A Love Melody

by Grace Roberts

  “You’re the only person I’ve ever been able to be my real self with, Val. Let’s not change it now.”

  “Okay,” she said, hugging him back and patting a hand on his chest. “But do you mind if I sell your autograph on eBay?”

  He pushed her a few inches away from him and glared at her for a second, before they both burst into laughter. Things between them would never change, no matter how famous he would become.

  Chapter 13

  *** Present day ***

  Valerie turned off the alarm with a groan and rolled onto her side. The night shift had been tough, but she’d spent the whole time thinking about her short getaway in Miami, and that had given her the strength she needed to cope until her shift was over.

  She’d slept like a log, and when she turned her head to check if Karen was back, she noticed her bed was empty. Valerie thought she could smell toast, which meant Karen must be back and was probably having a late breakfast. She’d been on a night shift too, but she seemed like she never really needed much sleep to recover from a long shift. Lucky woman.

  She stretched and sat up, removed the band from her hair and fluffed it up a little. With one last yawn, she finally stood up and headed for the bathroom.

  When she went into the kitchen wearing her yoga pants and baggy sweater, she was still half asleep and in desperate need for a cup of coffee. Karen was at the small square table in the center of the room, with a half-eaten slice of toast on a plate and a mug of black coffee in her hand. She looked up from a magazine she was reading as soon as she saw Valerie.

  “Well, good morning, secret lover of America’s Jazz Star!” She greeted her with a grin, and Valerie frowned, blinking a couple of times. “How does it feel to be on the front cover of America’s most-read tabloid?”

  The words barely registered as Valerie slumped down on the chair next to Karen, filling a mug with coffee.

  “Karen, please just leave me alone. I have a headache.”

  Karen chuckled and passed the magazine over to her across the table. As soon as Valerie looked at it, she choked on the coffee and had to put down the mug to keep from spilling its contents all over the place.

  “What the hell is this?” she yelled, staring wide-eyed at the picture on the front cover of Karen’s favorite tabloid.

  “I was hoping I’d be the first to know,” Karen said with a disappointed frown.

  “Are you serious?” Valerie looked up at her with raised eyebrows, scrutinizing her face to understand whether Karen was simply teasing her or if she really believed what the tabloid said. “Don’t you know me? Don’t you know Ryan? I mean, how many times do I have to tell you that we’re just friends?”

  Karen shrugged, taking a bite of her toast. Valerie flipped through the pages to get to page fifteen, where more pictures of Ryan Wyler and his secret lover were to be found.

  There was a bigger version of the picture on the front cover, where Ryan had an arm around her while he was opening a door for her. It was when they were leaving the venue, after the show, and Ryan had opened the door for her and was ushering her out. But to everyone else, it obviously looked as if he was hugging her, with an arm around her shoulders. Then there was another one of them at the airport, when she’d just arrived from Boston and he’d hugged her. The third one had been taken by the swimming pool, while they were talking and she’d taken his hand, and there was another one of Ryan diving into the pool.

  She read the captions underneath each picture, and her stomach churned. It was unbelievable. If she hadn’t been there, if she hadn’t lived it, those pictures would have led her to believe that they really were lovers. It hurt her to know that their families and even her colleagues in the hospital would think she had been secretly dating jazz star Ryan Wyler.

  “This is insane,” she said, running her fingers through her hair and resting her elbows on the table to support her extremely heavy head. Her temples throbbed, and she felt as if she’d had one drink too many and was paying the price for it. “I mean, people can’t believe all they read in these tabloids, can they?”

  Karen shrugged. “I believed it. And I know you, both of you. You really look like two lovebirds, at least to people who don’t know how special your friendship is.”

  Valerie glared at her. She didn’t like the way she had emphasized the word special, as if she too were doubting that Valerie and Ryan were only good friends and was hinting there was something more behind all that.

