by Shandi Boyes
I am grateful when our private host motions for us to climb on the back of a golf cart so they can drive us up a steep hill. They usher us into a small death trap of an elevator to take us to the third level to collect a set of headphones for the audio tour. I place the headphones on, but turn the volume down, wanting to pay careful attention to Kylie. I don’t even need to listen to what they were saying, the expressions on her face tells the whole story. Sometimes her eyebrows would pull together tight and her eyes would gloss over with tears. A handful of times she would jump in fright and her eyes would excitedly dart around the cells or at the shrapnel marks on the concrete floors. But my favorite times were when she would smile brightly, clearly showing her happiness at crossing another item off her beloved bucket list.
It wouldn’t matter if we were touring Alcatraz or eating grilled pickled sandwiches, the smile on her face when she crosses an item off her list is the most rewarding part for me.
Chapter 25
Kylie
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” I question, staring firmly into Melanie’s blue eyes. “Slater said you are more than welcome to stay,” I continue, pleading.
The elation I felt visiting Alcatraz for the first time was soon replaced with sadness when Slater and I walked into the hotel room to find that Melanie had her bags packed and was ready to go home.
She briefly considers my request before she hesitantly shakes her head. “You two need your privacy. I achieved what I wanted coming here, now it’s time for me to go home,” she replies softly, her mood more subdued than normal.
“You haven’t done what you were supposed to do. You were supposed to keep me in line and you certainly didn’t do that. Since you arrived here I was forced to do many hideous activities against my wishes. Like playing spin the bottle and I stayed out all night long last night, I haven’t slept in over thirty hours,” I say playfully, my voice sounding dramatic.
“Oh, and I may have fucked a drummer in the shower this morning,” I quickly add on quietly, triggering her to giggle loudly.
“See, proof that my work here is done,” she replies cheekily.
My bottom lip drops and my eyes fill with tears when I pull her in close for a hug. “What about Marcus?” I whisper into her ear, ensuring that Marcus and Slater won’t overhear our conversation since they are in the living area of our room.
A rugged gasp escapes her lips, causing me to giggle softly. When she pulls away from our embrace, her eyes dart to Marcus. He must notice her intense gaze as his head lifts from talking to Slater and he looks over at us. His eyes slowly run over Melanie’s face and body, before he offers her a small smirk. She sighs softly when his eyes return to Slater.
“It’s complicated,” she informs quietly, bending down to pick up her suitcase. “He’s complicated,” she continues, her voice sounding confused.
Slater and Marcus move towards us when they notice Melanie collecting her suitcase from the floor. Marcus removes the suitcase from her grasp and walks towards the door. I throw my arms around her tiny body and hug her fiercely, projecting to her how much I am going to miss her and love her.
“I love you too,” she whispers into my ear, before moving to stand in front of Slater.
“Thanks for everything,” she says, gesturing her hand around the room we have spent the last week in. Slater nods his head smiling, before he gives her a quick friendly hug. She whispers something into his ear that makes his small smile break into a huge grin.
“I will,” he replies, walking over to open the hotel room door for her.
“Bye,” she whispers softly before walking through the door. The first tear hits my cheek the instant Slater closes the door. He moves swiftly towards me when he notices my tears, engulfing me in his arms and walking us into the living room. He cradles me on his lap and runs his thumbs under my eyes, trying to stop my tears from falling.
“I can tie her to the bed if you want?” he offers, his brown eyes staring firmly into mine, his tone showing that he isn’t joking. I smile softly while shaking my head.
“She’s really important to you, isn’t she?” he questions softly. I instantly nod my head.
“She is the only family I have,” I reply quietly, triggering his eyebrows to pull together tightly.
I haven’t spoken to my family since the day Slater and I left the cabin…..
To say my parents weren’t impressed that we missed dinner would have been a major understatement. My parents were furious. My mom barely spoke a word to me and my dad sat across the table from us, his eyes narrowed angrily. Any time Slater attempted to speak to him, his responses were short and brief, a few times he didn’t even attempt a response.
When my parents advised they were going to bed, my dad’s eyes darted to the stairwell, silently telling me to follow him. I reluctantly kissed Slater on his cheek before following my parents to bed, hating that they were treating me like a child when I was an adult. I was laying in my bed for nearly an hour before I heard a brisk tap on my bedroom door.
“Come in,” I whispered quietly, my instincts knowing that it was Slater behind the door.
He quietly walked into my room, before shutting the door softly behind him. His bare feet inaudible as he walked in the door. I quickly lifted my hand, signally for him to stop. I knew every creak my floor made since it has been my room for the past twenty-one years. “Step left,” I said in a hushed whisper. He smiled largely, before taking a step to his left. I successfully guided him to my bed without one single creak of a floorboard. Once he was at the edge of my bed, I scooted over and lifted the comforter, inviting him to join me. He unbuttoned his jeans and removed his shirt, making my mouth water, before he slid between the sheets.
