He looked at her with concern, he put his hand on her shoulder rubbing it gently and crunched his eyebrows together, “You want to sit down for a bit?” he asked.
There was at least another thirty minutes until they reached the top and she wasn’t sure she wanted to put herself through that punishment. She’d well and truly blown any ideas she had to impress him, she might as well be honest. “Yes, please,” she begged. “Otherwise I’m jumping on your back and you’d need to carry me there.”
His lips twitched as took her hand and led them both towards a seating area. “Maybe this wasn’t the greatest idea I’ve ever had,” he admitted. “I thought it would be great to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and all the open space. I’m sorry you’re having such an awful time.”
She sat on the bench that faced the city and looked up at him. Regret filled his face, and she felt guilty. It had been a lovely idea and apart from needing an oxygen mask and all her leg muscles burning like Dante’s inferno. “Oh no, it was a great idea. I rarely get out of the city, well apart from when I visit my family, and I’ve missed it. If I use the stairs instead of the elevator from now on who knows, next time I might even beat you to the top,” she grinned.
“Next time?” he quirked an eyebrow at her. “So I’ve not put you off?”
She laughed, grateful at how easy he was making this for her. “No you’ve shown me how much I need to stop wallowing in my room with bags of Cheetos and start living again.”
“Ah so Cheetos is your guilty pleasure, mine too,” he admitted. “Being on the road, I feel like I’ve eaten nothing but junk food and unfortunately my body is used to it now. I’m hoping now we’re home for a few months I can eat better and have time for days like this.”
“You’re different from what I imagined you’d be.” she slapped her hand over her mouth as she realized she’d said that out loud.
A smirk slowly appeared on his face, “So, you have been thinking about me?”
She would swear he could see right through her and into the tiny box she’d shoved the crush she had on him. “Of course,” she scoffed, “when you invited me here I wondered what our day would be like and how we’d get on.” She could feel herself blush from the tips of her toes to the top of her head and hoped she’d thrown him off asking any more awkward questions she didn’t want to answer.
“Sure,” he replied, letting the r roll of his tongue as if he didn’t quite believe her. “You want to head for the top or go back down?” He threw his hands up in the air, “No judgment. We can do the top another time.”
She laughed, “Back down. I think my body would give up if it thought we were going up instead of down and I’m sure you don’t want to carry me all the way to the bottom if I collapse from heat exhaustion.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled, “Yeah, I’d hate to have to carry you.” He held out his hand for her, “Right, let’s start our decent. If you’re good, I may even treat you to an ice cream when we get to the bottom.”
Indya put her hand in his and beamed at him, “Deal.”
There was no point in fighting it anymore, the only thing that had her worried was the secret she was keeping from him. Sure, she didn’t have to tell him but if he ever met her family, they’d be more than happy to clue him in and she would rather that came from her, so she could explain herself. But not yet. She wanted him to get to know her better before he was introduced to the idea that she was also crazy-fan Indya.
CHAPTER NINE
He stared across the table at Indya and took in her natural beauty. She’d left her hair down, and it sat loosely over her shoulders in light waves. It was her eyes that drew him in; they were mocha brown with long eyelashes he thought had a touch of mascara on them. She was wearing a cobalt blue maxi dress with thin white swirls matched with white gladiator sandals.
She’d agreed to join him for dinner and he’d wanted to take her somewhere special. He got a table at an upmarket Italian restaurant that was a favorite of his families. He had to drop his name to get one as they were booked up months in advance. When he looked across the table; he was glad he had.
“You look amazing,” he told her as he picked up his glass of red wine to make a toast, “Here’s to getting to know each other better.” He didn’t want to mention the word ‘date’ as she seemed to cringe every time he mentioned it. There was something she was keeping from him but he couldn’t work out what it was. She’d been fun on their day out and he’d found out how determined she was when she’d refused to quit on their hike, well until her body forced her to. He should have stopped before it came to that but he wanted to know how far she’d push herself and moreover why. When she admitted defeat gracefully and made fun of her need to exercise more, he couldn’t work her out. Most women he’d been with would have made excuses but no, she owned up and laughed about it. He was slowly chipping away at her walls and couldn’t wait to see what else she was hiding under there.
She picked up her glass of water and tapped his glass, “To new friendships,” she grinned and took a sip. “So what’s your plans for the rest of your time-off?” she asked, leaning forward as she did so. He didn’t think she realized she was doing it.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted, “When the tour finished I couldn’t wait to get some to relax and recover from the last eight months. Now we’ve got it - and we all really needed it, I’m a bit lost on what to do. It brings home how much my life has revolved around the band and other than that, and my family of course, I’ve not really got anything else.”
“What do you want to do? What do you enjoy doing besides the band?” she asked. He sat back in his chair and stared at her. Nobody had ever asked him that before and to be honest he’d not given it much thought. The band had been his life for so long and everything he’d done in the last ten years had been band related. “What did you do the last time you had time off?”
