The audience whistled and hollered.
Carter took a seat on a stool and strummed his guitar. He sang the words to a slower song: “Baby, love takes time. Let's take our time, let's take our time. There's no need to rush when it's just the two of us...”
I fell into a hypnotic trance as I listened to Carter sing, and tears came to my eyes. This man was far from the boy I had befriended so many years ago. My love for Carter ran so deeply that when I looked at him, I didn't see his troublesome past. I saw only a man who pursued his dreams, a man who made some mistakes along the way but redeemed himself. True, Carter had fallen into the typical Hollywood scene at a young age, but through the years, he had found himself. He had overcome the pitfalls of stardom, which the weaker, younger celebrities throughout history had fallen prey to.
There was a sweet, tender side of Carter when it came to his fans. After his performance, he walked off the stage and did his best to sign autographs. The females surrounded him like a pack of hungry wolves.
“Good luck even getting an inch close to him,” Ruth said. “I'm getting out of here before I die in the stampede.”
I wished for the nerve to shove all those ditsy girls out of my way, so I could have gotten to Carter first. But I couldn’t stand around anymore like some love sick teenager. I made my way back to the front of the club. At that same moment, Carter strolled by me without anyone hanging on his arm. All at once, the blood rushed to my head. I had to do something, or I’d risk losing my last chance. Without a second thought, I caught up with him. Our arms brushed against each other right before a group of wild girls swallowed him whole and dragged him away. Tears blurred my eyes, and with all hopelessness, I cried out, “Carter!”
If I had known that was the only thing I’d ever have to say to make him notice me, then I would have said it hours earlier. Upon hearing his real name, he jerked his head in my direction and held my gaze with an intense stare. I watched the over-exhilarated female fans carry him away as he mouthed, “Alexa?”
And then he was gone.
I wanted to believe everything would change, but Carter proceeded on with his life. All I could do was watch him from afar, as he remained in the VIP lounge, chatting with his entourage. My moment of optimism was short lived. I headed for the main entrance of the club without glancing back.
There was a tap on my shoulder before I was able to step foot outside the club.
“Miss, I was told to deliver this to you,” a bouncer said, slipping a small piece of paper into the palm of my hand and then walking off.
I opened the note and read: Alexa, please meet me here at The Wynn, Suite 602. I’ll be there around two in the morning. Come alone... Aiden.
Chapter 13:
Things Will Never be the Same
How I managed to ignore Carter’s note and head back to my hotel room without a second thought was beyond my recognition. In the end, it didn’t do me much good. I tossed and turned in my sleep, and my restless mind kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. A digital 2:30 stared back at me on the clock when I finally made my decision. I had to go right then, or else my chance was shot. I quietly dressed and crept out of the suite like a bandit. I raced through the casino, out the hotel doors, and hailed a taxi.
My first obvious dilemma hit me upon arrival to the hotel. No one would ever believe me if I said Aiden Storm had invited me.
“Excuse me,” I said to a bellhop who looked none too thrilled to be working at that hour. “Where can I find the elevators for Suite 602?”
“Oh, that elevator is for invited guests. Go down the casino floor. When you get to the Wheel of Fortune slots, make a right. You’ll see the double glass doors on your left. Just go through those. Someone at the front desk should be able to help you.”
I paced the lobby, pondering my next move. I was sure the concierge would think I was crazy, but I had no other choice.
I entered the glass doors marked Tower Suites that led into an elegant reception area with Victorian-style upholstered couches and chairs.
“Hi, I said nervously to the female concierge. She had her hair pulled back so tightly that I was afraid her skin would rip. “I've been invited to the room of one of your guests.”
“The name please?” she asked.
“Storm,” I responded shyly.
She smirked and said, “Look, do you know how many girls come in here and try to sneak up to Mr. Storm’s room? Please, if you are not a guest in this hotel, I suggest you leave before I call security.”
Undaunted, I made one last attempt. “I think you're mistaken. I'm looking for someone named Carter Storm.”
She sighed heavily and typed his name into the computer. After a moment of silence, her eyebrows shot up in surprise, and her milky white cheeks instantly reddened beneath her designer foundation. “You said Mr. Storm is expecting you?”
“Yes.”
She made it blatantly clear that she still doubted me when she picked up the phone.
“Yes...I have—” The concierge's face softened. With her hand over the receiver, she whispered, “What is your name, dear?”
“Alexa Moore.”
“I have an Alexa Moore in the lobby. She says you’re expecting her?” The concierge moved away from the reception desk and paused with the phone to her ear. “Okay. I'll let her know, and have security escort her to your suite.”
A tall blond man, dressed similar to a CIA agent, accompanied me to the elevator. At the sight of him, my heart sped faster than ever. I stood inside the elevator, along with the security guard, listening to the elevator swoop past each floor. That distinctive beep comforted me when we reached our destination.
