Aralia was sprawled out across the couch, one leg and arm hanging off. Aralia worked nights so Caroline wasn’t even going to bother waking her up, however, she saw her purse sticking out from under Aralia. She tip toed over and pulled the handles out from under Aralia gently, but it wouldn’t budge.
Caroline gave it a harder tug and it finally came out, pushing Aralia to the side. She paused for a second to see if that had woken Aralia but Aralia just moaned and continued snoring. She went back into the kitchen and the clock said 11:03AM, she was so late. She opened her purse to find her phone and let out a nervous sigh when she saw 4 missed calls from work. She quickly texted her boss to apologize and say that she was on her way, then headed straight out the door for work.
Normally, Caroline would have stopped at the coffee shop for her Monday morning coffee but she was too late today to treat herself to that. There was also a nagging voice in the back of her mind telling her she wasn’t ready to walk into the place she had met Logan at only one week ago. She briskly walked past the shop, rushing to get to work.
Her mind was already back at that moment a week ago when she first saw Logan. She couldn’t believe how much the last week had changed her life. She had never been a hopeless romantic and had never even been in love before. She had been in some great relationships but they all had stemmed out of friendships and while that attraction had been there, she had never fallen head over heels and been out of control of her emotions.
As Caroline walked up to the doors for her work, she felt a tear in her eye and quickly wiped it away. She felt like she had been crying way too much recently. Time to get to work and put away any silly thoughts of some romantic fairytale, she told herself. She walked through the doors and braced herself for the fallout that she knew she would get from her boss for being so late. Time to get back to life, time to get back to the real world.
~**~
Logan didn’t work the average Monday through Friday, nine to five pm time schedule like the average American. Every day was different depending on if he had a concert that evening, traveling for a tour, doing an interview, sound check, recording, and more. That was why he loved being a singer though because there was never a dull moment.
He knew he could never survive a cubicle job because his soul was rock and roll. He thought in musical notes and dreamed in lyrics. However, lately his dreams had only been of one thing. He dreamed of the woman he had spent hours painting last week, remembering every detail of her face as he brushed her into the canvas.
Monday morning had come and gone, but Logan was still laying in bed. He had been awake for hours but just stayed there, staring at the ceiling. His bedroom was a dark red color with velvet drapes and a large four poster bed draped in more velvet. He hated the decorations in this room. Gina had done it, she loved the dramatic and the over the top looks.
Every time he looked at that crushed velvet, he felt irritated with her. He felt that today but it was mixed with something new, something deeper than irritation. Logan had always been an easy going guy, he got along with everyone and went with the flow. He didn’t make friction because he never cared enough to be in that situation. He kept his feelings to himself, he was private and guarded, and the only time his real feelings came out was through his music.
But he hadn’t been guarded yesterday. His mind replayed his interaction with Caroline and he felt a swelling in his chest that ached. He swallowed and took a deep breath, pushing the feelings away. He didn’t want to feel it anymore, he didn’t want to feel anything. He pushed himself up out of bed and walked over to the window, pushing the curtains open.
His easel was in the corner and he pulled it over to the window, picking out a clean canvas and some paints from a table near the corner. His bedroom was very big and sectioned into multiple areas, the section with the bed and closet, the bathroom and changing area, and then a lounging area. He had changed the lounging area into an art room which was the only area of his penthouse that Gina had let him have. He had to fight her for it though, because she wanted to decorate and control everything.
Logan picked up a brush and dipped it in some paint. He looked out the window to find some inspiration over the city’s building tops. He didn’t find anything out the window that inspired him and instead started painting what was in his mind. He imagined Caroline sitting in her window sketching that old woman on the bench. He began to draw her as if he was outside her window looking in.
Time started to go by quickly as he got into the painting, really focusing on the window and its trim, while trying to not accentuate the woman inside the window. He had drawn her out but hadn’t painted it yet and so she wasn’t actually part of the painting yet. He was avoiding painting her, he wasn’t consciously thinking about it, but he was taking more time than was necessary painting a window surround.
Logan wasn’t paying attention to anything but what he was painting, so he was startled when he felt someone slip their arms around his waist.
“Hey, baby.” a sultry voice whispered into his ear. His jaw tightened in tension as he continued painting.
“What’s up.” he responded dully to Gina.
“Well, shit, someone is being cranky today.” Gina scoffed, annoyed, and let go of him, giving his back a little shove. He took a step forward to balance himself and then turned around to look at her.
“What the hell, Gina?” He was clearly angry at her. “What do you want?”
“It’s 5:30pm. You have sound check in two hours, you need to start getting ready because we have to leave soon. What are you even doing in here all by yourself? You could be preparing instead.” Gina began to lecture him.
“I wanted some time to relax, Gina. I practiced plenty. I just did Madison Square Garden two days ago, remember? I think I can handle tonight’s small party.” Logan said.
He had a job at a private party for a rich wall street guru event that was paying him a ridiculous sum of money, especially for a Monday night. Tomorrow he had to be on a national talk show almost before the sun would be up. He lived quite a busy life but he was an adult and could take care of his own schedule. Gina seemed to think he couldn’t even take a step without her guidance.
