by Izzy Cullen
I smiled back and thought how silly it sounded to have drinking beer as one of the things I wanted to do. “Yes, beer is on my list. Ever since high school, because of a keg and a drinking game, I was never able to drink beer again. I’ve made it a goal to acquire a taste for beer.” After saying it, I knew it sounded stupid.
“Seeing an Awakening concert alone was on this list, too?” Alex already knew the answer because of Derek’s big mouth earlier outside after my run.
“Yes, that was actually number two on my list.” Feeling my face go a bit red, I should have just said yes. “Most of the stuff on the list has to be done alone, with the exception of a few, like the beer drinking.”
“Number two, huh, well what is number one?” Alex looked with curiosity in his eyes.
I shot Derek a, don’t open your damn mouth look, I looked back at Alex and responded. “Well considering the list is supposed to be private and you know more than anyone, well exception of Derek and Lexi, I’d have to kill you if I told you.”
Alex placed his hand back on my knee, leaned in, and whispered into my ear. “I love a challenge.” He immediately leaned back, but left his hand on my knee. I felt my breathing hitch and prayed that no one noticed. I looked across the table to see Sam and Derek staring at us.
The conversation returned to lighter topics with Alex talking about the remaining eight weeks of the tour, and how they stopped in August so Steve had time to spend with his kids before school started. Sam talked about life on the road with Alex, and Derek filled Sam and Alex in on his life as an attorney in Pittsburgh. I interjected when needed, but sat back and listened as the conversation flowed among everyone. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Alex’s lips every time he talked and I couldn’t stop thinking how I wanted them on me.
After all of us ate, we sat around while they finished their second pitcher of beer. “Well, Abbs, I’m glad to see your appetite is back and that you’re packing the pounds back on.”
“Seriously, did you plan on being such a douche bag or does it just come naturally to you when you are around me?” I began getting pissed, especially when remembering the comments from earlier about my body odor and now he implied I was fat.
“Well, if I wasn’t a douche bag, you wouldn’t love me, because clearly that is what you attract.” Ouch, knowing he was referring to David. “And it was a compliment, even though to most girls it isn’t. You’re the only girl I know who can out eat most guys I know. Plus, you got too skinny after everything that happened and force feeding you wasn’t my favorite activity of the days living with you.” This was true; if it wasn’t for Derek, I probably would have gotten sick from not eating. When he showed up, I dropped to a whopping 115 pounds, which isn’t much for my 5’7” frame. Looking back now, I looked awful, but taking care of the girls was all I could manage to do. It took the tough love from Derek and Lexi to get me through and to realize that I needed to take care of myself or I was no good to the girls.
I shot Derek a smile that showed my love and appreciation for him. Derek and I had a connection where few words were needed, knowing each other’s thoughts. I always felt this was our sibling connection, even though we weren’t related.
Sam let us know the car was out front and asked if everyone was ready to head to the game. Derek offered to pay, but Alex wouldn’t hear of it and he paid for the lunch. Derek thanked him and followed Sam down the stairs. I turned to thank Alex, and he took my hand again and leaned into my ear again, “I wasn’t kidding. I love a challenge and you made it my goal to find out your number one goal on the list.”
His breath on my ear warmed my whole body. It took all my self-control not to grab his head and force his mouth onto mine. Instead, I could only reply, “I’ve had tougher men try and not break me, game on.”
Alex then smiled and let out a chuckle. “I’m looking forward to it.” He squeezed my hand and led me out to the car. There were people waiting and snapping pictures of him. I climbed into the car as he signed autographs for his fans. I looked up at Sam, “Is it always like this?”
“Worse, we’re lucky today. Since it wasn’t a planned outing, there wasn’t time for the restaurant to leak that he would be here.”
“Are we even going to be able to watch the game or are people going to be hounding him the entire time?” Derek asked. I knew he only asked because he wanted to watch the game and it would distract him.
“Don’t worry, the game is set. Nobody will bother us once we make it into the field.”
5.
