by C. R. Jane
"Of course mother," I whispered, although I didn't know how I would be able to choke out any words to help ease her suffering. Mother had always said that the stars had burst into song at my birth, ensuring that I would always have the most stunning voice in the land. I had always loved to sing, but lately, when I needed it the most, my voice had been failing me. My grief was beginning to consume me.
I had heard her whispering to Brianag, her advisor and closest confident, that her connection to the land was fading more and more everyday. We were all born with a connection to the land, but only the Queen and her lineage could control it. What I hadn't mentioned to my mother was that my connection to the land was growing everyday. I could physically feel the agony that it was experiencing as the plague on the land grew at the same rate that my mother grew more and more ill. I had run crying to Beckham as soon as I was able to get away the first time I felt it. I hadn't explained what was happening, I had just soaked in his steady, loving comfort until I regained the strength to return to my mother's side.
I had begun vomiting frequently throughout the day. I could feel the earth's anguish not only for itself but also for the loss of its Queen. Despite how sick my mother was, she was still highly attuned to me and had begun watching me more closely when I came to visit her. I kept what was happening to me away from her, afraid that she would become sicker from being worried about me. I had been spending my nights in the library, trying to find something in our scrolls that would tell me what was happening. I had yet to find anything helpful.
Mason was talking to Damon in a low, terse tone. I knew he wanted me to go with him. Both men had seemed to agree to date me until I made a decision, but this would be the first real test of that agreement. Damon finally huffed out a "fine" to whatever Mason was saying, and walked quickly over to me.
"Mason's going to give you a ride back to your dorm alright?" he asked, looking like he was telling me that he was going to a funeral.
I walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek, hoping my eyes conveyed my gratefulness that he was letting me say goodbye to Mason privately. A kiss on the cheek wasn't good enough for him as he swept me into his arms, kissing me so passionately that I lost my breath. I faltered when he let me go, momentarily dazed from the breadth of his kiss. Damon looked very cocky as he waved goodbye and strode off. I sighed a little as I watched him go. That man's backside was delicious.
"You can stare at my ass as often as you want, but I would prefer if you would stop staring at Damon's," said Mason amusedly, coming up behind me and enfolding me in his arms.
I looked up at him and gave him a timid grin. Out of the three guys, Mason seemed to have the least problem with seeing me with the others. I turned in his arms.
"You were wonderful," I told him emphatically. "I could have listened to you forever."
"I actually fucking sucked tonight. I was so distracted knowing you were watching. And when you started singing…that was almost more than I could take. You should have been the one on the stage performing," he said, stroking my lips softly.
I immediately felt bad.
"I thought I was singing under my breath," I told him.
"I think I could hear your singing from almost anywhere," he said. "It speaks to something in my heart."
He brushed his lips against mine quickly.
"Want to get out of here?" he asked hopefully.
"What time do you leave?" I asked, feeling desolate at the thought of him going.
Whatever it was that was growing between us was so new, I wasn't sure if it would last for him while he was gone. Mason's eyes darkened.
"My flight to Munich leaves at midnight," he said mournfully.
I checked my phone, it was ten. We only had two hours. Mason took my hand, and led me out a door backstage to where a car was waiting. He kept my hand in his as we drove, softly stroking it with his thumb while he gazed out the window distractedly. I looked out the window surprised, we were back at my dorm. I turned to ask him what we were doing, but he was already out of the car, holding out his hand to help me get out.
Mason kept his head down as we walked into the dorm, nevertheless attracting eyes and whispers as we walked in. He held out a hand for my keys and I handed them to him, still confused what was going on. He opened the door and I followed him in, abruptly stopping as I gazed around my dorm room.
Twinkly lights were strewn all over the walls. A gauzy canopy covered the ceiling, and colorful pillows were strewn over a rug that was covering the floor. There were white candles lit around the room, their light casting a surreal glow on the scene.
"How did you...?" I started to say.
"Rockstar, remember?" he said, giving me a grin as I thought back to a similar moment that had occurred right before he swept me off to the Grammy's.
I suddenly smelled something spicy and delicious, and my stomach gave an embarrassing growl. Mason laughed at me, kissing the tip of my nose afterwards.
"Let's eat," he said. "I'm starving too."
He arranged pillows all around us to lean against and started serving out food from little white boxes.
"I ordered us food from my favorite Thai place in New York," he explained, pointing out what everything was.
I hadn't ever had Thai food, and I savored the first bite of it that I scooped into my mouth. Looking at Mason I blushed, he was watching me eat with a kind of dazed expression on his face.
"What?" I asked, wiping my face to make sure I didn't have noodles stuck somewhere.
"Nothing," he said. "I just didn't know that I could get a hard-on watching a girl eat."
I scoffed at him and tossed a noodle at him. He playfully caught it with his tongue and then it was my turn to get a little hot and bothered as he held my gaze as he somehow sexily sucked it into his mouth.
