Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series)

by Michelle Maness

  “Sounds like a nice dream, Kaitlyn. I hope you get it.”

  “Me too,” she nodded. They each fell quiet.

  Katherine pressed onto her knees and place one on either side of Adam before she kissed him. She swallowed her nerves to kiss, touch, and explore him.

  “Feeling adventurous?” he teased as his hands caressed her sides.

  “I don’t know exactly what I am doing here, Adam, but I want you to know that no woman will ever love you the way I do. I want every woman you ever touch from here on out to pale in comparison with this moment,” she informed him as she slid her body along his and began kissing him. His sharp intake of breath let her know she was on the right track.

  “No one will ever compare to you, Kaitlyn; you have no need to worry about that,” he assured her as he captured her mouth with his.

  They made love passionately, rolling across the bed in their haste to get to each other and their competition to each be in control. Katherine refused to let her inhibitions interfere; tonight she was bold and she would give him something to remember.

  Spent, they both laid, limbs tangled and waited for their breathing to level off. Katherine felt rather shaken as she considered her actions; she knew she’d do it all over again if she could restart the night.

  “I guess since you informed me I’m going I should pack.” Adam sighed a short time later.

  Adam pulled on his jeans and took his luggage from the closet. He was deeply frustrated, he felt as though he was going to regret his decision either direction he went. Kaitlyn deserved better than him but letting her go felt all but impossible. He emerged from the bathroom and looked up to find her sitting, her knees bent, and arms around them with the sheet tucked beneath her arms. Her hair was in disarray, a riot of curls around her face and her green eyes so solemn it made his heart ache. He knew the image was burned in his brain and would haunt him. He spotted his camera sitting on the counter beside him and took her picture.

  “What are you doing?” she frowned at him.

  “Packing my camera,” he placed it in a box.

  “Did you take my picture?” she demanded. “Like this?”

  “Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked her; she held his gaze a moment before she looked away.

  “Would you like some help?” her voice was soft.

  “Sure,” he agreed and watched her stand, she glanced around for her clothes and he handed her one of his t-shirts.

  “Thanks,” she smiled.

  “Welcome,” he returned as she tugged the shirt on and pulled her hair free from the collar. “What can I do?”

  “There are some boxes in the closet; it’s a habit I learned from Mom. I guess we can pack everything into those,” he told her and watched her nod.

  Nine

  Packing took all night, not that he had that much to pack; he didn’t. He kept ending up back in bed with Kaitlyn; she didn’t seem to mind. They now lay in each other’s arms, rain slapping against the windows and thunder growling in the distance. All but a few last minute items were packed. Adam had to meet up with the crew from the show at one and then he would start driving west. He planned to stay with Kaitlyn until the last possible moment.

  “Are you hungry?” Adam asked her.

  “I couldn’t eat if I tried,” she admitted.

  “Me either, but I don’t want to starve you.”

  “I’m fine. What time is it?” she asked.

  “Ten fifteen.”

  They stared at each other both knowing time was running out. The ringing of the phone made Katherine jump.

  Adam grabbed it. “Hello.”

  Katherine watched him blink in surprise.

  “Hi, Julia; yeah, she’s here,” Adam handed the phone to Katherine.

  “Hi, Mom,” she answered.

  “Hello, Kattie, I got worried when you didn’t call. I called the dorm room and no one answered and then I remembered you’d given me this number one evening when you needed me to look something up for you,” her mother explained how she had come to be calling Adam’s number.

  “I’m sorry, Mom; I should have called,” she admitted.

  Adam, his eyes concerned, was watching her.

  “What are you doing today?” her mom asked.

  Adam eased from the bed and pulled his jeans on before leaning against his dresser to watch her talk to her mom.

  “I’m helping Adam pack and load his car,” she admitted. “We have everything packed; now we just need to load.”

  “What? Why?” Julia sounded concerned now.

  Katherine explained Adam’s participation in the contest and his advancement into the next round in California.

