by JL Paul
“Yeah, but still,” she started to protest.
“Ally, he’s a tough kid and can handle his own against others,” RJ said. “But there were four of these guys and Alec was alone and they were persistent until Cole spotted them and chased them off.”
Ally bit her lip and didn’t say a word, just patted Cole’s thigh and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Well, thanks.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Cole said as he linked their hands under the table.
The conversation switched to talk about the end of Tight Control’s tour and how much fun they’d had as kids when they’d been allowed to go.
“I wish I could have gone,” Stephanie sighed wistfully. “My dad hardly ever travels – he’s a supervisor at some office.”
“Well, we might be touring before too long,” RJ said with a smug smirk. Cole offered a fist in which RJ immediately bumped.
“Why?” Ally asked, her eyes wide. “Do you guys know something you’re not sharing with me?”
“Relax, cuz,” Jamie said, glaring across the table at RJ and Cole. “They’re not sharing with me, either.”
Cole grinned and made Ally’s heart flip. “Rhys Redden told Dad that he wanted us to play for him this summer. He promised he’d be honest and if he liked our sound, maybe he’d sign us.”
“Seriously?” Ally asked, jumping out of her seat. Cole and RJ both nodded. She ran around the table, threw an arm around both boys, and hugged them tightly. “This is fantastic! I’m so proud of you guys!”
“Yeah, man,” Jamie said as he hauled both guys up into a man hug. “This is so cool.”
“Well, it hasn’t happened yet,” Cole said, although the smile didn’t fade from his eyes. “We just have to work extra hard to make sure we’re sharp.”
“You will be,” Stephanie said confidently as she shyly hugged both boys. “I know you will.”
It was on the tip of Ally’s tongue to ask Stephanie just how she knew they’d be sharp but the mood was so light and she felt so good being with her friends that she didn’t want to ruin it. And the night was growing later, making her eyes droop.
“Why don’t you guys crash here?” she said as she stood and stretched. “I’m going to head up to bed.”
Ally showed Stephanie one of the guest rooms and left the guys to fend for themselves – they’d stayed plenty of times before and knew where everything was located.
She changed into a comfortable pair of pajamas and sat on her bed, removing her ankle brace, slowly massaging her ankle. Someone knocked softly on her door.
“Come in,” she said, looking up curiously.
“Hey, Al,” Cole said quietly as he slipped into the room. He plopped on the bed next to her. “Can I room with you? I got voted out of the guest rooms and onto the couch.”
She rolled her eyes. “Keep the snoring to a minimum.”
He smirked at her. “I don’t snore.”
“Yeah, right,” she started to argue but he gently pushed on her shoulders until she was lying on the bed.
“Don’t argue with me, Al,” he said, moving closer. “I’m always right.” He crushed his lips against hers. She threw her arms around his neck in surprise and scooted her body further on the mattress. He adjusted his body so that he was lying over her, but supporting his weight with his arms. He deepened the kiss and stroked her cheek as she melted into him.
“I missed you,” she said when she broke the kiss to gasp for air.
“I know. I’m an idiot,” he said as he smiled at her. He kissed her again then reluctantly tore his body from hers. “But, no more.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” she said, rolling her eyes at him. She slid to the floor and headed toward the bathroom but he scooped her in his arms and dropped her back on the bed.
“That’s no way to be,” he said as he pinned her arms to the mattress and kissed her. “I’m trying to be nice and you’re mocking me.”
“I’m not mocking you,” she said.
“I’m serious,” he said and his eyes darkened and warmed. “I’ve been a jerk, I know, but I mean to make it up to you.” He kissed her softly. “I really do love you, Al.”
Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as her breath hitched in her throat. “You really do love me? I mean, as like, more than a friend, sort of way?” she asked, hesitantly.
“Yeah now lie back down and tell me you love me, too. I mean, if you do.”
“You know I do,” she protested.
He snorted. “Sometimes I wonder.”