“We had a week off at Christmas last year and I spent it at my parents, with my family, before going on tour. Until this past tour we always worked to break through into the big leagues, and we’ve finally achieved that. Now there’s this big ‘what now’ hanging over us. We want to keep going but what’s the next goal, y’know?”
“So, other than the band, you’ve not really had time to explore any other interests?” she asked, looking genuinely curious, and it made him think.
“No,” he sighed. “Everything has been about the band.”
“What are the other guys doing?”
“Ryker just bought a place up in Lake Tahoe, he’s away there. CJ is visiting his sister, Dylan went to Miami to see someone he met there and who knows what Liam is up to. Wow,” he said, “I guess after wanting a break for so long, I hadn’t really thought about how I’d spend it. Ryker is the only one who made any real plans.”
“Well, you enjoyed our hike, so hiking and nature must be important to you,” she said, “And we’re eating in a lovely restaurant so you must enjoy good food, maybe just not cooking it yourself,” she teased, referring back to his disastrous pancakes that morning.
He laughed, “Yeah, I guess I need a few more lessons from Adam before testing them on other people next time. What about you?” he asked. She’d given him plenty to think about and he’d asked her here to talk about her, not himself. “What are your plans? Have you always wanted to be a nanny or do you want to do something like Lucy’s doing?”
“I’ve always loved kids and kinda fell into the nanny position. A few months ago I was ready to hand in my notice and find something else. Don’t get me wrong, I love the twins but I’m ready for a change, maybe a new challenge but I’m not entirely sure what that looks like. An old school friend works on cruise ships in the Caribbean and always posts photos of her doing exciting things and it’s got me thinking about what I want to do next.”
The last thing he wanted was for her to move away but he was drawn to her sense of adventure. It was funny how they were both kinda lost at this point in their lives and they’d
found each other. Maybe they could help each other?
They’d finished their meal and were waiting for the waitress to come by with their bill. “Do you mind if I wait outside?” she asked. He could see her face was redder than normal, “It’s too warm in here and I could do with some fresh air.”
“Sure, are you okay?” he asked as she picked up her water glass and emptied it.
“I’m just feeling a bit hot,” she explained as she stood up. “Once I get outside I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“I won’t be long,” he said as he flagged down their waitress. He hoped the fresh air would help her feel better. He’d enjoyed her company, even more than he knew he would, and didn’t want the night to end.
CHAPTER TEN
“Fancy meeting you here,” a voice called out from behind her. A voice she’d recognize anywhere.
Mateo.
What was he doing there? He stood with an arm slung around Vivien, a bartender he worked with, not the one she’d caught him cheating on her with. He looked her up and down with a sneer, “Didn’t think I’d see you around here,” he said as he pulled his date closer, trying to make her jealous. What she’d ever seen in him she didn’t know and was glad she was no longer with him. “Been stood up?” he laughed. His date thankfully said nothing.
Just as she was about to reply she felt an arm go across her shoulder and she was pulled into Noah’s side, with him slightly in front of her. Protecting her. “She’s with me,” he smirked as he turned to her, “You know this loser?” She couldn’t help the twitch of her mouth at the way he was handling this. This was her worst nightmare come true, and he was her knight in shining leather.
“He’s nobody,” she said as she slipped her arm around Noah’s back. “Let’s just go.” She tried to pull him away but there was no way she could move him without his full cooperation.
Noah gave him the once over and as he turned them to walk away Mateo let out a low whistle. “I see your stalking tendencies have finally paid off for ya and you’ve landed your prize catch. Noah Harrington. Didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to fall for them though,” he chuckled.
She wanted the ground to open and swallow her up. This was not the way she wanted Noah to find out about her past crush. The more she got to know him the more she imagined that once she told him they’d laugh about it. This whole scenario was threatening to rip her heart out through her throat and then stamp on it for good measure.
Noah tightened his grip on her shoulder so it was almost painful and ground out, “Let’s go.” He ushered her towards the waiting Uber, leaving Mateo and his date standing outside the restaurant. They didn’t move, knowing Mateo would want to stay and witness her utter embarrassment. Why she hadn’t told him already, she didn’t know. When she thought about it, it wasn’t really that bad. It wasn’t as if she’d really stalked him and since she’d got with Mateo, she’d stopped following the band so obsessively. He tapped on the driver’s window and when the driver lowered it he said, “Two minutes.”
“Do you want to explain who he is and what he was talking about?” he ground out. His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed as he stared her down for an explanation.
She lowered her gaze, ashamed of what had just happened. She couldn’t look him in the eye but he wasn’t about to let her off so lightly. He placed the tip of his index finger under her chin and lifted it up so she had to look him in the eye, “Uh-Uh,” he said, “I want to see you when you explain this.”
“His name is Mateo,” she sighed. “He’s my ex. We broke up about five months ago.” She searched his face for any sign of emotion but his face was blank apart from the tick above his left eye.
