Believe Me, It's You

by S. A. Cook

  They stayed up late, telling stories about middle school, and how they all missed Dylan when he left high school and moved to L.A. Eva loved hearing these happy stories. They made her feel like his childhood had a lot of good times, too.

  The next morning, they had to get up early and pack the car. They had to get back to Chicago and fly out of executive airport by 8 am in order to be in New York by noon eastern time. Dylan had his first meeting for the Pop Goes the New Year show at 2:00 and a rehearsal with his musicians at 5:00.

  They kissed Grandma and Grandpa goodbye and Dylan made them promise to stay up on New Year's Eve and watch the show. Eva thanked them for the gifts and for inviting her for Christmas, and told them she had a great time.

  “Take good care of my boy, Eva,” Grandma said, a little weepy. “I'm so glad you'll be out there in California with him.”

  They stopped at a nearby diner where Dylan knew the owners. He ran in and got a coffee for Eva and juice and eggs for himself. Eva tried to eat a breakfast sandwich he got her, but her stomach was feeling off again.

  “Maybe it's these winding roads,” she said.

  “They're not that winding, Eva,” he said. “You need to have it checked.”

  “I have an appointment on January 3rd,” she said.

  “But you'll be in L. A. won't you?” he said.

  “I have to go back to Chicago,” she said. “I have things to do before I go to L.A. I can just go to my doctor, and get it over with. Who knows when I'd get to see someone in L.A.”

  “I can get a doctor for you anytime you want,” he said. “But I guess it'd make more sense to see your doctor in Chicago.”

  They spent most of the drive to Illinois figuring out a good time frame for her to move to L.A. and she thought about what she wanted to take from Chicago to the house in Malibu. It all felt so surreal right now. The most daunting part for her was the thought of the public finding out Dylan had a live-in girlfriend. How long could they keep her a secret?

  “Does Calvin know about us, Dylan?” she asked.

  “He knows we're together, you know, as boyfriend and girlfriend,” he said. “I haven't told him about you moving in. I wasn't sure what you'd decide, so I figured why rock the boat.”

  “Do you think he's going to be upset?” she asked.

  “Probably, to be honest,” he said. “He doesn't like things he can't control. He'll deal with it, though-what to tell the press, and all that. He's an expert at publicity. He knows it doesn't matter to me what he tells the press.”

  “Do you think it's going to hurt your career?” she asked.

  “If it does, then I wasn't worth a shit to begin with,” he said. “If my music's good, I'll do alright. I'm not changing anything. I've got a life to live.”

  “I hope it doesn't, though,” she looked out the window. He reached over and took her hand.

  “Don't worry about any of that,” he said. “That's Calvin's job.”

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  They met Teddy at the airport in Chicago. He hugged them both and helped them get the luggage onto the plane. Dylan kept his guitar next to him on the plane. Eva stretched out on one of the white sofas. She turned her back to Dylan and Teddy, and took a moment to think about what she was going to tell Dylan. Her plan was to find a pharmacy on the day of New Year's Eve, while Dylan was at practice. That way, she could tell him she was late after his performance, and she would already have the test, so they could confirm or rule out a pregnancy together. That seemed like the most honest way. If she wasn't pregnant, she would be able to go to her doctor on the 3rd so he could figure out what was wrong with her. She was so tired, she drifted off to sleep on the way to New York. When she woke up, they were landing.

  A car met them at the airport, and fought traffic all the way to Manhattan. The driver pulled into the valet parking area.

  “Take us in through the basement, please,” Teddy said. “They'll be waiting for us.”

  When they got out of the car, a man and woman from the hotel were waiting for them. Everyone shook hands with Dylan. The man called two bellboys to deal with the luggage, and the woman took them up to the 21st floor. They had the entire floor. Dylan's musicians and back-up singers were in one suite, Calvin was in another, Teddy and a few other crew members were in another, and Dylan and Eva had one to themselves.