Finally, after dozens of autographs later, Alex made it back into the limo. We drove into Comerica Park, not just a parking lot, but into a special entrance. Once we came to a stop, a man with a suit opened the door for us and Alex got out and shook the man’s hand. Sam, Derek and I, exited behind him and made our way down a long hall. The man took us to a set of elevators and we piled into it. The man reached in, hit a button, and told Alex a man named James would meet us when we exited.
Once we exited, James was there and he led us down a hallway. It looked like business offices or a hallway in an office building. Once we made it to the door, he unlocked it and showed us into the most gorgeous suite I had ever laid eyes on. Of course, that wasn’t saying much, since I had never been in a sport’s suite before. James explained to Alex that the bar was fully stocked and there was a refrigerator filled with several different types of beers and if we needed anything else to pick up the phone. The line was connected directly to the desk and if we called, someone would assist us.
Derek and I looked at each other and smiled. We had been to a ton of games together, but this was by far the best. I looked at Alex who was looking at me. “Is this okay? I wanted us to all watch the game together, but if we were in the stands, I know I would be approached by fans the entire time.”
“Are you kidding me? Seriously, you asked that question. This is awesome. I can’t wait to watch the Pirates kick the Tiger’s ass from this plush suite.” Derek had a huge grin on his face.
“This is great, Alex. You really didn’t have to do this and for the record, the Tigers will win. Seriously, Derek, when was the last time the Pirates ended a season over 500? I believe the Tigers made it into the playoffs last year and to the World Series.” I wanted to stick my tongue out at him like a little kid, but I didn’t.
“Actually, if I wanted to enjoy the game I had to. So Ms. Porter, grab a beer and cross it off your list.” Alex had a smirk on his face as he walked to the fridge to grab beers for everyone, including me. Handing me my beer, he leaned on the counter and crossed his feet. “So, how do you know so much about sports? You don’t only know the sport, but so far, players on the teams too.”
“I guess I didn’t have much of a choice in my house. So, I found the guys on the teams I wanted to focus on.” I gave Alex a wink, but in reality, I had no choice. I had to watch sports. ESPN, or whatever else that was on, which David wanted to watch.
Looking at my beer, I started to twist the top off my bottle. I heard my phone ringing. Silently swearing to myself, I felt my face flush. Yep, that was an Awakening ringtone on my phone. I immediately put the beer down and grabbed the phone from my bag. I didn’t want to look back at Alex, because I was still embarrassed about the ringtone. Looking at the picture on the screen, I saw it was Lexi or maybe the girls using Lexi’s phone.
“Hello,” I answered, not sure whom I would be saying hello to. It could be any four of my favorite girls.
“So, I didn’t see the pictures on Facebook and you hung up with the girls before I could talk to you. Spill it!” Oh, crap, it was Lexi and I had avoided talking to her. She had Lily answer the phone, and after I finished talking with all three girls, I hung up before Lexi could get on the phone.
“Well, I’m currently at the game and can’t talk.” I knew she wouldn’t let this go.
“Avoidance, so you are hiding something. Did you knock off the eight months of rust building up on you?”
“Seriously, no, I’m still
full of rust.” I was really hoping nobody was listening and knowing that rust was Lexi’s term for my lack of sex life.
“What is going on?” Just then, I heard, ‘Hello, Lexi,’ over my shoulder. “Oh, my god, is that Derek? Did he seriously drive to Detroit to meet you? Tell him I said hi, but he is breaking the rules.”
“Yes, that was him and he technically didn’t break the rules. I was at the concert by myself and I don’t need to be here alone. This is not on the list.”
“Tell him what I said.” I knew she wouldn’t let it go until I did. I turned to Derek and repeated what Lexi said, but all Derek did was laugh. I moved my eyes to Alex who was watching me intently. I lost my breath for a moment and I felt the need to get off the phone. “I thought you were at the game? Why is it so quiet?” I heard Lexi ask, which brought me back to the conversation.
Keeping my eyes on Alex, I responded, “We are, but we’re in a suite, so it’s a little quieter in here.”
