Who We Are (FireNine #2)

by Williams, S. Q.

  I couldn’t help but beam with him.

  Damn it. I was late.

  I hustled forward, almost getting hit by a dozen cars and taxis as I crossed the street. I’m pretty sure I was supposed to wait, but I had no time. I couldn’t be late on my second day.

  “Eliza, slow down!” Gage yelled from behind me. I frowned over my shoulder. It was his fault I was late… well, partially. I wanted it just as bad—and damn it, it was so good. But now I was late.

  I finally reached the sidewalk and grabbed the door handle. I swung it open and hurried forward in my red ballerina flats. I gave a small greeting to Gloria at the front desk and she smiled brightly, knowing exactly why I had no time to stop and speak.

  I pushed the UP button and watched the numbers descend. Ugh, I was antsy. I hated how late I was. I checked the time on my cell and it was thirteen minutes after.

  “Damn, you’re fast,” Gage said from behind me.

  He met up to my side and I frowned at him. “I’m really upset with you, Grendel.”

  He barked a hoarse laugh that echoed through the lobby. “Upset with me? So I’m to blame for putting a smile on your face this morning?”

  My face burned a bright shade of red as he pinched my cheek. “You knew I had to go,” I said, shooing away his hand and pointing a finger at his chest.

  “Yeah… I knew.” He smiled boyishly.

  “Then why didn’t you just let me get ready?”

  “‘Cause I wanted you to have a good day. I’m trying to win you back.”

  “Well, I’m not having a good day anymore. I’m late and I know I’m probably gonna get looked down upon because of you and…”—I lowered my gaze, staring at his crotch—“that thing in your pants.”

  He laughed and just as he did, the elevator doors opened. I hurried inside, pressed the button for the eighteenth floor and he slowly stepped in behind me, his eyes hard on me. The doors slid shut, but I kept my gaze forward.

  “You can’t tell me you didn’t like it, Ellie,” he whispered, stepping toward me.

  “I didn’t,” I lied. That was the biggest lie that’d ever come out of my mouth. What Gage and I did after the shower was glorious. Even when we were out, my body was still in need. His tongue was heavenly, but I wanted more. It’s like he read my thoughts because after we dried off and stepped into the bedroom, he locked his hands around my upper arms, rushed for the bed, and bent me over face forward. He allowed no time for me to get ready for him. I really didn’t need to. I was more than excited by how fast he shoved himself within me. Too bad it took up most of my time and it took even more time for me to find a decent outfit to wear.

  “You did,” Gage whispered in my ear. “You’re biting your lip. It’s what you do when you want me. It’s what you did earlier.” I looked into his eyes, releasing my bottom lip. His eyes were gentle, just like the smile on his lips. He knew how much I enjoyed it—hell, the screaming and shouting of his name was proof enough of that.

  “Gage, this is important to me,” I mumbled as he kissed the tip of my nose.

  “I know, and I’m sorry. But you know I have your back. Frank won’t even realize you were late.”

  “I don’t want to be treated differently. I wanted this internship just as much as the other artists and I’d like to be treated the same. If I get in trouble, I’ll just be in trouble. I have to own up to my actions. Suffer the consequences.”

  “I know, Ellie. But I’ll take the blame this time. I won’t let it happen again.” He kissed my cheek and gradually moved his head down to kiss my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting my lips thank him for now. I knew he wasn’t taking it as a joke anymore.

  I broke the kiss to place my lips on his chin. “Okay. But this is the only time. You can’t come over like that again. Not without a heads up.”

  “Eliza, I wanna be with you all this week. It’s my only week off before me and the band are back to work again. You’re my paradise for now.”

  “Gage, we have to have some kind of space—”

  His lips on mine stopped me from talking. “Eliza, no,” he murmured against my mouth. “No. Just let me have this freedom for now. We’re working something out, remember? You have to trust me. I’m doing my best.”

  The elevator doors opened and loud chattering filled my eardrums. Tucking my hair behind my ears, I pulled back and sighed before anyone could see me with the lead singer of FireNine. “Fine. But only for this week. We’ll talk more about us later.”