She smacked him lightly. “I’m better at showing it than you are.”
He sighed. “Al, do you really want to fight about who sucks more at showing they love the other one, or do you want to get comfortable here with me and get some sleep?”
She huffed and tucked her body into his once more. “By the way,” he whispered. “I don’t think I heard you actually say it.”
She groaned. “I did too! I told you that I loved you, too!”
“No,” he countered. “I think you said something like ‘you know I do,’ which isn’t really saying it.”
“You are so infuriating, do you know that,” she told him.
He flipped her on her back and loomed over her. “Say it,” he smirked, peppering her face with light kisses, making her giggle again.
“I love you, Cole,” she admitted, still laughing, and pulled his mouth to hers again. He broke the kiss to smile at her before dropping to the pillow and tucking her in his arms.
Chapter Twenty
Cole frowned as he looked into the glass cases of glittering diamonds and sparkling rubies. Everything was so fancy and big and gawdy and not at all what he was looking for. Nothing met with his approval and he was sort of lost.
“What do you want to get her?” Stephanie asked, as she peered into a case of diamond solitaire rings. “Like a ring or something?”
“No,” Cole said quickly, panic shooting through his body. He loved her, yes, but a ring was sort of a serious thing and he definitely wasn’t ready for that. Not in the least. “Not a ring. No.”
Stephanie grinned and patted him on the back in a patronizing manner. “Okay, no ring. Let’s see….How about a tennis bracelet?”
Cole’s brow furrowed as he shot her a puzzled look. “She doesn’t play tennis.”
Stephanie groaned. “No, that’s not what that means. Uh…nevermind. Here, check out these gold chains. They’re pretty.”
Cole sighed and peeked into yet another glass case. He’d spent most of the afternoon at the mall with Stephanie, something he hadn’t really enjoyed.
He hated shopping and usually did things online. He’d already bought his dad and Stacy something and he and the guys never really exchanged gifts, unless they found something cool. Stephanie, well, he’d asked Stacy to pick something out for him to get her, claiming he didn’t know her that well yet. All that left was Ally and he couldn’t give her the same stuff he always did; hoodies of her favorite sports teams or stuffed animals or something like that. He’d been complaining about it all morning until Stephanie finally dragged him to the mall.
Then he spotted it. It was perfect, almost too perfect. On a shimmering gold chain was a heart shaped charm, sprinkled with minute diamond chips, with a music note in the middle. He smirked, imagining the look on her face when she opened it. He gestured for the salesman, who’d kept a close eye on him from the second he and Steph had walked into the store.
“Can I help you, sir?” the old man asked, looking down his thin nose. He was very tall, very skinny, and very stiff. He looked like he belonged in some sort of freaky curio shop and not a jewelry store.
“Yeah,” Cole said. He pointed at the necklace. “I want that. And could you gift wrap it, please?”
The salesman peeked in the case, opened it, and glanced at the little price tag hanging from the chain. “Sir, that piece is a little pricey.” He held up the chain, pointing at the tag.
Cole looked at the man and blinked
as if he hadn’t understood a thing he’d said. “I didn’t ask, but thanks for letting me know.” He rolled his eyes and handed the man a credit card. “You will gift wrap it, right?”
The salesman took the card and the necklace over to the cash register to ring it up.
“What a moron,” Cole said when Stephanie joined him.
She laughed and tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. “You do look like a hood, you know -leather jacket, old jeans, messy hair. You fit the profile.” He rolled his eyes again. “So, you found something, huh?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s perfect. A music note in a heart necklace thing.”
She beamed at him and patted his stomach. “Awww! A kinda ‘you’re the song in my heart,” thing,” she smiled.
“I did not say that,” he protested, blood rushing to his cheeks.
“But that’s what you’re thinking, right?” she teased.
“Shut the hell up, Steph,” he warned with a shy smile.
