“Yeah?”
“Absolutely,” I agree.
“Okay, I might take you up on that. But I’ve gotta run. Mason is about to start screaming and I’m trying to let Piper sleep in. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sounds good.” I drop the phone onto my desk and start my computer to look over my schedule for the day. My phone chimes and I look down at the screen to see a message from Luna.
Want to have lunch with me at the store today?
I grin when I read her words. Of course I do. Noon?
See ya then!
I finally have something to propel me through the first half of the day. I push all other thoughts away as I grab my first case file, needing to familiarize myself with it before the client comes in for our meeting.
It’s going on noon when I walk into the store and find Luna behind the counter. She already has two bottles of Coke sitting next to a pizza. I head over and lean down to brush my lips against hers. “Lunch smells good,” I say, pulling away and sitting on the stool next to her.
She bats her lashes. “I’m glad you think so. I’ve been slaving over a brick oven all morning,” she jokes.
I laugh. “My kind of woman.”
She opens the top of the box and reveals a large pizza with extra cheese, bacon, and chicken. My favorite.
“And yes, before you ask, it does include parmesan ranch dressing.”
I rub my hands together as excitement fills my stomach.
She picks up a piece and puts it on a napkin before handing it over.
My mouth is already watering. I raise the slice and take a big bite—the cheese stringing from the pizza to my mouth as I pull it away. The heavenly taste is amazing and makes me close my eyes and moan my appreciation.
She giggles but takes a bite of her own. She nods while making an mmm sound, agreeing.
“How’d you sleep last night?” I ask, just to make conversation.
She shrugs. “When I was asleep, I slept great, but I kept having these weird dreams.”
“Me too. I had a dream that we got married. We had our own house, a little boy, and a baby on the way.”
She smiles. “Aww, that’s cute. But at least that makes sense.”
“How does that make sense? We both know how this is going to end, and it’s not going to be anything like that dream.”
She nods but doesn’t seem upset by this conversation. Which is another reason why it’s going to end the way it is. I’m not sure I mean as much to her as she means to me. She’s always calm and collected, whereas I feel like I’m more of a heart on my sleeve kind of guy.
“We’ve never done this, have we?”
“Done what?” I ask, taking another slice of pizza since I inhaled my last piece.
“Had the official what our future could look like talk.”
“I guess not, but that’s probably because we both know where we’re heading.”
“Well, I mean, we know what the next couple of weeks will bring, but we don’t know anything after that,” she points out.
My chewing stops as I glance over at her. “Are you saying there could still be something between us after you leave?”
She shrugs and chews slowly on her pizza. “I’m saying we don’t know exactly how we’ll end up. We know what’s coming, but what if we do end up together? What if in a year or two or 10, we run into each other on the street and hit it off again? We could still end up married and having kids. Me leaving doesn’t mean nothing could ever happen between us again, you know?”
Honestly, to me, that’s exactly what it means. I figured she’d go off and get famous, then when things finally calmed down, she’d end up living in California in some mansion in the hills. I’d assumed we’d never get another shot.
“I guess you’re right. We don’t know what destiny has planned for us.”
“So maybe when I leave, it’s not goodbye. It’ll just be a see ya later.”
We’re so lost in this conversation that we don’t notice someone walking into the store until the bell rings. We both pull our eyes away from each other and look at the door to see Van headed our way.
“Fuck,” she breathes out.
Van stops at the counter and his eyes flick from me, to Luna, and back. “What’s up, guys?” he asks, but there are a hell of a lot more questions written all over his face.
“I just came in to grab some more strings for my niece’s guitar and Luna was having my favorite pizza. I couldn’t help myself.”
Luna looks up at him. “What’s up, Van?”
He shakes his head. “I just thought I’d come by and check on you. You seemed a little off last night when we talked. Wanted to make sure you were okay.”
She offers up a smile and a nod. “I’m fine. I was just so burned out. Needed rest.”
