by DeSalvo, Kim
“I guess it had to happen to one of us,” Dylan grinned. “I’m damn sure glad it was me!”
“Ah,” Max said, shaking his head. “Some things don’t change, though; I see you’re still full of shit!”
They laughed together and headed out of the station, Max’s arm slung companionably over Dylan’s shoulders.
“This place hasn’t changed at all,” Dylan said, “it still feels like home. So what’s on the agenda?” he asked, adjusting his backpack. He’d brought a change of clothes and his punk rock disguise, in case the guys decided they wanted to be out and about. It was a college town, and he’d be sure to be recognized at a public club.
“Actually, we thought we’d have kind of a private party,” he said, “if that’s OK with you. Collin’s uncle is giving us the pub for the night—it’s a Tuesday anyway and summer break, so business isn’t exactly booming right now. Besides, he knew we’d fill the place and buy plenty of beer.”
“That sounds perfect!” Dylan agreed. “Who’s going to be there? What’s everyone up to? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you guys—I can’t believe you’re all still stuck in this little town!”
“Yeah, well, not all of us get to run off to Hollywood and tour the world, you know, but a lot of us are still playing. We’ll have the stage at the pub—maybe we could jam.”
“That’d be great.” It would be, too, he thought. He couldn’t wait see some of the guys from his early bands, and it would be fun to play with them again.
“A bunch of the guys are there setting things up,” Max said. “Collin, Les, Chad, Brett, Dex and Leroy should be waiting for us. Leroy’s married, you know—he’s got two kids.”
“I did hear that—I think you emailed me. I sent a gift.”
“I’m sure I did. Danny, Andy and Will are going to show up a bit later—they couldn’t get the day off work. Who else,” he pondered, “Gina and Margo will be along tonight, and probably Juliet and Scott—they’re a hot item right now. There’ll be a few people you don’t know, but we tried to keep it pretty private. We know that if we bring you out in public, we won’t get two seconds with you! We’re catering food in and everything.”
“That’s perfect,” Dylan said, recognizing the names and looking forward to seeing them all. “I really just want to catch up with everyone—it’ll be a long time before my path crosses this way again.”
“So, tell me about the tour. What’s it like to be adored by tens of thousands of fans every single night? The Wembley shows got great reviews.”
“That part of it’s pretty awesome—you know the feeling, and then multiply it by a thousand. The pain in the ass is that I can’t go out in public anymore. Sometimes I envy the simple life.”
“Yeah, but then you park your Porsche in the garage and walk into your mansion and the feeling goes away, right?”
Dylan smiled. “Yeah, something like that,” he laughed.
Underground hadn’t changed a bit either. Same worn wooden bar stools, same jukebox in the corner, same dusty decorations on the walls. When he walked in he was greeted like an old friend, and everyone queued up to hug him and welcome him back. They’d known him before he was famous and refused to give him the celebrity treatment, which he appreciated immensely. The last time he’d felt so comfortable in a public place was at Paddy’s, when everyone in the place was lined up to greet Tia, and he wished suddenly that he could introduce her to his friends. She needed a girls’ day, though, and he understood how much having her own identity meant to her. He didn’t want to smother her.
He’d barely greeted Collin and Brett before someone pushed a beer into his hands. Most of the rest of them already had pints, and they raised their glasses to welcome him home. He teased Les about his receding hairline and congratulated Leroy on the birth of his second child. When he’d made the rounds, he sat at a table with his former band mates and settled in to shoot the shit. They chatted easily for an hour, reliving old times and catching up on each other’s lives.
“So which Hollywood starlet’s heart are you currently breaking?” Collin teased. “I read that you’re doing your next movie with Penelope Valentine—she’d be pretty easy to wake up to in the morning!” The rest of the guys agreed, and bumped their glasses together.
“I’m done with starlets—have been for a while,” Dylan said. “They’re nothing but trouble.”
“So you’re still living the bachelor life, eh?” Chad replied. “Gina’ll be glad to hear that. She was beside herself when I told her you were coming out.”