  The suite was beautiful. There were three rooms, a large dining table, an adjoining bathroom with marble and gold fixtures, beautiful white sofa and chair. Eva walked around from room to room.

  “This is the biggest hotel suite I've ever seen,” she said. “It's even bigger than the one Cap had his book party in. And there were thirty people there.” Dylan smiled.

  “Nice, huh?” he said. “And all this for just two people.” He sat down in the white chair and stretched his legs out.

  “Hey, maybe we have time to do something,” he said, grinning. She walked over to his chair and sat in the floor in front of him, smiling. She put her hands on his knees.

  “Like what?”

  Dylan opened his mouth to speak and there was a knock on the door.

  “Great,” he said, getting up and going to the door. Eva stood up and sat in the chair he'd vacated.

  “Hey, guys,” It was Calvin. He hugged Dylan and walked over to hug Eva. She stood up and hugged him. “I hope you both had a great holiday.”

  “Yeah, it's not over yet,” Dylan said. “We're here to celebrate New Year's.”

  “I know, I know,” he said. “But we've got that meeting in 45 minutes, and you know how midday traffic can be the day before a holiday. Here's a little something for the two of you.” He handed Eva an envelope. She read the back “To Eva and Dylan.”

  “Thank you, Calvin,” she said. “Should I open it?”

  “Sure, open it!” he said. She tore it open and took out a set of color photos bound in a little book. They were of a beautiful little beach house, like a hut on stilts. It was surrounded by pale blue ocean and white sand.

  “That's for you guys,” he said. “It's on an island not far from Fiji. It's private and you guys have it for two weeks. Just let me know when you need to get away and I'll make the arrangements. Between tour dates, of course.”

  “Wow, thanks Calvin,” Dylan said. “Really, that's one of the best gifts you've ever given me. It looks beautiful.” He hugged Calvin, and Calvin patted him on the back.

  “You're welcome, Dyl,” he said. Eva thanked and hugged him. She was touched by this side of Calvin. This was the first time she noticed the closeness between the two.

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  After Dylan left for his meeting, Eva went out and looked for a pharmacy. She found one a couple blocks away. She picked up some extra toothpaste, a lipstick and a pregnancy test. She found one that promised to accurately detect a pregnancy as early as two weeks. She paid for the items and returned to the hotel. Dylan was still not back from his meeting, so she ordered a sandwich and some soup. While she waited for her food, she opened the pregnancy test and read through the instructions. It said to use first thing in the morning for best results. She put the test under the clothes in her bag.

  At 4, the phone rang. It was Dylan.

  “I'm sorry, Eva. The meeting ran long. We're going directly to the rehearsal from here,” he said. “Did you eat?”

  “Yes. I ran out and picked up a few things and got some food from downstairs,” she said. “Don't worry about me. I think I'll just rest until you get back.” She lay down on the bed and tried to watch tv, but found herself getting drowsy.

  It was after 8 when Dylan got back to the hotel.

  “Wake up, baby,” he said, shaking her arm. She woke up, groggy, and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “I fell asleep. How did your rehearsal go?” she said, sitting up in bed.

  “It went pretty well,” he said. He sounded hoarse. “I've got to rest my voice tonight, though. I had trouble with a couple notes.”

  “Why don't you get in bed
?” she said.

  He pulled off his shirt and pants, and climbed in next to Eva. He lay quietly, looking at her, then he smiled.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I don't know. I just can't believe we finally have some time alone,” he said. “After three...almost four weeks.”

  “We had a few minutes alone,” she said.

  “Very few.” He moved over her and let his lips wander along her neck.

  “Do you still love me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, starting to feel her skin tingle where his lips touched her. He moved his hands along her body, and his lips grew more demanding, biting her neck softly, licking her along the collarbone.

  “Mmm, Dylan,” she laughed. “What is it about you that makes me feel so good?”

  “I'm magic,” he said, looking up at her face and smiling.

  “I think so,” she said.

