Untitled

by Jackie Chanel

  “Why is a summer tour so important to you?” Roxy asked. “Spring, fall, summer, winter, it really doesn’t matter when you tour. You’re going to sell out shows.”

  “That’s not the point. I want to do a summer tour. Make it happen, Roxy.”

  “You know,” Roxy mumbled. “You’re getting awfully demanding for an artist who only has two damn albums out.”

  “It’s my music and my career,” I answered. “I’ve never been demanding about anything else. When it comes to the music, I’m not compromising that for anyone.”

  Roxy rolled her eyes. “Oh God, you spend way too much time with Joey. And spare me that “it’s all about the music” lecture. I heard it enough while we were married. I said, I’ll talk to Dre.”

  "Thank you," I said and gulped down the rest of my drink.

  I try not to make too many demands because I don't want to be known as that kind of celebrity. However, touring is how I make my money. I've made a decent about of money so far but this tour will put me in a great financial position so I can leave my label. As much as I wanted to explain that to Roxy, I didn't. It's just better to leave that conversation unspoken.

  After Roxy left, Delilah and I sat at the table finishing our lunch. She kept looking out the window and at her phone. I ordered another drink. I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard a familiar voice.

  “I’ve been emailing you for months.”

  I closed my eyes and cursed under my breath. I slowly turned around to see the smiles of Sara and Sunny. I stood up to hug my sister, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of my former best friend.

  As usual, Sunny looks amazing. But the softness in her eyes, the gentleness in her voice that she had when we lived in Atlanta is gone. Sunny’s changed. She’s a New Yorker now.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked Sara. “I thought we were meeting at your place later.”

  “Well, Sunny wanted to take me and Delilah shopping for my graduation party,” Sara answered. “Dee-Lee knew we were on our way here.”

  I glanced at my little sister who just shrugged her shoulders. She wouldn’t have turned down a shopping trip in New York, no matter how uncomfortable it made me.

  Sunny and Sara sat down at our table.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Sunny leaned over and whispered to me.

  “You didn’t ask a question,” I replied out loud.

  “Are you two going to argue all day?” Delilah huffed. “Because that’s going to put a real damper on our shopping trip.”

  “I’m not arguing and I’m not going shopping with you three. I’ll hang at the hotel alone before I shop in New York with you.”

  Sara and Delilah laughed. Sunny did not. I noticed the sneaky look she gave my sisters which prompted them to excuse themselves and head to the restroom.

  I waited for Sunny to speak.

  “In Atlanta, you said that you missed me and that you wanted your friend back. But you refuse to answer an email or letter. Did I miss something, Aiden?”

  “I know what I said,” I told her. “But I also know that the way to fix this can’t be done through email. Why won’t you answer the phone when I call?”

  “What do have to say over the phone that you couldn’t say in an email?”

  I rolled my eyes. This girl is always a pain in the ass.

  “Maybe I needed to hear you actually say we can’t be friends anymore. Maybe I’m just a sucker or a glutton for punishment.”

  I stared at her, waiting for a response. When it didn’t come, I asked,

  “So, did you really mean that?”

  “I don’t know, Aiden,” she huffed.

  “Well, I think you’re full of shit,” I replied nonchalantly. “You say you’re through with me and that you can’t be my friend, but then I get three letters and thirty emails in six months.”

  “None of which you responded to,” Sunny snapped.

  “I’m responding now,” I answered.

  “You’re not saying shit!”

  “I’m here, Sunny. I’m sitting right next to you! I’m telling you that I know how you felt. I know I fucked up. I know I was an asshole. I know that I owe you so much that I can never repay you. And I know that I miss you so much it hurts.”

  “Really?” Sunny’s eyes widened at my outburst.

  “Yes, Sunny! What else do you want me to say? That my album sucks because I couldn’t write anything decent without you close to me? Do you want me to say that I wish we were back in our apartment and that I never did what I did? Is that what you want to hear?”