The security guard continued to lead the way to Carter’s suite, and I managed to follow him at a quick pace, in spite of my rubber legs.
“Have a good day,” he said when we reached the room. He then turned around and walked back toward the elevator.
I stood in front of two double cherry wood doors, unable to breath. Of course, I had doubts. I fought with the decision of turning around and going back to my hotel, but found it near impossible to move. It was as if I had two lead feet. Using all the strength I had left, I knocked on the door, although, a part of me was hoping I could make a clean getaway. When Carter opened the door, startling me, that’s when all my apprehension sank to the pit of my stomach. He gazed at me as though I had come back from the dead.
“Alexa…”
“Carter…”
He smiled like we shared some naughty secret together and said, “Don’t just stand there. Come on in.”
Of course, my suite back at The Bellagio was impressive, but Carter’s suite was at least three times the size of it. The place had marbled floors, a wet bar, a private indoor pool, and a beautiful entertainment center full of all the state-of-the-art electronics.
“I didn't think you would show,” Carter said as he walked me into the living room.
I quickly scanned my first love from head to toe without making it too obvious. He was dressed down in a plain white shirt and blue-and-white basketball jersey shorts.
I took a seat on a red couch and replied, “Yeah, sorry it took so long. I kinda got caught up in some stuff.”
“My God—how long has it been?” he asked, taking a seat in front of me.
“I don’t know. I’m guessing maybe around thirteen years.” I didn’t have the strength to tell him I’d counted the days since he left.
“No way.”
“I know! It's hard to believe, huh?” I looked down into my lap. “Well, you know what they say—time flies.”
“You look amazing, Alexa. I hardly recognized you. I mean that in a good way.”
“Well, the last time you saw me, I was only fourteen.”
“Fourteen,” he repeated, shaking his head. “Seems like a lifetime ago.”
“For me… it was.”
“So why didn’t we keep in touch?”
“I wrote you letters, but you never replied.”
Carter scrunched up his face like I said something inane. “Really? I never got any letters. I waited weeks. Then I decided to write you first. Didn’t you get them?”
“The letters never came back undelivered, nor did I receive any letters from you.”
“There is only one explanation I can think of—my mother.”
My heart felt like it plunged into my stomach at this painful realization. “I can’t believe after all these years that I never thought of that.”
“There’s no other logical explanation, right?”
“It all makes perfect sense. She did everything she could to keep us apart—apparently even after we already were apart.”
“Damn it. I should have known,” Carter said, shaking his head in despair. “She must have taken every single letter and thrown them away.”
“Well, we can’t go back and do anything about it now. We’ve got to let bygones be bygones, I suppose.”
“But look what she did. God, she’s evil. We missed out on so much.”
It was true. If Mary hadn't interfered, life would have ended up entirely different. Still, no matter how much I wished to go back, I could never undo the events of the past. For years, I tried to forget about Mary Storm and the way she tormented my relationship with her son. Just when I finally put it all out of my mind, it all came rushing back to me.
“I’m sorry.” He touched my arm gently, sending tingles all the way up to my neck. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“All I know is that she managed to take away the best thing that ever happened to me.” With tears in my eyes, I turned away from him. A suffocating feeling crept up my throat. “There is something I’ve been wanting to know.”
“What’s that?”
“What happened that day you didn’t show up on the last day of school?”
Carter took a deep breath, as though the memory was as painful as a slap in the face. “From what I remember, my mom rescheduled the movers without telling me or my brother. They showed up early that morning and we were on the road by that afternoon,” he recalled. “I swear, I begged my mom to wait until that evening, but of course she knew the real reason why I wanted to wait, and she forbid me to see you or even say goodbye. All I could do was leave you that basketball with the note and hope you would write me one day.”
“Oh God,” I cried as I burst into tears.
Carter pulled me into the safe haven of his embrace. He smelled incredible, like fabric softener and lemony soap. The way he held me was as comforting as a warm bowl of chicken soup on a cold day. A flood of memories instantly took me back to childhood. For a moment I was twelve again where my life was simpler and not yet tainted with such painful losses.
I tore myself away from him out of guilt and seized his hand. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m an emotional wreck.”
“No, not at all,” he said, running the ball of his thumb gently back and forth over the tips of my fingers.
“I’ve just— I’ve missed you so much, Carter.”
“I missed you too. I’ve never stopped thinking about you.”
I held back tears and choked out the words, “I was so proud the first time I saw your music video. I kept thinking, that's my Carter.”
“I still find it hard to believe that it all happened so quickly.”
“I always knew it would,” I said, smiling through my tears.
“And I always wondered if you were ever going to pursue a career in makeup. Remember that one time you used me as your guinea pig? Good times.” He flashed me that same boyish grin that had haunted my dreams for years.
“Well, I guess you could say we both followed our dreams,” I mentioned.
“This is true.”
