I should have cared what everyone else thought, my relationship with Cole had just been exposed for all to see. Already people were holding up their cell phones. We would probably be a trending topic on Twitter before the day was out.
My gaze returned to Cole. They didn’t matter, only he did. I had a feeling things were about to get very interesting in my life, especially now I had been star kissed.
Starburst
Chapter One
The sky seemed extra blue, the white clouds fluffier than I had ever seen them before. Or perhaps it was just the boy lying next to me that made the world brighter.
“There’s a rabbit juggling a ball and a toaster,” Cole pointed out.
“And a giraffe with a hockey stick,” I said, pointing to the sky. We both erupted into fits of giggles as the clouds danced by high above.
It was a Sunday morning, one of the few Cole and I got to spend together. He had a few days off from his world tour as part of the boy band Two Dimension. And we were going to make the most of them.
Cole rolled over, using his elbow to prop himself up as he looked over me.
“Why are you staring at me?” I asked, suddenly self conscious under his intense gaze.
“You are way more beautiful than any clouds.” His mouth crooked into a grin before he leaned down and kissed me. It sent little bolts of lightning through my body.
My hand tangled in his sandy-blonde hair and pulled him closer. I had waited a long time for the famous Cole Newton to kiss me and I made sure to savor every one of them now.
When he finally released me, I was breathless. “Wow,” was all I could manage.
His beautiful green eyes twinkled with mischief. “There is plenty more where that came from.”
I arched an eyebrow in challenge. “Oh, really?”
He nodded, grinning like a fool, before pushing himself up to kneel over me. Without any warning, he started tickling my ribs. I couldn’t stop laughing, unable to even catch my breath and fill my lungs with air.
“Cole… I can’t… stop…”
He didn’t falter, continuing his relentless tickling as I tried to grab his hands. Happiness bubbled over, threatening to make me completely dizzy.
Cole stopped, mid-tickle, his hands still on my ribs and his laughter still caught in the air. He was looking at something beyond me. I gasped for air as I rolled over to see what he was looking at.
Hiding in the bushes were two men. That would have been creepy enough as they watched us, but they were also holding cameras. The paparazzi had found us.
“We need to get out of here,” Cole whispered, making no sudden movements as if that would scare our stalkers. He took my hand and helped me to my feet.
He didn’t let go of my hand as he pulled me swiftly along to his car. His grip was so tight there was no risk of me being left behind. Which was probably the point.
I chanced a glance back and saw a wall of photographers chasing after us. They were tripping over themselves and each other as they held no regard for anyone’s safety. And they were gaining ground on us.
The car beeped as its doors unlocked. Cole opened the passenger side and bundled me in before taking his own seat. He wasted no time in starting the vehicle and steering it onto the road.
“Damn it,” Cole swore as his eyes darted everywhere.
“It’s okay, we probably shouldn’t be lying around all day anyway,” I said, trying to calm him down. I didn’t want him to worry about our morning being ruined. Just being with Cole was what I wanted, it didn’t matter where we were.
“They’re following us,” he replied. I turned around to see not one, but five black SUV’s surrounding the car. One of them was fast approaching on the left hand side.
Cole sped up to try to lose them but it didn’t work, they only sped up too. As the accelerator was pushed to its limit, our car and that of the photographers were careening along at dangerous speeds.
“Maybe we should slow down,” I urged. My heart was racing with the speed and the things that could go wrong at that pace. “It’s not like they can do anything to hurt us, right?”
“They’re monsters, they’ll do whatever it takes to get a good photo,” Cole said determinedly, his eyes never leaving the road.
I triple checked my seatbelt. I trusted Cole to keep me safe but my heart hammered in my chest with adrenalin. It would only take one little mistake for the vehicle to lose control. The SUV’s were so close they would get caught up in whatever happened too. It would be a bloodbath.
“Cole, I think we should slow down.”
He stole a glance at me, so not what I wanted when he was driving so fast. He slowly eased off the accelerator and we started to lose speed. I prayed the surrounding vehicles would do the same and not run straight into the back of us.
“I’m sorry, Mel, this shouldn’t have happened. I was hoping to have one weekend with some privacy.” He sounded so sad I wanted to cry for him.
“It’s okay, really. The photographers probably didn’t get the memo,” I replied, trying to lighten the mood a little. We had gone from dreamy to nightmare in less than a minute.
He sighed and we continued to drive in silence. We were still going way too fast for my liking but not the super speed we once were. The vehicle beside us matched our pace with every mile, the flash of their camera going off every few seconds.
Ever since Cole stormed into my school cafeteria and kissed me in front of the entire student body, our relationship had been public knowledge. It wasn’t like Cole made an official statement about it or anything but he hadn’t denied it when asked about me. He had been trying to protect me from his fans – and situations like this one.
I guessed he was right about one thing: the media were crazy enough to do anything to get photos of us together. Superstar Cole Newton and his new, nobody girlfriend Melrose Morgan.
We pulled up at the gates of his mansion in the Hollywood Hills and he entered the security code to get in. We waited, still in silence as the heavy gates slid open.
