“It is.”
“It? Do you not know what you gave birth to?”
She rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips. I stare at her, not willing to give an inch. Her phone rings. She takes it out and looks at it, smiling. How can she be smiling? This isn’t anything to smile about. She’s blaming her mistake on me. She pockets her phone and looks at me.
“Listen. I had a crush on you. I went to your show, got backstage and met you. I bought you a drink and we ended up here. I’m sure you’re smart enough to figure it out.”
“What are you thinking about, dad?”
I blink a few times, wondering why I was remembering the day he came to me.
“Not much, bud. We should probably get going.” He nods and climbs off the bed. I watch as he moves around the room with ease. He’s so used to this life and I sort of hate that for him.
We arrive at the venue in time for sound check. The artist who is opening for us finishes as we arrive. The kid shakes our hands, raves about our music and goes on and on about how thankful he is. I leave Liam and Katelyn to talk to him, although I want Katelyn to come with me. I could show her how to play the drums, while she sits on my lap. I hate what she’s wearing. Her skirt is shorter and her shirt is one of our band shirts. I want to tear it to shreds so I can get to what she’s hiding underneath and that skirt would look fine on my floor or up around her waist.
I start my sound check, playing a few of the first few bars of our songs so Tyler can figure everything out. This will be his first major gig and I’d like to make sure it goes off without a hitch.
Liam finally joins us on stage and starts going through his list of requirements. He sings the first verse of each song on our set list for tonight. For the most part sound check goes fairly well. It was Tyler who didn’t like the way a few of the songs sounded, but the adjustments were made and we finished in time for the doors to open.
I walk out front and check in with Luke at the merchandise table. I hadn’t had an opportunity to see everything that Katelyn ordered for our shows. We have the standard band shirts with our new album cover, keychains, lanyards and five different images of me, Liam and JD. This is new, usually it’s just been Liam on the images, but now it’s all three of us. I have to say I like that she’s included JD and me.
I look up when my name is called. A few girls start coming toward me, but it’s not them who catch my attention, it’s Katelyn. She’s looking for me.
I can’t help but grin from ear to ear as I walk toward her.
CHAPTER 6
Katelyn
I should have an IV drip of coffee inserted deep into my veins today. I don’t know if I can do this. Liam made everything sound so easy and yet here I am about to jump off a cliff because I haven’t a clue as to what’s going on.
At first, when I opened the dressing room door, I thought this was normal. This being red roses everywhere. We are talking on every surface. I thought this venue was just being nice. A bit over the top – yes – but ass-kissing nice nonetheless.
That was until I heard the yelling, followed by the breaking of glass. I’ve never been in a violent home. My father dotes on my mother, who would rather have something on her body lifted than to raise her voice. And Mason, he never raised his voice unless he was yelling at the TV. So this bone-chilling sensation running down my spine is rather unnerving and honestly, I’m a little freaked out and afraid to open the door.
I breathe in deeply and try to center myself. If it’s Peyton or Elle yelling on the other side of the door, I can handle it for the most part because I know what is causing their turmoil, but Liam... I can’t fathom.
The sight before me is pure anguish. Liam is throwing vase after vase against the wall, a string of profanities accompanying each shattering vase. Josie has her hands up begging him to stop. And me... I’m standing in the room not knowing what to do.
Jimmy runs by me, stepping in front of Liam and pushing him back into the chair. Josie rushes over to him, crying. She holds him like something has hurt him purposely.
“Katelyn, go and find Harrison,” Jimmy says, heavily, clearly out of breath.
I look at Liam and Josie; neither of them are paying attention to me and then back at Jimmy who signals for me to go. I turn and leave, holding my clipboard to my chest, while I try and figure out where in the hell I can find Harrison.
I search the stage. I ask Tyler if he’s seen him. I knock on DeVon’s door; he’s not there. The bathroom turns up nothing. He’s not in the greenroom with the kids, but Quinn says he likes to see what the fans are buying. Lovely. I take Quinn’s advice and finally head out to the concourse and see him immediately. You can’t miss the beanie, it doesn’t matter what color it is, I’d spot it anywhere.