Continuing to eat, we chatted back and forth. Mason told me all about his favorite bands and famous musicians that he had met throughout time. He was talking about a dinner he had once had with the Beatles in their heyday when his phone beeped. He cast a glance at it and swore.
"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned with how pissed off he looked.
"Management wants to leave an hour early," he explained. "Something about avoiding a storm that is supposed to hit soon. Which means…" he looked at his watch. "I have to leave in just a few minutes now."
He looked at me.
"I don't want to have to leave you," he said seriously, taking both of my hands in his. "Promise me something," he said.
I nodded at him, so captivated by the love and longing I saw swirling in the dark blue depths of his eyes that I would have promised him almost anything.
"Don't forget about me?" he asked. "You're going to have a lot of time with Damon…and probably Beckham in the next few months while I'm gone. Don't let the space in your heart that I've managed to carve a place for myself be filled up by them."
I smiled gently at him.
"I wouldn't even know how to go about letting you out of my heart," I told him reassuringly.
He picked up a book that I hadn't noticed sitting behind him. He opened it up and showed it to me. The first page was a picture of Munich, Germany. It had showtimes listed, along with various phone numbers.
"This is my entire tour. It's where I will be at all times, when I'm performing, what numbers I can be reached at. I want you to call me anytime you want. Heaven knows I will want to talk to you whenever you will let me. I know you have a phone, will you FaceTime with me? I'll pay for the calls so you don't have to worry about that," he said hurriedly.
I was touched by the thought he had put into the binder. I nodded, and brushed a kiss against his lips. He groaned. The sound of it shot right through me, liquifying my insides.
"There's one more thing," he said nervously.
He turned a few pages until a picture of the Eiffel tower showed up.
"I checked your school schedule, and your fall break happens to
fall over my Paris stop. If you wanted…" he took a deep breath. "If you wanted, I would really like for you to come see me. I'll take care of everything. I just know I can't go this whole tour without seeing you in person."
I was shocked…and absolutely delighted at the thought of walking the streets of Paris with Mason. I hadn't been anywhere, and had never even dreamed of being able to go out of the country.
I let out a little shriek and practically tackled Mason with my excitement.
"Is that a yes?" he said, laughing at my reaction.
"Of course!" I answered.
I stilled and stared into his stunning eyes again.
"I would visit you anywhere though Mason."
His eyes looked shiny, almost as if he was holding back tears. His phone beeped again and he looked away, trying to get his composure.
"I've got to go. But I love you so much Eva. I'll think about you every second I'm not with you."
He gave me an ardent kiss that left me weak at the knees.
"Don't walk me out," he said as I got up to follow him out. "I don't think I can actually leave if you do."
I stood up anyway and gave him a long hug.
"See you soon," I told him, giving him one more kiss.
He stopped for a moment at the door, his eyes roving over my face, seeming to be memorizing my every feature. He gave me a grin, and then walked out the door briskly, shutting the door behind him. I sat back down in the pillows, basking in his sweet words and the romantic little nest he had made for us. I couldn't wait to see him in Paris.
A few hours passed. I spent the time going back and forth between the binder he had made, and preparing for class the next day. My phone beeped. Mason had sent me a video. I clicked on it excitedly. In the video he was sitting on a stool in dim lighting, a guitar in his hand. He began to sing.
They say that only fools fall hard,
They say you shouldn't show all of your cards,
They say that love only leads to a slow death,
But baby they haven't met you.
They say that love makes men fall apart,
They say that love is a poison dart,
They say that love will take my last breath,
But baby they haven't met you
You light up the room,
I'm struck dumb at the sight of you,
My whole life has been changed,
I used to be lust over love, now I've been struck from above,
Baby, Thank God I've met you…
The song went on, each verse better than the one before. I played it over and over again, tears streaming down my face at this priceless gift. Mason's gravelly voice shot straight into my heart.
After I had listened to it probably a million times, I finally turned the song off and cuddled up in the pillows he had set up. I basked in the warmth of his love. It lingered in the room, despite his absence.
I wouldn't remember until later that I had never asked Mason about the Courtney girl who had shown up at the concert. I had been so distracted once he started singing, and then the surprise he had left for me in my dorm room. There was no way he had a girlfriend with how he had acted towards me…right?
Chapter 16
It was finally game day. After Mason had left, I had enjoyed the rest of my first week of classes. Damon and I couldn't get enough of each other, and spent every second together that we weren't in separate classes or at practice. We hadn't talked any more about the fact that he was angel and what exactly that meant, but I was content for now to just continue to slowly get to know him. After all, we supposedly had forever to find out everything there was to know about one another.
I had continued avoiding difficult conversations with Mason as well. Although I had carved out time to Facetime with Mason every day, I hadn't asked about Courtney…or what exactly he was. Just as he had explained, the book he had made me had his exact schedule. He was so busy with interviews, promotional events, and performing though, that we didn't have much time to talk. He texted me throughout the day (and the night since we were so many hours apart) always letting me know I was on his mind. I hadn't asked what he was because I was a little afraid of the answer after the way Beckham had reacted. Plus, since we basically just had a texting relationship at the moment, I didn't think that the timing was right to try and have a serious conversation about either subject.