  “Don’t get me wrong, but honestly, don’t you see how odd your friendship looks to everyone else? You aren’t the cute Irish teenagers who used to hang out at an old music club in Dublin anymore. He’s a celebrity and a damn attractive man, and you’re a woman. How can you expect to go around holding hands and hugging without people thinking you’re lovers?”

  Valerie rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed huff. Karen put her mug down and stood up, propping her hands on the table top. “It’s high time you opened your eyes, Valerie. Men and women can’t be best buddies. They’re either lovers or acquaintances, and that’s just how it goes. And don’t try to tell me you never feel hormones dancing the samba when he hugs you because then I’d start thinking you’re not interested in men at all, if you know what I mean.”

  Valerie stared open-mouthed at her flatmate. She felt as if she’d just stabbed her with a kitchen knife. They’d been friends for ten years now, but had she ever known Karen at all? And what was all this nonsense about hormones, now? Dating Kevin wasn’t doing her any good. Valerie was sure this was all his work, since he’d never believed that Ryan and Valerie were only friends; no doubt he was putting ideas in his girlfriend’s head.

  She stood up, and slammed the magazine on the floor—a little over-dramatically, but she was so upset she didn’t care about what Karen would think.

  “This conversation is bordering on insanity,” she said while emptying the content of her mug into the sink. She turned back; Karen was staring into her mug, a deep frown on her forehead. “If this is what you think, then I guess I’ve been extremely mistaken about putting my trust in you.”

  She didn’t give her flatmate the chance to object or reply. She just grabbed her purse and her cell phone, and slammed the door on her way out.

  She couldn’t get far, though, because as soon as she rounded the corner, a group of people holding cameras and microphones rushed toward her. She sought refuge in the café around the corner from her street and locked herself in the bathroom for half an hour, waiting for those people to get tired and leave. Only then could she get out and go home again.

  This was going to be a problem—a really big one.

  Chapter 14

  “Are you happy now? Just keep doing things your way, and here’s what you get!”

  Ryan flinched when Gordon threw a magazine on his table while he was having breakfast in his hotel room in Atlanta. Gordon’s tone sounded as if he were seconds away from a breakdown, but it wasn’t until Ryan noticed the small picture on the front cover that he realized why. His blood went cold as he stared at a picture of Valerie and himself, as they were getting out of the venue the night of the Miami show. The title read: “Meet Jazz Star Ryan Wyler’s secret lover: check page fifteen for more pictures and hot details.”

  This had to be a joke. He flicked through the magazine to page fifteen and his eyes widened at the caption under the picture of them leaving the venue.

  Ryan feels very protective of his girlfriend and wraps his arm around her while romantically opening the door. Isn’t he a real gentleman?

  Romantically opening the door? Seriously? He couldn’t help but laugh as he read it, and wondered who on earth bought those tabloids and actually believed what was in them.

  Gordon didn’t seem to find it funny though. He slumped down on the chair opposite him, taking out his cell phone. “Is there something I need to know, before I make a phone call or two to fix this mess you’ve made?”

  Ryan looked up. Gordon’s face was flushed and a vein on his
right temple bulged and seemed to want to pop out of the skin. He couldn’t understand what his problem was and what it was Ryan should tell him. Hadn’t he met Valerie when she’d come to Miami? Hadn’t he known all along that she was, and always had been, Ryan’s best friend, and there was nothing else between them but a strong friendship? Gordon was definitely working too much, and he really needed a holiday. Ryan made a mental note to make sure the man would get away for a while once they were back in Boston.

  “What are you talking about?” Ryan asked in an innocent tone, which seemed to upset Gordon even more.

  “Is there anything going on between you and that woman?”

  Ryan winced and stared at him in disbelief. Was he really asking him whether he was having a fling with Valerie? This was ridiculous. “Gordon, for heaven’s sakes, you’ve known me and Valerie for almost five years. Are you seriously asking me if we’re lovers?”

