam, and now me...this stunning lady is Jenna! We're from Ottawa, actually. Jenna met Kyle at a concert five years ago, and they're kind of a hot item so she gets all these tickets and invites to the fun stuff the band does and she brings me because I love the band!" Crimson said brightly, plopping down beside me. She picked up a chocolate croissant and offered it to me.
"No thanks." I wasn't hungry. Part of me felt like dragging Kyle outside and punching him again, just because I didn't like him. Another part of me wanted to apologize for that night in high school, but it wasn't really the place...and the only person I'd ever successfully managed to apologize to Everly, so it probably wouldn't have mattered. I likely would have ended up punching him regardless of my intentions.
Instead, I settled for distractedly listening to Crimson while she talked... and damn, that girl could talk. I couldn't even follow half of what she was saying because my mind was whirling with memories of high school and the person I was back then and the person I was struggling to be today, in this moment, sitting across from Kyle.
The tension between us was blatantly obvious to everyone except it would seem...Crimson. Finally, Kyle couldn't take it anymore.
"I need a smoke," he declared, standing abruptly. He kissed Jenna quickly on the lips before stomping out of the room.
The room was silent; Marcus and Cam were eyeing me suspiciously.
"Sorry about that," the blonde girl said, leaning forward. Her hand came up to rest against the nape of her neck as she stared at the closed door as if waiting to see if it would stay shut. After a moment, she looked at me again. "Kyle really cares about Everly and...well, you know."
I got the sense that the blonde girl was referring to Cadence. I tried to be impassive, but it was difficult to hear the reminder—Kyle hadn't left. Kyle was there for Cadence's birth, or at least afterwards. He knew Everly's secret before I did, and that pissed me off.
The girl smiled at me with compassion. "I'm Jenna, by the
way. I didn't catch your name."
"Grayson."
"Oh! A color inspired name!" Crimson grinned, grasping my arm with innocent excitement. She must have felt my muscles stiffening, as she quickly released me and gave me a little space. "So...are you and Everly together?"
"Yes." I knew I sounded short and unfriendly, but I couldn't seem to help it. My mind had gone to a slightly dark place and the last thing I felt like doing was making small talk.
The door opened, saving me from further conversation, and Maddie poked her head in. "Alright, they are starting to fill the audience now so you guys can go to your seats," she said to the three of us. Crimson jumped up with excitement, her eyes shining. Jenna calmly stood. I followed the three of them to the audience, trying to take in my surroundings.
There were hundreds of chairs in the audience that reminded me of a brightly lit movie theater. People were starting to take their designated seats, their excited chatter echoing throughout the large studio room. On stage, there was a comfortable looking seating area and a large projection screen TV. I sat down in the seat that Maddie pointed to, in the front row near the center of the stage. I'd have a perfect view of Everly.
Crimson sat down beside me, and Jenna took the chair beside her. She grinned widely at me, the freckles that dotted across her upper cheeks and nose dancing with merriment. She had the kind of face that was innocent and pretty in an understated way.
"I seriously love Margo so much. She's hilarious," Crimson said, shaking her head ruefully. "I wonder if we'll get to meet her?" she added to Jenna.
"Probably not." Jenna frowned slightly, seemingly put off by her friend’s eagerness; as if she worried that Crimson would get up in the middle of the show and head up on stage to introduce herself to Margo.
On second thought, I wouldn't put it past her.
I tuned out the girls for twenty minutes, closing my eyes against the harsh lights directed on the audience, and waited until all the seats were full. It was another twenty minutes after that before the lights in the studio started to dim. Flood lights were trained on the door that led to back stage. Catchy dance music blasted through the speakers, and suddenly Margo Harwood was bouncing across the stage, shaking her ass in rhythm to the music and waving at the audience. Crimson cheered exuberantly with excitement, ignoring Jenna's attempts at hushing her.
The music faded as Margo sat down in her chair. Her short, pixie-like auburn hair was styled in crazy spikes and she was dressed in a snug pant suit. Her bright blue eyes twinkled as she chuckled at the audience's continued welcome.
"Good morning!" Margo's voice made the audience fall silent, the last of the claps fading off in the wake of her booming voice. "Today we have some special guests, the lovely people in Autumn Fields; Everly Daniels, Kyle Russell, Marcus Muller, and Cam Roberts. After we chat for a bit, they're going to sing for us and then we will be joined by actor Deegan Redford! If you don't know who he is, you must be living under a rock. He's been in pretty much every movie that's been released in the past three years!" the audience chuckled at Margo's commentary on Deegan Redford. Even I let out a small smile. The guy was literally in everything. "But first! We need to do our usual phone call."
Margo picked up the old school phone that was next to her mug on the coffee table. She always started her television shows off by calling a fan and saying hello and offering free tickets to her show tapings in LA. The conversations were usually amusing. Not only was Margo was an extremely entertaining woman, but her fans often said the funniest things to her too.
After Margo hung up the phone, she showed the audience her top tweets of the week. My fingers tapped against the arm rest; I was growing rather impatient. I didn't find tweets funny, and I was eager to get this done with so we could get out of the stuffy studio and preferably back into Everly's bed.
"Stay tuned! After this quick commercial, we'll be welcoming our first guests!" Margo grinned into the camera. The cameras stopped rolling and a couple of stage directors came out to tidy up the stage and prepare for the first guests. At the mere thought of Everly, my lips perked up in an unrestrained smile.
