“A few years ago?” Celine gasped. “I thought the group just decided to get back together.”
Cash sighed. “Like I said, I was the odd man out. It took a lot of convincing before I finally agreed.” He reached out and pounded his hand on Brian’s shoulders. “Not until Brian here came along did I actually really consider doing it.”
“Wow, Brian,” Ruthie teased, feeling as if no time had passed since their high school days. “You must be really good at your job.”
Cash nodded. “He promised a few perks here and there. Let’s just say the man drives a hard bargain.”
Ruthie didn’t even want to ask what those perks were. She shifted uneasily and looked away. Luckily, the restaurant server interrupted them before an awkward lull could fall around the table.
“I’ll take the check,” Cash offered. With a bored expression, the server handed him the black booklet. Given the location of the restaurant, Ruthie could only imagine how many big celebrities frequented the restaurant. She was sure that the server already had her fill of A-Listers. Cash yanked out his wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. “Keep the change,” he winked at the woman. It was only then that she became flustered and thanked him graciously.
Brian looked down at his watch. “Wow, it’s really late. Might I remind you that we have an appearance on the local morning talk show at seven in the morning? After that, you need to be at the House of Rocks by noon, make it to the after party by midnight and then be at the airport by ten the next morning.” Brian rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m exhausted just thinking about it.”
Celine’s eyes widened. “I didn’t realize how much you guys have to do in a day.”
“Yeah, no wonder we were never able to catch you all those years before,” Ruthie joked.
“Well, you caught me now,” Cash responded with a wink.
Ruthie opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t bring herself to think of anything witty to say. Noticing her discomfort, Celine immediately jumped in and said, “Thank you for the meal, Cash. It was really sweet of you, given the circumstances you met us in.”
Cash chuckled. “Any friend of Brian’s is a friend of mine, right, Brian?”
Brian rolled his eyes. He turned his attention to Celine and asked, “Where are you girls staying? Do you need a ride?”
“We took a cab to the arena,” Celine answered. “I think we’ll be fine with a taxi again.”
Ruthie nodded silently, still stuck on Cash’s comment.
“Nonsense,” Brian responded. He noticed Ruthie’s sloppy grin and tensed, watching his old friend visibly swoon over the arrogant bastard. Forcing himself to sound pleasant he offered, “We’ll take you guys home. Where are you staying?”
“Oh, no! It’s not a problem, really. You guys already helped us out a great deal tonight,” Celine insisted. Though she was touched by Brian’s offer, she couldn’t help but want to get away from him. He brought back the same feelings of giddiness she used to feel around him when they were teenagers. Thinking of Noah, she couldn’t help but want to get rid of Brian and fast!
“No, I insist. What kind of gentlemen would we be if we didn’t at least take you home?”
Brian’s eyes glanced quickly at Celine’s ring. It may have been her imagination, but she couldn’t help but notice a slight frown grace his face. She averted her eyes and noticed Cash still staring at Ruthie as if he were a lion and she a gazelle. Her best friend radar started to tick loudly.
“Just take us up on the offer!” Cash laughed, staring at Ruthie. “Our driver is ready and willing to go wherever we tell him to.”
“No, it’s okay,” Celine insisted.
“Actually, yes, you can take us back,” Ruthie butted in. Celine flashed her an annoyed look, but Ruthie kept her head held high. She wasn’t about to miss out on a chance to spend more time with Cash.
“Wonderful!” Brian exclaimed. “Just tell us where to go.”
Fortunately, the ride to the hotel wasn’t as bad as Celine feared it would be, though it couldn’t have ended soon enough for her liking. After many years of thinking no “commoner” would even come close to comparing to Cash’s godly beauty, she was surprised to find herself eyeing Brian repeatedly. Celine tried her hardest to snap out of it. She couldn’t help but feel guilt pound her insides. Swooning after Cash and Intensity was one thing—to her they were almost like mythical creatures. Swooning after Brian was another. He was a normal person, just like she was. Not that Cash wasn’t human, but still.