“Harrison,” I say, not loudly enough. I guess I’m secretly hoping he won’t hear me and I can go back to Jimmy and tell him to find Harrison himself, but he turns, as do the heads of the women near him. He’s probably getting their phone numbers for later.
He keeps his head down when he walks toward me. For the briefest second I want him to look up so I can see his green eyes. Or are they blue today? I shake my head. I can’t believe I even know that about him. That’s crossing so many lines. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to cross any line, especially with him.
Harrison stops in front of me. His hands are pushed into the pockets of his cargo shorts. He’s wearing black combat boots today, they are unlaced and if this was Peyton I’d be on my knees tying them up for her. His black non-descript shirt accentuates his defined biceps. He’s not built like Mason. Mason was muscular, always working out. He didn’t need to flex to show off his muscles, they were there for everyone to see. Mason would have never covered his body in ink. Not like Harrison. I can’t see the skin on his arms without seeing ink. No, Harrison is nothing like Mason.
At the last moment, he looks up and I wish he hadn’t because now I don’t know what to say. His eyes, they’re baby blue with a hint of green today and are being overshadowed by his long eyelashes. I can’t look at him; when I do, I can’t think and I need to think.
I shake my head and rub my temple.
“Are you okay?” he asks and I wish that he didn’t. I don’t want him to talk, not right now.
“Jimmy said to get you. I don’t know what happened, but Liam, he’s upset and throwing the vases against the wall.”
Harrison looks down the corridor and back at me. I know he’s curious, but I don’t have the answers for him. I’ve honestly never seen Liam like that and only read about divas and their dressing rooms. I didn’t expect Liam to be one.
Harrison motions for me to go, but I shake my head. I don’t want him behind me. I fumble too much when he’s around and I don’t know why. I certainly don’t want to snag my heel on a step and fall on my face. I’ll gladly walk behind him.
And now that I’m behind him, I wish I wasn’t. I’m staring. I can’t help it. Once again the tattoo on his calf is begging for me to look at it. My mind wants to know what it is, but my mouth is definitely not going to ask. If the two of those would get in sync I’d greatly appreciate it.
We arrive at their dressing room. Harrison doesn’t knock. I suppose he doesn’t really have to, does he? He swings the door open with a, “What the fuck are you doing?” blurting out too loudly for my taste.
Jimmy is leaning against the wall, shaking his head. Liam is sitting in a chair with Josie rubbing his shoulders. I’m not sure I’d be touching him if I was her, but there she is, standing by her man.
“Why are there roses in here?” Harrison is looking at me like I know the answer. I shrug and look at everyone else in the room.
“Why did you add roses to the rider? Didn’t I tell you, no flowers?” This time it’s Liam speaking. There is so much venom in his voice and, for the first time since I started working for him, he’s my boss and not my best friend. He’s angry and hostile. His face is red and his temples are throbbing. I know how he feels.
“Wh-what?” I stutter. Jimmy rolls his eyes. Harrison just looks at me. Liam throws his hands up in the air and jumps out of the chair, causing Josie to fall back a bit.
“The rider, Katelyn. Why did you add flowers?”
“I didn’t.”
“Let me see it!” Liam stalks over, his footsteps heavy and solid. This is a different Liam, this is Liam Page, the performer and I’m not sure I like him at the moment.
I fumble though my file, looking for the rider that I faxed over before we hit the road. My file drops, spreading my papers out all over the floor. Liam sighs and starts muttering a string of curse words that bring tears to my eyes. I will not cry in front of him. I have a feeling this will be my mantra.
I get down on my hands and knees and start gathering the papers. Now that they are all out of order, I’m not going to be able to find anything. My hands are shaking so bad. I hate this. Why is he suddenly being an asshole? If Mason was here, he’d kick his ass for yelling at me.