"How long have you and Everly been together?" Crimson asked, peering at me with curiosity. She tucked her hair behind her ear, and I noticed for the first time that she was wearing a clear hearing aid.
"Crimson, shh," Jenna warned, glancing around to make sure that nobody had heard her.
"It's complicated," I responded, frowning. I was not accustomed to random strangers questioning me so bluntly. Usually, people were put off by my scowling, dire mood. Although, I suppose I hadn't exactly been scowling or in a completely dire mood, for that matter. Now that I was back with Everly, I was smiling more and scowling less. Which probably made me look friendly and approachable. I clenched my jaw.
"Oh." Crimson nodded wisely, her brows arching with understanding. I didn't know exactly what she thought she understood, but I didn't care enough to find out. Surprisingly, the girl kept talking. "I have a complicated relationship with my boyfriend too. His name is Cole and we have been together for years. We met during our first year of University. I just graduated with my BA in Psychology. I'm from Simcoe originally, but I moved to Ottawa for University. Best decision ever! That's where I met this beauty and our other bestie, Harlow. She's not here because she hates flying. Anyway, so...things with Cole are complicated because he's got a lot of issues he's trying to work through."
I opened and closed my mouth like a fish. I just didn't know how the hell to respond to that. Jenna gave me a sympathetic look as if she understood how overwhelming Crimson could be, and quickly distracted her attention.
"And now! Please give a warm welcome to the geniuses behind Autumn Fields! Everly Daniels, Kyle Russell, Marcus Muller and Cam Roberts!" Margo's voice was full of warmth and welcome as she introduced each and every one of them. I straightened up, watching as Everly walked out onto the brightly lit stage followed by Kyle, Marcus and Cam. As always, I only had eyes for her.
She was waving at the audience and smiling in that dazzling way that made my blood surge with desire. The band was getting an insane reception from the audience. Many of them, including the girls beside me, stood up and loudly cheered and clapped.
Everly looked stunning in a tight pair of jeans, a red low-cut top and a black leather jacket similar to the one she usually preformed in. She almost seemed to glide across the stage over to Margo Harwood, continuing to wave and smile at the audience as she went. They ate it up, cheering loudly when she blew a kiss.
Margo was standing in front of her arm chair in the middle of the room, clapping along with the audience. Everly reached her first and Margo threw her arms around her in a massive hug while the audience cheered louder still. Margo turned her lips close to Everly's ear and whispered something. Everly grinned and nodded, responding quietly so the audience couldn't hear. The crowd fell silent as Everly lowered herself into the long sofa across from Margo. Margo hugged Kyle, Marcus and Cam in turn before they sat on the sofa. Everly sat closest to Margo, with Kyle sitting beside her and Marcus beside him. Cam sat on the far side, sending flirtatious looks to the girls closet to the stage.
"It's so great to see you guys again! You've all done so much since the last time you were on the show. Why don't you tell us a bit about your projects?" Margo grinned, looking from Everly's face to Kyle. It was obvious that they were still the main stars of the show. Marcus and Cam seemed completely content with that.
Everly looked at Kyle and he nodded as if encouraging her to take this one.
"Yes!" she responded, running her delicate hands along those designer jeans that I wanted to peel her out of. The other guys seemed content enough to let her take the reins. "We finished our latest album, Free From Blame in September."
"Your last two singles, In Tandem and Gutless, both topped the charts the days that they were released and are still sitting at the top now. It's been a month for Gutless and two weeks for In Tandem. That's pretty impressive! Will your f
ans be just as happy with the rest of the album?"
"I think so," Kyle responded this time, flashing his award winning grin at the crowd. They lapped it up. "I think a lot of people will be able to relate to it. We worked harder than we've ever worked before to make sure that it's our best album yet." As the last word fell from Kyle's lips, the audience hooted and clapped.
"I'm sure you don't say that lightly," Margo remarked, smiling. "Your last three records have gone platinum and you guys have won several Billboards!"
Everly smiled in response, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe it herself. Her wavy tresses moved with her. "It's been incredible..." she managed, choking a little on her words. Kyle gently put his arm around her, squeezing her to him. I scowled slightly, but it was a typical Kyle move. In every interview I'd ever watched, he was always touching Everly in some way.
"We've grown so much, both individually and together...we're like a family," Kyle added. Marcus and Cam nodded in agreement.
"It's easy to see that!" Margo said, grinning. "Now you guys got your big break performing at a Battle of the Bands in your final year of high school, isn't that right?" Margo asked.
Everly nodded.
"Yep! The guys and I already had a band, but back then we called it something else...probably Hairy Balls or something equally revolting, and Marcus and I sat across from this stunner one day and her friend mentioned she could sing. When we heard her, we talked her in to performing with us!"
Margo smiled, shaking her head with amusement at Kyle's exuberance. "Did you guys imagine yourselves making it this far? Accomplishing all that you have?"
Kyle, Everly, Marcus and Cam all exchanged a look with one another as if they were communicating without words. The kind of intuitive relationship that comes from people who spent a lot of time together, who knew each others' weaknesses and strengths.
"No, I didn't." Everly's answer was the first to come and it was honest as she demurely smiled, her lashes lowered as if she felt bashful. "I dreamed of performing, but I didn't know it was possible for me."
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