  They made love. Dylan took his time, making sure she was ready to come with him before he let go of the desire he'd been holding in since they last made love, back in Indianapolis in his old bed. Afterward, he collapsed next to her and caught his breath. She turned onto her side so she could see his face. She smoothed his hair back and touched his lips. They were soft and warm.

  “You're beautiful,” she said.

  “I'm a man,” he said.

  “Yeah, I know,” she laughed. “You're still beautiful to me.” You would make beautiful babies, she thought to herself.

  “Did you eat yet?” she asked him.

  “Not yet,” he said. “I'm going to order something. What would you like?”

  “Just some soup,” she said. “I ate earlier.”

  He pulled on his sweatpants, and ordered their food from room service. He sat down on the sofa and got out the guitar Eva gave him. She watched him as he played a few notes, concentrated a moment, then started again. He sang a line, hummed the tune, made notes in his notebook. She loved seeing him work, watching him create the music he loved so much. She smiled and sat down next to him, content just to be quiet and watch.

  The food was delivered to their room, and when they were finished, they got undressed and climbed back into the big bed. Eva turned off the light next to the bed and reached out for Dylan in the dark. She ran her hand up and down his body, feeling the muscles of his chest, his stomach. He rolled onto his back and let her put her hands wherever she wanted.

  “This is so good, Eva,” he said.

  “What?” she whispered.

  “Just being here with you, in the dark,” he said. “I'd give up everything for this.”

  “You don't have to,” she said. “I wouldn't ask you to give it up for me.”

  “You might,” he said. “You might get tired of it all someday.” She lay back and thought for a moment.

  “No,” she said. “As long as you're happy, I'm okay.”

  “I hope so,” he said.

  After Dylan drifted off to sleep, Eva lay in the dark thinking about what he said. Right now, she was content to wait for him to return from the meetings, the rehearsals, the studio....but she knew she would have to live a certain amount of her life on her own. She would have to have her own friends, her own interests, her own work in order to be willing to wait for him to return. She went to sleep trying to imagine how that life would really be.

  She woke up in the middle of the night and rolled over. Dylan was not in bed. She waited a few minutes to see if he came back from the bathroom. When he didn't return, she got up and went out into the living room. He was sitting in the big white chair, in the dark, looking out at the city. She walked over to him.

  “Dylan, what's wrong? Can't you sleep?”

  “Did I wake you up?” he asked.

  “No, I woke up and you were gone,” she said. He reached up for her, and pulled her onto his lap.

  “Look out there,” he said, looking at the city, still bustling at 2am. “All those people. I'll bet if you stopped everyone of them, 95% would know who Dylan Moore is.”

  “Probably,” she said.

  “That's a lot of people,” he said. “It's scary, sometimes.”

  “Does it bother you?” she asked.

  “It overwhelms me,” he said. “It keeps me up at night, sometimes. It's a lot of pressure. I'm nervous about tomorrow night.” Eva rubbed his shoulders.

  “You'll be great,” she said. “And when you're done, we can come back here and be alone. We can have a nice dinner and I'll kiss you at midnight.”

  “Promise?” he said.

  “Promise.”

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  They were awakened by Dylan's phone the next morning. He reached across Eva, and picked it up.

  “Hey, Calvin,” he said, still hoarse. “What time is it? Okay...I'm getting in the shower now. I'll be out in twenty minutes.”

  “What time is it?” Eva asked.

  “10:30. I have an 11:30 rehearsal,”he said, kissing her cheek and then climbing out of bed. “I'll be lucky if I'm not late.”

  “You sound a little hoarse, still,” she said.

  “Yeah, I'll just have to sing through it,” he said. “That's why I need this rehearsal.”

  He disappeared into the bathroom and she could hear the shower. She stayed in bed. There was no point in getting up until he was done with the bathroom. When he finished getting dressed, he came over and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Tired?” he asked, smoothing the hair off her forehead.

  “No, not really. I just want to rest up,” she said. “It's New Year's Eve.” He leaned over and kissed her.

  “I better go. I don't know exactly when I'll be back. I'm thinking 3:00 by the latest. I'll call you first chance I get.”

