Burning Up

by Marie Coulson

  Taking a deep and calming breath, I turned and headed into the coffee shop. I had barely walked through the large glass door when Kate pounced at me. Staggering back slightly, I giggled as she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.

  “Layla, I have missed you so much! I couldn’t believe it when you called and said you were back again! I know it’s only been a few months, but it feels like forever!”

  Releasing me, she took my hand and pulled me over to the couch in the center of the shop. She gave my hand a sharp yank, and pulled me onto the couch as she sat down.

  “I see the boss is as cheerful as ever,” she said sarcastically as she nodded over at the window.

  I huffed and rested my back against the couch cushion. “Of course. Some things will never change, Europe or no Europe.”

  She tilted her head to the side and sighed.

  “I guess not. But anyway, we don’t need to talk about him, I want to hear all about Europe!”

  Signaling at the young blonde girl behind the counter, Kate ordered us a couple of lattes.

  I sipped my steaming cup of coffee and told Kate all about Europe. I loved watching as her eyes widened with every detail and the way she ‘oohed and ahhed’ when I showed her some of the pictures I’d taken. Jared had ensured I had a top of the line camera while we were away. It had taken me a few hours to work the damn thing out, but eventually I managed to become tech savvy enough to use it in a basic way. There were still buttons on the thing that I had no idea what they actually did.

  “Oh, Layla. You are so lucky. Paris sounds amazing and Spain? Oh my God, I bet all the men out there are smoking hot. All creamy caramel skin, dark hair, and accents that melt your panties!”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “Not exactly, most of them were short, hairy, and spoke very little English.”

  Shrugging, Kate smiled. “These days, who can afford to be picky?”

  I grinned and rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. You could have any guy you wanted. There isn’t some guy you’ve got your eye on right now?”

  Looking down at the floor, Kate blushed a deep shade of pink and pressed her lips together.

  “I knew it! So, who is he? What’s he like? Does he know you like him?”

  She bit her lip and took a long sip of coffee.

  “We kind of had a one night thing. We both knew what it was and it was great. I mean, it was just a fling, but it was the best sex I ever had.”

  Placing my cup on the table, I eyed her curiously. “Wow. Sounds intense. And that was it? Just one night of hot, steamy sex and then wham, bam, thank you ma’am? Sounds like a jerk to me.”

  Dropping her empty cup on the table, she grabbed my hand and spoke enthusiastically at me. “Oh no! It wasn’t like that. He’s not like that. I mean, well, he wasn’t. I’ve heard things since, but he really was a great guy. He just wasn’t looking for a relationship right now and neither was I. But we had chemistry so I thought, why the hell not!”

  I smiled at her sympathetically. Part of me wondered if Kate was trying to convince herself rather than me.

  “Okay, if you say so. Who is he anyhow?”

  She waved her hand nonchalantly. “Just a local guy. No one you know.”

  I couldn’t help but get the feeling she was hiding something. But if she didn’t want to talk about it, I wasn’t going to push her. It was her sex life after all.

  “Layla …” Kate started but was quickly interrupted by the sound of my cellphone ringing from my back pocket. Reaching behind me, I pulled it out and groaned as I read the caller I.D.

  “Great. Just what I need.”

  Turning the phone to face her, Kate rolled her eyes as Jared’s name flashed across the screen.

  “Just don’t answer it. If he’s being an asshat, let him know it! Nothing like a little silent treatment to let a guy know he’s in the mutt hut!”

  I snickered at her choice of words. “I have no intention of answering it. I could use some alone time for a change, and he’s going to just have to deal with it.”

  Grabbing the phone from my hand, Kate hit the ignore button and beamed with triumph. “Atta girl! Man has to learn that he can’t act like a douche, and then make it all better with a phone call.”

  Within seconds of her handing it back to me, it began to ring again, but this time I didn’t recognize the number at all. Frowning, I stared at the screen for a moment before cautiously answering.

  “Hello?”