“Mr. Crawford,” the salesman called in a lighter tone. Cole lifted a brow as he approached the cash register. “Here is your package and if I could have you sign the sales slip…”
Cole did as he was asked, grabbed the necklace and yanked Stephanie out of the store. “Get me out of this mall.”
***
Christmas passed pleasantly enough and Cole had been right; the necklace had been a big hit with Ally. He’d taken her out twice and they’d hung out quite a bit with the others. Nate and Stacy planned a small New Year’s party at their house for just the band and their families.
Ally stuck close to Cole all night, wishing she could sneak him away for just a few minutes – long enough to kiss him a time or two without everyone watching. And he knew what she wanted and didn’t help matters any by teasing her and whispering in her ear how pretty she looked.
About a half an hour before midnight, she escaped to the kitchen to get a refill on her soft drink when he tiptoed in behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear.
“What’s the matter, princess? Afraid to kiss me in front of your dad?” He pressed his lips to the soft skin below her jaw line making her shudder.
“Stop it, Cole,” she chastised, smiling and turning in his arms. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Besides, I think my dad’s watching us like a hawk.”
Cole let go of her waist and hopped up on the kitchen counter. “My dad, too. He’s afraid I’ll hurt his adopted little princess.”
She held a soda can over her glass and paused, jaw dropping. “Really?”
“I know,” he said, appalled. He winked at her. “You’re surprised he doesn’t have a little more faith in me, huh?”
“No,” she said, grinning evilly as she set her can on the counter next to him. “I’m surprised that your dad considers me his adopted princess!”
Cole dug an ice cube from her glass and dropped it down her shirt before she could move away. She squealed. “Cole! You idiot,” she exclaimed.
“Yeah, I agree, sometimes,” Nate said, pushing through the kitchen door, an empty meat tray in his hands.
Cole shrugged. “Like father like son,” he said.
“You are a riot, kid,” Nate said sarcastically as he set the tray in the sink.
“Don’t feed his ego,” Ally begged, picking up the ice cube that had finally fallen out of her shirt and clattered to the floor. She dropped it in the sink and moved next to Nate. “It’s big enough.”
Nate wrapped an arm around Ally’s shoulders. “I agree one hundred percent, Ally girl.”
“What is this, everyone gang up on Cole?” Cole whined.
“I want to join,” Stephanie said as she entered the room carrying empty glasses. She eyed Nate standing next to Ally with his arm around her and quickly turned toward the sink. Triumph rushed through Ally for a moment, until she recalled how awful it was to feel left out.
“Do you need help, Stephanie?” Ally asked, pulling away from Nate.
“No, thanks,” she said with a grateful smile. “Nate, Jay said he needed to talk to you.”
“Thanks, Steph,” Nate said with a wink and left the room.
“Well,” Stephanie said, awkwardly. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“It’s all right,” Cole said, jumping down from the counter. “We’re going back to the party anyway.”
He took Ally’s hand and led her back to the family room where everyone was gathered, waiting for the emcee on TV to start the countdown.
Ally looked at her parents and smiled. She remembered her mom telling her that she and her dad had shared their first real kiss on New Year’s Eve. And even now, years later, they were still so much in love.
She was so intent on them that Cole startled her when he yanked her arm and pulled her to his chest once the countdown reached one. He kissed her softly and sweetly before pulling back to smile. Her heart soared to the ceiling and she thought for sure she’d never been happier.
***
Two weeks after they’d returned to school, Ally sat at her computer, fingers moving furiously over the keyboard. She was desperate to finish a book report for her Literature class so she could spend a little time with Cole after his rehearsal.
Just as she was saving her work and printing it out, Jeana rushed into the room, out of breath and her eyes drowning in concern.
“What’s the matter?” Ally asked as she jumped out of her chair and ran to her cousin. “Is something wrong?”
“I was just in the Student Center,” Jeana said, her chest heaving. She grabbed the remote control off the desk and turned on the TV, flipping through channels until she found VMTV. “They said coming up on the Music News they had a breaking story about Tight Control.”