“We have a show tonight. You know that, right?”
She nods. “Yep, I was actually just about to invite Daniel to it.”
“Luna . . . do you really think that’s a good idea?” he asks quietly, but it’s pointless because I’m right here.
She rolls her eyes. “It’s fine.” She looks at me. “Daniel, would you like to come to our show tonight?”
I look from Van, to her, and back. It’s easy to see he doesn’t want me around her any more than I need to be, so I make up an excuse that will appease him. “Uh, I would love to, but I actually have a date tonight. Sorry. Maybe next time?”
Van smiles but she doesn’t look too happy. “Oh, um, yeah, I guess,” she says.
“I should probably get going. I wasn’t supposed to be gone long,” I say, finishing the slice of pizza in my hand and grabbing another to take with me. “See ya, man,” I say to Van as I pass. I get to the door and turn to face Luna. “Thanks for the pizza, Luna. I’ll see you around.”
She offers up a weak smile and I wave as I walk out. On my walk to the car, I grab my phone out of my pocket and send her a quick message.
I’d love to come to your show then take you home afterward.
I climb behind the wheel and watch her from the store window. She picks up her phone, reads the message, smiles, then replies.
9 p.m. at The Westends.
I drop my phone into my lap after reading the message and finish off my slice of pizza. Without waiting around, I put the key in the ignition and start back toward the office, ready to get this day over with.
The weekend quickly approaches and finally, I have Luna all to myself. There are no shows this weekend, no practice, and no label stuff. For once, she has the entire weekend free. The label thought it would be important to take a little time off so the band isn’t burned out by the time the tour starts.
When we’re both done with work on Friday, we meet up at her place for some dinner on the couch, plus it’s also a way to rest before our weekend plans. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we’re loading up in the car to make the drive down to Calvin’s. She’s going to hang out with the girls while I help Calvin with some building repairs. But it’s also a way for us to get out of the busy city, and away from the band so we can just be ourselves for a little while. I’m dying to know what it would be like to have Luna all to myself. No band, music, or impending fame to get in our way.
The two of us eat our wings on the couch while talking and watching TV. We go to bed early, but don’t actually sleep until late. In the morning, we each shower and have a quick breakfast before setting out for our destination. The car ride is a long drive full of loud music, car karaoke, bathroom stops, and tank fill-ups. But we make it just in time for dinner at Calvin’s house. I park the car in his driveway and lead Luna up to the front door. The door is open but the screen door is shut, so I quickly knock against the wood frame.
Calvin comes to the door and pushes it open with a smile “Hey, I’m glad the two of you could make it. Come in.” He takes a step back but holds the door open for both of us.
I reach out and shake his hand. “It’s good to see ya. And not in a suit. That’s unusual.” I
look over at Luna. “Luna, you remember Calvin from the time you visited the office?” I look over at her as she nods. “He’s actually seen you perform. I brought them to one of your shows a while back.”
She smiles sweetly. “Oh, that’s cool. What did you think?”
Calvin nods. “It was a great show. Everyone had a blast. And sorry we bailed before you could meet the group after the concert. We all came in one car, and since Riley’s pregnant, she was feeling exhausted by the end, so we headed out right after you finished.”
“Speaking of the girls, where are they? I’d like to introduce them to Luna.”
Calvin points toward the kitchen. “In there, tearing up the kitchen.” At this point, he leans in toward Luna and lowers his voice. “They don’t know how to cook, so at dinner, just push the food around on your plate and tell them how good it is. They’ll never know the difference.”
She laughs but nods. “Got it.”
Calvin shows us to the kitchen, where I introduce her to both Riley and Piper. They welcome her with open arms and Riley gushes about how awesome she is and how she’s already considered famous in her book. Luna’s face flushes when she meets fans who compliment her. I have a feeling it’s something she’ll have to get used to. She’s not accustomed to people paying her much attention unless she’s on stage. Right now, she still considers herself a normal person. But all that will end soon enough. As soon as she gets a song on the radio and a music video on YouTube, she’ll be treated like a celebrity in no time.
