by Nikki Godwin
“Okay, you know what? We can settle this,” Aralie says. “Ties off. All of you. Except Noah. You can keep your date.”
Tate and Jules don’t waste a second getting their ties off, which humors me. I’ve heard that they’re both pretty close to Aralie, but damn – they take orders quickly.
Milo hesitates for a minute but loosens his tie and lets it drape over his neck. Aralie snatches it away.
“Alright, we’re playing musical dates,” she says. She hands Jules the red tie that matches Chloe’s dress. “You’re going with my sister. Milo’s going with Darby, and Tater Tot is going with me. Now we all have a date we can get along with.”
Darby pouts for a minute but accepts her new date with a little encouragement from Tate. Jules doesn’t bat an eye. He hugs Chloe and says something that no one else can hear. Then she helps him with his new tie. Looks like Julian Rossi is more loyal to the Branson clan than Milo is.
Milo twists his new tie around and around in his hand. “You think this looks any better?” he asks, directing his question to the ringleader known as Aralie. “What are we supposed to say when the media asks why we’re all mixed up?”
A smug grin crosses Aralie’s face. “First, you will laugh it off like it’s no big deal. Then you’ll tell them that the media likes to create stories out of thin air, so we decided to spice it up on our own,” Aralie states, as if she’s a tour manager and not a Saturn girlfriend. “And you will smile when you say it and tell everyone that you’re excited for this album and you’re happy to be there supporting another band.”
Then Aralie spins around on her three-inch heels. “Does everyone understand that?”
We do.
Chapter Sixteen
The drama isn’t lacking on the fourth floor. As soon as I step into the hallway after the great date switch up, I notice Nat and Benji at the end of the hallway in another confrontation. I freeze in my tracks on the way to grab my bag from Noah’s room.
Benji pauses when he sees me, but Nat doesn’t care who is listening. He steps over and waves his hand in front of Benji’s face. SAS’s pretty boy turns back to Nat.
“Are you seriously doing this?” Nat asks. “You’re really going to let them use you as a prop for some slutty bitch?”
Benji shakes his head in frustration. “I don’t have a choice. Can you just back off?”
Nat puts his hands on his hips and cocks his head to the side. “You have a choice,” he says, matter-of-factly. “You just let them take advantage of you. You’re their fucking puppet.”
“I’m no one’s puppet!” Benji shouts. “I get paid for this. It’s a public appearance. That’s it.”
“Public appearance? Are you fucking kidding me?” Nat counters.
He glances in my direction but doesn’t say anything to me. This is so awkward. I’m not sure what’s worse – staying and listening or continuing to room 413 like nothing’s happening. I decide to walk toward the room.
“Do you hear yourself, Baccarini?” Nat asks. “Public appearance? That’s how you justify this? They’re dressing you up, sticking some slut model on your arm, and using you for photo ops to launch her.”
I swipe Noah’s room key and quickly shut the door of room 413 behind me. But my curiosity gets the better of me. I grab my bag and rush back to the door, pressing my ear to it in hopes of hearing more.
“You’re a coward,” Nat snaps. “You’re never going to be happy because you’re going to let them control you as long as you’re in this band.”
A door clicks, and then there is silence. I wonder who left first. Nat probably stomped away in a diva fit. I bet he wanted to slam the door, but these hotel room doors don’t really allow for it.
I count to ten before entering the hallway again. Benji stands near the far window, leaning against the wall but not looking out at the world below – the world that’s waiting for him to put on his heart-throb face and be their favorite guy.
He looks up when the door clicks behind me. He smirks, sort of, but then his face falls solemn.
“You gonna tell me I’m a sell out too?” he calls out.
I look behind me to see who he’s talking to, but the empty hallway brings to realization that his question is aimed at me.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, actually,” I tell him. I walk toward him, but he doesn’t budge from his window spot.
He’s silent until I’m right next to him, overlooking the giant seashell-shaped pool in the hotel’s courtyard. Palm trees and lounge chairs mingle around it.
“He’s so damn dramatic,” Benji says, shaking his head. His eyes never leave the pool. “I don’t know what the hell he wants from me.”