  Sunny smiled smugly. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve been waiting on you to say. Was that so damn hard that it took over two years for you to say it?”

  I stared at her smug smile in disbelief. Is she really serious? Was this all it took to fall back in her good graces?

  “That’s all I wanted you to say, Aiden...that you were wrong and that our friendship really meant something to you. That’s it.”

  Sunny’s eyes glistened with tears that she quickly wiped away. I put my arm around her and pulled her close to me. My one armed hug seemed so natural to both of us that we both let out a deep sigh at the same time.

  “Aiden, are we good now? Do I get my friend back?” Sunny asked with her head on my shoulder.

  “I’m good if you are.”

  “Great! Then will you play for me while you’re in town?”

  “Anything but Purple Rain,” I laughed. “I’m never playing that shit for you again!”

  “Oh God, please don’t,” Sunny giggled. “Bad shit happens when you play that.”

  Not that bad, I thought to myself but I wasn’t about to say it out loud.

  “Oh thank God,” Delilah said as she and Sara came back to the table. “I just knew that one of you would be missing when we got back.”

  “Or dead,” Sara added.

  “Well, I’m glad that you grew up, kissed and made up,” Delilah stated. “Now let’s go shopping.”

  I watched the three most important women in my life walk out of the restaurant and all of them were smiling. This is how it’s always supposed to be. This is how it always will be when it comes to Delilah, Sara, and Sunny.

  Chapter 36

  “Aren’t you Aiden Tyler?” a voice said from behind me as I exited the bathroom at Dos Caminos where Sara’s graduation party was taking place.

  I turned around and standing behind me was the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. She was almost as tall as me, wearing tight blue jeans and an equally tight tank top. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a fashionably messy ponytail. Her ocean blue eyes sparkled like the diamonds around her neck and in her ears.

  “Yeah,” I choked out.

  “I knew it,” she smiled with perfect teeth and held out her hand. “I’m Ramey.”

  She said her name like I’m supposed to know who she is but I have no clue. All I know is that she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve seen since we got back from Europe.

  “What’s up, Ramey?” I asked as I gave her my best “panty dropping smile”.

  “We’ve met before,” she said. “In L.A, at Mr. Chow’s. You were with Tatiana.”

  I groaned. Tatiana McFadden was a name that I quickly wanted to forget. That girl is bad news. Three dates and four wild sex filled nights had not been worth the media attention or her teary eyed TMZ clips saying that I broke her heart.

  “You know her?” I asked, quickly realizing that it was a stupid question.

  “We’re signed to the same agency.”

  A model! Immediately I remembered where I saw her. On the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Ramey Hall!

  “Oh, that’s cool,” I tried to remain calm and smooth, but I was excited as hell.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Are you playing at one of the parties?”

  “No, my sister’s graduation party is going on. She just finished medical school.”

  “Aww, you’re a family guy,” she te
ased. “That’s really cute.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Well, what are you doing after the party? Wanna hang out? My friends and I are going to Bar d’Eau. You should come.”

  As cool as I could muster, I agreed to meet up with her later. As we exchanged numbers, I could have jumped out of my skin. My friends are gonna shit bricks!

  I damn near floated back to the party, knowing that if I told anyone where I was headed after the party, Sara and Delilah would want to tag along.

  Fuck that! Ramey Hall wants me!

  And the last thing I need is Delilah, Sara, and Sunny tagging along. Not tonight.

  ****

  “Aiden...” Ramey slurred and leaned her head against my shoulder. “I don’t want to go back to my hotel. I want to go home with you.”

  There’s no way I’m turning down a girl as hot as Ramey Hall, drunk or not.

  In the cab to the Intercontinental, Ramey couldn’t keep her hands or lips off of me. We kissed for the entire ride from SoHo to Manhattan. My hands roamed all over her perfect body, even as we stumbled through the hotel lobby and up to my room.

  Clothes went flying everywhere before the door even closed behind us. We didn’t even make it to the bed.