  “Okay. I'll be fine,” she said. “Just do what you have to do.”

  “I love you,” he said. “I promise, tonight after I'm done, we'll have the whole night and all day tomorrow together. We'll have a nice dinner, some champagne...” He kissed her, and went out to meet Calvin. She fell asleep and didn't get up for another hour.

  She spent the afternoon walking around Manhattan, looking in store windows. One window in particular caught her eye. There was a dress she loved. It was short and formfitting, made entirely of dark blue lace over a pale pink lining. She would have felt it was a little short and a little tight to wear if they were going out, but she knew Dylan would like it. She went into the store and found it in her size. The saleswoman helped her find a changing room and she got undressed and pulled it on.

  “That's really nice,” the saleswoman said, as Eva looked at herself in the mirror.

  “Are you sure it isn't too tight?” Eva asked.

  “No, it's perfect,” the woman said. “Let me get you some heels so you can see how it'll look with shoes.”

  Eva didn't tell her that where she was planning on wearing the dress, shoes were optional. Besides, she figured she might as well give Dylan the full effect.

  She tried on the heels the woman brought and found the right size. She liked the dress. She knew Dylan would love it, and it would give her a chance to wear the necklace he got her for Christmas. She paid the woman, and left.

  When she got back to the hotel, she was surprised to find Dylan sitting on the sofa, watching tv.

  “Hey, you're home,” she said.

  “Yeah, they don't want me to sing until tonight,” he whispered. “My throat...they don't even want me to talk.”

  “Don't talk, then,” she said. She put her bags down and sat next to him on the sofa. “Would you like me to get you some tea, or something?”

  “Sure-,” he whispered.

  “Wait,” she went to the bedroom, and came back with one of the notebooks she'd bought him for Christmas and a pen.

  “Write down what you want to say.” He took the notebook and pen, and wrote. He held it up for her to see.

  “I really needed this rehearsal. I don't know how I'm going to do tonight. This sucks.”

  “I think you'll do fine,” she said. “Have
n't you ever had to perform with a cold or a bad throat before?” she asked.

  He wrote on the paper.

  “Yes, but this is different. It's the new album and it's tv. It's the first time you'll see me perform live.”

  “Don't worry about me,” she said. “Don't worry about anything. You'll be great. Let me get you some tea.” she made him tea from the service cart and brought it to him. He sat and silently sipped, looking worried. There was a knock at the door. Eva got up to answer it, but Dylan jumped up and went in front of her.

  “Better let me get it,” he whispered. He looked out the peephole in the door, and then opened it. It was two of his musicians. Teddy was outside the room, sitting in a chair.

  “Hey, Dyl,” one of the men said. “You must be Eva.”

  “Dylan's talked a lot about you,” the other one said.

  “Eva, this is Michael and Alex—my rhythm guitarist and drummer,” he whispered.

  “You're not supposed to be talking,” Michael said. “This is turning out to be a crappy day.” Dylan nodded and sat down. They both came in and sat down.

  “First the death threats, and now your voice goes,” Alex said. Eva looked up at Dylan.

  “Shut up, Alex,” he said, giving him a look meant to silence him.

  “Oh, sorry,” Alex said.

  “What death threat?” Eva asked Dylan, feeling her heart skip a beat.

  “It's nothing, Eva,” he said. “I get death threats all the time.”

  “This one is pretty creepy, though,” Michael said. “They're putting us in Kevlar vests.”

  “What?” Eva said. She knew Kevlar was a bulletproof vest.

  “It's just a precaution,” Dylan whispered to her. “It happens, okay? Don't get worried.”

  “Put the ballgame on, Dyl,” Alex said. Dylan changed the channel, and the three of them sat stretched out, watching the game. Eva got up and went to the bedroom to put her dress away. She lay down on the bed and put her arm over her eyes. She was suddenly exhausted. She was starting to feel anxious. She knew if Dylan hadn't mentioned death threats, he must be worried.