I clear my throat, hoping that’s all that’s necessary. It’s obvious what Nat wants from Benji, but I have no idea what Benji wants from anyone or anything.
“Aside from gay sex,” Benji clarifies. “Nat doesn’t do much to hide that. I mean, he’s pretty much said if I ever want him, I can have him.”
“Subtlety isn’t really his strongpoint,” I add, even though Benji knows this.
He runs his hand through his hair and leans his head back against the wall. Then he sighs heavily, like he won’t have to move from this spot if he exhales long enough.
“He just thinks it’s stupid,” Benji finally says. “I know Nat has a different interest in me than he does with Milo or his brother, but he gets mad that I won’t stand my ground against management. He doesn’t get it. It’s my job. I can’t just tell them ‘no’ when they want me to do something.”
I can’t imagine being the one person out of five guys who has to bend differently for his boss. As much as I agree with Nat, though, I also see Benji’s standpoint. If he wants to keep this Saturn thing going as long as possible, he has to play the game. He has to be willing to make some sacrifices that others might not have to make.
So I say the only thing I can. “Next time Nat complains about management forcing you to escort models to events, remind him how much money you make from it and that you have to do it to afford shopping trips with him.”
Benji rolls his eyes, but I take that as a good sign. When Aralie steps out of the room down the hall, Benji quickly excuses himself to go meet up with their management team and his date for the evening.
“Everything okay?” Aralie asks, approaching me.
“Perfect,” I lie.
The sun drips across the sky in a muddled shades of burnt orange and dark red. It’s ironic how colors that clash so badly on clothing blend quite well on a giant canvas.
Noah warns me that reporters are going to slaughter us with questions and camera flashes the moment we step outside. After the public appearance at Miles’s surf event, the big ‘SAS is in the cove’ secret was no longer a secret.
“Just stick to Aralie’s story if they ask anything about the wardrobe changes,” Noah advises me. “Tell them as little as possible. You’ve been hanging out with us all week. We met at the hotel. Pretend you like our music, but you’re not a fangirl. Just be you – carefully.”
I inhale and exhale, hoping to absorb some of the Saturn girlfriend confidence these other girls have. Even Darby looks more ready for this than I do, and she doesn’t seem like the type to handle the drama very well. Scratch that – she’s a Saturnite Queen. Drama is her thing. She’s completely in her element.
If Chloe Branson can handle tonight with her rumored cheating scandal, an angry boyfriend, and wearing her sister’s boyfriend on her arm, then I can definitely handle it too. If nothing else, I’m dressed perfectly for camera shots. Go ahead, paparazzi. I’m ready for you.
Noah keeps me close to him as we make our way out of the hotel lobby and onto the sidewalk outside. For a moment, I think we may actually make it to the limo without actually stopping to speak to anyone.
But as always, Noah stops for the fans. I’m left alone for maybe two seconds before a reporter jumps in my face with a recorder in her hand asking how I met Noah and if we’re dating.
I spit out the line about meeting Noah in the hotel elevator and how he asked me to hang out with him. Then, because we didn’t discuss our actual relationship status, I say that we’re good friends and hope it doesn’t bite me later.
The mass of bright flashes quickly rush away from Chloe and Milo when Benji steps out of the hotel. I know he’s popular, but I think the crowd is more concerned with the beautiful brunette on his arm.
She’s modelesque, no doubt. Long tan legs, super high heels, pouty lips, and smoky eye makeup. That sparkly gold dress makes her look like a Christmas ornament – a pretty ornament, but an ornament nonetheless. And it’s fitting considering she’s just an ornament attached to Benji’s side for the night.
As the media frenzy plays out around me, I catch a glimpse of the life I think Benji would rather have. Miles and Emily walk out of the music store next door where Jace works. That’s the life. Miles can surf all day, doing what he loves, get paid for it, have a few fans, and still be able to hang out with his girlfriend in public without cameras and reporters.
Emily waves and then motions at all the paparazzi. She laughs and pulls out her cell phone. I’m certain she’s filming the madhouse around us. Miles is probably adding commentary right about now regarding the insanity and how stupid all of this is.