“If my dad finds you in my bed, he will shoot you,” I advised softly. I had to muffle his chuckles with my hand. I was glad he found it funny, but I wasn’t joking.
“I’m just want to snuggle with you,” he informed sweetly. He nudged me with his shoulder until I rolled over, before spooning himself into my back.
When I woke the next morning, my sheets were still warm but he had already left my bed. We were planning on heading off early since it was a seven-hour trip back to my college. I had a quick shower before heading down stairs to discover him sitting in the kitchen, eating a piece of toast and talking to my mom. I smiled when she cautioned him to be careful as the scrambled eggs she just served him may be hot.
“Morning mom,” I said, walking into the kitchen and placing a quick kiss on Slater’s cheek. “Morning,” I whispered into his ear. He smiled, before shovelling a large forkful of eggs into his mouth. A shallow appreciative moan escaping his lips, forced a smile to form on my mom’s face.
For the next hour, the three of us sat in the kitchen talking and eating the large breakfast my mom prepares every morning for the boys once they have finished their morning chores around the ranch. She prepares bacon, eggs, fresh baked bread, hash browns and freshly cut fruit. You could survive days without eating another meal after one of my mom’s breakfasts.
“I like him,” my mom informed quietly when Slater went to collect his overnight bag from his room. My heart soared as I ran around the kitchen table to hug her. I knew she would have been able to see his huge heart that was hidden under his rough exterior.
Slater thanked my mom for her hospitality before his gaze turned to mine. “I’ll meet you outside?” he questioned. I quickly nodded my head before moving to my room to place on my boots and collect my helmet.
“I’m going to drive you back to school later today,” stated a male voice from the doorway. Lifting my gaze, I spotted Dominic leaning against my bedroom doorframe.
“That’s okay, Slater is going to take me back,” I replied, tying the laces on my boots. I jumped up off my bed and offered Dominic a smile as I attempted to walk by him. He moved in front of me, blocking my exit from the room.
“I know why you are doing this,” he said firmly. “Why you are with someone like h
im,” he continued, his voice sounding disgusted when he said him. “But enough is enough Kylie. We get that you don’t want to live a life of a country farm girl, but you are taking this shit too far.”
I angrily shook my head and attempted to side step him. He grabbed my wrist roughly, hard enough that the following day I had a bruise.
“Let me go,” I said through gritted teeth.
I roughly yanked my wrist out of his grip and ran quickly down the stairs. The instant I hopped off the bottom step, I crashed into the solid chest of my dad. Lifting my tear filled eyes, I noticed his eyes were looking up at Dominic in the stairwell, before they slowly lowered down to look into mine.
“Dominic is taking you back to school,” he informed sternly. I instantly shook my head that the tears filling my eyes fell down my face. My eyes darted outside, where I could see Slater sitting on his bike waiting for me. In the corner of my eye, I caught the concerned gaze of my mom silently watching the exchange between my dad and I.
“If you walk out that door, you walk out of it for good,” my dad informed sternly, triggering my eyes to instantly dart to his. He couldn’t be serious could he? He was my dad, my own blood and he wanted me to pick between him and the man I love.
“Peter,” my mom whispered, moving towards us, her eyes pleading with his. “She is our daughter, please don’t do this,” she continued, her eyes filling with tears.
“No, Mary. I will not allow someone like that to become a part of our family,” he replied angrily, his voice portraying his disgust as he motioned his head towards Slater.
My eyes darted to my moms, that were full of unshed tears. “I love him,” I whispered softly. Her eyes roamed over my face with her eyebrows pull together tightly, before she nodded her head gently. My dad released a large exhale of breath as he stepped away from the front door.
“Decide wisely,” he said sternly. My eyes darted between him and my mom. My heart breaking more with every second that ticked by. I rushed towards my mom and wrapped my arms tightly around her neck. “I love you,” I whispered into her ear, before I darted out of the house as quick as my legs would take me.
Slater’s eyebrows pulled together tight and his face was marred with worry when he noticed me rushing towards him with tears streaming down my face. “Kylie, are you okay?” he questioned concerned.
I nodded my head while quickly jumping on the back of his bike. I wrapped my arms firmly around his waist and placed my cheek on his back, signalling for him to go. His hand darted down and squeezed my hand in support before he kicked over his bike and slowly drove out of my parent’s driveway. My mom’s tear stained face watched us the entire way.
Once he was on the main road, Slater adjusted his mirror so he could see my face. The instant he spotted my tears he pulled over. I lied to him and told him that I was crying about leaving Misty and that I was upset that I wasn’t going to see her again for weeks. He chuckled softly, before offering to bring me back to see her every weekend. That in itself showed me that I had made the right decision in choosing him. I would have always chosen him.
