by J. Bengtsson
Chapter Fourteen
Casey
I got up early the next morning, giddy with excitement. Just the idea of getting to talk to Jake again gave me shivers. He’d promised to call or Facetime me and I was holding out hope that he wasn’t full of shit. I showered and did my hair and dressed in a cute outfit. I wanted to be prepared for any scenario. At 11:00am my phone rang with a Facetime request from Jake. I screamed out my excitement before answering it.
“Hi!” I said. “You made it!”
“I did,” Jake was smiling.
“What time is it there?”
“8:00pm. Germany is nine hours ahead.”
“How was your flight?”
“I almost got mauled in the terminal at LAX but otherwise it was good.”
“What the hell? What happened?”
“Just some unruly passengers who wouldn’t let me board.”
“What do you mean? Were they actually restraining you?” I asked with genuine concern.
“Sort of. This weirdo grabbed my guitar and yanked me back. I lost my balance and almost fell over. I had to be rescued by a marine.”
“No way! Oh my God. That is scary. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“You’re so nonchalant about it,” I said then mimicked his voice, “I almost got hit by a bus today…no big deal.”
“I hate to tell you this but getting mobbed is just a normal day for me. I would be scared if I wasn’t being chased through an airport,” Jake laughed.
I laughed. “Your life is crazy Jake.”
“I know,” he acknowledged.
“Don’t you ever get tired of it…being stared at and chased?”
“Yeah, sometimes, but I get to do what I love everyday. It’s a tradeoff that I’m willing to make,” Jake said honestly.
“Yeah, that’s true. I feel the same way about accounting,” I joked.
Jake burst out laughing, “I’m sure you do.” His phone bounced a second.
“Where are you?”
“I’m in my tour bus heading to the next venue,” Jake replied.
“How long will that take?”
“I have no idea,” Jake laughed. “The concert is tomorrow night. The rest of the guys are already there.”
“So you got picked up at the airport in your tour bus?” I laughed.
“Yep.”
“That’s funny. Why didn’t you fly to the city you’re playing in?”
“Because then I would have to take another flight on one of those tiny planes. I decided it was safer, and more comfortable, on my bus.”
“So you like travelling in the bus?’
“Yeah it’s pretty sick. I have everything I need in here so I don’t usually get bored.”
“I’ve never seen inside a tour bus before.”
“You want a tour?”
“Heck yeah.”
Jake started walking me through the bus. We went by some bunk beds then into a sitting area then the kitchen and I even waved at his driver. The luxury was incredible. I was in complete awe.
“Wow, fancy.”
“You should see the one I have in the states.”
“Better than this?” I asked in surprise because this was the most luxurious bus I’d ever laid eyes on.
“This is a rental. The one I have in the states I own, so I decked it out.”
“Oh well that is something I would like to see. Does it have a bed where we could make out?”
“Why yes it does,” Jake said, giving me his sexy smile. “Now I really can’t wait to show you.”
I laughed. Jake walked back to where he’d been sitting when he called me.
“So how many guys are usually on your bus?”
“Just me.”
“I thought tour buses were always loaded with a bunch of sweaty guys.”
“Yeah all the sweaty guys are required to have their own bus…away from me.”
“Oh really? Is it in their contract?”
“It’s in my contract,” Jake laughed. “My tour, my rules.”
I laughed out loud.
We talked for two hours that first day. There was no awkwardness or hesitation. We just talked and laughed as we got to know each other better. Each day Jake would call me and each day I learned more about him as a person. One thing became perfectly clear to me…Jake was everything I’d ever wanted in a guy. I had fallen so far that there was no getting back up. And I grew closer to him everyday. I needed to see him…talk to him…just to get through the day. Luckily Jake seemed to feel the same way. When he wasn’t performing or doing press, he was travelling from place to place in his tour bus; and during those long drives we had hours to talk. I was up at all times of the night and was exhausted for my waitressing shifts but it was worth it…getting to know Jake was the most exciting and rewarding experience of my life.
He was a rare find…that was for sure. Not only was he beautiful and funny and talented but also he had this unique way of looking at life that I found incredibly intriguing. To say that Jake was wise beyond his years would be an understatement. It was more like he’d already lived a full life and was halfway through the second. If the masses only knew the depth of the man he was, they would be in awe. It gave me such an incredible sense of responsibility and pride to know that one of the planet’s most misunderstood human beings had opened up his life to me as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I had fallen completely and helplessly in love with him. It was a terrifying thought that Jake had the power to destroy me. Incredibly, I sincerely believed that my heart was safe in his capable hands.