“Seriously, Derek got you guys a suite?”
Turning away from Alex, I responded, “No, it’s a long story and I promise to lay it all out for you tomorrow when I get home, but right now isn’t a good time to talk, Lex.”
“Don’t Lex me. Fine, tell me the whole story tomorrow, but before you get off the phone, tell me where the suite came from?”
“Promise me, that this conversation ends now.”
“Fine, I promise, so spill it.”
“Alex got us all a suite for the game.”
“Alex; You mean Alex from Awakening? I didn’t promise to this.”
“Yes, you did. Bye, Lex, I’ll call you on the drive home.”
“No, I’ll be at the beach with the girls, and there’s no service. Are you trying to kill me?”
I started to laugh, because I knew the little information I gave was killing her; especially knowing that Derek knew more information than she did. “Bye, Lex, I love you and I’ll be home by the time you return from the beach tomorrow. I’ll have dinner waiting for you guys.” At that, I hung up. I was sure I’d be receiving texts all night, but I would just ignore them. I would hear about it tomorrow for sure.
I turned to rejoin everyone on the outside seating of the suite, but when I turned around, Alex was right next to me. “Is everything okay at home?”
“Everything is fine. Lexi didn’t hear from me today, so she thought I was hiding something from her.”
“Well, are you hiding anything?”
Not sure what the meaning behind the question was, I assumed he was referring to my conversation with Lexi; “No, nothing to hide, and nothing eventful to report.”
Alex leaned over, grabbed my beer for me, and whispered in my ear, “Not yet anyway.” He handed my beer to me and then he headed over to his seat. I released a breath that I didn’t even know I was holding.
What the hell did that mean, not yet anyway? Standing there for a second, I regained my balance, steadying my breathing and headed to join everyone at the seats. As I sat down, I heard Derek’s phone ring. I saw him look at it and then he turned it off. “Was that Lexi?” I asked with a smirk.
Derek smiled and laughed. There really was no need to comment, because I already knew the answer.
We all watched the game, laughing, cheering, and having a great time. I couldn’t drink the beer, so Alex made me a few mixed drinks. I’m not sure what they were, but they were good, strong, but so good. Every time he handed me my drink, I felt his hand graze mine and it seemed like his hands lingered a little longer than it needed too. I couldn’t help but hope that’s what he was doing, but in reality, I knew it wasn’t. I’m a widow and mother of three and he is a Rock star who can have anyone. Even though I knew it wasn’t going to happen, I couldn’t help but think what it would be like if it did.
After the game was over, I dug out my camera. I wanted to remember this day so it wouldn’t just become a distant memory. I told Alex, Derek, and Sam, to get together so I could get their picture. Alex told me to wait a second and picked up the phone in the suite. After talking to someone for a second, he hung up and told me to wait a second. Being the impatient person I am, I huddled us all together and gave Derek the camera. Derek extend his arm and got a face pic of us all crammed together. Those are always my favorite. A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door. Alex opened the door and man in a suit walked in and shook Alex’s hand. Alex grabbed my camera from Derek and handed it to the man. “I thought we all needed to be in this picture,” he said smiling at me.
We all stood together with our backs to the field, having the field and the city of Detroit as our backdrop. Getting set for the picture, Alex snaked his hand around my lower back and pulled me in close to him. Not realizing what I was doing, I looked up at him. He met my eyes, and then the flash went off. The man in the jacket asked if we would like another picture, this time with everyone looking at the camera. Feeling blushed, and not knowing where my voice was, I nodded my head yes. After the final picture, we exited the suite and made our way back to the car.
Once we were all in the limo, everyone seemed quiet, but it was a peaceful quiet, not awkward. Derek was the first to break the silence. “So, Abbs, what time am I grabbing you to shake your thing?”
“What? I thought we would do dinner and catch up at the bar, no shaking anything.”
“Nope, it’s been a while since we went out dancing. Downtown Pittsburgh was the last time we hit a club together. When was the last time you went out and danced?”