The thought of seeing Gina again bothered him, just a bit. She’d taught him one of his first hard lessons on dating celebrity style. They’d been dating almost a year, and his band, Slingshot, was opening for The Tuesday Warriors, a popular London band perched to make it big. He’d gotten Gina back stage, and within a week of the show, she’d dumped him for their lead guitarist. Two months later, he dumped her, and she came begging Dylan to take her back. It was painfully obvious to him that it was the guitarist’s celebrity that drew Gina in, and he wanted no part of it, and refused to continue their relationship. Over the next year, they slowly rebuilt a tentative friendship; she even played with his band for a while, but he knew he could never trust her again.
“I didn’t say that,” Dylan said. “I’m pretty involved with someone right now—I’ve actually brought her with me on the tour.”
“Wait a minute,” Max interjected. “The mystery Wembley woman! I read about her in the paper—she’s the one, right?”
Dylan smiled, remembering Tia’s reaction when she saw her picture in the tabloids. “That’s her. Her name is Tia,” he said.
“What, and you didn’t bring her to meet your oldest and dearest mates?” Brett said. He held his hand over his heart. “I’m crushed. Aren’t we good enough?”
“Obviously,” Dylan teased. “One look at you blokes and she’ll wonder what she ever saw in me!”
The guys took the ribbing easily and Chad continued, “Really though, she’s come with you for the whole tour? What is she, a bloody heiress or something that she can run off for the whole summer?”
“Actually, she’s a school teacher,” Dylan said, “so she has summers off.”
“A school teacher!” Collin exclaimed. “How in the world did you hook up with a teacher?”
For the next half hour, Dylan recounted the story of him and Tia; the first crazy night, the whirlwind weekend, their first night together, the first month and a half of the tour so far, and when he finished, the guys were all staring at him gap mouthed, incredulous looks on their faces. “What?” he asked, taking in their stunned expressions.
“Bloody hell,” Chad spoke up. “Miller’s in love.”
Now it was Dylan’s mouth that hung open. “What?” he said again.
“It’s brilliant!” Max said, taking in Dylan’s look. “It’s written all over your face, mate.”
Dylan’s mind raced. Was he in love with Tia? He’d been so busy trying to balance all the aspects of the tour—the shows, the interviews, guest spots, meetings, trying to make sure he had time to spend with her and that she wasn’t bored when he couldn’t. Their relationship was progressing quickly, and he felt completely comfortable with her; they were a natural fit, and seeing her was always the highlight of his day—but was he in love? He hadn’t really had time to think about it, but now that it was out there, smacking him in the face, his mind was turning a mile a minute.
“Well that settles it then,” Chad said. “You’ve got to call her right now and invite her out—we’ve got to meet the girl who’s going to set hearts all over the world to breaking.”
Suddenly Dylan did want her there. He did want her to meet his old friends, and he hadn’t seen much of her the past couple days since Lexi arrived. They had so few free nights together; it really was a shame to waste one.
“OK,” Dylan said standing and pulling out his phone. “I’ll call the guys too—we can make this a real party!”
; The girls were walking out of Harrods, dressed in hot new finery and struggling under the bulk of their many bags. The shopping trip had been a huge success, and they were all going to cringe when they got the bills. They all wore new dresses, new shoes, and carried overpriced handbags. With their hair and makeup done and their bodies pampered from the spa, they were feeling like a million bucks. The plan was to drop the bags at the hotel and head out for dinner and a night on the town. They’d just gotten into the taxi when Tia’s phone rang. She smiled when she saw Dylan’s name on the display.
“Hi!” she answered brightly.
“Hello, beautiful,” he responded, “how was your day at the spa?”
“It was pure bliss,” she answered dreamily. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so spoiled.” Lexi and Jessa were both mouthing ‘thank-you’ at her to pass along to him. “Lex and Jessa say thank you, and so do I. It was a great day!”
“I’m so glad you liked it. What are you doing now?”
“Well,” she said, “we’re just heading back to the hotel. We’ve had a bit of a shopping spree at Harrods and have dozens of bags to drop off. We’re looking pretty hot right now, I must tell you—we got some gorgeous new things. Then we’re heading out on the town—I’m not sure where we’re going; I think Jessa has it planned out.”
“How would you feel about a change of plans?” he asked.
“I could definitely be open to that, if it means I get to see you,” she said.
His mind raced again at her words, and the ‘L’ word was nagging at the back of his brain. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’m at this little pub with my friends, and I was talking about you, and they’re insisting that I invite you out so they can meet you.”