Chapter Fourteen
Jake
After talking to Casey I was on a high. I bound around the bus trying to find things to do. I tried watching TV but couldn’t concentrate because I kept drifting back to our conversations. I tried writing a song but I was too distracted by all the feelings swirling around in my brain. I tried playing the keyboard but was having trouble just piecing a melody together. One thing was for sure…if I didn’t sort through my feelings about Casey…my next album was going to be a big pile of crap.
Needing some distraction, I headed to the front of the bus.
“Hey kid,” Lassen said.
“Hey, you want some company?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I plopped down in the passenger seat. Lassen looked over at me and furrowed his brow.
“What?” I said, although I knew exactly why he was giving me that look.
“Seatbelt.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t wear a seatbelt anywhere else in the bus.”
“I don’t care. Up here you wear your seatbelt. How many times do we have to argue about this, kid?”
I sighed then strapped in. Lassen, formally known as Bob Lassen, was my driver, and the only person I allowed to call me kid. He was a gruff man in his mid fifties. Standing 6’1 and weighing around 300 pounds, Lassen was an imposing figure. He rarely smiled and was not big on social interactions. He had a tendency to be short tempered and judgmental. Needless to say, he didn’t have a lot of friends. In fact I wasn’t sure if maybe I was his only friend. During his off months, Lassen never mentioned hanging out with anyone and while on tour he didn’t socialize with the other drivers or crew. Lassen spent most of his time in the bus. When we were parked, Lassen drew the curtains over the windows and shut the partition to enclose his own space, which included a bed and a TV. I think he did it as much for his own privacy as for mine. People always asked me why I kept someone as anti-social as Lassen on the payroll but they didn’t know the man like I knew him. They didn’t know that Lassen was there for me when I really needed someone to be there for me. They didn’t know that he was one of the few people in the world I fully trusted and they certainly didn’t know that Lassen wouldn’t hesitate to lay down his life for me. Lassen was more than just an employee…hell he was more than just a friend. Bob Lassen was like a second father to me.
Lassen started as a long haul tru
ck driver while still just a teen. He married his high school sweetheart and had three children. As he crisscrossed the country in his big rig, Lassen set up shop with another woman in another household. He had two children with her. Essentially he had two wives on opposite coasts that knew nothing of each other. He managed to keep up the lie for nearly ten years. When it all blew up in his face, Lassen started drinking heavily and went through a mental breakdown. He lost everything…his home, his wives, his children, his job. It took him almost five years of alcoholism, depression and homelessness before he pulled his life back together. Lassen eventually found peace, got sober, and started working for an Asian vacation company driving busloads of foreigners to American tourist attractions.
After a few years of that, he got a job driving tour busses with my record label and was assigned to me on my very first tour. Back then it was just me, the band hired to play with me, a crew/manager/guardian and Lassen. All the guys were at least fifteen years older than me and most were openly hostile. Obviously they didn’t like working for a sixteen year old kid who they, incorrectly, assumed was a one hit wonder. They had no respect for me and wasted no opportunity to let me know. It really was a horrible year. I was still struggling with the effects of the crime I’d only barely survived. I was missing my home, my dog, and my family. And the people I was living in close quarters with every single day treated me like shit. To make matters worse, they were all into hard partying, slutty women and doing drugs. My only escape was up front with Lassen, the only other sober person on the bus.
I’m not sure if it was just a pity thing or what but Lassen took me under his wing and kept me safe. We talked about a lot of things on those long and lonely nights rolling down the wide-open roads. Things he’d never shared with anyone. Things I had never shared with anyone. The wounded, lost, sixteen-year-old musician and the ex-alcoholic, anti-social, polygamist bus driver. We couldn’t have been more different, or more alike.
As my star began to rise and I was able to hand pick who I wanted on my team, Lassen was always at the top of my list. A couple years ago he quit driving for my label and now exclusively drove for me. It was nice to have someone I trusted with me when I travelled but just as nice to have that person make himself scarce when I wasn’t in the mood for company. Lassen understood that balance without me ever having to say a word.
“How was the wedding?” Lassen asked.
“Yeah it was good,” I answered in my typical non-committal way. I caught myself and added, “Actually it was really fun.”