Mason pushes Liam up against the locker. Josie screams before I realize what’s happening. I’m grabbing Mason’s arms, but to no avail. He’s much too strong for me. Liam doesn’t push back. He’s letting Mason hold him there.
“What the fuck, man?” Liam spits out.
“Don’t what the fuck me, you rat bastard. I saw you yell at her.”
“She deserved it.” That comment earns Liam another slam against the locker.
“Baby, come on, let him go. It’s no big deal,” I plead.
“Did he yell at you?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts, no one yells at you, except me.”
I push Mason as hard as I can, causing him to lose his hold on Liam who easily slips away. “What the hell? Only you can yell at me? Is that what you think, Mason Powell?” I push him again and again. My small hands beating on his chest.
Mason looks over at Liam, who has his face buried in Josie’s neck. I know he’s laughing, I can see him shaking.
“I didn’t mean it like that, baby. Come on, you know I’d never yell at you.”
“I can’t believe you were willing to beat up Liam –“
“Hey now, he may have had me against the locker, but there was no way he’d get the drop on me.”
Mason looks at Liam and shakes his head. Me, I’m not too happy right now. I turn and walk to my locker, leaving the giant meathead standing in the hall.
Mason sets his hand on my locker before I can open it. “Come on, baby,” he whispers into my ear as he gently pushes me against the closed door. I can’t believe fighting turned him on. I can feel him and as much as I want to ignore him, he brings out so much desire in me. “I’m sorry I said that stupid thing. I’ll make it up to you.”
“How?”
“Mhm... how do you think?”
That’s all I need, to think about Mason for the tears to start. I wipe furiously at my face, afraid to show weakness in this intense moment. The last thing I need is for Liam to feel guilty because I can’t do my job properly.
“Let me help you.” I pull my hand out from under Harrison’s. I don’t know when he bent down to pick up the papers, but he’s staring at me and I feel flush.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. Here, Liam’s looking for this.”
I nod and stand, handing Liam the paper he’s asked for. He shakes his head and crumbles the paper in his hand. He rolls his head, neck and shoulders before looking at me.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you. Clearly the venue fucked up.” He throws the balled up piece of paper and storms out of the dressing room. I look wide-eyed at Josie, who chases after him. Jimmy follows, leaving just Harrison, an incredibly messy room and me.
“What was that?”
Harrison clears his throat. “Liam doesn’t like flowers in the dressing room. Sam did it once and he threw a fit. It has something to do with her, I think. I’m not really sure, but that’s why the rider is so important.”
“Why?” I ask. My back is still facing him. It’s easier to talk this way.
“Because, if you had put flowers on the rider, he would’ve fired you.”
“Just like that?”
Harrison appears in front of me like magic. I didn’t even hear him move. How can someone wearing combat boots not make any noise when they walk? He shrugs and reaches out to touch me. Why, I don’t know, maybe I have hair sticking to my face. Either way, I move before his fingers can touch me. He drops his hand and his gaze, choosing instead to look at the floor.
“I’d like to think he wouldn’t because he loves you, but I’ve never seen him rage like this either. Maybe something else set him off. It doesn’t matter though.”
“No? You don’t think him firing me matters?” I ask incredulously. “My job matters to me. I have two girls to take care of and a house to keep up. I need this job.”
Harrison steps closer. Close enough that we are breathing the same air. So close that if I move slightly, he’ll be touching me.
“I won’t let him fire you.” This time when he reaches out to touch me, I don’t move. His fingers push my hair behind my ear, causing chills to cascade down my back. He sighs and moves away without saying anything else. I jump slightly when the door shuts, leaving me alone with my rampant thoughts on what just happened.
CHAPTER 7
Harrison
I touched her.
She let me touch her.
And I stopped.
Why did I stop?
I have no idea.