  “Lunch?” he asked as I stepped off. He took a step ahead to keep the doors open, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. “There’s this really cool place right down the street that serves the best New York-style pizza. Family owned, too.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “Lunch will be okay.”

  “Great.” He leaned in, placing a damp kiss on my lips. “Have a great day, Ellie.” And with that, he stepped back in the elevator and I watched the doors close. I didn’t know where he was going or what he was about to do, but something bothered me about it. I kind of wanted him to stick around and watch me like the last time. It was sort of comforting knowing he was my inspiration for my first painting at Arts Global, and what made it better was everyone liked it. He aggravated me at first, but he was needed in order to make the small masterpiece.

  “Eliza, I saw that!” Kelsey’s shrill voice rang in my ears. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and hurried toward the break room. “What the fuck? Friends my ass. Spill.”

  I giggled as she pulled me down to sit in the chair beside her. “We’re just friends.”

  “The kiss on the lips? You smiling like a schoolgirl with a crush? That’s not friends,” she mused, shaking her head with wide eyes.

  Laughing, I ran the palms of my hands along my black blouse. “We’re friends right now, Kelsey. We’re… working on it… I guess.”

  “You know, it’s gonna be kinda hard not to talk about Gage and you when I see stuff like that. I’m not blind. I know love when I see it.”

  “Oh? And how do you know love?”

  “Because I’ve been in it.” She stood, grabbing her cup of tea. “Come on. Today we’ll be finishing up our work from yesterday afternoon and then I’ll be taking you to the twenty-ninth floor. Exciting, huh?”

  “Yeah,” I breathed out, standing with her.

  So she had been in love before. I knew I was right about something. She probably had a broken heart. I suddenly became angry at the fact that anyone could hurt someone as sweet as Kelsey. She was adorable and caring. She knew she wasn’t perfect but did her best at everything. I hated the bastard who hurt her and I didn’t even know him—and I’d just met her! That was speaking volumes. That’s how much I loved her personality. She was almost like a breath of fresh air for me. I’d never met anyone like her.

  I walked by her side to get to the large art room and after we gathered our supplies, we went to our spot from the day before and got right to work. During my painting and her sculpting, I could feel her eyes on me. Whenever I glanced her way, she’d look away instantly. This little game continued until I finally questioned her about it.

  “Okay. What gives?” I asked her, smiling.

  She batted her eyelashes innocently. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you staring at me.” I giggled.

  She shook her head, fixing a piece of her clay sculpture. “I just… I wonder how you got him—not that you’re a bad girl or anything. You’re beautiful—extremely beautiful! You’re just… so simple… so humble… while he’s a freakin’ famous singer. You don’t question that? How you, an average girl, pulled a popular hottie like him? I’ve always pictured Gage Grendel dating a near-anorexic blond model with a stuck-up attitude.”

  I snorted a laugh at her last sentence, but her statement did make me think a little. “Well, to be honest, I don’t think of him that way. I got to know a lot about Gage last summer and knowing the real him makes him a normal guy. The flirting with girls and stuff… it’s jus
t for show. When we’re together, it’s like nothing else matters. He doesn’t talk about music. He doesn’t worry how the next show will go… He doesn’t ask me how I thought he did. When he’s not on stage, he’s just an average guy with an average personality.” I shrugged.

  “But he’s hotter than hell,” she added.

  “Yeah.” I laughed, grabbing another paintbrush. “But his good looks and his stardom are just a bonus. I got a good glimpse of the real Gage last summer and there’s definitely more to him. And the bad part about it is people will never know because he’ll never tell—not unless there’s an incident where he really, really has to back himself up.”

  “He told you everything, huh?”

  I nodded, lips sealed.

  “Lucky. I would kill for those secrets.” She grabbed another piece of clay and rolled it in the palms of her hands. “But I understand. You’ve most likely promised him… or promised yourself—and besides, you barely even know me. It’s good you aren’t all blabber-mouthed about it. Most girls would definitely tell his darkest secrets in a heartbeat.”