I leave Luna with the girls while Calvin takes me into his home office. The place is already decorated nicely with a dark wooden desk, leather chairs, rows and rows of books, and a fancy liquor cabinet. He pours us each a drink then sits across from me.
“So, I see things are still moving quickly with you two.”
I shrug and take a sip of my scotch. “We’re spending time together because it makes us happy, but we’ve vowed to let go when the time comes.”
He nods. “So you’re putting off the pain for another day.”
I laugh. “Basically, but there’s no better option. Why stay away from each other when we can still be together?”
“Hey, it’s your life. Live it however you want.” He reaches into his desk and pulls out a stack of paperwork. “Here are the plans I have for the new office. What do you think?” he asks, handing them over.
I flip through the pages, impressed. “You did these on your own?” The building is rather small. It looks to have a front desk area, a public restroom, a storage/break room, and two offices. “Why two offices?”
He shrugs. “I just thought it would be better to plan ahead. I don’t want to get so busy that I need to hire someone else and not have the space for them. Plus, you never know . . . you may want to move out of the city and settle down one of these days.”
I laugh long and hard at that. I’ve always been a city boy. I’ve never lived in the country and highly doubt I’m going to start now. I wouldn’t know what to do with a house of my own. I’ve never used a lawn mower, and have never had to fix a leaky pipe, or deal with any other kind of home improvement issue. If something breaks, I just call the super. And grass is something I can honestly say I’ve never even thought about. I grew up in a penthouse apartment. I lived in the dorms in college, and live in an apartment now. I’ve never lived in a house and find the thought of it to be weird. It just seems wasteful to me. Who needs that much space? And what the hell do you do with it all?
Preston walks into the room and drops down in the chair next to me. “Hey, Dan. Nice to see you again.”
I reach out and shake his hand. “You too. How have things been?”
He smiles. “As good as ever. My wife is in there driving your girlfriend crazy with questions. Sorry about that.”
I laugh. “I’m sure she’s not bothering her. She’s probably used to it, and if she’s not, she’s going to have to get used to it sooner rather than later.”
“Guys, dinner is ready!” Piper says, sticking her head into the room.
The three of us get up and go into the dining room where Riley and Luna are already seated. I take the open chair next to her and take her hand in mine. “Everything okay?”
She smiles. “Mm-hmm.”
Preston and Riley sit across from us with Calvin and Piper at either end of the table. We all take turns making our plates of spaghetti, garlic bread, and a side salad. Based on Calvin’s warning, I prepare myself for the first bite, but to my surprise, everything tastes amazing. The salad is fresh and crisp. The pasta is cooked perfectly and the sauce has a nice balance of sweetness and robustness. The garlic bread is perfectly toasted and it’s smothered in butter and garlic. It’s easily the best home-cooked meal I’ve ever tasted.
“This is all amazing. Thanks for having us,” I say before stuffing another bite into my mouth. With all the extra hours I’ve put in at the gym lately, my hunger has been insatiable. I can’t get enough.
“We’re happy to have you both,” Piper says.
Riley nods. “So when are you guys moving out here?” She offers up a sly grin.
Luna and I both laugh nervously. “Well,” Luna starts, “we’re not exactly sure of our future just yet. This is all so new that it’s hard to know if we’ll make it or not. That, on top of my busy schedule and the fact that the band is going on tour soon, just makes it feel like the odds are against us.”
“That’s right. I forgot about your tour,” Calvin says, looking only at me as a way to remind me of what I’m getting myself into.
She nods. “This isn’t, like, a big tour. We’re not headlining yet. Our first single is scheduled to drop next week then we’re going to be playing a lot of local shows and festivals. Then we’ll go on tour to open for The Metal Heads. That’s just a short six-week tour. After that, we’ll come back and take three months off while we release more singles, then the real tour will come. It will be a solid six months of touring the United States and Europe.”
