For the Record

by Charlotte Huang

  “With a dress,” Mandy added.

  “What’s wrong with that?” I asked. “That’s a cool look.”

  “But it’s not a Melbourne look,” Oscar said. “It’s not even really a you look.”

  “It’s more me than some of the stuff I’ve been wearing,” I said, specifically thinking about the Vegas outfit.

  We checked into the Embassy Suites downtown, and then I spent the afternoon doing laundry near the hotel. I even did Mandy’s so she could keep hanging out with Oscar. They obviously liked each other, but so far neither one of them felt like discussing it.

  My phone rang as I loaded our clothes into dryers. My mom. “People keep mentioning these pictures with you and Lucas Rivers. Are you guys an item?” She couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. In her mind, actors were a step up from rock stars.

  “We’ve met a couple of times,” I said evasively.

  We hung up when it was time to fold. I hummed the song Beckett had given me. I hadn’t had a chance to sit down and work out lyrics, but the melody stuck with me. I tried to pay attention to how I felt. It wasn’t meant to be a love song—there was nothing sunny or hopeful about it—yet I found myself thinking about relationships and how complex they were. I kept humming, letting my subconscious play with it while I finished my laundry.

  —

  That night at Stubb’s, I finally got to watch Gray Matter. Beckett was there as usual. He was right: they were a solid band. The singer had front-man skills that made me envious. Even though their crowd was less than half the size of what it’d be for us, they played like the venue was full of fans screaming for them.

  After a few songs, I leaned toward Beckett. “I see why you like them. They’re good.”

  He looked down at my navy-blue tank dress and cowboy boots. “You better go get ready,” he said.

  I stomped off, even though it warmed my heart to see his teasing smirk again.

  —

  Right after “Smash Cut,” Beckett, who normally barely said anything during our set, said, “Did you see Chelsea’s boots? She’s trying to fit in. Cute, right?”

  The audience cheered; I glared at Beckett.

  I stomped offstage after the encore. I was feeling the boots. All the stomping made me feel authoritative. I went into the dressing room and let the door slam behind me.

  “Hey, cowgirl.”

  I stopped short when I saw Lucas sitting there.

  22

  “What are you doing here?” I stood frozen in place.

  Lucas stood up and kissed my cheek. “I dig the boots.” He grinned.

  The dressing room door opened again. My bandmates stood in the doorway, and I swore I heard one of them groan. Assholes. I finally regained consciousness. “Just let me change and we’ll get out of here.”

  “Make sure you wear the boots.” Lucas turned toward the door. “Hey, guys,” he said as he pushed past them. “Great show.”

  “It followed her,” Malcolm said.

  “You should be glad.” I grabbed a different dress. “Maybe now your stupid bet will end.” I ignored Beckett’s stony face and Malcolm’s appreciative laughter. At least their collective dislike for Lucas reunited them against me. Just like old times.

  Lucas stood with Ray in the hall. “Hey, Ray,” I said.

  “I know exactly where I’m taking you in those boots.” Lucas took my hand.

  “Are you excited to see me or the boots?”

  “Ha! Both.”

  I stared at our intertwined fingers. I was still coming down from the show, and having him here was making me flustered. Maybe I needed calories for brain function. “I could go for some barbecue. Stubb’s did the catering.” In addition to being a fun place to play, Stubb’s was also one of the most famous barbecue restaurants in Austin.

  Lucas laughed. “You’re kidding, right? This late?”

  Ray escorted us into an idling SUV. I held my breath, waiting for photographers to descend. When none did, I exhaled.

  The car dropped us at the door of a squat building that looked like it was dropped from the sky and had landed randomly in the middle of a residential neighborhood. The neon sign above the door, which hung between two illuminated wagon wheels, read Broken Spoke. Honky-tonk music blared from inside.

  We stood in line to pay the cover, but the bouncer said, “Lucas Rivers! Come on in, man.” He put out his hand, which Lucas shook.

  “You sure?” Lucas asked.