  When the sun rose and shined on our faces, Ramey and I were lying on the floor, naked, and tangled in the expensive down comforter that somehow got yanked off the bed.

  “Well,” Ramey yawned, “this is uncomfortable.”

  I nodded and looked around for her clothes. Ramey wasn’t looking for her clothes. She wasn’t making any moves to leave. She grabbed the comforter and climbed into the comfortable king sized bed.

  “Are you gonna stay on the floor?” she asked.

  “What are you doing?” I asked. “Don’t you want to go to your hotel?”

  “Aiden, it’s six o’clock in the morning. Only assholes with boring jobs are up this damn early. I’m going to sleep.”

  I grinned and climbed in the bed next to her. I fell back asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. When I woke up at eleven, with the alarm from my phone blaring in my ear, Ramey was still naked and still sleeping next to me.

  Trying not to wake her, I slipped out of the bed and went into the bathroom. I only had an hour to shower, dress, and meet my family at Pastis for lunch.

  When I came out of the bathroom, Ramey was flipping through the television channels and smoking a cigarette in my non-smoking room.

  “I have to meet my family for lunch,” I told her.

  “I know. You told me that last night.”

  “What are you doing later?” I asked. I desperately wanted to see her again, maybe this time we could do something...sober.

  She smiled and blew out a ring of smoke.

  “I’m flying back to L.A. I have a shoot tomorrow. When are you coming home?”

  “I don’t know yet. My manager has some meetings lined up over the next few days.”

  “Oh yeah, I heard about that. CK wants you and so does Amex. You should do CK. Maybe we can work together. I bet we’d take some damn good pictures.”

  “How’d you know about that?” I wondered. News travels fast in L.A but this is New York.

  “I’m a supermodel,” Ramey answered. “It’s my job to know. Think about CK. Your body is fucking amazing. Plus, you’d be working with me.”

  I thought about what she said for the entire cab ride to the restaurant. I’ve never considered modeling, but there is the opportunity to build my brand and make a lot more money than just by making music.

  I wanted to bring it up to my parents and get their opinion but I didn’t get the opportunity. Sara’s announcement topped my dilemma exponentially.

  I should have known she was going to hit us with some jaw dropping news. She was anxious with excitement all through the meal. Her incessant leg twitching did not go unnoticed.

  “You guys,” she finally said once the table had been cleared and the waitress had handed me the check.

  “I have some news.”

  My parents looked apprehensive. Delilah couldn’t stop smiling.

  “I’m getting married!” Sara announced.

  My parents’ look of surprise and astonishment was classic.

  “What?”

  “To who?”

  “His name is Tahir. You met him last night,” Sara answered.

  I was shocked but no more than my white bread parents. I may play “black people's music” but their first born was engaged to an African man! I could see my mother's lower lip trembling and my dad's ears were bright red.

  “What are you talking about,” my mother cried. “You can't be engaged! You just finished medical school.”

  “Mom, calm down. We've been engaged for two months. I just wanted to tell you all when we'd all be together.” Sara was smiling so hard her happiness was contagious.

  “What do you know about this boy?” my father barked

  “I know that he's the man that I love,” Sara fired back. “And don't think for one minute I don't know what you're thinking. He's an American citizen and so are his parents.”

  “Ooh,” Delilah giggled. “You are going to have some cute babies!”

  My parents looked like they were about to die! It was hilarious.

  “At least she's marrying a doctor,” I added. “And I will gladly pay for the wedding.”

  I smiled at my sisters. Torturing our parents has become our favorite hobby since they aren’t happy about anything we do. Anything we can do to show that they can't control us is our mission. With Delilah dropping out of college and me becoming a musician, I thought we'd done all that we could, but Sara has just raised the bar. I have to do better. I wonder what they’ll do when they see me on a billboard in my Calvin Klein underwear.

  Chapter 37

  “I cannot believe I'm dressing you for a damn photo shoot,” Sunny grumbled. “I did not come out to L.A for this.”