Ruthie was different. She felt like the ride back was nothing short of magical. Cash’s thighs frequently brushed up against hers, each touch sending goose bumps down her arms and warmth to pool in her stomach. If each brush made her squirm, she couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to do something more. Not like that would ever happen…right?
The black SUV slowed to a stop in front of the hotel. With a sigh of relief, Celine quickly thanked the guys and hopped out of the car, not bothering to look back. Brian sat back, watching her in confusion. Ruthie, on the other hand, took her time exiting the vehicle.
“It was great to meet you,” she said to Cash. She tried her best to sound seductive, but her voice came out a bit raspy. She tugged at her neck with embarrassment.
“Same goes to you, little lady,” he replied, smiling.
“Little lady?” she repeated, giggling. “You do know I’m almost six feet tall.”
“I find height in a woman quite attractive. Especially since I’m pretty tall myself,” he offered.
Oh yes, I know, Ruthie thought sheepishly. She never realized how gigantic he was in real life.
“You’ll be at the show tomorrow?” Cash asked. He discreetly grabbed her cellphone out of her hand and proceeded to dial his phone number into it. Almost immediately Ruthie heard ringing come for his jacket pocket. Cash handed her phone back, smiling.
“Of course!” Ruthie answered enthusiastically, reaching for her phone. Once again their fingertips brushed and she couldn’t help the slight shudder that worked its way up her spine. She gulped. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
In chivalrous fashion, he grabbed her hand and kissed the top. “Good night.” He winked.
Ruthie hopped out of the car feeling as if she were dancing on cloud nine.
Chapter 10
The next morning Ruthie felt like prancing throughout their hotel room. Finally understanding why Disney princesses broke out into song, she twirled around opening the curtains to their room. The only thing putting a damper in her euphoric mood was the sight of Celine sulking in bed.
“Did you talk to Noah?” Ruthie asked, forcing herself to calm down. “I don’t want him to think I put you up to it.”
“But you did,” Celine replied dryly, hugging her pillow tight.
Ruthie raised her eyebrows anxiously. “Okay…then maybe you shouldn’t tell him anything. I don’t want to cause any friction between you two…” her voice trailed off.
“No, I didn’t tell him anything about it and I don’t plan to.” Celine sighed and shut her eyes. She felt horrible for keeping secrets from her fiancé.
“Really?” Ruthie blinked in relief. Thinking twice about it, she scrunched up her mouth. “Are you sure you’re okay with lying to him?”
“I’m not going to lie to him,” Celine snapped. “I just won’t tell him about what happened until we’re back. I don’t want to give him anything more to worry about. He’s already stressed out about work and the wedding.”
“Oh, well, that’s good, I guess,” Ruthie replied quietly.
Celine groaned and pulled a pillow over her face. “I don’t like keeping things from him.”
Ruthie sat quietly, staring at the white puffy pillow in front of her. She carefully pulled it away from Celine’s face. “This has nothing to do with Brian, does it?”
Celine blinked rapidly. She had never been a great liar to begin with and she knew she couldn’t get away with anything when Ruthie was invol
ved. Regardless she was going to try her best to hide the truth. “No! Why would you say that?”
Ruthie pursed her lips. “Celine! Hanging out with an old friend isn’t cheating! You are still the most naïve person I know.” She huffed. “You never even went out with him. He isn’t even an ex-boyfriend!”
“Regardless of what you think,” Celine interrupted, “he was my first love.”
“Uh, okay,” Ruthie replied sarcastically.
Celine propped herself up on her elbows and glared at her friend. “I’ll have you know that there have been scientific studies which prove that if a crush lasts longer than four months it is officially considered love.”
“Scientific study?” Ruthie asked doubtfully. “Who conducted this so-called study? Cosmo?” she snickered.
Celine rolled her eyes. “It’s a plausible study. Apparently after four months, dopamine is secreted in the brain. It’s the same chemical secreted when two people are in love! Hence, my crush was actually love.”