“Fine, Logan, just leave everything to chance. Just hurry up and get dressed, we need to get going. We have a packed week, I’ve scheduled a bunch of interviews on national talk shows the next three mornings to promote the tour this weekend, ending in a bigger talk show on Friday. Plus we need to pack everything up to leave.” Gina was looking down at her phone, rambling off a to do list.
Logan tuned her out and went to the closet to change while she followed him around and continued talking. He changed into some leather pants and a loose fitted top, ran some mousse through his hair and tousled it, and finally pulled on some black army boots. It was a very rock and roll outfit. He didn’t like dressing that way generally, but Gina was his manager and insisted that this needed to be his image. He was more of a jeans and crop top kind of guy, with maybe an open sweater at most.
Logan had a six month long tour about to start this Friday that spanned America and even went international. It had been scheduled for awhile but Sunday morning he had been ready to cancel it because he didn’t want to leave New York City. However, after how poorly yesterday went with Caroline, Logan wanted nothing more than to leave this city and just get away from everything and completely forget about the last week. But the prospect of going on a six month long trip with Gina by his side every second was just a nightmare.
Until he had met Caroline, these things didn’t really bother him. He just didn’t care and hadn’t really invested anything real into it, he hadn’t invested anything real into himself. He kept his emotions hidden in his music and art instead.
He finished getting ready and headed out of the penthouse to go to the event for the night. Gina never went to smaller events, she said they weren’t worth her time. So, he liked them best because he had more control of the time and enjoyed being able to hear his
own thoughts.
She instead would spend the night at home planning more appearances for him as usual. She was a very hands on manager even though that is not what she had planned in life. The two had met at an open mike night before he had become famous and they just had an instant sexual attraction. She was like an addictive drug to him and just was suddenly his whole life, controlling him with her intoxicating sexuality.
She had just finished business school and decided that it was her mission in life to make Logan famous. She knew that he was a painter and that he loved music, but that he didn’t see it as his lifelong passion or career. She thought differently though and through a lot of hard work, she got his music out there and he quickly took off to the top of Hollywood’s A-List.
If he was being honest with himself, he had to admit that it has been an amazing journey becoming Logan Clay, the Rock star. He likes the fame, he loves his music, and he enjoys the luxurious lifestyle and he owed all of that to Gina. He still got to paint recreationally every once in awhile so he enjoyed that, but he didn’t get to put the time into it he really wanted to.
Logan wasn’t sure when the romance between Gina and him had fizzled but he just knew that it wasn’t there anymore. When they met, they were both young and fresh faced with little life experience. He was the unknown Logan Clay and she was the recent college graduate, Gina Vile.
They were about the moment and enjoying life to the fullest, however, now Gina was all about the fame and money. Logan couldn’t complain, he loved those things too but he resented that they had taken the place of their romance and subsequently, their love. The more and more fame that Gina tasted, the less time she had for them. She spent more time with Logan Clay the brand, then Logan her boyfriend. Logan couldn’t help feeling guilty now that he had fallen so deeply for another woman.
He owed Gina everything, she had made him Logan Clay, the Rock Star. He owed his entire lifestyle and career to her and she had made him and his work her entire life. She had given up everything for him, her entire future. She may be frustrating and controlling, but he had to appreciate everything she had done and still does for him.
Gina didn’t deserve him being unfaithful and he knew that he had really stepped over a line yesterday that he had never thought he was capable of. He had never been that type of man. Even as a celebrity who tabloids liked to make into a womanizer and print all types of picture with him even standing near another woman, he was never that personality.
He had always been a one woman man and infidelity was out of the question, rather he was a respectful and honest person. But he wasn’t yesterday. He sat back in the limo seat on the way to the event and sighed, feeling the guilt come over him. He closed his eyes but could only see Caroline. This was going to be a long week.
Chapter Eight
The show was small but it went well and Logan was headed back to his penthouse, slumped in the back of his town car taking a nap. Shows were physically demanding and Logan hadn’t been sleeping very well, so it wasn’t hard for him to drift off with the vibrations of the car. It didn’t take too long to get back to his building though and Logan was awoken by his driver opening the back door for him.
Logan thanked his driver, Jackson, and shook his hand as he got out. Jackson had worked for him for many years and the two were close friends, even though Jackson was his employee. In fact, Jackson was probably the only person in his daily life who knew the most about him and Logan trusted him to keep it to himself.
Jackson didn’t ever spread gossip or rumors but rather listened and acted as a confidant for Logan. The two sometimes had long conversations while Jackson drove about life or whatever was on their minds. Logan would often give Jackson large Christmas bonuses so that he could buy nice gifts for his six children and wife. In return, Jackson was always there to listen and offer advice when Logan was in need.
The two had spent a few rides already talking about Caroline in the last week and Jackson shared in Logan’s pain with him. Jackson had never taken a liking to Gina, so he had no problem encouraging Logan to find love elsewhere.