I step aside to flag her down for a moment of reality, but the young girl from earlier is back in my face with her recorder. I feel for her. This may be her first assignment, and she’s dying for the scoop on something. I’m new to the Saturn world. I’m probably easier to access than the guys or the unreachable Branson sisters. So I cave.
“Just a quick question,” the girl says. “What’s the status with Chloe and Milo? Is there trouble in Saturn paradise?”
I hesitate for a moment before I realize that hesitating only makes this look worse. Emily and Miles watch me from behind the girl. Emily is all smiles, holding her phone up like she’s part of the paparazzi. She’s far too humored by this.
“They’re fine,” I say, forcing a smile. “All couples go through things. The rumors in the tabloids are just that – rumors. They know the truth about their relationship, and that’s really all that matters.”
My shoulders relax, and I breathe normally. I’ve got this. I can totally do this Saturn girlfriend thing. I can’t believe this girl is wasting her breath asking about Chloe and Milo. She knows we’re not going to throw them under the bus, even if there was trouble in Saturn paradise.
“So you’re telling me there’s nothing going on with Chloe Branson and Isaac Torrey?” she asks.
I glance back at Chloe and Jules. I commend her for stepping out here without Milo in the midst of all the cheating drama, but damn, she’s just digging her own grave.
“You know, I haven’t known Chloe that long, and I can’t vouch for everything that happens in her life,” I tell the girl. “But she’s not the kind of person who would do anything to hurt anyone. The only thing going on with Chloe and Isaac is collaboration on artwork for an album.”
Before she can dig Chloe’s grave any further, Noah steps out of the crowd with Big Tony. Noah locks his arm around me, and we’re quickly ushered to the limo. Security guards and local police hold the crowds back while we make our grand exit.
“You survived,” Noah says in the limo. “I tried to get back over there, but that crazy girl in the yellow shirt wouldn’t let go of my arm.”
He’s the only one laughing right now. Even Tate, who’s known for always being happy, sits solemnly next to Aralie. I figured he’d at least sit with Darby on the drive to the release party, but it seems this date swap is legit for the entire night.
Benji stares at his cell phone. I wonder who he’s texting. Tank reads over Benji’s shoulder. To my surprise, Benji doesn’t seem to care if Tank gets in his business. The brunette model, Alessandra something or other, doesn’t smile on the other side of Benji. I don’t know if she even wants to be here. She’s either pissed because Benji isn’t interested in her or annoyed that she’s having to pretend to be interested in him just to get her name out there.
I scan the faces of everyone in the limo. There’s anger, jealousy, boredom, annoyance, and then happiness because no matter how everyone else’s night plays out, mine seems to be the only one going according to plan.
And even if their planets are out of orbit tonight, I’m thankful that my stars are perfectly aligned.
Chapter Seventeen
Noah reaches for my hand, even though management warned him against close contact with me tonight. He’s getting a taste of Benji’s life with this event. His team doesn’t want him to look attached. No usage of the word ‘dating’ and definitely no mention of ‘girlfriend.’ I’m just a friend. I’m just a date for tonight. I’ve been put in the same category as Alessandra, and that stings because she really isn’t Benji’s chosen date. She’s a prop, and that’s exactly what Team Saturn wants me to pretend to be.
“That’s awkward as hell,” Noah says, leaning closer to me.
I follow his gaze to Chloe posing for a photo with her date – her sister’s boyfriend. That’s definitely awkward. My gut feeling says that Aralie’s plan to avoid date drama will only create harsher headlines in the tabloids. It’s bad enough that they’re coming down on Chloe and Isaac, but Chloe and Jules may actually be more scandalous. Hell, that’s probably Aralie’s grand plan to take the attention away from the cheating scandal.
After press photos are done, Milo and Darby stake out a back table away from the crowds and even farther away from Sebastian’s Shadow. I skim the room to scope out Milo’s competition.
Isaac Torrey isn’t exactly how I imagined him. Sure, I glanced at band photos online, but he has absolutely no meat on his bones. He’s tall and skinny – so skinny that skinny jeans really don’t have the punk rock effect on him. He’s just lanky. He has a super sharp jaw line, though. It actually rivals Tank’s perfect jaw. That military haircut isn’t very rock star, but hey, what do I know? I’m here with a tatted up boybander.