  There was silence on the other end of the line, but I could hear the distinct sound of someone breathing. It was unsettling. Kate leaned in, and holding the phone at an angle, I let her hear what was coming through. Cringing, she took the phone and began yelling at the person on the other end, whoever they might be.

  “Listen here you sicko, why don’t you crawl back under your perverted little trench coat and find someone else to gross out. Fucking pervert!”

  Hanging up, she handed the phone back to me. “What a creep!”

  I stared at the phone with disgust. “What the hell is wrong with people? Urgh.”

  “Not enough sex and too much time on their hands is my theory,” she offered. I laughed and quickly put the cellphone back in my pocket. The coffee shop was beginning to get crowded, and glancing around, I sighed heavily. I missed the hustle and bustle of the lunch-time crowd. The students arriving on campus eager to start the next semester of college were the most depressing sight I had encountered in a long time. I missed college. I missed the shop, but most of all, I missed the life I’d had before Europe. I missed the days before everything got crazy, and before I lost control of my damn life!

  Kate caught sight of what I was staring at and sitting forward on the couch, she smiled. “You know, you could always come back.”

  Coming back to reality, I gave her a puzzled look. She rolled her eyes at me. “I can see you looking at them all love sick puppy-like. Look, since Lorraine is taking a step back from managing to be with Lucy, I have to run this place almost single handedly. No one knows this job better than you do, and I could sure use the help.”

  “Are you offering me my old job?”

  She shook her head. “God no! I’m offering you a better one! I want you to be my second in command. We used to run this place by ourselves, and we were awesome at it. At least say you’ll think about it?”

  I bit my lip anxiously. “I don’t know, Kate. Jared and I are flying back to New York tomorrow and then we have our last stop in London. I’d miss the start of the semester for college and wouldn’t be back in the US till Christmas!”

  “So don’t go! Stay! Why do you have to follow him around like a lap dog, anyway?”

  I furrowed my brow at her. “I don’t follow him like a lap dog.”

  She scoffed a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, really? Look, I’m just saying maybe you should think about what you want for a change. Jared Garrett can do business and work himself into the ground all he wants. But this, this is your chance to have fun, kick back, and be a damn college girl! Have fun, drink at parties, meet people, and generally just be twenty-one! It wouldn’t kill him to loosen up a little too, you know.”

  She wasn’t wrong, and she had a valid point.

  “You’ll only be twenty-one once. How do you wanna spend your best years? Living it up in L.A.? Or flying around the world, putting on cocktail dresses, and playing the dutiful girlfriend of a business tycoon?”

  I was about to answer with a sarcastic remark, when the door of the coffee shop opened and I heard a voice that was oh so very familiar.

  “I’m just saying, dude, we should send out some sample CDs to places and see if someone bites. It can’t hurt. Nick, back me up?”

  “If it gets me laid or makes me rich, I’m totally on your side dickstick.”

  “Classy, Nick. Eric, I get what you’re saying, but I’m not gonna fucking sell out to some record company just to get my songs played on the radio. Besides, we’re nowhere near ready for that shit.”

  Staring at
Kate, I froze as Ollie’s voice became the only sound in the entire place. Well, the only one I was able to even focus on right now. Glancing over at the corner of the shop, she bit her lip before leaning in and whispering in my ear. “They’re sitting at the far table. I assume you don’t wanna say hi.”

  I shook my head in a definitive no. “I need to get out of here. I can’t face him right now.”

  She tilted her head and gave me a sympathetic look. “You have to sometime, Layla.”

  “I know,” I snapped. “But not here and not now.”

  Taking my hand, she stood up and quickly dragged me through the sea of people waiting to be served, through to the back.

  “Stay here till I give you the all clear.”

  I nodded and watched as she walked back out into the shop. Pressing my back against the wall, I hid around the corner of the doorway and listened to the conversation happening just a few feet away.

  “Kate! How’s it going hot stuff?”