  “Totally. If you have time to take a picture for our wall, they’d probably appreciate that. But y’all are welcome as our special guests!”

  And that’s how it went all night long. Unlike every other customer, we didn’t have to jump up and down for the bartenders’ attention, let alone pay for the actual drinks. I wondered if others found this offensive, but they seemed just as tickled about Lucas as the employees were. Women waiting for the restroom even let me cut to the front of the line because I was “with that adorable Lucas Rivers.”

  I kind of loved this place. All the waitresses looked like they should be named Flo or Lurleen. We stayed toward the back of the dance hall, watching a seventy-five-year-old cowboy performing onstage. “That guy’s amazing,” I said.

  “I heard Willie Nelson still plays here sometimes,” Lucas said.

  Lucas’s plans didn’t end at standing around and people watching. He could actually two-step and was determined to teach me. “Of course you know how to do this,” I said.

  “I once auditioned to play a kid who learned to dance to win the girl.” Lucas positioned my hand on his shoulder.

  “So now you’re an expert?” I focused on mirroring his feet.

  “That’s the job. Don’t look down. It’s a six-count, you got it! I’m not surprised you have rhythm.” He smiled as he steered me around the room and even spun me a couple of times. I was by no means graceful, but at least I didn’t embarrass myself. Besides, the dance floor was so packed that no one could really tell if I was doing it wrong.

  Lucas tilted my chin up. “Are you glad I came?”

  “I think I’m still in shock.” I couldn’t believe he’d flown halfway across the country. For me. He certainly knew how to impress a girl.

  A flash went off to my right. I turned, but Lucas tapped my back. From his spot at the bar, Ray glared in the amateur paparazzo’s direction. “You were so worried about the video and the dress. I couldn’t leave it like that.”

  “I would have called you when we got back to LA,” I said.

  “But this is more fun. Right?”

  “Absolutely. I even have the day off tomorrow.”

  “I know. And I have a great idea.”

  Knowing that he wanted to spend more time with me made me giddy. We went outside to the porch, where Ray stood in front of us, staring down anyone who even thought of approaching.

  “I met some of your fans the other day at the band meet and greet,” I said.

  He looked thoughtful. “I don’t think of our fans as the same people.”

  I didn’t want to tell him that my bandmates would enthusiastically agree. Those guys were such artistic snobs. Even Malcolm. Any movie they watched had to be “original,” any book they read had to be “important.” It was like they were anti-fun.

  We talked about Lucas’s upcoming movies. He had one coming out Labor Day weekend, a comedy called Spring Forward, and was finishing up another one in which he played an LAPD cadet who has to solve a crime that unravels the police academy. This was the first time he’d played someone out of high school. “If the movie tanks, there’ll be nowhere to go. I can’t go back to playing teens.”

  “You are a teen,” I pointed out.

  “Doesn’t matter. Once you cross that bridge, that’s it. Or it should be. Anyway, that’s why I wanted to get away before the whole promotion machine fires up.” Lucas grew distant talking about his movie. I felt for him. I knew from various articles that he supported his whole family and a small staff.

  “You must
be exhausted. Maybe we should call it a night,” I said.

  His playful smile returned. “Have you ever been to the Driskill?” he asked.

  I shook my head. I’d heard of it because it was the guys’ favorite hotel in Austin, but staying there wasn’t within our tour budget.

  “You have to come see it—it’s a landmark,” Lucas said.

  We said goodbye to the Broken Spoke and drove to the stately hotel, which was all lit up from inside. Columns and arched windows gave it a castlelike feel. Inside, the decor managed to be both opulent and yet securely masculine. As in lots of leather and dead animal heads mounted on walls. Rich old men with cigars would be totally at home here. Which was probably why my bandmates liked it.

  “Do you want to come up?” Lucas asked.

  Did I? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to completely disappear on the band, but it was freeing to be away from all the tension. Lucas picked up on my hesitation. “We can order room service. Anything you want.”

  “Deal,” I said, smiling.