Riley’s eyes stretch wide. “That’s so exciting.”
Luna forces a smile and nods. “It is,” she replies, but the tone of her voice is off. She doesn’t sound as excited as she should, and I make a mental note to talk to her later and find out how she’s feeling about the tour and us.
We finish our dinner and leave for the night, heading to our hotel. The four of them offered us a bedroom in one of their homes, but I didn’t want to impose. Plus Luna and I need a little alone time. I guess, in a way, I’m using this weekend to live out my regular relationship fantasies that will never come true. This could be our last chance to do something like this . . . especially if the band’s first single is dropping next week. She’ll blow up before our eyes.
When we get to our hotel room, I pull the curtains closed and set down our bags. She uses the bathroom before coming back out to dig around in her bag for something more comfortable to wear.
“Want to go down to the hot tub?”
“Yeah, okay. I could use some relaxation,” she agrees, pulling out a swimsuit.
We both quickly change, grab some towels, and head downstairs for the hot tub. There’s an inside and an outside pool, with a hot tub on the inside. The place is deathly quiet, but according to the sign on the door, the pool is still open. I push the button on the wall and get the jets going, then I slide in beside her.
She stretches out her arms along the sides of the tub and leans her head back, enjoying the heat and the massaging jets.
“Can I ask you something?”
Her head pops up with my voice. “Shoot.”
“Tonight at dinner, you didn’t seem all that excited about the tour. May I ask why?”
She sucks in a long breath and lets it out slowly. “Honestly, I don’t know.” She rolls her eyes and sits upright. “I should be happy. Hell, I should be downright excited. The band and I have worked years for this. And I’d worked years for this before even forming the band. I mean, even as a kid, I slept, ate, and breathed music. I di
dn’t go outside and play after school. I went to the music store and took lessons, worked off my first guitar, and gave lessons when I got better at it. My life has never been normal and I’ve always been okay with that. Until recently. I met you and all of a sudden, all these things that used to feel awesome no longer do unless you’re there to do them with me. And that’s so . . . I don’t know, stupid. No offense. But we’re still so new. This might not work out at all, but I’m already trying to fit you into the picture any way I can. And I know that isn’t fair. This isn’t your life and I wouldn’t expect you to give up anything for me. But I also can’t give this up for you. I have people who wouldn’t let me even if I wanted to. So I just kinda feel stuck. No matter which way this goes, I know I’m not going to be completely happy.”
I nod as I think about her words.
“You seem surprised. Why?”
I shrug. “It’s just that you’re always so cool and collected that I didn’t know if this was anything more than just fun for you. I didn’t realize things had gotten so serious.”
She starts moving closer as she crawls into my lap. “Does it scare you that we’re getting serious?” Her arms wrap around my neck.
“A little. This whole time, I thought it was just me—that I was falling for you faster than I’d ever fallen for anyone. But if you feel the same way, then I guess we are stuck.”
She presses her lips together and nods once. “Yep, but I’d rather be stuck with you than free and alone.” Her mouth touches mine and she gives me a long kiss. It’s so soft that it could be a dream, but it awakens my body in a way I’ve never felt before.
I place my hands on her hips and move her back and forth, rocking her core against my hardening cock. She breaks the kiss and lets a gasp fall from her lips. The sound is soft and teasing, only making me want to do more—explore more.
“What do you say we take this up to our room?”
She nods. “I think that’s a good idea.”
I stand and pick her up against me, walking us out of the hot tub. I don’t set her on her feet until we get to the towels we’d placed in a nearby chair. I put her down, pick up her towel, and envelop her in it. I grab my towel and wrap it around my hips. Hand in hand, we leave the pool area and make our way back to the elevator to hide away in our room for the rest of the night.
Rocking His FAKE World: A Fake Boyfriend, Opposites Attract Romance (Love You Forever Book 3) Page 11