“Dopamine is also secreted when one does cocaine. I don’t see you going about doing lines in the bathroom,” Ruthie snorted.
Ignoring her, Celine continued, “My crush lasted over a year! I think it’s safe to say I was in love with Brian and thus susceptible to the catastrophic effects of unrequited love.”
“Okay, Shakespeare!” Ruthie laughed. “Are you saying you suffered a broken heart because of him?”
“Yes! And I don’t really feel comfortable spending time with him. I would think you’d understand that.” As bad liars go, Celine couldn’t hide the hurt that tinged her voice.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” Ruthie said, smiling, though she didn’t feel sorry at all. “Let’s forget all about last night and just focus on some good old bonding time. What do you say? Bagels and lattes?”
“No one makes a latte as good as I do,” Celine joked.
Ruthie smiled, relieved to have lightened Celine’s mood. She grabbed the covers and proceeded to throw them on the ground. “Hey!” Celine whined. “I was still using those! Haven’t you seen those news shows that say hotel room floors have more bacteria than a toilet bowl?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Ruthie laughed. “Let’s grab some brunch and let’s go! I want to make all those women at the House of Rocks jealous.”
Celine pursed her lips and forced herself off the bed. She couldn’t explain it, but she had the distinct feeling that the previous night would act as some sort of catalyst to events she’d rather avoid.
Chapter 11
“Wow!” Celine breathed. She exited Ruthie’s car and looked up at the old building. “I always wanted to come to a concert here, but I never had a chance. This place looks amazing.”
“Yeah, I’ve only seen it from afar,” Ruthie agreed. “Definitely a lot better up close.”
“What did Cash text you again?” Celine asked. Her fingers fumbled with her mint green top nervously. As much as she wanted to meet the other band members she couldn’t shrug off the negative feelings pooling in her stomach.
What did Cash text you? Ruthie still needed to pinch herself as a reminder it was true. Cash Walker had her phone number! He not only had it, but he used it! Giddiness didn’t even begin to describe how she felt. Trying to remain composed, she answered, “He said to just go around to the back. We should have some passes waiting for us there.”
“You sure? I don’t want to end up in jail again. Last night was way too traumatic for me.”
Ruthie shook her head with exasperation. “We’re not going to end up in jail again. Geez, just relax, woman.”
They edged their way towards the venue and spotted the line of fans that were camped in front of the building. The women in line varied in age and were decked out in Intensity gear. Celine winced, finally realizing how ridiculous she had looked. As they walked beside the line, each fan narrowed their eyes at the friends as if they were vultures honing in on their kill. Ruthie could never understand why Intensifiers were so competitive with one another.
“Check everyone out. They look ready to pounce on us,” Celine whispered.
“Well, at least we’re entering through the back. I have a feeling that if we had to go through them, we’d be mauled to death,” Ruthie replied.
Celine nodded her head, imagining both their corpses torn apart as Intensity’s song, “I Will Never Leave You,” played in the background.
“Feels a bit different knowing we actually have permission to be back here, doesn’t it?” Ruthie took a chance at joking with Celine. She knew her friend still wasn’t over getting arrested, but to Ruthie it was a blessing in disguise. If they hadn’t been booked downtown, they’d never have had a chance of meeting Cash on a personal level.
“I could have told you that,” Celine shot back. “That’s why you should have listened to me in the first place and let me use my connections!”
“Whatever,” Ruthie responded. “It happened the way it was supposed to.”
“Right.” Celine huffed, unconvinced.
They reached the back of the building and were faced by a chain-link fence. “Well, this is a bit anti-climactic,” Celine mused, running her fingers over the metal fence. “How do we get in?”
“I don’t know.” Ruthie frowned and fumbled for her phone. She gripped at the silicone phone cover. “Do you think I should text Cash?”
“Well, you’re buddy-buddy with him now. Why not?” Celine replied, gripping onto the fence.