  When we headed toward the elevators, a family rushed over. Ray started to get in front of us, but Lucas murmured, “It’s cool.”

  The mom wore a giant smile. “I hate to bother you on your date, but could our girls get a picture with you? They refused to go to bed until I asked.”

  “Sure,” Lucas said. He stepped between the two daughters, who looked to be about twelve and fifteen, and put an arm around each of them. The girls had dumbfounded grins plastered on their faces as their mother snapped away. Being this close to a heartthrob was frying their brains. I could relate.

  Lucas gave them a quick squeeze. “Thanks so much, guys. Great to meet you.”

  He was stopped twice more on our way to the elevator. “Once they see you do it once…,” Ray grumbled.

  But Lucas didn’t seem to mind. I didn’t either, but when he saw me yawning he tried to hurry things along. “Sorry,” he said. “You don’t get as much paparazzi outside LA, but you do get a lot of fans.”

  “I don’t mind at all. But it’s past one. Maybe I should go back.”

  “No way. I owe you room service. You can stay over.” He saw my expression. “I’ll sleep in the bathtub.”

  I laughed. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

  “I like how you put that right out there. Get on the elevator.” Ray dropped us off at Lucas’s door and told us to come get him when I was ready to leave.

  Lucas opened the door to his suite, which was big enough to host a party. There was a private outdoor patio, a dining room, a pool table and bar in the living room, and the biggest TV I’d ever seen. “Are you planning on staying awhile?” I asked.

  “Only as long as you are,” Lucas replied.

  I looked around while Lucas found the room service menu. His suitcase lay open in the middle of the living room with stuff spilling out of it. He’d certainly brought a lot for someone who was only staying a night.

  He handed me the menu and sank into an easy chair. “Order away.”

  As I dialed, Lucas pulled me onto his lap and rubbed my neck. It felt amazing. After I ordered a feast for one, I hung up the phone.

  “Is this okay?” he asked. I leaned forward and kissed him. I was much less distracted than last time, but I still had that surreal awareness that I was kissing someone super famous.

  Things were getting pretty heated when the doorbell rang. I sent a silent thank-you to the universe. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy making out with Lucas (I mean, I had a pulse), but I didn’t want to rush.

  The doorbell rang again. “You want to ignore it and reorder later?” Lucas mumbled against my lips.

  “That’s rude, moneybags.” I gave him a last kiss and went to the door.

  Once I was eating, Lucas channel-surfed until he landed on a movie that he starred in. I actually stopped chewing to watch him watch himself with a serious, critical expression. “I’m totally kidding!” He fell back into the chair, cracking up.

  I let out a breath. “Wow. That was…wow.”

  Still laughing, he changed the channel. “You should have seen your face. That was one of the best reactions I’ve ever gotten.”

  We settled on some soapy melodrama that featured Lucas’s costar in Spring Forward. Her name was Nina Maras, and she was adorable. In this movie, she looked like she was about thirteen. Lucas took occasional digs at her acting chops, but I figured he was just venting after having been on set with her for two months. After all, who talks trash about a little kid?

  By the time I finished eating, Lucas was falling asleep. “Are you going to stay?” He rubbed his eyes.

  It was almost three. Mandy probably wouldn’t want me banging around the room at this hour. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  “You will not. Come on. The bed’s huge. You won’t even see me if you don’t want to.”

  We brushed our teeth side by side in front of the twin sinks. I had to admit we looked pretty cute. He gave me a T-shirt to sleep in, and we climbed into bed. As promised, he stayed way over to his side.

  “Come here,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  We met in the middle and I settled my head on his shoulder. I listened to the sound of his breathing and couldn’t believe that I was actually where I was. I ran my hand down his arm to make sure he was real. Within minutes, I fell asleep.

  —

  The next morning I was jolted awake by my phone blaring a horrific ringtone. I reached over to answer it.

  “Morning,” I croaked. I shielded my eyes until they adjusted to the sun-drenched room.

  “You’re not dead,” Mandy said.

  “No. I stayed with Lucas.”