Ally fell to her bed and trained her eyes on the TV as an energy drink commercial came to an end. A pretty, smiling blonde appeared on the screen, the VideoMusic News logo behind her.
“In breaking news today, Rhys Redden, president of Redden Records, announced today that he will be opening a new branch of Redden Records in Chicago.”
A photo of Tight Control replaced the logo over the reporter’s shoulder.
“Rhys Redden announced that Jay Jones, lead singer of Tight Control, will head the new branch later this spring. Tight Control is at the tail end of a tour and no word has been given as to the future of the band. Stick with VMTV Music News for updates.”
Ally’s heart fell to the floor. Her eyes wouldn’t leave the screen as her mind whirred frantically, trying to process the information.
“Ally?” Jeana asked softly. “Did you know about this?”
Ally shook her head, her heart breaking. How could her parents not tell her? Didn’t they just say at Thanksgiving that her dad wasn’t leaving the band? What was going on now?
Jeana sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Do the boys know about this, do you think?”
“I…” Ally started, and then shook her head. “I don’t think so. I mean, they would have told me, right?”
“Yes, they would have,” Jeana said. “You guys are so close.”
Ally’s bottom lip trembled. “This can’t be happening. I mean, they can’t just break up now. What will happen to them all?”
“They’ll remain friends,” Jeana said confidently. “I’m really sorry to hear all this, Ally, but it’s not the end of the world. I mean, I know it’ll be weird for you, but at least they’re still friends and not splitting because of an argument or anything.”
“I know,” Ally said, raking her fingers through her hair. “You’re exactly right. I don’t know why it upsets me so much. It’s just that they’ve been together for so long, you know?”
Jeana smiled and gave Ally’s shoulders a squeeze. “Because that band has been such a big part of your life. You love your dad being in an awesome rock band. I remember when you were younger and you used to go on tour with them and you’d send me postcards from the cool places you’d go. You were always so happy.”
/> “Yeah,” Ally agreed. “It was like a very long family vacation.”
Jeana shrugged. “Now you can take real family vacations in which your dad doesn’t have to go out on a stage every night. And you won’t have to ride in a tour bus all the time.”
“But the tour bus was the best part,” Ally protested. “I remember one time we locked RJ in the bathroom. He went in there and me, Jamie, and Cole propped everything we could in front of the door.” She laughed at the memory. “We got in trouble for that one. RJ was claustrophobic for a while.”
Jeana giggled. “I can imagine.” She stood up and turned off the television. “See, Ally, you’ll always have those memories. And you’ll always have those guys as your friends. You’ve all gone through so much together.”
Ally slipped off the bed and hugged the other girl. “I’m so sorry we don’t do more stuff together, Jeana.”
“Ally, just because we’re cousins, doesn’t mean we have to be best friends!”
“I know,” Ally said, pulling away. “But you’re always around to help me out when I have a crisis.”
“Yeah,” Jeana agreed. “And you’re always around for me, too. Remember when we were kids and we spent that week at Grandma’s? We went to the playground and that big girl pushed me face first in the sand box? You punched her in the face.”
Ally gasped. “She deserved it! You weren’t doing anything wrong!”
Jeana laughed. “I know, but I never would have stood up to her but you didn’t have a problem with punching her. You told her no one messes with your cousin.”
Ally smiled, remembering that day clearly. “It was funny.”
“And when we came here and I beat that horrible Macie Carmichael out of the cheerleading squad, she started spreading rumors about me. I know you’re the one that confronted her about it. I saw you talking to her outside of the Student Center and then the next day, the rumors stopped.”
“She was nothing but a jealous little witch. You were ten times better than her and she knew it,” Ally defended.
“Well, the point I’m trying to make is that even though we don’t hang around each other all the time, we’re still there for each other and that’s all that counts.” Jeana hugged Ally briefly. “So relax.”