Ruthie glanced over at her friend and frowned. There was a hint of sarcasm in Celine’s voice, but she decided to ignore it. “Yeah, I guess I’ll text him.”
“Hey!” A deep voice called out. The two girls jumped and noticed a giant man walking along the other side of the fence. Why did security always have to be so huge? “Are you Ruthie Cruz and Celine Fabre?” Both girls apparently lost the ability to speak and nodded quietly. “Brian said you’d be showing up around this time. Come in.” He unlatched the gate and motioned for the girls to follow him.
Sharing one quick glance, the two followed the man and soon found themselves entering a bright red door. They struggled to keep up with him as he navigated through a series of hallways. When they reached a large room, the man grabbed a clipboard from what appeared to be a case of amps and unclipped two lanyards. “Here,” he said, holding out the plastic cases towards them. “Wear these and don’t take them off. No point in getting arrested again, right?” He began to chuckle. Ruthie’s face grew red with embarrassment while Celine just grabbed the pass with irritation. The man grinned. “Intensity is going to be here within the hour. Just sit in the green room and wait for them there and don’t touch anything.”
“Yes, Mom,” Celine quipped. He glanced down at her with annoyance.
“Shh,” Ruthie whispered. “Don’t piss him off! Don’t you want to be here?”
Celine sighed. “Yes, I do. I’m sorry. Don’t mind me. I guess I’m still recovering from the thought that I almost spent the night in jail.”
The man must have overheard because he started laughing. “Trust me, Sweetie, it could have been worse. Besides, after a while you get used to the whole thing.”
Celine didn’t even want to imagine what this man (who they were trusting enough to follow down a dark hallway) could have done to have gotten “used to” being in jail. Luckily, the walk didn’t last long.
“Here’s the green room,” he said, gesturing towards an open door. Celine peeked inside and was surprised to find a regular white-walled room, with two couches, a table and a TV set. She had always heard of the crazy “riders” celebrities often demanded from venues. The fact that the room was quite simple only made her love Intensity even more. The man instructed, “Stay here and don’t go wandering around. You’re already a liability being in here to begin with, but I have other stuff to take care of.”
“Yes, sir!” Ruthie replied, stepping inside. The man pursed his lips, unsure of whether to take Ruthie’s response as sarcasm or agreement. Nonetheless, he left both girls
alone.
“I can’t believe we’re backstage! Like officially backstage!” Ruthie grabbed at her lanyard and pulled at the plastic sleeve excitedly. She thrust it forward and pointed to the Intensity logo scripted in the front. “Look! We even have passes.”
Celine pursed her lips and refrained from reminding her that they would have had passes all along if Ruthie had only listened to her. Not wanting to start a fight, Celine walked over to the table and noticed a bowl of candy. “Do you think we’re allowed to have some?” Without waiting for Ruthie to answer, she began digging through the bowl in attempt to find her favorite candy bar.
“Hey! Don’t touch that!” a voice called out from the door. Celine froze automatically, dropping a piece of taffy from her hand. The voice began to laugh. “Just kidding! Go ahead, have some! One of these days, the guys’ blood sugar levels are going to go through the roof!” Celine watched as Brian walked into the room and sucked in her breath. His hair had the same messy sexiness that he was known for back in high school, but without the spikes and blond tips.
She stepped back from the bowl and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I have a weakness for Caramel—”
“Crunch?” Brian interrupted, laughing. “Yeah, I remember.” He walked up next to her and dug into the bowl. He lifted his hand, revealing two Caramel Crunch bars and handed them to Celine. “How could I forget? You’d be munching on one every single day before fourth period!”
“Wow, I can’t believe you remember that!” Celine breathed, glancing at the red wrappers in her hand.
Ruthie sat quietly on the couch, watching the exchange. She raised an eyebrow as Brian playfully bumped into Celine’s hip. Ruthie took the opportunity to get up from the couch, and like a protective sister, walked up between them. “Hey! Thanks for getting us back here!” she said in an artificially high voice.
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