That was the last time I ever spoke to my family.
“I haven’t seen my family since the day we left the ranch,” I inform. Slater remains quiet, his eyes slowly roaming over my face. I don’t need to tell him why. He has been judged enough in his life that he already understands.
“When I left the cabin, Melanie took me in when I had nowhere else to go,” I continue.
I will be forever grateful to her for the day I turned up on her doorstep with nothing but an overnight bag and a bucket load of guilt. Even though we had never met in person, she welcomed me into her home and life with open arms.
Chapter 26
Kylie
Two weeks Later….
Los Angeles.
“Are you okay?” Emily questions panicked the instant she walks into the bathroom. She rushes towards me and pulls down the wad of toilet paper I am holding under my nose. When she notices the blood pouring from my nose, she swiftly moves into the stall and grabs another large handful of toilet paper so I can replace my soaked through one.
“What happened?” she questions, her eyes filling with tears.
“Just some over excited fans,” I reply, mumbling through the wad of paper that is covering half of my mouth.
Some fans got a little excited when Marcus and Noah walked by that a group of around twenty women charged towards them. When I tried to stop them, I ended up coping a harsh elbow into my nose. My hand automatically lifted to numb the ache and when I lowered it back down it was covered in blood.
“I’ll organise someone to take you to the hospital,” she advises, moving back towards the bathroom door she had only just entered.
“No, it’s fine, I’m fine,” I immediately respond. The last expense I want to add to my already vast collection is a hospital bill. Emily halts her hasty retreat. When she turns around to face me, a single tears rolls down her cheek.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” I reply smiling softly, trying to lessen the look of guilt on her face. Although it hurts like a son of a bitch, I am fairly certain my nose isn’t broken.
“I would really feel better if you went to the hospital to have it looked at. You need to have it x-rayed to ensure it isn’t broken,” she says, her eyes pleading with mine to go to the hospital.
I take in a large deep inhale of breath before I quietly reply, “I can’t afford to go to the hospital,” my voice clearly showing my embarrassment. “I don’t have any health insurance,” I continue, my eyes darting away from hers since my pride just took a severe beating.
Emily is already aware that I am not covered by Destiny Records health insurance policy. It was the urgent thing she needed to talk to me about when we first arrived in San Francisco. They had sent her an email advising that my claim for health insurance had been denied and requested that I sign a waiver stating that I understood I was not covered through their insurance company, and that if I wished to remain employed with their company I would have to seek my own personal cover within the next thirty days. I haven’t been able to get any type of health cover the past two years. It was one of the reasons I had so much trouble securing a job. Anytime I was successful, my health insurance was denied and then not long later my position was suddenly made redundant. I have tried a few different options the past two weeks to get cover, but I have not yet been successful.
“You do have health cover,” Emily informs quietly, her voice barely a whisper. My eyebrows pull together tight and my gaze seeks hers, since her eyes darted down to the white tiled floor.
“Noah is paying for it,” she continues, her eyes slowly lifting to look into mine.
“Why?” I question softly, my heart rapidly beats and my eyes fill with tears.
She quickly brushes away a tear that has fallen from her eye, before her light brown eyes stare softly into mine. “The insurance company sent your full medical history with the reason why they denied your claim,” she explains gently.
I gasp, surprised. Normally they just deny my claim, they don’t inform potential employees the reason why they denied it. Now I understand why she has been looking at me differently the past few weeks. Why tears always form in her eyes when they dart between Slater and I.
“Does Slater know?” she questions worriedly. I instantly shake my head, which forces the unshed tears in my eyes to fall down my face. Her face morphs into sadness and her own tears stream down her face.
“Is it the reason you left him?” she asks quietly. My lips tremble and my jaw quivers as I softly nod my head.
“Oh Kylie, you need to tell him, he deserves to know,” she says softly.
“I’ve tried,” I reply, my voice sounding so weak that it barely comes out as a whisper. “He keeps telling me that he wants to leave the past in the past,” I continue quietly. She moves towards me and engulfs me in her tiny arms. Her hand rubs my back in a soothing manner while she whispers her apologizes in my ear.
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Suddenly, the bathroom door slams open that fast it nearly comes off the hinges. Slater comes charging inside, his face is marred with panic as he rushes towards me.
“Kylie, are you okay?” he questions concerned.
Emily hesitantly pulls away from our embrace, her hand rubbing down my arm before she walks towards the bathroom door. Slater lifts my chin, his eyes quickly run over my face. He pulls away the wad of tissues I am holding against my nose. His nostrils flare as he intakes a large inhale of breath and his jaw ticks in anger.
“What the fuck?” he says angrily, his stern gaze turning to look at Emily. “You need to organise more security,” he instructs sternly. She nods her head in agreeance before walking through the door, closing it softly behind her.