  “Nick, don’t you ever get tired of being a douche?”

  “Oh, Kate, I’d happily be your personal dick, instead.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “Nick, shut up. Hey, Kate. You working today?”

  “Nope, just came in to grab some receipts. I thought you were in Utah?”

  “I was. I’m in town for a couple of days to sort some shit out. Figured I’d visit Amy and Mel, too. So, uh, how’ve you been?”

  The two of them sounded … awkward. I’d put Kate in a bad position, and now she had to make nice with my ex and his band mates. Good friend, Layla.

  “I’m good. Actually, I was about to head out.”

  The four of them exchanged goodbyes, except Nick who typically made a dirty comment. He really was a douchebag, but I actually kind of missed him.

  Suddenly appearing from around the corner, Kate smiled at me. “All clear. They’re sitting at the corner table, and there’s a crowd of people, so if you hurry, you could totally slip out un-noticed.”

  Taking my hand once again, she yanked me from around the corner and pulled me through the crowd, weaving in and out of the numerous people waiting for their coffee. My pulse was racing, and I held my breath as we breezed past the tables of people. I couldn’t help but cast my eye over toward the corner and chance a glance at Ollie. Call me obsessed, wrong, and maybe even a little curious, but just one look at that dark hair and the glimmer of a lip ring as he turned his head to the side to speak to Eric, and I was thrown back in time to that day in the hallway. I transported myself back to that moment, lying on my back as a pair of stunning brown eyes, cute as hell smile and bad boy piercings, looked back down at me. Oliver Green was a god with a guitar and a motorbike, and I was still just as mesmerized by him now as I was then.

  Opening the door, Kate gave me a gentle shove outside and panted with relief.

  “I think we pulled it off.”

  Letting out the breath I’d been holding, I nodded in agreement. “I think so, too.”

  We stood in silence for a moment, and Kate raised an eyebrow at me. “Still got it bad for the rock star, huh?”

  I looked down at the sidewalk before pressing my palms to my face and covering my blushing cheeks. Lifting my head once again, I sighed.

  “Maybe. A little. I don’t know. Urgh, how do you just stop loving someone?”

  Kate wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.

  “You can’t. But, then I guess it depends on if you really want to in the first place.”

  Releasing me, she gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

  “Think about my offer, okay? I mean it. You always have a place to go and a job waiting for you.”

  I nodded and quickly hugged her before smiling and watching as she walked back into the shop. Would I really abandon Jared and Europe to come home? Could I? After the conversation we’d had in the car, I was still unsure exactly where we stood right now. I didn’t want us to be over, but there was no way I would continue to be Jared’s play-thing and possession. Something had to give soon before I went completely crazy. We were teetering on the edge of a cliff with no safety rope, and I wasn’t sure how long I could hold on before taking a leap and throwing myself off.

  Chapter 18

  London Calling

  Walking back into the Garrett house, I sighed deeply. Jared’s car was outside. Slowly, I made my way to the lounge. Sitting on the couch with the top button of his shirt undone and his tailored trousers on, Jared was engrossed in an article he was reading in the paper. I knocked gently on the open door. Glancing up, he raised an eyebrow and gently placed his newspaper on the table beside him. His face was serious, and I squirmed a little as his deep blue eyes stared at me from across the room.

  “Come here, Layla. We need to talk.”

  I didn’t hesitate. I wasn’t eager, but I was intrigued. If he was expecting an apology, he was going to be very disappointed. Sitting on the coffee table opposite him, I waited for him to make the first move. He chuckled slightly.

  “I’m not going to bite you. Well, not unless you ask very nicely.”

  I snorted. “Not likely.”

  Rolling his eyes, he slumped back on the couch and groaned. “You are infuriating. Do you know that? I drove to that damn office and couldn’t get a single thing done! I couldn’t stop thinking about you and everything we’d said. I’m hurt that you don’t feel like we’re friends. I always thought we had a deep connection.”

