“It’s what I did.” He shrugged. “Yeah.”
She scoffed. “How’s that working out for you?”
Her gaze grew shuttered before she turned away. And his heart was breaking in his chest because he could see her pulling away from him, in every sense of the word. But the worst part was, she was right to.
He was the guy who went after what he wanted, regardless of the cost. Not caring about who got hurt along the way.
That had been him. Before. But now, for the first time in his life, he wasn’t going to do that. Because right now, what he wanted above all else...
It was her.
And maybe he could even have her. For a little while, at least. But then what? He’d leave. She’d stay. This was a story he’d lived before and he wasn’t about to do it again.
He was a taker. His career and his ambitions would always come first. And if there was one thing he knew, it was that Gina deserved better.
He had no idea what was going on in her head, but when she spoke again, tears trickled down her cheeks.
“You’re in no position to lecture me about my relationships or my goals,” she said. Her voice was wooden and stiff. “You barely know me.”
That hurt. He might not have known her long, but he thought he knew her.
He thought he was starting to understand her better than he’d ever understood anyone. “No?” he said softly. “I thought maybe I did.”
Her hands clenched into fists in her lap.
“Our relationship is not real,” she said, her voice high and tight, and filled with more pain than he could handle. Her gaze was an accusation. “None of this is real.”
He wanted to argue. To tell her that what had passed between them before—the conversation, the kiss—it was the most real moment he’d ever experienced.
But was this real? Were they real?
He had no idea. He didn’t know the first thing about relationships. And all he really did know for certain was that this town and his stay here were just another step in his career. This was a pit stop and then he’d be off. On tour. Hopefully back in the studio. Out of her life.
He’d made this decision years ago. Music came first. Always.
He’d already made his choice.
Fifteen
There were idiots and then there were Idiots.
Gina was clearly the latter.
“You are not an idiot,” Vanessa said, her voice low and fierce.
“She’s right, sweetie,” Addison said, patting her hand where it rested on the library table.
They’d all gathered at the library to help get ready for tonight’s event. A sold-out success thanks to the small, intimate, acoustic performance that Aston had agreed to.
Samantha kept quiet. Probably because she was insanely uncomfortable to be a part of this very private conversation. The blonde ducked her head as she folded another brochure.
Each of tonight’s guests would be getting information on the library and all the good work it did for the community, along with some small gifts that had been donated. A silent auction on some larger donations would hopefully raise even more money, although Samantha assured them that the exclusive concert had already out-earned every fundraiser over the past two decades. So…
It was kinda hard to be angry with Aston about that.
About everything else? Yeah. She was holding one heck of a grudge.
“Are you sure that kiss was just for show?” Addison asked.
“I’m sure,” Gina said.
Gina, Addison, and Vanessa turned to face Samantha at the end of the table. She still had her head tucked down, but with their silence and the stares, she lifted her head and blinked at them from behind her glasses.
Gina gave her a sheepish smile. “Um, I know this probably sounds crazy to you…”
Samantha shook her head. “None of my business.” She mimed zipping her lips and gave Gina a small smile.
“Thanks, Samantha.” She’d been so needing some girl chat time that she’d started talking without thinking that Samantha didn’t know the full story.
But even when Addison had shot a warning glance her way, Gina wasn’t worried. After all, who would Samantha tell? The librarian barely spoke at all, and Gina had never known her to spread gossip.
Still, it was nice to have that reassurance. She and Aston still had a few weeks of pretending to go. A fact which made her stomach churn with anxiety.
“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” she said.
“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry,” Addison said.
“It must have been horrible seeing Billy out with another woman too,” Vanessa added with a sympathetic wince.
Gina frowned. “Actually, that wasn’t the bad part.”
Her friends widened their eyes in surprise.
“I mean, it wasn’t fun. But I was mainly upset with Aston for going behind my back. He’d promised to be straightforward with me, and I’d thought he was being honest.” She shook her head in frustration.
She’d hoped that a night of sleep would help her get some perspective, but she woke up feeling worse today than she had last night.
Maybe because he’d changed. For a little while there in the car, he’d opened up. He’d even fought with her, and his passion had been real. But then, when she’d wanted him to argue…
When she’d wanted him to protest and tell her she was wrong, that the kiss, at least, had been real... That some of what she was feeling was reciprocated…
But no. He’d lost the fight. His eyes had grown shuttered and she’d basically watched him retreat back behind the rockstar mask that he wore so well.
He made a few flippant comments about how he was sorry he’d gotten it wrong and then he’d headed off to his bedroom.
She hadn’t seen him this morning, either. And she…
Aw heck, she missed him.
“Ugh.” She rubbed a hand over her chest like that might help this ache. “I don’t know how things got so messed up. This was supposed to be simple.”
“It always is,” Addison murmured.
“It was less upsetting to see Billy with another woman than it was to realize how not upset I was,” she said slowly. “Does that make any sense?”
Her friends looked at her with confusion.