  “Listen, what happens between your sheets is none of my business, but if you’re in a relationship, I must know. Most of your fans are young women, and you know they don’t like being lied to.”

  Ryan stood up, leaving half of his breakfast untouched. He wanted his fans to follow him because they loved his music, not because they hoped they’d have a chance of getting into his bed or have his babies.

  “I won’t even bother to reply to that. Fix whatever you want to fix, or leave it as it is. I don’t give a damn.”

  “Ryan! Come back!”

  But Ryan didn’t even turn to look at him as he slammed the door, knowing that if he stayed just one more minute, he’d end up punching him.

  Then he took out his cell phone and pressed speed dial to make sure Valerie was all right.

  “Val, I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful. It was really stupid of me. I hope this won’t cause you trouble at work.”

  Valerie sat on her bed and looked at the picture of the two of them on her nightstand. She wished with every fiber of her body that they could go back to those happy times at the Club, when nothing else mattered but music and their friendship. She looked at the two smiling teenagers with party hats, and a single tear drifted down her cheek. She missed those days so badly now.

  “It’s okay,” she lied. It wasn’t at all okay. Would they come looking for her at the hospital? Would she lose her job? If they’d waited for her outside her apartment, they probably knew where she worked too, and the last thing she wanted was for the hospital manager to think she was going to cause trouble and fire her. She cringed as a jolt of fear shot through her. She couldn’t lose her job because of some stupid tabloids; she couldn’t lose her job because of Ryan; she couldn’t lose her job—period.

  “I know it’s not, and I know they’ll probably give you a hard time. I’m sorry I’m the cause of it, I really am, Val.” His tone was apologetic and she wished she were there with him, so they could face all this together.

  “Nah, don’t worry too much about it. These things usually only last a day or two. Once they’ve found some juicier gossip, they’ll leave us alone.” She giggled as a thought hit the back of her mind. “What worries me most is Kevin’s reaction. Karen honestly thought I’d been hiding something from her, and it really upset me, so he’ll probably be saying ‘I knew it!’ as soon as he hears the news.”

  Ryan laughed. “Yeah, he’ll be jumping with joy, I’m sure. I’d better give him a call before he finds out from the tabloids.”

  They both laughed, momentarily forgetting all the trouble those pictures had caused and would surely be causing later. Ryan’s laugh stopped abruptly, and she wondered what had happened.

  “Listen, I gotta go now. I’ll call you later, okay? Try not to let this bother you too much.”

  “Is it Valerie?” Ryan’s manager’s voice sounded in the background. The angry note in his voice gave Valerie chills. “Let me talk to her, come on.”

  A second later, a growl came through the line. “Whatever you do, whoever approaches you, just don’t say a thing. Don’t you even try to explain anything; I’ve already fixed everything, and I don’t need you talking to reporters and giving your version of the story. Understood?”

  Valerie was taken aback, and a little scared too, by Gordon’s tone. She didn’t have the courage to say a word.

  “Forgive him, Val. He tends to get a bit melodramatic at times.” Ryan’s sweet voice was on the other end of the line again, and she finally let out the breath she’d been holding while Gordon was speaking. He chuckled.

  “No problem, no harm done,” she lied again, as tears pricked her eyes.

  They said goodbye and, after she hung up, Valerie stared at the phone in her hand. Karen was right: their friendship could no longer be the same as it used to be when they were young, their lives were different now—his life was different. Then she lay back on her bed and let the tears flow.

  Chapter 15

  When she left her apartment to go to work the following day, Valerie was assaulted by reporters, and she had to stop a taxi and get away as quickly as possible just to get rid of them. Taking the subway would be out of the question for a few more days, and she didn’t like the thought of having to shell out so much money on transportation just to avoid a crowd of stupid reporters.

  When she reached the hospital, more reporters were waiting for her. Her worst fear seemed to have come true. If the hospital manager saw all that chaos and knew it was because of her, she’d probably lose her job before she could say “but”.