  “A: That’s not going to make anyone around here happy. And B: Omigod!”

  “I know. To both.”

  “What should I tell everyone?”

  I looked at Lucas, who was starting to stir. His face lit up when he saw me sitting up and watching him. He looked so cute and relaxed just waking up that I could almost think of him as a regular boy. An extremely good-looking regular boy. “Just say I’ll be back by bus call.”

  “Seriously?” Mandy screeched. I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

  “Yup. I’m getting a VIP tour of Austin.” I hung up and dove onto Lucas, who grunted. “What are we doing today?”

  23

  Lucas and I spent the day around Lady Bird Lake. Lucas had to get in his daily six-mile run, but after that we wandered around and even rented a canoe. “Bonus workout,” he said as we paddled.

  He wore dark glasses and a baseball cap so no one would recognize him. Ray stayed with us but kept his distance, not wanting to arouse curiosity. Sneaking around with Lucas felt like a huge secret that I was dying to broadcast to the world, especially when he held my hand or kissed me.

  We had to drive all the way to Phoenix for the next show, with a travel day in between, so bus call was early. It was getting dangerously close to that time, but I didn’t want my date with Lucas to end. “Can you come to the next show?” I asked.

  “You mean follow you around like a real groupie?”

  “Exactly,” I said. “Except if you were a real groupie, you’d come on the bus.”

  “Seriously?” He stopped walking and faced me. “That would be awesome. I’ve always wanted to spend the night on a tour bus.”

  I gulped. “Really?”

  He nodded. “It’s on my bucket list. I always wished I could play a musician in a movie.”

  “I’m sure it’d be fine,” I said. “We have an extra bunk—”

  “I want to bunk with you.” He leaned over to kiss me.

  “You say that now, but when you see how small those bunks are…”

  “I’m willing to risk it. You think it’ll be cool with everyone?”

  “Let me text our tour manager.” I reached for my phone and hoped Lucas couldn’t see my face burning as I typed. The guys were going to hate this. Part of me didn’t care. I put up with Malcolm’s shenanigans and had my morning alone t
ime taken away by Lauren. They could deal with Lucas for a couple of nights.

  —

  Ray set Lucas’s bags by our suitcases when we got to the bus. Mandy had been sweet enough to move all my stuff out of our hotel. I introduced them to Dave and showed them around, grateful that no one else was on board yet.

  Rob came on first. “Hey, man,” he said. “Rob. Tour manager.”

  “Thanks for letting us ride along,” Lucas said.

  Somewhere in my brain, I registered the fact that he said “us” but didn’t think anything of it.

  The rest of the band and crew started to filter in. Rob must have gotten to everyone in advance, because they were all being impressively civil. Mandy had a bit of a freak-out, but who could blame her? “I love every single one of your movies,” she said. “Even that one where you played a good twin and a bad twin and the bad one was so completely evil.”

  Lucas chuckled. “Thanks. Happy to be traveling with a fan.”

  “Chelsea’s a fan too. Is she acting like she’s not? ’Cause she’s full of it. She’s a huge fan.”

  Lucas winked at me, which totally made me swoon. Unfortunately, Pem watched this exchange looking like he was smelling something rancid the entire time.

  “So explain the bunk situation to me?” Lucas asked. “Where’s the extra bunk in case we get too cramped in yours?”

  I pointed to our junk bunk. “We’d just have to clear this one out.”

  “But that’s where Ray’s going to sleep.” Lucas looked back and forth between Rob and me. “Right?”

  I sent Rob a silent plea. Our bus was already maxed out, but I realized that Lucas couldn’t travel without Ray. Fortunately Rob read my mind. “Yeah. I guess if you need extra space, you’ll have to crash in the back lounge. Which you’ll probably want to because Chelsea’s a snorer.” Rob glared at me. “Chelsea. Why don’t you help me clean out the junk bunk?”

  Lucas went to check out the back lounge. “I know,” I whispered. “It was stupid of me to not know that Ray would have to come with.”