  I smiled, picking up my paintbrush to start painting again. It’s a shame that the first person to come to mind about telling his secrets was Penelope. “I wouldn’t want him telling mine,” I said, shrugging.

  Kelsey nodded, rubbing her thumbs along her intricate sculpture of a man to smooth out the lumps. She didn’t bother going any further on the topic. Instead, she switched subjects and told me all about the twenty-ninth floor while also including her jokes and telling me how hard it was to work up there because it’s so busy and no one steps out of the way. She mentioned it was an “every man for himself” kind of floor.

  And for letting go of the conversation about Gage’s secrets and not badgering me for the scoop, I adored her even more. She had respect for one’s privacy. She was definitely making this internship ten times better than I originally thought it would be, and I think for the first time I started a real friendship with someone of my gender.

  I was told by Frank to meet Gage as soon as I was done on the twenty-ninth floor. I was sort of glad because the twenty-ninth floor was far from the easiest to work on. I thought for a moment I was going to have a heart attack. It was so fast-paced and I’m surprised I caught up with it all. Kelsey was a pro, of course. It’s almost like she lived there. It would have been more of a breeze had Monica not been watching my every move. I swear the girl was trying to find any little thing that would knock me back a few steps and make me start my task over.

  I arrived at the family-owned pizzeria eight minutes after and took in the humble décor. Family photos, maroon walls, tiled white-and-black linoleum flooring. It was decent, but it didn’t seem like a place Gage would come to just for the hell of it.

  As the bell chimed above my head, I spotted him in the corner, his head lowered, one hand resting on his temple. He was on the phone and as soon as he heard the chime, he looked in my direction with an uneasy smile on his lips.

  I marched for him, pulling my satchel higher on my shoulder, but before I could make it to his table, a man stepped in front of me with a large grin smothering his face. “Welcome to Dino’s, sweetheart,” he said, folding his fingers in front of him. His New York accent was thick and heavy and almost incomprehensible, but I was lucky I could make out what he said. “Lookin’ for a table?”

  I smiled warmly, looking from the man to Gage, who was now frowning and staring out the window. “No thanks.” I pointed at Gage. “I’m with him.”

  The man glanced over his shoulder and then nodded. “You must be Eliza.”

  I tilted my head, giving the man all my attention. “I am. How’d you know that?”

  The man pointed his thumb backward in Gage’s direction and chuckled. “Wouldn’t stop talkin’ ‘bout ya.”

  “Do you know Gage personally?”

  “Actually, yes.” He sighed. “Gage and I go way back. I used to live in Suffolk for a while and while I was there, I messed around with his sister. Kid hated me for months until he realized I was actually good to her—but of course he didn’t realize it until after we broke up.” The man ran his fingers through his inky hair. “Not sure where she is or what she’s doing now, but by the looks of things—by how he’s avoiding my questions—I figure something bad has happened. Don’t wanna get too personal, though, ya know?”

  “Yeah,” I breathed, taking a glance at Gage. He’d just slammed his phone on the table as I looked at him. He then met my eyes, staring for only a second before looking away and out the window.

  “Well, I’ll let you enjoy your lunch. Let me know when you’re ready to order— Oh, and I’m Zion, by the way.”

  “Nice to meet you, Zion,” I said, shaking his hand. Zion nodded and then walked off toward the kitchen.

  I looked at Gage, hoping he would look my way. He didn’t. I took a long, deep breath, tightening my grip around the strap of my satchel before meeting at the table and taking the seat across from him. “Hi.” I grinned.

  “Hey.” He smiled—a real smile. I was glad.

  “Want to tell me what’s wrong?” I asked, pulling my bag over my head and placing it beside me.

  “Nothing, Ellie,” he assured me. “I’m okay.”

  “Who were you on the phone with… if you don’t mind me asking?” I bit the corner of my bottom lip, hoping I wasn’t striking his nerves.

  “Just an old friend.”

  “You seemed really upset.” Gage looked me over after my statement, his eyebrows furrowing a bit.