  “Kattie, are you okay?”

  “I will be, maybe not right this moment but I will be,” she assured her mother.

  Sweetheart…” she heard her mother sigh. “When did all this happen?”

  “Last night. He called to tell me when he got home but I knew he was entering.”

  “And you came straight over,” her mother responded. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Kattie,” Julia said softly.

  “I do,” Katherine insisted.

  “I love you. Call me later, okay?”

  “I love you too; I will,” Katherine leaned over to put the phone back on the night stand and sat up. “Mom knows,” she informed him.

  “From no more than you said?” Adam’s brow arched.

  “Yeah,” she sighed.

  “So much for your parents liking me,” he mused.

  “Adam, my parents like you.”

  “They used to,” he countered.

  “They still do,” she argued. “I’m not a child anymore.”

  “No, but you’re their little girl. If I had a little girl and some man came along, made love to her and left; I’d hate him,” he informed her.

  Katherine stood and moved to wrap her arms around him.

  “I love you, Adam.”

  “I love you too, Kaitlyn.”

  “We should shower, dress, and get this loaded up,” she reminded him.

  “We will. I’m going to make love you to you one more time and then I am going to hope like hell that I don’t spend the rest of my life calling myself every kind of fool there is for leaving you,” he informed her.

  An hour later, Katherine helped Adam load the last of his things in his car and walked back up for a final walk through of his apartment. They hadn’t missed anything. Adam left a note on the door for his landlord, an extra month’s rent and his key on the table before locked the door behind him. On the street below, he turned to Katherine and leaned against his car.

  “It’s not too late, Kaitlyn; I can still stay,” he told her.

  “You could,” she nodded. “But you want this opportunity and we both know it. You’re good, Adam; you can win this.”

  “Thank you for believing in me; I wish I were as certain. It feels like I’m throwing everything away,” he told her.

  “I love you, Adam; I’m going to miss you,” Katherine slid her arms around him and swallowed her tears. She would be brave, at least until he was gone. A drop of rain and then another slapped against her head and Adam stood; Katherine stepped from his arms.

  “Let me give you a ride,” he offered.

  “I want to walk, a little rain won’t hurt me,” she assured him.

  “I love you, Kaitlyn,” he cupped her chin, kissed her long and hard and reluctantly stepped away. The rain was increasing now, washing over them both and knowing the rain was carrying them away, Katherine let her tears fall.

  “Goodbye,” she stepped back to let him get into his car.

  “I’ll call,” he promised; she nodded. “Bye, Kaitlyn,” he slid behind the wheel and closed the door.

  Katherine watched him pull from the curb before she started walking; her steps were slow as she made her way home.

  As soon as Katherine stepped through the door to her dorm, Amy jumped to her feet.

  “Kattie, are you okay?�
� Amy demanded.

  “No, Adam just left for California,” Katherine admitted, her throat closing behind the words.

  “Go take a shower and then we’ll talk,” Amy’s eyes were empathetic.

  “I showered earlier,” Katherine admitted as she stripped her wet clothing and toweled off before wrapping her wet hair when she was through. After she was redressed she sank into a chair.

  “Oh, Kattie; I’m sorry,” Amy offered, not knowing what else to say. “I know how much you love you him.”

  “I know how different our dreams are, so why do I keep trying?” Katherine shook her head.

  “Because you love him,” Amy shrugged.

  “Right, because I love him, for all the good that does me.”

  “So what happened last night? Did he announce he was leaving when you got there?”

  “No, in fact he was hesitating, wasn’t sure he was going to,” Katherine shared.

  “You encouraged him to go?” Amy’s gaze narrowed.

  “I had little choice, Amy. I didn’t want him to resent me a few years down the road.”

  “You slept with him didn’t you?” Amy demanded.

  “I did,” Katherine admitted.

  “Wow, Kattie, you knew he was leaving and you slept with him?”

  “That is exactly why I did,” Katherine nodded.