The mansion wasn’t his, Cole lived in a small town outside Philadelphia in a very average house. The gigantic mansion belonged to his record label who let him, and the other band members, stay in it while in town. Cole described the place as flashy and pretentious. I described it to my best friend, Dallas, as luxurious and stunning. I guessed it was just a matter of opinion.
Cole parked the car in the huge garage amongst the others – four in total. Just like the house, the cars weren’t his either. Apparently when you were a huge celebrity, you didn’t actually have to pay for anything of your own. Everyone else was more than happy to supply you with what you needed… and more.
We entered the house through the internal garage door to avoid the paparazzi still standing at the security gates, like they hadn’t had enough chances to get a photo of us together. Those guys just didn’t give up. I kind of felt bad for them having to spend the day following after us. Surely they had better things to do than harass two teenagers? I would have thought so.
The other band members were sprawled around the place. The housekeeper had been in and cleaned since we left that morning. I could only tell because all the clothes strewn around the place were no longer there. I seriously doubted the boys had attended to the cleaning themselves.
Luke greeted us in the kitchen. “Guys, glad you’re back.” Cole picked up an apple and wiggled it in front of me, silently asking if I wanted one. I shook my head, no. “Heads up, don’t turn on the television.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“We probably don’t want to know,” Cole said with apprehension, taking a bite of his apple.
Luke flicked his gaze between us, trying to decide which one he wanted to answer. He eventually sided with his band mate. “Just stay away from the TV.”
I wasn’t going to be kept in the dark. “Tell me why, Luke. I want to know, even if it’s bad.”
He stole one last look at Cole who shrugged nonchalantly before turni
ng back to me. “You guys are all over the media. Your relationship is the hot topic of every entertainment show on the planet.”
I was sure that was an overstatement. Why would people care about Cole dating a nobody from Meadowbrook? It wasn’t like I was special or anything, it was just luck Cole and I met when he ran into the fast food place where I worked.
I made a beeline for the living room, it held the nearest television set that I could remember. Cole followed, gently grabbing my arm mid-stride.
“You don’t want to see it,” he warned. His green eyes were so sincere, they could see straight into me.
“I won’t be bullied by the media,” I started. “Besides, I’m sure what my imagination is thinking right now is way worse than what they are actually saying.”
He continued to hold my gaze as the seconds ticked by before finally admitting defeat. We had spent enough time together for him to know I was stubborn and I rarely changed my mind once it was made up.
“Fine,” he sighed.
I continued to the television and used the remote to turn it on. I flicked through a few channels but it didn’t really matter which one we watched. Our faces were splashed over every single one of them.
Chapter Two
Grainy footage of Cole pulling me up on the table in the cafeteria and kissing me came on the screen. The headline was ‘Cole Newton: Besotted with Country Beauty’. I was described as the luckiest fan in the world who met the famous Cole Newton when pulled onto stage at one of his concerts.
They obviously hadn’t done all their research because that was the second time we met and Cole had thrown the competition so I was the only one that could get up on stage with him. At least we still had some secrets left to ourselves.
My eyes stayed glued to the screen, it was like watching a car crash. They even had photos of us from that morning in the park.
“How do they have them already? It was like an hour ago,” I asked. My arms folded themselves over my chest with indignation. I didn’t even realize I was doing it.
“It only takes a second to upload them, their cameras are connected to a Wi-Fi network,” Cole explained, leaning against the doorframe as he watched. He didn’t seem surprised by any of it. I guessed it wasn’t his first circus.
“Don’t they care that we’re just teenagers? They’re worse than school bullies.”
“They say I’m a public figure so I don’t have a right to any privacy. They own me.” It didn’t sound fair to me. Cole was still a human being, he still had feelings. And so did I.
While my eyes couldn’t avert from the television, Cole strode over and clicked it off. I wanted to protest but I didn’t want to see us on the screen anymore so I kept my mouth shut.
Cole wrapped me in his arms, cradling my head against his chest. He smelt so good, like honey and cologne. “I’m really sorry you have to go through this. You don’t have to stick around if it makes you uncomfortable. I’ll understand if you want to break up.”
“I don’t want that,” I mumbled. “I don’t want to let them win.”
He held me away from him so he could study my face. “Are you sure?”
I nodded my head. “I knew the deal, you told me what I was getting myself into.”
“Then you should give me your phone.” I thought he was joking for a minute but he held his hand out expectantly. I pulled my cell from my pocket and handed it across.
“What are you going to do with that?”
He turned it off and placed it on the coffee table. “You shouldn’t check any social media sites or your email. The trolls have probably found you by now.”
“The trolls?”
“All my fans who will be wanting us to break up. You’ve probably got a few thousand death threats by now.” He said it so casually, like it wasn’t a big deal. Well, it kind of was to me. I didn’t particularly like the idea of people wanting me to die just because of who I was dating.
“Are they serious about wanting to kill me?” I asked, except I wasn’t so casual about it.