  This was absurd, and to her it made no sense at all. Ryan was the celebrity, and she was absolutely nobody. Why couldn’t they leave her alone and go interview him? He’d know what to say and how to behave, and it would be easy for him to keep them at bay. She didn’t know how to act and, after that short conversation with Gordon, she knew she’d better keep her mouth shut before she caused even more trouble and prompted him to kill her with his bare hands.

  She’d never really liked Gordon, but Ryan used to tell her he was the best in the field and that he’d been strongly recommended by a couple of teachers at Berklee College, so he’d trusted their judgment. But after that unpleasant phone call, she liked Gordon even less, and hoped she wouldn’t have to meet him again.

  She reached the hospital and paid the driver, but once she got out of the car, the crowd of reporters assaulted her, trying to get her to answer their stupid questions about her relationship with Ryan. Luckily Stan, the security guy, was at hand and rushed to her aid. The muscles bulging underneath his dark blue uniform and probably the gun strapped to his belt, combined with his threat to call the police if they so much as tried to set foot inside the hospital, were enough to make the annoying stalkers walk away.

  Valerie gave him a grateful smile, and he smiled back without asking a single question about why those people were harassing her. She hoped her colleagues would all be like him and that nobody would talk about what had happened, but she soon discovered rumors had spread fast in the hospital wards. She hoped it hadn’t been Karen who’d started it all because that would definitely mark the end of their ten-year-long friendship.

  As she walked down the corridors to reach the staff changing rooms, people stopped talking and turned their heads to look at her, even those she barely knew. Only a couple of people dared speak to her. By then, she was nearing the exasperation point and, as soon as a nurse asked her whether she was really dating Ryan Wyler, she snapped.

  “I’ve known him since he was fifteen, we grew up together, and we’re friends. End of story.” The nurse winced at her reaction. “And if one more person asks if I’m sleeping with him, I swear I’m going to hit them on the head with my clipboard. Spread the news around.”

  The nurse walked away quickly, and when Valerie spun around, Karen was standing a few feet away, looking at her with an amused expression on her face and her thumbs up in approval.

  And just like that, Valerie knew that the fight she’d had with Karen was long forgotten. They’d have to talk about it, but seeing Karen’s supp
ort left no doubt as to where her loyalty lay.

  Valerie had told Ryan a crowd of reporters had followed her ever since that day, trying to get her to talk, and he’d felt awful about it. As soon as he was back in Boston, he went straight to her apartment and wasn’t surprised to be welcomed by five reporters, three cameramen and some other people who were just curious to see what was happening. He bet they’d been waiting for him, hoping to catch them both red-handed. Ryan had been very well trained by Gordon and, as soon as they recognized him and surrounded him, firing questions about his secret girlfriend, he smiled at the cameras, shaking his head.

  “Just like my manager already told the editor of the tabloid, this has just been a big misunderstanding.” They kept asking questions, but Ryan knew better than to answer them, and went on with the speech he’d rehearsed over and over again in the last couple of days. “She’s an old childhood friend of mine who lives in Boston, too. She had a day off work, and I invited her over to Miami to see my show—there’s nothing more to it. I’m sorry I’m not meeting your expectations, but there’s no secret lover.” Some reporters did seem disappointed, but others didn’t seem to believe a word he was saying and kept asking their stupid questions. Ryan’s blood boiled in his veins, but he knew he had to keep his cool.

  “I’d be grateful if you stopped chasing her around the city. She’s just a normal person who happens to have a famous friend, but she only wants to lead a normal life. If you have questions, my manager and I will be glad to answer them during an interview. You can get in touch with him and arrange a date. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

  He dodged the microphones and smiled politely at the cameras clicking away, walked around the annoying crew and pressed the button on the intercom, waiting for Valerie to open the door and let him in. When he stepped into her apartment and had closed the door behind him, he exhaled, knowing they might leave her alone but that it wasn’t over for him.