  “We do. Sort of. It’s complicated, Jared. ‘Friends’ means more than just spending a little time together. We’ve been going around in circles for a year now!”

  “And you think that warrants the need for a shrink?”

  I shook my head at him. “No, Jared. Your stalking, obsessiveness, and damn overprotectiveness are what drive me to insanity. You can’t honestly say you think it’s normal to be this way? It’s exhausting.”

  Sighing deeply, he rubbed his temple with his finger and thumb. “I don’t know how else to be, Layla. I’m a man who’s used to getting what he wants, when he wants it, and I’ve never had to fight so damn hard for anything in my life.”

  “You don’t have to fight for me, you just have to stop pushing me away.”

  His eyes widened. “I’m pushing you away?”

  I nodded ruefully.

  Getting to his feet, Jared paced around staring at the floor. I sat, silently waiting.

  Halting, he turned, gripped his hands on the back of the couch and exhaled loudly.

  “Ok. I’ll do it, for you and for us. I’ll talk to someone. But please, can it wait until we get back from London?”

  I nodded. Rounding the couch, he scooped me into his arms and held me tightly. “I’m sorry, Layla. Truly, I am.”

  I hugged him back, nuzzling my face into his neck. Chuckling lightly, he released me and smiled down at me.

  “Let’s go out for dinner. I imagine Lucy and Daniel would like the house to themselves again. I think I disturbed them when I came home early.”

  I stared at him.

  “What? You think I didn’t know that the two of them are completely in love? Layla, I have Daniel to watch you and Lucy. Who do you think watches Daniel?”

  He winked and grabbing his jacket from the arm of the couch where it hung loosely, he took my hand and led me out to the car.

  “You’re not mad?” I asked cautiously.

  He shrugged. “She could do a lot worse than Daniel. Besides, I trust him implicitly. He’ll keep her safe, grounded, and happy. What more could a big brother ask for?”

  I smiled. He was right. As far as dependable, sweet, and caring men went, Lucy had hit the jackpot.

  As we pulled up to the sidewalk, I grinned as I looked up at the familiar sight in front of me.

  “The Hyatt Regency?”

  I gave Jared a puzzled look. Smiling back at me, he nodded. “I thought you might enjoy some fine dining while we’re here.”

  Leaving the driver’s side, he hurried around and tossed the
keys to an attendant wearing a white uniform before assisting me out of the car.

  The ballroom was just as I remembered it and with a smirk, Jared nodded at a table at the far end of the room. That table.

  “I thought we were just going to have dinner. Isn’t this a function?” I whispered, leaning into Jared’s shoulder.

  Shrugging, he raised an eyebrow. “It’s a benefit for a local homeless charity. It’s thrown by Arthur Kent’s company every year. I thought after our spat earlier that you might not be feeling too social.”

  I glanced down at my outfit and frowned. A pair of jeans and a floral tunic didn’t exactly scream sophisticated. Seeing my expression, Jared took off his jacket and handed it to a passing waiter.

  “I won’t be needing this this evening.”

  I gave him a puzzled look and he simply winked at me and led me through the crowd of people to a table where several older gentlemen were sitting. One I recognized immediately and seeing me approach, he stood abruptly and beamed.

  “Layla! How lovely to see you!”

  I grinned back at him. “It’s always wonderful to see you too, Arthur.”

  “You’re too kind to this old man.”

  Turning his attention to Jared, Arthur scanned him up and down. “Interesting choice of attire you’ve chosen this evening, Garrett,” he chuckled.

  Sliding a hand into his pocket, Jared nodded. “Layla felt it was in poor taste to wear expensive suits and dresses to a benefit for those less fortunate. I have to say, I totally agree.”

  Raising his eyebrows in what I assumed was surprise, Arthur grinned.

  “Spectacular idea! Poor taste indeed. I think I shall join you in your statement.”

  Pulling off his tie and sliding off his dinner jacket, Arthur loosened his top button and held his arms out, taking a step back as he did so.