The silence rang out in the room before she stormed off, slamming the door of her own hotel room. Hayden didn’t dare go after her. He had no clue what sorts of things she might say or how she would react. He sat down and took solace in the fact that he had been honest.
Perhaps he would now be able to have Gina by his side purely as a colleague. That was only if she managed to move past everything. What he didn’t know was that Gina wouldn’t allow her budding rivalry with me to fester like he had– she would take matters into her own hands. She was determined to make things increasingly uncomfortable for me, even more than they already were.
While Hayden sat on the bed in his hotel room, thinking of what to do next, Gina was already moving forward with her plan.
There was a loud banging on my hotel door that made me jump about a foot into the air. I clutched my chest and drew in a rapid breath as I tried to calm down. I stared at the door as if my intense gaze could keep it closed, but there was a second round of knocks that were louder than the first. Shaking, I walked slowly to the door and looked through the peephole.
I was unable to hold back my gasp when I saw three Peruvian police officers standing on the other side. My heart started to beat even faster, pulse thundering in my ears, as the panic grew inside me. I had absolutely no clue what was going on or what they wanted. I reached out and pulled the door open with a shaking hand.
Without a word, the three police officers stormed into my hotel room. That was when I finally broke and cried out, “What’s going on?” I walked after the man nearest me and shouted, “Hey! You can’t do that!” But none of them paid any attention to me. They completely trashed the place as they looked for something, but I had no idea what it was they were in search of. All I knew was that I needed to put a stop to this, but had no way of doing so. It seemed nobody would actually listen to me anymore.
The three men finally stopped and gathered together before standing in front of me. “We’ve received information about drug use in this room. We do not tolera–”
“WHAT?!” I shouted, gripping my hair and staring at the men. It was impossible. “I’ve never done drugs in my life!” I was beside myself. This was definitely too much. It was the last straw. The three men looked at one another and mumbled something. They determine that I appeared to be in a fair state of mind and since they couldn’t find any drugs, they would have to let me go. They walked out of the room without cleaning it up or offering an apology.
I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I stood in the middle of my room, door still open wide and everything trashed around me, just staring out the window. I wasn’t focused on anything. I was in utter shock. It wasn’t until I heard the distant voice of a man calling my name that I came to and turned to see Hayden’s bodyguard standing at my door, cell phone in hand. He continued to ask me if I was okay. I was unresponsive. All I could do was try desperately to fight back an impending panic attack.
It wasn’t long after I collapsed to the floor, still staring at the bodyguard who had gone silent, when Hayden appeared. He dashed inside and crouched in front of me, gripping my shoulders to shake my body.
“Ali!” he yelled but even his voice sounded distant. Everything had come to a head. I couldn’t wrap my mind around everything that had happened.
A couple hours later, I woke up in a comfortable bed. As soon as my eyes started to open I realized I wasn’t in my hotel room. I sat up so quickly the room started to spin. As I looked around, memories from earlier in the day started popping up until I realized I was in a suite.
“Hayden,” I muttered, recalling how he had convinced me to move to a suite next to his at the hotel he was staying at, which was more like a luxurious lodge than a hotel. I knew I must have been quite shaken up to agree to it.
I stood up and reached into the mini-fridge for a cold bottle of water. As I sipped on it and began to piece everything together, I started to think maybe being closer to Hayden might help me convince him to change Via’s appearance. If all else failed, I could at least take back the pages of my song he took from me.
I let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the top of my head. There was a strange feeling in my stomach. I knew the subtle churning inside my tummy had nothing to do with the ordeal from earlier. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, it was Hayden who was the cause of the strange feeling– a feeling I begrudgingly admitted was not a negative one.
I chugged the rest of the water and crumpled up the bottle in my hand, staring out the window at the sky. I sighed. If I was to be honest with myself, I had to admit my feelings for Hayden. Although I often felt some level of hatred toward him, I couldn’t deny that I had been falling for him this whole time. It was something I had even admitted to my brother.
I turned around to lean my back against the wall and slid down to the floor, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my chin between them. How was it possible that I had such strong feelings for Hayden? Everything I was going through now, right down to the ridiculous drug raid of my room in a foreign country, had all been thanks to him. When I met him, I had found him rude and callous. Now I cared for the man. It just didn’t make sense to have such mixed emotions, especially in this type of situation. But that was the thing… these types of emotions rarely, if ever, make sense.
It was getting late and my head was pounding. Figuring I had had more than my fair share of an eventful day, I climbed into bed and shut my eyes. I wanted to push the image of Hayden’s handsome face out of my mind, but it only made me think of him even more. I grunted and clawed at the comforter, wishing I didn’t have such conflicting emotions.