  “I’m fine, Ellie,” he said, grabbing my hand to kiss the top. “Swear on it.”

  “Okay.” I sighed, forcing a smile. It was best to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want to get on his nerves. I liked what we were doing. I liked how easy it was to be around one another again and I definitely didn’t want to ruin it anytime soon. This was perfection at best and there was no need to demolish it with chaos.

  “So, you hungry?” he asked, grinning.

  “Very,” I sighed as I looked around. “What made you choose this place?”

  Gage shrugged, glancing around. “Just wanted to feel normal for once, you know?”

  “Normal?”

  “At home. Not bothered by paparazzi, crazy girls… normal.”

  “Oh.” My lips pressed. “Okay.” He was definitely acting out of character, but instead of questioning it, I changed the subject. “So what do you like? I’d love to chow down on some cheesy pizza with chicken and pineapple.” I smiled warmly at him and he smiled back, giving half the warmth. He then turned his head, gesturing with his hand for Zion to come over.

  After Gage ordered and Zion returned with our drinks, Gage looked at me longer than expected, and I forced a smile. “What?” I asked, insecurely tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

  “Nothing.” A ghostly smile appeared on his lips. “Just admiring.”

  “You sure that’s all?”

  “Actually, no.” He blew out a breath, grabbing his glass of Pepsi. “I wanna spend tonight with you as well, if you don’t mind.” He smiled, reaching across the table to wrap his large hand around mine.

  “I have a project to start tonight, though, Gage. For the twenty-ninth floor. It’s kind of massive.” I hated saying it, but I had to. This was business. It was my future and career on the line. I didn’t want to screw up at all and I couldn’t start slacking just because I wanted to spend time cuddling and fooling around. We had plenty of time for that later.

  “I won’t bother you,” Gage said, lifting his hands in the air innocently. “I swear. It’ll be like I’m not even around.”

  I narrowed my eyes playfully. “You promise?”

  “Promise, Ellie.”

  I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Okay,” I breathed out. “You can come, but you better not screw with me. I have to focus.” I was teasing him.

  “I’ll just watch.” We smiled at one another. It was so hard to resist his charm. That smile. His grace. I couldn’t say no.
Plus, I kind of wanted him around.

  I couldn’t believe how quiet Gage was. I mean, he literally didn’t speak at all. But just because he wasn’t talking didn’t mean he wasn’t watching. He was. Intensely. At one point, I swear he didn’t blink for five minutes straight.

  I was sitting at the table, looking over the portfolio Monica gave me in order to know what I was supposed to be doing for my project. She was trying to make my experience at AG a living hell, but little did she know I had more scoop on FireNine than anyone else in that building. I practically lived with those boys for two months. I knew what they liked, what they disliked, what their favorite mythical creature was, what each of their favorite songs were, and even what color their favorite boxers were. They all had unique personalities, but it’s what made them a wonderful band.

  As I chewed on the end of my pen, I looked up and Gage was standing with his back and the sole of his shoe pinned against the wall. “You okay?” I asked with slight humor. His silence was really getting to me now. It wasn’t normal. No matter how busy I may have seemed, Gage was the type to bother me just a little bit before leaving me alone.

  “Yeah.” He smiled. “I’m all right. Just watching.” He pushed off the wall and made his way across the room to sit in the chair opposite me. “You really like this stuff, huh?” he asked, picking up one of the photos.

  “I do.”

  “You’ve been staring at it all night. You aren’t going to start drawing or painting or anything?”

  I shook my head. “Not yet. I want the outcome to be perfect. I don’t wanna rush it.” I looked at him again, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip. “Actually, I know what’ll help.”

  Gage’s eyes broadened. “Yeah? What?”

  Standing, I pushed from the table and picked up my camera. “I’ll take pictures of you… for my project. We were told to find pictures online and turn them into something else, but I think it’d be best to start fresh.”

  “So you’re gonna cheat?” he asked, laughing a little.

  I giggled. “No, silly. This is not cheating. It’s being creative. Now, come on!” I said, grabbing his wrist and dragging him to the living room. Gage stepped in front of me and smiled.