  “You certainly won’t forget him now.”

  “I wouldn’t have anyway,” Katherine told her; tears were streaming down her face again. “Oh, God,” she wrapped her arms around herself and doubled over. Her chest hurt so bad she couldn’t breathe.

  “I’m so sorry, Kattie, I’m so sorry,” there were tears in Amy’s voice.

  Undone, Katherine leaned into her friend’s arms and let sobs rack her body as a sound of pain escaped.

  “Is Kattie okay? What’s wrong?” Faith rushed down the hall between their rooms.

  “Adam just left for California,” Amy relayed.

  “Oh, Kattie; I’m sorry,” Faith dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Katherine.

  Katherine couldn’t stop the sobs from coming. She wanted to pull herself together and assure her friends she would be okay; all she could do was cry. Once her tears began to slow, Amy encouraged her into her gown and talked her into lying down. She finally cried herself to sleep and slept through the night.

  ***

  Adam accepted the congratulatory slaps on his back and the sign on bonus; he was still trying to comprehend that he was now a signed artist. He had expected to be excited, instead he felt numb, his thoughts immediately trailing to Kaitlyn and the memory of her sitting in his bed watching him.

  “Congrats, Ace,” Johnny slapped him on the back. Adam had placed second in the competition but Johnny had approached and asked to represent him. He had quickly landed him with a contract and a new manager.

  “Thanks, Johnny,” Adam shook the man’s hand.

  “Go celebrate, Ace; you have plenty of reason to. You’re going to be huge; I can feel it.”

  “Right; I hope so,” Adam smiled at the man.

  He walked out of the studio offices and into the afternoon sunlight and blinked. He had done it; he had landed a contract and had absolutely no one to celebrate with. The one person he most wanted to call was the one person who was going to be most hurt by the fact he would not be returning to Tennessee. He made his way to his car and back to the room he was renting before walking around the corner to a bar he had visited a few times. He ordered a drink as he settled on a stool. Some celebration.

  Several drinks later he made his way down the street to a tattoo parlor and had his initials and new identity tattooed across his knuckles and another set tattooed onto his shoulder. When he stumbled back into his rented room he pulled his shirt and bandage off and stared at the familiar initials. He started laughing and crying all at once. What kind of fool was he? It was the last conscious thought he had before he passed out across his bed.

  ***

  Katherine threw herself into her schooling as the year began to wind down and made arrangement for a job the coming fall. She was trying to focus on moving forward. Each day the pain eased a little and breathing got a little bit easier. Adam wrote and called to keep her posted on his progress as he advanced through each round. She congratulated him while pain seared her. When he called to tell her he had come in second but had been picked up by a talent scout she wasn’t surprised. She wished him well and a week later returned home for the summer. He called a few weeks later to announce that he had a record contract and she congratulated him. She had known he wouldn’t be returning from the moment she had found the flyer for the competition. When she received his letters, she read them, responded, and added them to the box where she was keeping them.

  That summer her family went to Florida as usual and her path crossed his. She had been standing in line at a snow cone shack when she heard her name called.

  “Kaitlyn!”

  She turned to see Adam jogging her way. He looked thin and tired, though his face was lit with a smile.

  “Adam, hi,” she smiled even as her heart contracted. Her eyes closed when she hugged him in greeting.

  “Hi,” he smiled. “My first single is about to be released,” he shared with her.

  “Good,” she nodded.

  “I’ll send you a copy of my album,” he promised.

  “Please do,” she invited. They stared at each other a moment, both hesitating to address all that lay between them.

  “You look to be doing well,” he noted.

  “I’m managing,” she assured him.

  “I’m sorry, Kaitlyn,” his eyes darkened.

  “Adam, you’re doing it; you’re making music,” she reminded him with a smile. She congratulated herself on forcing it.

  “Yeah, I guess I am,” he nodded at her.

  “How are you?” she asked him.