I unclasped my hands from his and said, “Well, life hasn’t been easy, Carter. Actually, it’s almost been unbearable. You can’t even begin to understand what I’ve been through in the last thirteen years.”
“You know something? You're the only one who still calls me by my real name. I had this gut-wrenching feeling that I knew you from somewhere. When you called out my name tonight, there was no doubt in my mind who you were.”
“I got a sense that you recognized me, but I wasn't sure.”
“So here we are after all these years,” he said, looking so deeply into my eyes it was as though he could see into my soul. “I want to know everything that's happened in your life since we’ve been apart.”
“Oh, where do I even begin?”
“Are you single? Have a boyfriend?”
The implicating question made me hesitate. No way could I hide it from him. “Married,” I said softly, flashing him my wedding ring.
An immediate look of disappointment washed across his face. “Oh…really? Any kids?”
“No kids...yet,” I said with a half-smile.
“Wow,” he responded, appearing blown away. “And so how’s your mom?”
“She passed away.”
“What? She was too young to—”
“Yeah, there was an accident. I don't really like talking about it.”
“Well, for what it's worth, I remember your mom made THEE best chocolate chip cookies.”
Although it was painful to think about, his comment made me smile. “Yeah, we couldn’t get enough of them.”
“How’s your dad holding up then?”
Hard feelings rushed through me, and I answered, “He—uh, passed on too.”
“Oh, man. You weren’t kidding when you said it’s been rough.”
“Yeah, life has been anything but a bowl of cherries for me since you left.”
“I'm so sorry.”
“Hey, I survived,” I responded. “Somehow.”
“I really wish I could have been there for you, Alexa.”
“You know, I think life would have been a little more bearable if you were.”
“I would have done anything for you if I was.” He was stirring up old memories that I tried so hard over the years to bury.
“Remember the time we were playing midnight basketball and that cop showed up?” I mentioned, quickly changing the subject.
Carter wandered back to the wet bar and pulled out a martini glass along with a bottle of vodka. “I think I almost had a heart attack that night.”
“I remember that day like yesterday.”
“I must admit, you played a pretty good game of hoops,” Carter said, handing me a brimming martini.
“I also remember your mom being so adamant about you going to auditions,” I said, taking a sip of the potent drink and then setting it on the coffee table.
“If I had only known what was in store for me.”
I rested my chin on my hand and leaned in a bit closer to him. “When you’re in the business, you’re bound to cross over to the dark side sooner or later. It happens.”
“Funny, I promised myself I would never let it get to me, but I guess it did.”
“With fame comes a price, and just so you know, I never judged you. I always knew who you really were, Carter—or should I call you Aiden?” I asked with a teasing smile.
He looked down into to his rum and Coke and smiled faintly. “I try not to let myself go back to those days.”
“Well, you've come a long way. Look around. You have everything you could possibly dream of.”
“Yeah, I can't complain about that part.”
My cell phone vibrated in my pocket before I could respond. It was Ruth.
“Whoa, it's late,” I said, noticing the time display. “I better head out.”
“Late? The night’s just beginning, my friend. Why don't you come with me to the Palms hotel? I'm going to an after-party. It doesn't end until six-thirty this morning. Then we can go to breakfast or something if you have time.”
His offer was more than tempting, and it took everything in me to fight with the decision to stay or go. Ultimately, staying was the wrong choice.
“I appreciate the invite, but I really can't. I have a friend staying wit
h me back at my hotel. She doesn't even know I’m gone.”
“Are you free later tonight?”
“We’re driving back to Orange County in a few hours.”
“Well, if you change your mind, I'll be at Club Rain, at the Palms.”
I headed for the door, knowing I would treasure this last moment forever.
“And just so you know, I live in Los Angeles,” Carter said.
I immediately brightened at this news. “Really? You’re close.”
“I could hit you up sometime when I'm in town.”
I thought about what Scotty would make of me giving the very first love of my life my phone number. “Well, I—”
“We’re allowed to be friends, right?”
“Of course. I don't want to lose touch—again.”
Honestly, nothing was wrong with being friends. I either went ahead and gave Carter my number or risked losing him forever. I had already lost him once, and I wasn’t about to repeat the same mistake.
He caught me off guard when he skimmed my cheek with his hand. After all these years, his touch still did crazy things to me. A lump formed in my throat. I swallowed it down and whispered, “Goodbye, Carter.”
“I feel like someone should pinch me,” he said, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “This has got to be some crazy dream. Stuff like this doesn’t just happen by coincidence, you know?”
I gently led his hand away from my cheek and guided it to my lips. I kissed each one of his fingertips and said, “I’ve waited over a decade for this moment.”
I ambled out of his suite feeling as though we were walking out of each other’s lives once again. If the circumstances were different, we could have started from where we left off. But when we left off—I wasn’t a married woman.
Forever Blue Page 20