Cole shook his head which put me a little at ease. “They’re all talk. Which is why I’m confiscating your phone.”
“Probably for the best,” I agreed. I didn’t want to trawl through messages of hate. I would definitely rather spend the time with Cole instead.
“Okay,” he started, taking a deep, decisive breath. “Feel like a dip in the pool?” That sounded like a perfect alternative.
We changed into our bathers and spent the rest of the day lazing around the house. Cole showed me the theatre room in the mansion, it was like a mini-cinema, complete with a popcorn machine. We watched a movie, had some snacks, and just enjoyed being in an oblivious haze.
By nightfall, we were ready to have some serious fun. The band had been invited to an all-age party at one of the clubs in Hollywood. There was no alcohol being served to ensure it was party fun for everyone.
Cole arranged for me to go in a side door so I didn’t have to walk the red carpet with him. I stood in the crowd waiting, feeling like the pimple on an orange. I really didn’t belong with the glitzy and glamorous crowd. Everyone seemed too thin and mean.
My dress was a deep blue, it reached my knees which made me seem like a granny compared to the other girls with their skirts so high they couldn’t bend over in case everyone would see their panties. At least, I hoped they were wearing panties. It was Hollywood, and I had heard a lot of stories…
I spotted Cole and the boys enter, along with the rest of the club. Eager girls started heading toward them, desperate to claim them as their own. I waited for Cole to see me, not ready to leave my position by the wall just yet.
Our eyes locked and he excused himself from a pair of blonde Barbie dolls before making his way over to me. “Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. The media are crazy out there.” He kissed my forehead.
“It’s okay. Is it normally like this here? Busy, and stuff?”
He surveyed the room. The music was pumping so loud we had to yell to speak to each other. Strobe lighting made it seem like bolts of lightning were shooting through the place.
“Yeah, this seems like the usual party crowd,” he finally answered. “Do you want to dance?”
My special dance style was normally reserved for the back room of Burger Nation while mopping or in my bedroom while I was getting ready for school. Dancing in public was not something I normally did.
But I guessed, while in Hollywood, you had to do what the locals did. “Sure.”
Cole grinned and led me into the middle of the melee. In the crowded space, we had no choice except to dance pressed up against each other. Even then, other people’s elbows and backs kept hitting me randomly.
They faded away as Cole and I danced together. He was an awesome mover. It wasn’t just on stage where he could shake his little butt. He pulled me into his moves, making me completely forget about my nana dress and lack of co-ordination.
“Do you want a drink?” Cole asked, barely audible over the music. I nodded and clung onto his shirt as he led me toward the bar. The dance floor was hot, the cold soda was welcome.
As we stood, I spotted Luke on the dance floor. He wasn’t just dancing with one girl, but three. He spun each of them in turn, eliciting giggles from each of them. He was a female magnet. I could pretend I didn’t see what they saw in him, but I did. He was nothing compared to Cole, in my opinion, but he did have charisma.
The other band members, Dylan, Reed, and Nick were all scattered around the place. Nick was the only one besides Cole with a girlfriend. The media hadn’t found out about her yet. I was pleased to see him talking to a group of people rather than ogling another girl.
As my eyes continued to scan the place, I couldn’t help but notice all the people looking at me. Normally, I would tell myself to get over it, they probably weren’t looking at me. But this time I knew they were. There were plenty of green eyed monsters in the place and they were all staring me down.
“Crazy in here, huh?”
Cole yelled. At least, that’s what I thought he said. I couldn’t be sure in the noise. I nodded back, hoping that was the appropriate response.
I couldn’t take any more of the stares. I felt two inches tall and the ugliest person alive. “I’m going to the bathroom,” I called out, thrusting my drink in his hand. He nodded and smiled, such a cute little oblivious smile.
There were only a few signs that pointed to the bathroom but I eventually made it. I didn’t really need to use the restroom but I did need some time to have a little meltdown on my own.
I sat in the stall and held my head in my hands, taking a few deep breaths. Cole wanted me there, that was the main thing. I had come to Los Angeles to spend time with him because I wanted to. I shouldn’t let anyone ruin that for either of us.
That was the sensible part of me. The other part, the self conscious part, was screaming to get out of there and hide underneath the bed for a month until nobody remembered my name. I was conflicted, to say the least.
I was pulled out of my silent reverie as I heard my name being spoken. My ears pricked up as I tried to listen to the women.
“Can you believe her? She struts in here on Cole Newton’s arm like she owns the place. And then she hangs all over him while dancing.”
“I know, right? And what kind of a name is Melrose? Uh, hello, that is a place, not a name.” It was hard to stay quiet on that one. My weird name was not my fault, blame my parents for that one.
“When is Cole going to wake up and realize she’s nothing? I have no idea what he sees in her.”
“She probably puts out. Maybe she does the entire band.”
“Uh, probably.”
They started giggling as my face started to burn with embarrassment. I couldn’t believe what those girls were saying about me. They didn’t even know who I was and yet their opinions were so strong.
The Star Kissed Collection Page 10