  “Exhausted. We did a promotional show last night and now we’re headed off to the next one in Georgia.”

  “Good luck,” she offered.

  “Thanks,” he returned. “I miss you, Kaitlyn.”

  “I miss you too,” she admitted.

  “Come on man; we’ve got to get moving!” a man called.

  “I’ve got to go,” he told her and hugged her. “I’ll call.”

  “Bye, Adam,” Katherine watched him jog over to the group that waited. Seeing him had been bittersweet.

  Katherine headed off for her junior year intent on her schooling and her job. She refused to acknowledge men altogether and spent her free time with Amy. The year was over almost before it started; at least that was how it felt to Katherine. As summer got underway she visited with her friends from high school and found a job to keep her busy. It was that summer that Adam’s career took off. She first started hearing about a rapper called Ace but didn’t immediately make the connection until she saw a poster. He was going by his initials and seemed to explode onto the scene; she suddenly couldn’t get away from him. He was in the news, the topic of conversation among nearly everyone she knew, and his voice often spilled across the airwaves. As proud as she was for him, she took to turning off her radio as a form of self-preservation. As she packed up to head off to her senior year of college she was hoping to lose herself in her work and escape the mania that was sweeping the nation.

  Katherine, relieved to be living in an apartment style dorm, dropped her luggage onto her bed. Their room had a living area, kitchen, bath, and two bedrooms. She and Amy would be sharing one bed room but would not know the other two residents who would share their space. Kim and Faith had not been able to afford the housing upgrade as Amy and Katherine had. As expected, Katherine had beat Amy to campus but not a petite blonde who was to be one of their other two dorm mates. She had just brought her last load in when one of her roommates entered.

  “Hi, I’m Sandy; I transferred here last year after being recruited for the cheerleading squad,” the woman extended a hand.

  “Katherine, most ever
yone calls me Kattie,” Katherine smiled and extended her hand.

  “Are you a cheerleader?”

  “No, not my thing,” Katherine admitted.

  “Where are you from, Kattie?”

  “Jackson, Tennessee. Where are you from?”

  “Kingsport, Tennessee.”

  “You’re not too far from home.”

  “Not too far,” Sandy agreed. “I look forward to getting to know you. Jennifer went to grab a few things, she’s my roomie; she and I hit off last year. Do you know our remaining roommate?”

  “Yes, Amy and I met our freshman year here,” Katherine nodded.

  “I already know Jennifer doesn’t mind me putting up posters in the living area; do you mind?” Sandy, her blue eyes inquisitive, cocked her blonde head.

  “No, I don’t guess so,” Katherine shrugged. She and Amy were both pretty laid back; she couldn’t imagine it being a problem.

  “Thanks, these walls are so bare I can’t stand it. Would you mind helping?”

  “Sure,” Katherine agreed.

  Sandy grabbed a rolled poster and started unrolling it.

  Katherine nearly choked on the sip of water she had just taken when Sandy unrolled a poster of Adam.

  “Is it straight?” Sandy queried after she had it against the wall.

  “Yeah,” Katherine’s voice sounded strangled to her own ears.

  The next poster was Adam with his shirt off and left Katherine drowning in memories of their night together and her hands running over those muscles.

  “He is soooo hot! I would totally jump him in a heartbeat. Are you a fan?” Sandy hopped off the chair she had stood in.

  “I’m not overly familiar with his music,” Katherine admitted. She chose to ignore the other statement. Despite receiving a signed copy of both albums, she had never listened to them. His voice haunted her thoughts enough already.

  “I so wish I could read his tattoo,” Sandy peered at the poster of Adam with his shirt off. “It looks like a heart but I can’t tell what it says. So you haven’t heard his music? You have to hear his latest single! Omigosh, it is so beautiful and actually made me cry! Who knew a tough guy like him could make a song like that? Let me get my CD,” Sandy turned and hurried into her room. She returned and stuck the disc into a player that had already been set up. A moment later, Adam’s voice filtered into the room.