“You were talking about me?” she asked sweetly.
“Of course,” he replied matter-of-factly. “How could I not?” he could almost feel Tia’s shy smile through the phone line. “I called the guys, and they’re all coming too. There’s a train leaving in half an hour from Euston station, and they could meet you there…” he hesitated a moment before continuing, “I don’t want to ruin your plans, though, if you were set on a girls’ night out.”
“Hold on,” she said, and he heard her voice as she spoke to the other girls. “How do you guys feel about a little party in Northampton?” she asked excitedly. “The rest of the boys are going to go—we could meet them at the train.”
Dylan heard the sounds of agreement from Jessa and Lexi, and smiled. He needed to get to the bottom of the thoughts that were running through his head, and having her here would hopefully make things more clear.
“We’ll be there!” she said, coming back to the line.
“Great!” he answered, “I’ll see you in a couple hours then. I’ll call Bo and let him know you’ll be meeting them at the station. They’ll have your tickets for you.”
“We’ll see you in a bit then!” she said, then lowered her voice. “And Dylan? Thanks. It means a lot to me that you want me to meet your friends.”
Again, she caught him off guard, and he felt his heart skip a beat. “Yeah, well we’ll see how you feel about it after you’ve met them—they’re an interesting lot. But I’m glad you’re coming—see you soon.”
Dylan was on his way back to the table to tell the guys that they were on their way when Gina walked in with Margo. She wore a little black dress, and little was the operative word—she was all leg and cleavage, and she looked good for herself. Her eyes swept the room as she stepped in, and immediately stopped on Dylan, a smile spreading on her face. Dylan knew that smile, and saw right away that he’d have a situation to diffuse. She ran up to him and jumped into his arms, pressing herself seductively against him and grinding her hips into his in an all too familiar gesture. “Oh Dylan, it’s been ages!” she whispered in his ear. “I’ve missed you, you know—you look great!”
Dylan put his hands on her hips and gently pushed her back. “You too, Gina, you look…just the same as always. It’s good to see you.” She tried to press against him again, but he stepped away and reached for Margo. “And you,” he said, pulling her into a friendly embrace, “look great too. How’ve you been?”
“Good!” she answered, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Whatever possessed you to come out slumming? Big star like you—we thought you’d forgotten all about us.”
Dylan smiled. “How could I forget you guys? I had a lot of great times here; it’s good to be back.”
Gina interrupted, winding her arm through Dylan’s and leading him to the bar. “Buy me a pint?” she asked sweetly. “I’m just dying to catch up with you!”
He got them a couple of beers, and she sidled up to him next to the bar. “I really have missed you, Dylan,” she whispered. “I’ve been following your career—you’re doing amazingly well! I can’t wait to see the Manchester show! How’d Wembley go? I haven’t seen the papers.”
“They were great!” Dylan answered, gently sliding her hand off his thigh. “It’s great to be back here, too. So you’re doing well?”
“Same old thing,” she sighed. “I’ve thought about you a lot, you know. We had some great times together, the two of us.”
Dylan slid over a couple inches as she tried again to press herself against him. “I have a lot of great memories from Northampton,” he said vaguely.
“We were so good together, you and me—I’ve never gotten over you, you know.” She brushed her tongue against his ear. “It’s never too late for a fresh start, you know--after we’re done here, want to head over to my place, relive old times?” The look in her eyes left nothing to the imagination.
Dylan stepped back. “Sorry, Gina,” he said kindly, “but I’m not available for that. I’m involved with someone—pretty seriously.”
Gina looked around the room and then back at Dylan. “Well I don’t see her here right now—it could just be our little secret. We lit the world on fire you and me—don’t you ever wonder what would have happened if you didn’t decide to take off to the States? I think about it all the time.”
“You mean what might have happened if you didn’t run off with what’s-his-face?” Dylan asked.
She pouted, and added, “Oh Dylan, I knew it was a mistake from the minute I did it and I was so sorry, but you just couldn’t forgive me.”
“I couldn’t trust you, and that made all the difference,” he said. “But that was eons ago, and we’ve both moved on, so it shouldn’t matter anymore. Not after all this time.”