“That I gathered,” he said. “What about the rest of it? What did he mean about your stalker tendencies?”
She tried to pull her face away from his hold, but he wouldn’t let her. Tears ran down her face. She couldn’t speak, which he took as an admission of her guilt. “So, he was telling the truth? You purposely led me on thinking you weren’t interested in me as a rock star?”
Her tears fell faster now, and she lowered her eyes, she couldn’t look at him. She noticed a cab pulling up to let passengers out and she pulled away from his grip and ran towards the open cab door and threw herself in. “Please, just drive,” she begged as she pulled the door shut, leaving Noah standing there staring at her.
The cab driver took one look at her and pulled away, “You okay?” he asked her in concern.
“No,” she replied, then gave him her address. She hoped that when she got back to the apartment that everyone would be in bed, so she didn’t have the humiliation of having to explain her appearance.
By the time she’d got into her bedroom she’d received five missed calls from Lucy. Lucy. She’d forgotten about her best friend. The last thing she wanted was to put her in the middle of this. There was also a message from her old school friend, along with a link to an application for a job she’d asked about the previous night. They were hiring and her friend had already put a good word in for her so all she needed to do was apply and get through all the background checks and the job was hers.
It was all too much for her. She switched off her cell and got ready for bed. She had hoped that there would be a message from Noah, but what did she expect? It was better she dealt with everything in the morning after she’d dropped the twins off at their kindergarten.
She groaned at the mess she’d made of her life. Well, she’d just need to pull up her big girl panties and deal with it, even if that meant running away to join a cruise ship, which was now the last thing she wanted to do.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Noah could hardly control his fury when he walked into his brothers apartment. He thought she was different, more than just a starry-eyed fan who wanted to bag a rock star. She was Lucy’s best friend. That brought his anger to a halt. He couldn’t get the sight of her beautiful face with tears running down them out of his mind. He’d judged and found her guilty without giving her a real chance to explain. Her ex had blind sided her and he’d been stupid enough to side with him, instead of the woman he should have been there for and she hadn’t been feeling well. Guilt coursed through his veins as he stepped into the living area and faced one pair of concerned eyes and another with controlled anger.
After Indya had left in a cab, he’d sent an angry message to Lucy blaming her for not telling him about Indya’s stalker tendencies, which in hindsight hadn’t been the wisest thing he’d ever done. He’d reacted out of anger and a deep sense of betrayal and he now regretted his actions.
“I’m sorry Lucy,” he said as he looked at the tears welling up in her eyes. “I should never have sent you that message or brought you into this.” He sat on the couch and put his head in his hands, “I think I’ve ruined everything.”
“What happened? Indya isn’t answering her phone, and she always answers my calls,” asked Lucy. “What did you do to her?” Adam put his arm around her and pulled her to rest on his chest as she sobbed.
He looked up to explain, the least he could do was to look them in the eye as he relived the moment he destroyed any chance he had of being with Indya. Sure, she was probably a fan but there was no way she was a stalker, he’d had a few to know the difference. He wished he’d thought about that before he broke her.
“I had to wait to get my credit card back from the waitress and Indya said she’d wait outside as she needed fresh air. When I got outside, there was this guy there - her ex…”
Lucy sucked in a deep breath, “Mateo was there?” she interrupted with a look of shock on her face.
“Yeah, he had his arm around some girl and when we started to walk away, he called her a stalker, said she’d been after me for years and I was an idiot for falling for it.” As the words came out of his mouth, shame filled his entire body.
“Then what happened?” Lucy ground out. He’d never seen her in protective mama bear mode before and it was scary. He deserved every toe curling moment.
“And you let her?” shouted Adam. “What happened to you, Noah? Indya’s not like that you idiot! Sure, she’s probably heard about you and like your songs but stalker - no way. Have you even tried to call her?”
“I have and her cell is now switched off. Goodness knows how she’s feeling after seeing Mateo and then you,” Lucy spat out, “treating her like that. Did you at least wait until Mateo had left or was this in front of him?”
He cringed, and he felt the heat in his cheeks burning, “He saw. I am so sorry. I didn’t think.”
Lucy stood up, “I’m going to bed,” she announced, her eyes full of fresh tears, “You’d better fix this Noah” she warned as she stomped off down the hall.
“I will,” he shouted after her. He looked at Adam whose face was a mixture of anger and disappointment. “I’m sorry,” he said and hung his head. “I should have known he was stirring trouble but I just couldn’t believe I’d met someone who was so perfect for me. When she didn’t deny it I lost it. I have no excuse and I will do whatever it takes to make it up to her, and Lucy.”
Adam shook his head, “I know you didn’t mean it but fact is you said all these things to her. Her and Mateo’s breakup was messy and to know you’ve added to that… Well I hope she forgives you.” He stood up and walked towards his bedroom, “I need to check that Lucy is all right. Make sure you fix it.”
Love by Midnight Page 3