Thinking to myself, I realized that was the last time I set foot in a club. Wow, I haven’t been in a club in almost five years. It was easier just to not go, than listen to David bitch at me for acting like a whore or flirt, or whatever he was thinking of me at the time. Christ, the last time I went clubbing, David didn’t talk to me for two weeks.
“Earth to Abby, I was talking to you. Has it been so long that you can’t remember?”
“No, I remember, and I believe you were there the last time I went to a club.”
I could see the smile wipe off Derek’s face and I knew he remembered that night too. David had accused Derek of trying to sleep with me. He told me that all I needed was a pole, because I was clearly acting like a cheap stripper. David ended up shoving Derek, but being the guy Derek is, he simply walked away from the confrontation. I was surprised he didn’t walk away from the friendship all together.
“Clubbing? I’m in, if you guys don’t mind me tagging along?” Sam asked with a gleam in her eyes. She must love dancing as much as me.
“It’s way too early to hit a club. After all, it’s only after six. I don’t even think they’re open yet,” I said, knowing that I really wanted to go, but also knowing that memories might surface just by entering one.
“That is why we nap first. I got up at five am to be here by ten. I need a nap, especially if I’m going to keep up with you tonight,” Derek said, knowing how I was if I got lost in the scene of a club.
“Oh, a nap sounds good. Let’s meet in the lobby at ten,” Sam chimed in with a little too much excitement in her voice.
“If I nap, I’m not going out.” I really hoped I could get out of it, since they were both tired.
“Abbs, I drove all this way and you are not going to be a bore.”
Looking at Derek, I felt annoyed, but knew he was right. I had turned into a bore over the last couple of years. “Fine, while you all sleep, I’ll catch up on my book. I seemed to have neglected it last night.” On saying that, I looked at Alex.
“Well, I’m not tired. I had plenty of sleep last night, so why don’t we get some dinner?” Alex was smiling at me and I knew he didn’t get much sleep last night either. The hotel couch could not have been comfortable.
Before I could respond, we pulled into the valet area of the hotel and we all climbed out. We agreed to meet back there at ten to hit the clubs. Quietly, we walked to the elevators and climbed on. Alex was staring at me, but I was not about to go to dinner with him. Derek’s floor was first
and then mine. I left Sam and Alex in the elevator.
6.
Entering my room, I fell into my bed and realized I was way more tired than I thought. I decided reading would put me to sleep and clubbing would be out, so I turned on the TV. I settled in with a lighthearted Lifetime Movie. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door of my room. Not thinking, I opened it and there was Alex. “I thought if I asked you face to face instead of calling, it would be harder to say no to dinner.”
“Well, it’s not. I’m too tired to go out to dinner. I think I’ll just hang here until it’s time to go to the club, but thanks for the offer.”
“I thought that’s what you would say.” Walking past me into the room, Alex smirked and continued, “So I ordered room service to be delivered here.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“Well, everyone but us seems tired, and I figured if you were going to shake it tonight, you needed energy.”
“Thanks, but there will be no shaking it tonight, so no food is necessary. So you can leave now and how in the hell did you know my room number.” I knew damn well I didn’t want him to go anywhere.
“Oh, I have my ways. I’m very persuasive.” He smiled at me, but I shot him a dirty look in exchange. “Okay, I’ll leave, but only if you answer something for me.”
“Shoot, anything so you will leave.”
“What is your number one?”
“I’m not answering that.” I felt my tone getting a little pissy. I’m not sure if it was the fact I was tired or the smirk on his face knowing there was no way I was answering that question.
“Then it looks like we will be dining in tonight.”
Alex found a spot on the bed and bunched up half the pillows so he was in a sitting position. He crossed his ankles at the feet. Looking at me, he patted the bed next to him as a gesture for me to join him. He had no clue how I wanted to join him, but sitting was not what I had in mind.
Sighing, I walked over to the bed and threw myself down like a defeated child. Alex left my Lifetime show on and didn’t reach for the remote. David would never have allowed that. David always thought Lifetime television was garbage and consisted of the worst actors on the planet.