Logan entered his building and stepped onto the glass elevator, leaning back and taking a deep breath as he rode the elevator up to the penthouse. He was tired and he couldn’t wait to collapse into bed. His mind was almost entirely blank because he just didn’t have the energy to even think. As the elevator arrived at the penthouse, Logan punched in the code to have the door open and walked into the apartment. A few steps in and he came to an abrupt stop, staring around him.
The apartment looked like someone had lost their keys and uprooted everything in the place to find them. Pillows were tossed off the couch, papers were in disarray on the desk and counters, the pantry was open and messy, and every door was wide open. Logan was shocked and slowly walked through the apartment towards the bedroom, only to see that it was in disarray as well.
All the blankets and sheets were tossed off the bed, boxes from the closet were pulled out and opened, clothes were strewn everywhere, and his art supplies were tossed everywhere. Suddenly, Logan stopped in his tracks again as her looked at his easel by the window where he had been painting earlier. He had gotten through most of the painting, except for Caroline’s figure but now there was a gash in the side.
“What the hell?!” Logan shouted and rushed over to the easel, picking up the canvas and looking at the front and back, attempting to see if there was any way to remedy the cut.
“Look who is finally home.” Gina’s cold voice echoed behind him. Logan twirled around to look at her.
“Gina, what the hell happened here? The place is a wreck! Were we robbed or something? What happened to my painting?” He said holding it up. His voice was loud and angry.
“Where were you?” She said, not answering his questions.
“What do you mean, where was I? At the job, that YOU scheduled. What is going on, Gina?” He said, the volume of his voice raising.
“It’s 2am, Logan. That was a small party. They said it would probably end by 11pm. So, I am going to ask you ONE. MORE. TIME. Where were you?” Gina said slowly in a low and angry tone.
“Well, it didn’t end at 11pm. Those suits can party and they did. It was a great show and I got a huge check for it. I seriously need to tell you where I am at all times now? You’re the one who made my schedule!” Logan shouted, walking in an intimidating manner over to Gina.
“Really? How do I know? How do I know you weren’t at that skank’s apartment cheating on me?” Gina said standing her ground, looking him straight in the eyes with her hands on her hips.
“What?!” Logan was really yelling now. “What skank? Gina, this is ridiculous. You wrecked our home because you thought I was out with some girl? When you KNEW that I was working at a job that YOU scheduled for me. I am always doing something that YOU scheduled, practically following your every command. Then you don’t hear from me for an extra THREE HOURS and you assume I am cheating and so you decide to bulldoze our house? Do you hear how crazy you sound?”
Gina took a few steps back to put some distance between them since Logan was yelling and starting to frighten her. She held her ground however and started yelling back.
“Don’t call me crazy! I know when something is going on! Who is that girl in the painting? That is the third picture I have seen you paint of her! And it looks just like that bitch who was with you Saturday night after the concert who you claimed was just there to buy a painting. What do you think I am, an idiot? You’re sleeping with her!”
Logan turned around and walked over to the window, his fists clenched. He needed to get his anger under control. He couldn’t stand this. This wasn’t the first time Gina had done something like this. However, it was the first time that there was a grain of truth to her insecurities. He felt some guilt over that and knew he needed to calm down and get control over his emotions immediately. He stood by the minute for a few more minutes just breathing slowly.
“Gina, I never slept with that woman. Yes,
I have drawn her a few times. I am an artist, we find inspiration in all kinds of places.” He said more calmly, still facing the window and looking out at the city roof tops. Gina was quiet behind him for awhile.
“Logan, do you still love me?” Gina said quietly, her voice walking closer to him.
Logan didn’t respond but just kept looking out the window. He didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t fully thought it threw but now that he was being asked, he realized that he didn’t have the answer that she wanted to hear.
He didn’t love her anymore. He had loved her at one point, but the sweet Gina he had met years ago wasn’t the Gina Vile standing behind him now. He kept his mouth closed because he didn’t know what he should say and he didn’t want to lie.
“Logan.” Gina asked again. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Logan took a deep breath and turned around to face her.
“What do you want me to say, Gina?” He said softly, looking down at his feet.
“I’m sorry, Logan. I just got scared. I’m sorry.” Gina said quietly, pulling him towards her, her hands on his cheeks, “Can you forgive me?”
Logan sighed and nodded his head yes, allowing her to pull him closer and kiss him. They embraced for a moment and kissed. It was just a peck, barely anything, before Logan pulled back.
“I’m going to go. I’m going to just get a hotel room over by the morning show’s building.” Logan said, letting go of her and walking out of the bedroom. Gina rushed behind him, trying to stand in front of him.
“Logan, don’t go, please. Stay with me! I’ll make the bed, we can make up. Please, I will do anything!” Gina begged him, starting to cry and grabbing at him. He pushed her off him and kept heading towards the door but she kept grabbing his shirt and dragging behind him.
“Gina, stop it, let go. I just need some space. Let go.” He pushed her hands off of him again. She stopped and watched him hit the elevator button. She stomped her foot and grabbed a pillow on the floor next to her and threw it at him.
Sand & Clay Page 6