“Why now,” I murmured against my pillow, “Why now of all times…”
The following morning, at the foot of Machu Picchu, I cracked open my eyes to the light of day flooding my hotel suite. I was still next door to Hayden, which meant I was still in a mess and no closer to figuring out what to do. But as I flipped onto my back and grabbed my phone to check the morning’s headlines, my jaw dropped. In large letters, crude headlines had my name written all over them.
I frantically skimmed through various articles only to find that I was being dubbed the “real life Via Mace”. I was being described as someone even more crass and crazy than Via Mace herself. Apparently I had stalker-like tendencies, crazy unpredictable behavior, and even an affinity for enjoying life on drugs.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Of everything I had seen, heard, and experienced since Via Mace came into existence, this was the most outrageous. I felt like my heart was about to stop.
Chapter 15-An Old Friend
Now it was me who would be the cause of loud pounding on a hotel room door. After the gravity of the situation sunk in I tossed my phone aside and stormed over to Hayden’s suite beside me. I didn’t care one bit what I would have to resort to now. It had officially gone too far. As soon as Hayden opened the door, I shoved him back and stormed in with my face scrunched in anger.
“What the hell?” Hayden said in complete shock.
“How could you do it?!” I rounded on him, hot tears streaming down my face. I was furious and devastated all at once.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, please!” I yelled and began to stomp toward him. He stepped back and held his hands in front of him. That was when I realized what I had just done when I entered his room, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I stepped away and curled my fists tightly, resisting the urge to make a mess of his room. “Don’t act innocent. Just give it up, Hayden. I can’t believe you’d stoop so low. It’s too much, even for you.”
“Listen,” Hayden said, quickly trying to calm the situation down, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I scoffed. I reached down for my phone only to realize I wasn’t only in pajamas, but I had left it in my room. I whipped my head around to see his phone on the surface of the nightstand and without a second thought I stomped over to get it. “What the fu–“
“Shut up! Just wai
t,” I yelled before shoving the phone roughly into his hand so he could see the headlines and articles with his own eyes. His eyes were wide and his jaw dropped when he looked at me.
“Just stop!” I cried out, “Your game is everywhere but you still resorted to this just to gain more publicity. I really can’t believe you.” My chest heaved with every breath I took.
Hayden stared at me. He was still in shock. “Ali, I really had nothing to do with this. I swear.”
I took a deep breath and shut my eyes, replaying his last statements in my mind. He sounded so honest. And he looked genuinely shocked when I showed him the articles. Was it possible he was telling the truth? I opened my eyes and met his gaze trying to pull the answer out from the depths of his light blue gaze. Something in my gut told me he was sincere. I practically ran out of his suite feeling completely embarrassed and totally mixed up inside.
I went quickly back to my room and locked the door before burying my head in the bunched up blankets on the bed. To say I was upset would be an understatement.
I drew in a deep breath and looked up and out the window to see the most gorgeous view I had ever seen before. It was the first time I had actually looked out of the window. It was a spellbinding mountain view. I stood up to trudge over to the window and look out at the view. My gaze traced over the beautiful greenery with the mountain peaks poking out behind. Gorgeous white clouds peacefully drifted about in the sky.
I knew what I had to do– I needed to clear my mind before coming up with a plan. All of my negative emotions needed to be mellowed out before I could do anything else. So I got dressed and packed up my small backpack before walking out of the lodge to go see the ruins of Machu Picchu alone.
Sometime later, after struggling to clear my mind, I finally arrived at the Sacred Plaza of Machu Picchu. The numerous tourists surrounding me made absolutely no difference in how I felt. I was alone all the same. Every thought I had came with an avalanche of emotions I couldn’t sort through.
I took a long drink of water and shut my eyes, trying to focus all my energy on the feel of the air on my skin. I wasn’t on level land in a familiar place. I was in a historical area, far removed from anything I knew, completely alone. For once, I thought maybe it wasn’t so bad to be completely alone. Being alone meant I didn’t have to be stared at for looking like Via Mace. It also meant I didn’t have to offer any sort of explanation about anything or try to keep calm during an argument. It was liberating, really. That was the sort of thing I had hoped for when I decided to trek to the ruins of Machu Picchu on my own. Although I hadn’t come to the destination as a tourist, I was still enjoying the sort of magic a place like this could have.
My eyes roved over the peaks of the neighboring mountains enshrouding the area. I looked around at the panorama, clouds hanging low like fog blanketing the peaks of the highest mountains. The weathered stone structures were a testament to their strength and age. I felt so small, but so hopeful at the same time. I was placed in the middle of something so much bigger than myself, but it brought me the reassurance that I could weather the storm.
Perhaps it was the clarity that came with the long trek and physical exertion, or maybe it was being surrounded by such beauty with deep cultural and historical roots, but I had finally calmed down. I knew going back to the real world, which started at the lodge, would bring back a lot of my feelings. But now I felt better able to deal with them. I walked forward and made my way through the ruins of stone buildings until I felt as if I was on the edge of the world. I stared at the view from the Sacred Plaza and down into the abyss off the mountain. My moment of clarity and silence was interrupted by a familiar voice calling my name.