Okay, maybe not.
She cleared her throat. “I guess I just can’t believe that I ever mistook what I had with Billy for love.”
Vanessa gave her a sympathetic wince. “It’s hard to know what love is until you’ve found it.”
Addison nodded in agreement as Gina gaped at her friends.
Was this...love?
The air rushed out of Gina’s lungs, leaving her winded. She dropped her head into her hands. Was that what had happened? Aston’s words about her childhood came back to her like a slap across the face. He’d been right. She’d been able to hear the truth in his words even as she’d fought against it.
But now…
Now she understood what he was saying in a whole new way.
Love was give and take. It was challenging each other to be better. To want more. To think bigger. To act kinder.
Her head was dizzy with the full weight of this new realization.
Love was this crazy, overwhelming, completely illogical need she felt when she was around Aston. It wasn’t a celebrity infatuation—it hadn’t been since the day they’d met. With each passing moment it had become something more.
Something deeper and more meaningful. It had become friendship and connection and understanding and yeah...attraction.
Maybe it wasn’t love yet, but whatever it was it was a heck of a lot more real than anything she’d felt with her exes.
“You okay, sweetie?” Addison asked.
“He was right,” Gina said.
Her friends nicely didn’t ask what she was referring to, letting her talk out her confusion instead.
“Whether he meant to or not, he helped me see what I really want,” she said.
&nbs
p; Him. I want him.
She couldn’t quite bring herself to say that aloud. Not with the way things had ended yesterday. Not without knowing if there was any chance he might feel the same.
“I want to own my own coffee shop.” She said it so abruptly, even Samantha stopped pretending she was deaf, and blinked at her from the other end of the table.
Gina shrugged. “It’s true. I just never wanted to admit it before because I didn’t think it was possible. I didn’t think I could ever have anything like that.”
She wasn’t even sure if she was talking about a hypothetical coffee shop of her own or a real, happy, healthy, loving relationship.
Up until she’d met Aston, both had seemed like a fantasy.
But somehow her former fantasy crush was making her realize that she might actually be worthy of her dreams. Maybe little Gina Parker from the troublesome family might actually be the girl who gets the good guy...and the dream job.
“You want to own your own coffee shop? That’s an amazing idea,” Addison said. “What can we do to help?”
Gina’s throat grew choked at the instant support. Not one of them looked at her with doubt or like she was insane for thinking she might be able to do it.
“I’ll let you know,” she finally managed. “But for right now…” She got to her feet. “Would you guys mind if I bail early?” Her heart was thumping loudly.
Aston should be at home.
There was time still before the fundraiser got underway.
And she needed to talk to him. There was no way she could let any more time pass without telling him that he’d been right.
She wasn’t always good at going after what she wanted. Or even feeling like she was worthy of it.
She supposed that went doubly so when it came to him. He was freakin’ Aston Rogue, after all. Beloved by women everywhere. A man who traveled the world and lived the kind of life most people dreamed of. So what would he want with a small-town girl like her?
Love.
A terrified voice in the back of her mind whispered the answer.
He wanted love. He needed to be loved. Aston might not even know it, but that was what he needed. He’d been alone for so long, and he needed to be loved.
Was that true or was that wishful thinking? She didn’t know. But staying here and talking to her girlfriends about it wouldn’t give her the answer.
“I need to talk to Aston,” she declared.
All three of her friends smiled up at her in encouragement.
“You’ve got this, Gina,” Vanessa said.
Gina nodded. Did she? Maybe. Maybe not. Her heart raced as she headed for the door. But there was only one way to find out.
She ran most of the way home, not slowing down until she reached her house...where an unfamiliar car was parked in her driveway.
A rental car.
A hint of dread had her slowing her steps as she let herself in the front door. Once inside she saw Aston talking to a strange man in her kitchen, and that feeling of dread increased twenty times over when they both stopped talking abruptly to turn and stare at her.
“Hi.” Her voice was too meek as she lifted a hand in greeting.
This was her house; why was she tiptoeing in like she didn’t belong?
Aston’s smile helped put her at ease. “Gina, come on in. I’d like you to meet my oldest friend and my overbearing manager, Toby.”
The bald, portly man beamed at her. “And no introductions are needed for you, of course. You single handedly helped Aston level up to the next stage of his career.” He turned that beam on Aston. “Yes, sir. I was just telling Aston how excited the label is for this new album.”
“That’s great,” she said.
Her gaze moved to Aston and she blinked. It was great, wasn’t it?
Shouldn’t he look more excited?
His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he nodded and listened to his manager’s monologue about what people were saying about him.
To Gina’s ears, it sounded like a whole lot of grandiose expectations. The thought of all they had riding on him and this ‘new sound’ made her anxious and she didn’t even have anything to do with it.
But Aston didn’t seem stressed. Just...off. His gaze wasn’t quite meeting hers when she looked his way, and there was a solemnity about him that she didn’t like.