And right in this very moment, Saturn’s pretty boy wedges himself between the tatted up boybander and me.
“I have an idea,” Benji announces. “How about we get in on this big date swap? You know, for like fifteen minutes?”
Noah raises an eyebrow, like he’s unsure of Benji’s plan or maybe just uninterested.
Benji doesn’t stop there. “I was thinking, you could go hang out with Alessandra for a few minutes, and I can introduce Marisol to Sebastian’s Shadow. That way, I can have a few minutes of sanity, and you don’t have to be the bad guy who introduced her to Milo’s enemy,” he suggests.
I watch Noah debate this decision. He probably doesn’t want to hang out with Alessandra any more than Benji does. Her thick accent makes her a little hard to understand, so I can’t imagine a night of forcing conversation. But Benji makes a solid point. Milo is Noah’s best friend in the band, and introducing me to Sebastian’s Shadow and playing nice with Isaac probably isn’t what Milo wants right now.
“Alright. Fine,” Noah says. “Go play nice with the band and I’ll occupy your date’s time for fifteen minutes.”
Noah drags himself over to the table where Alessandra waits. The least he could do is force a smile. There are still cameras in here – too many for comfort, actually.
“So, Nat didn’t want to come tonight?” I ask, completely inappropriately.
Benji shoots me this strange look like I shouldn’t even be asking him that.
“I don’t know,” he says, shrugging it off. “He’s like the only member of our entourage. He just does whatever. I don’t keep up with where he goes or what he does.”
“I just thought maybe–”
He cuts me off. “Look. I get it. Nat has a thing for me. He doesn’t hide it. He tells me to my face what he wants to do with me. It’s not a secret,” he says.
He doesn’t seem mad, and he’s not really being rude, but I feel like maybe he’s had this conversation more t
imes than he’d like. I shouldn’t have opened up this can of worms.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “It’s none of my business.”
Benji shakes his head. “It’s not that,” he says. “Nat’s actually an okay guy, when he’s chill and not being a diva. Because he’s Noah’s brother, he doesn’t have a lot of real friends. People use him to get close to his brother. And when the guys are out with their girlfriends, I hang out with Tank and sometimes Nat. It’s better than being alone all the time.”
Should I feel guilty for thinking that Nat and Benji are sort of cute together? I honestly don’t even know if Benji likes girls or guys or both, but Nat’s admiration and lack of hiding it makes it hard not to wonder if there are Winterini shippers out there.
Benji gives me a super fast history lesson on Sebastian’s Shadow, and I’m sure I won’t remember it in half an hour. Derrick Harper is their super serious lead singer. He writes ninety percent of the lyrics and is one of the best front men you’ll ever find in a band. Benji hints that SAS could take some notes from him on engaging the audience in ways other than screaming like wild cats.
Jeremy Meeks, bassist, tends to fall under the radar. He’s married with a toddler at home, so if he isn’t on stage, he’s with his family. Benji hasn’t even met him before.
“The shorter kid in the black skinny jeans with the emo hair and eyeliner – he’s the drummer. Pip Dawson. Pretty popular with their fanbase,” Benji says.
I can see why. He’s absolutely adorable. He’s the kind of guy that girls who are “too cool” for SAS tend to like. If you Googled ‘scene kid’ or ‘emo boy,’ he’s most likely the first picture that would pop up.
“He has the personality too, though,” Benji adds. “He’s pretty vocal online, is always in the band’s YouTube videos, you know, the whole works. And he feeds off of Nolan perfectly.”
Nolan Broussard, rhythm guitarist and screamer of the band, stands next to Chloe across the room. Actually, he sort of bounces, like he’s had a few too many drinks from Starbucks. Even without the bouncing, you’d still notice him. He has a wrap-around smile and turquoise hair – like bright mermaid-fin kind of turquoise. The color may not even be the worst part. It’s the hairstyle that’s reminiscent of a cockatiel that bothers me more. Why couldn’t Nat tag along? I need that ‘gay best friend’ cliché standing next to me, not Benji Baccarini.