I turned to see none other than my old college friend Ferris David! His goofy smile hadn’t changed over the years, but he had certainly grown into his features, fiery red hair one of his strongest selling points. I waved at him slowly, still wondering if he was really there. After all, what were the odds?
“Wow,” he said as he approached me. He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him. “Ali, of all people to run in to! And of all places! Unbelievable!”
“That sounds awfully familiar,” I joked, referencing one of his band’s famous lyrics.
His goofy smile softened into one of someone who was touched. “You remember,” he said.
“Of course I do,” I responded, finally meeting his gaze. My stomach twisted in knots. I didn’t know how to take this chance meeting, with Ferris of all people.
He told me his band The Close Callers had performed there a few days ago as we looked at the beauty surrounding us. We made small talk on how spectacular the location was, but it didn’t last long. There was something he wanted to say to me, but he was holding back. I prodded, against my better judgment.
“You know I messaged you that day for a reason.” I nodded. I knew exactly what day he was referring to. “The moment I saw Via Mace I knew it was you.” I looked at him and made a face of protest so he shook his head and quickly added, “In looks, Ali. Even you can’t deny she looks exactly like you. Then when I saw her dimple, that same dimple you have on your right cheek, it triggered something. All the old feelings I had for you back in college came rushing back.”
“Ferris.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to him. Of course I had known he had a crush on me back then—we had almost dated, for goodness sake. I never knew how deep his feelings had run, much less for how long. But he was letting me know now. It was odd, but I was finding comfort in it. Ferris was someone who had known me for years and Via Mace had done nothing to taint the way he looked at me. If anything, it had made his feelings come back to life just as strong or even stronger than they had been in the past. It was refreshing and touching.
“You don’t have to say anything to that, Ali. Just that seeing you and being here together, even if by chance, made me feel like I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to confess all of this to you.”
Without knowing why I was doing it, I stepped forward and hugged Ferris. “It has been so hard to deal with all this,” I confessed, lips brushing against his chest.
Ferris drew his arms around me and pulled me in close. “I know,” he muttered. “You were thrust into the spotlight without ever asking for it. Me? I chased it, at least in a sense. Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly grateful for the success of the band. Music has always been my passion and we’re one of the lucky few bands to hit it big. But it is hard to go around never knowing when you’ll be left alone.”
I pulled back and looked into his eyes. Of course Ferris knew how this felt. Being that we had kept in touch over so many years I mostly forgot he was in a famous band. I guess I never registered it fully. We rarely got to hang out because he was in the studio or on tour. But in my mind, he was just Ferris David from college. He was the only person I was close to who could understand what I was experiencing. I could tell him everything I felt about the pitfalls of stardom, no matter the source of it, and he would get it. He was absolutely right; I had never asked for any of this. I had been shoved into an incredibly bright limelight crudely out of the blue and now it had rained down a torrent of bad news for me.
“What is it?” Ferris asked, as if he could see my mind racing.
As a single tear slid slowly down my cheek I realized he couldn’t see the chain of thoughts racing through my head, but he could see the effects of them. Without holding back, I told him everything that was on my mind before burying my head in his chest and weeping silently.
It was the first time I had cried since the whole ordeal had started. I had no idea it would be so therapeutic for me. After my little outpour, the two of us were locked in a tight embrace for a while, just taking solace in each other’s understanding.
Chapter 16-Going Home
Ferris and I spent nearly an hour wandering through the ruins, talking and taking photos of one another. After some time, we decided to head back down to the lodge. As much as I was weary to do so, I felt much better about my retu
rn to reality now that Ferris was by my side. It had been completely unexpected, but he arrived right on cue to provide me with the comfort I truly needed. Now I had a companion and couldn’t be more thankful for it. The two of us made our way back down as the sun slowly crept down to hide behind the mountains and the evening took over.
“Are you hungry?” Ferris asked as we approached the lodge.
I stopped walking and turned to look at him. “Are you staying here?”
Ferris nodded, goofy smile back in place. I held back the urge to sweep my hands through his fiery red hair. He had always been good-looking, but I couldn’t deny he had aged well. Most of all, he brought a vibe now that had been completely absent back in our college days. It was more relaxed and confident. I wondered if it had anything to do with his acquired fame.
The two of us headed into the lodge to have dinner at the restaurant. I sincerely hoped we wouldn’t bump into Hayden. I didn’t want to see his face, much less deal with his shit. All I wanted was to enjoy a wonderful dinner together with Ferris at the lodge and revel in my newfound solace.
Fourth Down and Dirty: A Bad Boy Sports Romance Page 24