She’d gotten used to his laidback grins and that crinkly smile that she adored. Seeing him so somber didn’t feel right.
“...so the good news for you, Gina,” Toby was saying as he turned in her direction. “Is that we can let you get back to your normal life.”
She blinked. What was he talking about?
She looked over to see Aston watching her closely.
“Um, pardon?” she said.
Toby’s smile broadened. “I was just saying how the executives need our boy here back in Los Angeles before the tour starts, so I’ll be getting him out of your hair just as soon as this photo op is over.”
Her stomach dipped. “Oh.”
“It’s a fundraiser,” she heard Aston murmur from where he was standing. “A fundraiser for a good cause, not just a photo op.”
“Right, right,” Toby said. He was still talking to Gina, though. “This is for the best, I’d say. This way the gossip will start to die down. We can spread a few rumors about the relationship cooling off over the next few weeks.” He beamed at Gina. “No one will be surprised that a long distance relationship didn’t work out when our boy is off on tour.”
He turned to Aston with brows arched eagerly. “We can spin it in your favor. The fans will be rooting for you more than ever if they think you’re heartbroken on tour.”
Aston nodded but didn’t say anything.
Gina didn’t say anything either.
Toby didn’t seem to mind their silence as he rattled on at a million miles per hour about the local media that would be present at the fundraiser tonight and how they ought to play up the fairytale love story that his fans were so ravenous for.
“That all sounds great,” Gina finally said when Toby paused for air. “Will you guys excuse me?” She was already edging for her bedroom. “I need to start getting ready for the big event.”
“Of course,” Toby said immediately.
Aston’s eyes just followed her as she backpedaled toward her bedroom.
She managed to keep the tears at bay until she was in her room and the door clicked shut behind her. Only then did she drop her head against the doorframe with a thud and let the tears trickle out.
It was over.
She’d thought she’d have weeks, but it was over.
She drew in a deep, shaky breath.
This was a new relationship low, even for her. It was over before it had even begun.
Sixteen
Aston pinched the bridge of his nose as Gina disappeared into her room.
His chest was so tight he could barely draw in air.
“Hey, are you even listening?” Toby asked.
No. The answer was no. “I got the plan, Toby.”
He got the gist of it, at least. To get on the next plane out of here. He’d let Toby’s assistant handle the arrangements.
“You all right?” Toby was squinting at him in concern. “You look sick. You haven’t been drinking again, have you?”
“No.” Aston straightened. “We’d better get going. I want to get there early to check the acoustics.”
“Wait. Hold up.” Toby stepped in front of him, blocking his escape. “What’s up with you?”
Aston shook his head. “Nothing.”
That felt like the understatement of the century.
What was up with him? As far as Toby was concerned, he should be happy as a clam right about now. This was everything they’d wanted. This was what they’d been dreaming about.
He was back.
Back in the good graces of the record label. Back in favor with even his neediest fans. He’d be back on tour soon enough and then after that, bac
k in the studio where he belonged.
He was back.
And he’d never been more miserable. Swallowing hard, he scrubbed a hand over his face as he tried to get a grip. He ought to be grateful. He should be more determined than ever, not letting himself get distracted. Now was not the time to lose focus.
“You don’t look so hot,” Toby said.
“Thanks.”
Seeming to realize that was all he was going to get out of Aston, Toby shrugged and turned his attention back to the phone in his hand. “Oh yeah, I meant to tell you. I had my guy look into properties like you asked. Not a lot available, but there’s one decent house up in the ski lodge area. You know it?”
Aston shook his head. He hadn’t really left downtown Cyrano since he’d arrived. “I’ll take it.”
Toby looked shocked, but he couldn’t possibly be as shocked as Aston felt.
What was he doing? What was he even thinking? That he could swing by whenever he had a break in his schedule and just hope that Gina was still single and willing to spend some time with him?
That thought made the pain in his chest a million times worse. She’d move on after he left. And he’d be...what?
A friendly acquaintance at best. Could he handle that?
“You don’t even want to see it first?” Toby asked in clear disbelief.
“Yeah. Of course.” He scrubbed a hand over his eyes again. “That’s what I meant. Send me the details.”
That wasn’t what Aston had meant, and he suspected Toby knew it. But he let it slide. “Okay, yeah. I’ll get that over to you. Oh, and I looked into that business owner who was being all loud on social media...”
Billy.
Toby glanced up with an arched brow. “You were right. He’s got some serious money issues. The guy is drowning in debt and bad investments.”
Aston nodded. This wasn’t a surprise. And it didn’t make him feel any better.
Maybe Gina was right. Billy didn’t matter. Let him rot. Let him find happiness. Didn’t matter at all.
It didn’t change anything between him and Gina.
Gina. His gaze focused on her closed bedroom door. He couldn’t stay away from her. Not right now. What did she think about him leaving?
Fake Dating My Rockstar Roommate: A Sweet Standalone Romance (Fake Dates Book 3) Page 14