“Then maybe we should give it just one more shot,” she said, leaning over to nuzzle his neck, her breasts nearly spilling from the black lace.
He backed away from her, and looked into her eyes. “Look Gina,” he said, “it’s great to see you, really, but I’m not interested. My girlfriend’s on her way here right now, actually, but even if she wasn’t, I wouldn’t do that to her. Even if she never knew, I would.”
Gina pouted again, but she quickly bounced back and smiled. “I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of honor, Dylan. It’s one of your best qualities. Oh well, it was worth a try, anyway, for old times’ sake. She must be something if she’s got you. You’re still a great guy,” she added. “She’s a lucky girl.”
“I’m pretty lucky too,” he answered simply. “So now that we have that awkwardness out of the way, how have you been? What’s life been dealing you the past few years?” She was the same old Gina, he saw, taking life as it came and making the most of it. They chatted easily like old friends, and she didn’t try to come on to him again. She understood the score, and knew Dylan well enough to know that he meant what he said. They caught up for a while, then Dylan went back to join his old band mates, who had another pint waiting for him. He took a seat that faced the front of the pub, and watched the door anxiously.
The minute Tia walked into the pub, he knew. It wasn’t just that she looked amazingly sexy in a smoking red dress that showed a lot of leg and just the right amount of cleavage, or that she had new highlights in her hair.
When she met his eyes and smiled, from across the room, he knew instantly. He was in love with her. His stomach did a little turn and his breath caught for a second—this was big. It was huge. He realized that he should have known it all along; or at least he should have figured it out weeks ago. He stood up and made his way to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her mouth. “You look so incredibly hot right now,” he growled in her ear. “I’m so glad I didn’t set you loose on the streets of London—you’d be fighting off every guy in the city.”
Tia blushed, “Well, thank you,” she said sweetly, “but there’s only one guy in the city that I wanted to see tonight.”
“Please say me, please say me,” he said hopefully, teasing, fingers crossed and eyes closed.
She threw her head back and laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. “Actually,” she teased, “I was thinking about that guy over there,” tossing her head in the general direction of the bar, “but you’ll do.”
“Good enough for me!” he smiled, but his head was clouded and his heart was beating too fast. He was in love, and it rocked him to the core. He swept her toward the table to introduce her to his former band and the rest of his friends.
Tia was enjoying herself. Dylan’s friends were all great, and she loved hearing their stories about him in his reckless younger days. Finally Max asked, “So, Big D, we gonna jam, or what? A Slingshot reunion, what do you say?”
“Hell yes,” Dylan replied, smiling, and they leaped from the table to take the stage. Lexi, Jessa and Bo took the emptied seats.
Slingshot had been mainly a cover band, one of Dylan’s earlier groups, and they easily fell into a familiar old pub favorite.
“This is so fun!” Lexi exclaimed. “So much better than the loud clubs—I’m glad we came.”
Bo agreed. “I’m glad you came too, gorgeous, how about a dance?”
“You got it, handsome,” she said, jumping from her seat. Their unabashed and innocent flirting was now familiar to all of them, and they all just rolled their eyes. Soon, other couples were taking to the dance floor, and the mood of the place was lifted to new heights. One of Dylan’s friends--Danny, Tia thought, asked Jessa to dance and she raised her eyebrows at Tia as she stood up to join him. Tia looked around the room and felt complete contentment. Dylan smiled at her from the stage where he was obviously having a blast playing again with his old friends, Angelo, Ty and Tommy were laughing and having a good time, and her girls were being twirled around the dance floor. The song ended, and the group cheered for their old friends. Then Max pounded a beat on the drum, and they moved into another number. Gina squealed from the floor and jumped up to join them on stage, grabbing Collin’s mike and sliding over beside Dylan with a knowing smile on her face. Tia felt a pang of jealousy—the girl was beautiful; blonde, built, and sexy, and she was obviously on very familiar terms with Dylan. Tia had heard her name mentioned in more than a couple of the stories told by his old mates, and she’d been pointed out, although they hadn’t yet been introduced. Again, she fought back the jealous feeling at the pit of her stomach. She really needed to get over this if they were going to have any kind of relationship. She had to have a lot more trust than the average girlfriend—very few people had boyfriends who were voted the sexiest man on the whole damn planet.