My steps are heavy. My ears pound as I walk away from her. Every fiber in my being is telling me to go back. Go back into that room and hold her hand. A simple graze of my fingers against hers would suffice. I’m not asking for much.
Although I know I am.
She’s not ready.
She may never be ready.
Is that something I can live with? Maybe, I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way. All I know is that touching her for that one brief moment, having her hair glide along my knuckles and the look in her eyes when I did it; I felt like I could do anything, all because she didn’t move away, she didn’t look away. She stayed and allowed me one solitary piece of herself and now that moment will burn into my memory until I can do it again.
Liam is pacing when I find him.
“What the hell was that?” I ask him. I don’t like the way he spoke to Katelyn. Yes, being on tour is stressful, but this time it’s supposed to be for fun. We are supposed to be showing our families what our lives are like away from home. Treating Katelyn like she did something wrong is going to make her want to quit, and I can’t have that.
Liam looks up at me with impatience and a self-accusing look. He shakes his head, rubbing his hands over his face before he lets out a frustrated scream. The only thing preventing everyone from hearing him is the fact that DeVon is on stage performing.
“I can’t believe I yelled at Katelyn like that.”
“What was that?”
“Sam all over again.”
“I figured, but this isn’t Katelyn’s fault. She doesn’t know about the things Sam used to do and if she did, she surely wouldn’t do them without asking us.”
“I know.” Liam moves toward the wall and leans back. “Remember that first gig we had? God we opened the door and they were there, every square inch was covered.”
“I remember.”
“What’s all this?” I stand behind Liam and JD, surveying the room. We knew when we signed with Moreno Entertainment that we’d get the star treatment, but this may be over the top. “Did we ask for this?”
Liam turns and looks at us, we both shake our heads. I’m a guy. Simple things amuse me. I definitely don’t need a room full of roses... so many in fact that you can’t see the furnishings.
“Sam thought it would be a nice touch,” Mr. Moreno says. He’s a short, pudgy man. He sort of reminds me of a gangster, always wearing a fedora that covers his balding head. He’s never without a cigar hanging out o
f his mouth, even though I’ve never actually seen him light it. He looks at Liam and winks.
“I don’t think we like it,” Liam says and JD and I nod. I’m not a flower guy. I mean I’ll send them to my mom, but can’t say I want them stinking up my place. The room looks like a funeral home – a red one to boot. Red roses cover every available inch, leaving barely a space for us to sit down.
“Can we go someplace else, Mr. Moreno? This isn’t us,” I say.
Mr. Moreno rubs his portly belly. “But my Sam did this for you, Liam. She said you’d like it.”
I hear Liam sigh. He pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. “4225 West doesn’t need or want this. Can we please have it cleaned out or go to a different room?”
Mr. Moreno pats Liam on the back. He doesn’t pay attention to us. I mean why should he? Liam is the talent behind the band. I’m just a lowly house-band drummer that he asked to come play with him when he got signed and JD joined after answering an ad in the paper. For Moreno Entertainment – Liam is their prize.
“My Sam did this especially for you, Liam, I think you’d want to accept her gift.”
“Mr. Moreno, with all due respect to you and Sam, this room is supposed to be a place for us to relax before going out to perform. I know for me, and I’m assuming for Harrison and JD as well, we can’t center ourselves in this room when the over-powering scent of flowers is trying to kill us.”
Mr. Moreno chuckles, his belly bouncing up down as his menacing laugh carries on. Liam looks at us, we both shrug. We don’t know what’s going on, but from the sound of Mr. Moreno, we aren’t going to like the result.
“Liam, you’re young and new to all of this. It’s best you let me decide what you like and don’t like. Sam is merely trying to show her appreciation and make you feel comfortable. I suggest you repay her in kind.”
Mr. Moreno walks out, leaving us in the middle of the red funeral room. There isn’t any place for us to sit down, let alone hang our coats.
JD starts walking around, pulling the cards from each bouquet.
“Good Luck, Liam. Love, Sam.”
The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories Page 4