I hadn't heard from Beckham, and I tried not to be hurt by his silence. I'm sure his life was really busy. Still, I thought of the words he had spoken to me, and our moment on the beach, and couldn't help but feel upset that he obviously hadn't meant any of it. He wouldn't have let a week go by without reaching out to me if he really felt those things, right?
Damon had convinced me that I needed to spend the night with him in order for him to have a good game. Not that it was a hardship. I had discovered that I never slept better than in his arms…or Mason's…or probably Beckham's if we ever got to that point in our relationship…
Damon had already left to go have breakfast with the team when my phone alarm rang, signaling I needed to get ready to go to the stadium and meet up with the rest of the cheer squad.
I laid in bed for a second longer remembering how sweet Damon had been the night before. He had a mandatory team dinner he had to attend, but he had made sure that Shelton picked something up for me to eat. It had been waiting for me when I arrived at the penthouse. There were stacks of movies on the coffee table in front of the tv, along with an assortment of snacks like the first time I had come over. Over lunch this past week, we had made up a list of a hundred movies that I absolutely had to see to catch up with pop culture at least a little bit. I was pretty sure that all one hundred movies were laying on the coffee table for me to choose from. I had started one called Titanic, and was so engrossed in the film that I didn't even notice Damon get home. I yelped when he appeared beside me. Laughing, he scooped me up with an exuberant kiss, and sat me down on his lap.
"Good choice. Titanic is amazing," he told me, settling in to watch the movie. "Does it sound super cheesy that I love coming home to you?"
I smiled brightly at him and gave him a kiss, pulling a blanket around us both and laying my head against his shoulder. Leaning against him, feeling him absentmindedly play with my hair, I began to heat up. My imagination began to run wild with what would happen if his hands stroked other parts of my body. I began to fidget a little, trying to unconsciously ease the pressure I was beginning to feel. Damon paused and cleared his throat.
"Baby, I don't think I can handle you moving around like that," he said in a gruff voice.
I could feel something growing hard against me. I tried to sit still but the pressure only increased.
Damon's hands slowly moved from playing with my hair… to stroking my arms…to grasping my hips. My shirt had ridden up a little, and of course he had found the tiny sliver of skin that was showing and was now lightly teasing it with his finger. Suddenly he grasped me tighter, one hand coming up to tilt my chin up to him. He molded his lips against mine. I pressed against his lips harder, still trying to somehow ease the pressure that was building up inside of me. I opened my mouth, and let his tongue in to taste me. I had been kissed a few times before my stay with the Anderson's. Awkward boys had stolen kisses here and there whenever they got the chance. I remembered them all being awful experiences. They usually had bad breath, or their tongues felt slimy when they tried to slip them in my mouth. But Damon's kissing…Damon's kissing felt like he had been practicing for thousands of years, which I guess he technically probably had. Every stroke of his tongue was masterful. My senses were in overload between his clean scent and his delicious taste.
I squirmed more, and he let out a groan, finally depositing me next to him instead of on top of him. He grabbed one of the big sofa cushions, and placed it between us.
"This is my chastity pillow," he tried to joke, although the sexual frustration was very
evident in his face. "I have to protect myself from all the sexiness you have going on."
I leaned back against the couch, trying to calm my breathing. Damon kept on sneaking looks over to me while we pretended to watch the movie, finally moving the pillow out of the way and pulling me closer to him. I had finally relaxed enough for the weird pressure inside of me to ease. As was becoming habit, I fell asleep halfway through the movie, cuddled up to Damon's side. I had woken up briefly when he picked me up and carried me to his room, laying me down in his enormous cloud-like bed. He had taken off his shirt and gotten in the bed with me. I had soon fallen back to sleep cuddled protectively in his arms.
I came back to reality when I saw a steaming cup of coffee from Leslie's laying on the counter along with a handwritten note from Damon saying that he missed me already, and couldn't wait to see me in my cheerleading outfit. Of course I blushed, despite the fact that he wasn't actually there saying it in person. I pocketed the note. Damon had made it a habit over the last week of leaving me sweet notes, and I had kept each one. After sipping the coffee, I dialed Shelton's phone number to see if he could give me a ride over to the stadium. He immediately replied he would be pulling up in the parking garage within five minutes, so I walked to the elevator to go downstairs.
Damon had lectured me about making sure I was only picked up in the parking garage because of the paparazzi that had been growing in numbers outside of Damon's building. Ever since video footage had been leaked of me singing at the club, and my appearance at the Grammy's had exploded on the news outlets, the press had gone crazy trying to catch a glimpse of Mason's mystery girl.
Somehow Damon and Mason's management team had kept my full name and location out of the press's hands, but Damon had become pretty paranoid, making sure we weren't ever photographed together and that we only did activities out of the public eye.
Shelton was already waiting for me when I stepped out of the elevator. He gave me a big smile as he opened up my door.
"How are you doll?" he asked, giving me a wink.