  I laughed. It isn't my fault that somebody at Power dropped the ball and forgot to book a stylist for my tour promo pictures. It's not my fault that Roxy found out that Sunny was in Los Angeles and asked her to do this, and it's definitely not my fault that she agreed.

  I frowned at the black leather jacket Sunny was holding and shook my head.

  “Why? What's wrong with this?”

  “The damn tour starts in August, Sunny. I'm not wearing leather in August. Are you nuts?”

  “What would you like to wear then? A wifebeater and jeans?”

  “That's what I'm wearing on stage, so why not?” I laughed again. “Or maybe I'll just go shirtless and show off my CK boxers. I'm sure that will make them happy.”

  Sunny rolled her eyes. “Please don't go shirtless. Your bare chest is already everywhere I look.”

  “I can't help it,” I said. “At least they let me hold my guitar.”

  “Your CK billboard reminds me of ‘Your Body is a Wonderland’. John Mayer would not be impressed.”

  I laughed again. This is what I need. Just knowing that Sunny is a phone call away has made these last two months so much more bearable. It doesn't even matter that she's in New York. Our relationship is right on track. Plus I have Ramey now.

  Ramey is unlike any other girl that I've ever been with. Ramey is great. I really enjoy spending time with her, but dating a supermodel exclusively has turned into a media circus. I thought it was bad before, but the attention that we get whenever we go out together is ridiculous.

  “Speaking of your girlfriend,” Sunny mentioned, but since we weren’t speaking about Ramey at all, I find it hard to believe that Sunny would just bring her up casually in the conversation. Something must have happened.

  “What about her?”

  “Are you really only dating her, like the tabloids say? Like for real, she’s the only one?”

  “I like her,” I told Sunny. “We have fun together.”

  “You mean, you get drunk together. Delilah hates her,” Sunny said. “So does Sara.”

  “So do you,” I
pointed out. “Ramey isn’t the first girl that you three haven’t liked, but I really do like her.”

  “We can see that you like her,” Sunny snapped as she handed me another shirt to try on. “Every time I turn on the television or open a magazine, there the two of you are,.liking each other.”

  “That is annoying,” I admitted. “But Ramey’s a supermodel. What do you expect? I just hate that everyone keeps saying that we don’t belong together. I’m every bit of famous as she is.”

  Sunny rolled her eyes and fidgeted with my clothes until she felt that every wrinkle was gone and they were perfect.

  “Why do you only date models and actresses?” she asked.

  “Why not? They’re gorgeous. I like sleeping with beautiful women. I see nothing wrong with that.”

  “You are so superficial,” Sunny mumbled.

  “Why do you only date athletes?” I asked. Before she could answer, I answered for her.

  “We’re just alike, Sunny, you know that,” I said. “You’re superficial too.”

  I checked myself out in the triple mirror. Sunny knows clothes and she knows what looks good on me. The blue shirt and rustic jeans combo is perfect for my tour promotion materials.

  They were calling for me on set and any minute Roxy was going to come bursting into the room yelling that “Time is money, Aiden!”

  The dressing room door opened and like I anticipated, the whirlwind that is my manager blew into the room.

  “Aiden!” Roxy shouted. “Get your ass out there! Why the hell are you in here lollygagging? Time is money!”

  ****

  The next morning, I walked into the kitchen where Delilah was throwing fresh fruit into the blender to make a protein shake. She looked upset. No, she looked pissed off.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Your girlfriend is going to make me slap her,” Delilah snapped. “Why is she always here?”

  “What did she do now?” I sighed. I’m sure that Delilah’s just over reacting to something stupid.

  “She ate the last of my protein bars!”

  “You’re mad about food, Dee-Lee? Really?”

  “That’s beside the point,” she answered. “I don’t know what you see in her but her presence in this house gets on my nerves. Do you realize that there are paparazzi camped outside of our house all day and night?”