“You have a chance to talk to Mitch?”
“A little. He was pretty busy getting married and all, but yeah.”
“I hope he appreciated the effort you put in to get there.”
“He did,” I replied, thinking back to our confrontation. I didn’t want to tell Lassen about it because he would get pissed. His devotion to me was absolute. Whether I was at fault or not, Lassen was always on my side.
“How did the song go with Quinn? Did he do a good job?”
“Yeah, he was a little timid singing but I was proud of him. My mom was ridiculous, taking all these pictures of us together on stage like some momager from Hell,” I laughed.
Lassen turned up his lip. It was his version of a smile. “You think he’s good enough to break out?”
“I don’t know. He’s really talented but shy.”
“So were you,” Lassen commented. “And look what happened.”
I grinned then shifted in my seat. Pain shot through my knee. I must have flinched because Lassen looked over.
“How is it?” He asked with concern in his voice.
I shrugged. “It’s fine.”
“No it’s not.”
“Then why did you ask?” I challenged.
Lassen shook his head but didn’t answer. He knew better than to argue with me about my knee. We sat quiet for a couple of minutes. I watched the road pass under the tires. I liked driving at this time of night when there weren’t many cars out. It was like the roads were lonely and welcoming our passage. I watched a sign go by with these weird lines and what appeared to be a stick figure getting run over. I wondered what the hell it meant. Yet, at the same time, I didn’t give a shit. I pondered, as I always did, how Lassen knew where to go in all the foreign countries he drove through. I used to ask him but he would just shrug and not respond so I stopped asking.
“I met a girl,” I blurted out.
Lassen didn’t say anything. I didn’t know if he was waiting for me to elaborate or if maybe he didn’t hear me. But when I looked over he nodded. Lassen was a man of few words.
So, for some reason, I just kept going. “She’s a college student. She studies accounting. She’s really funny and I think I really like her.”
Still nothing? Come on Lassen, you’re killing me here.
“And I don’t really know what to do.”
Lassen nodded.
Jesus. Sometimes he was like talking to a friggin’ wall.
“I mean, I want to see where this goes but I’m not sure if I have it in me, you know?”
“Have what in you?” Lassen finally responded.
I didn’t answer because I didn’t really know what to answer.
Lassen sighed. “I’ve known you a long time, kid.” Long pause. “And you trust my judgment, right?”
My stomach tightened. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what was coming but I nodded anyway.
“You have it in you, kid. You’ve always had it in you.”
Chapter Fifteen
Casey
Those first couple of weeks after meeting Jake I kind of just floated through my life in Arizona. I had trouble concentrating on anything that did not have to do with a certain rock star. After an article appeared in the local paper about Jake’s visit to Outback Steakhouse, my connection to him spread fast. I became somewhat of a celebrity at work. My co-workers were continuously asking me questions about Jake and the status of our relationship. I was honest when I told them I didn’t know. Jake and I had never discussed what we were. Certainly we were more than friends but we weren’t exclusively together either. Even my boss, Tony, seemed overly interested in my relationship. He’d been extremely impressed with Jake during his visit to the restaurant. He asked me almost daily when ‘my boyfriend’ would be visiting again.
Jake’s visit had given a boost to Outback Steakhouse and we were busier than ever. Tony had framed the picture of himself and Jake on the wall for all to see. I was starting to see the side of celebrity that Jake had talked about. It really was a strange phenomenon. Everyone had a story, real or made up, about their connection to Jake. It was sort of funny but also a little disturbing. I understood better why Jake hid who he really was only for those he trusted. There were a lot of people out there willing to take advantage of another for their own gain.
Case in point was the reporter who arrived at the restaurant asking for ‘the girl Jake had come to see’. My coworkers pointed her in my direction. I was promptly offered a large sum of money to give an exclusive interview about Jake McKallister. Of course I would never dream of betraying Jake’s trust like that but I feared that the unscrupulous reporter would make up a story and use my name as her source. So terrified was I of this that the minute she left I called Jake and told him what had happened. And shockingly enough, he didn’t seem, at all, surprised. Instead he apologized for not warning me that this could happen. I was shocked that such an occurrence was common in his world. Jake coached me on how to handle a situation like that if it were to happen again.
We had been talking for two and a half weeks when Jake presented an offer that I couldn’t refuse.
“So I was wondering, do you have a passport?”
“Yes, why?”
“You do?” Jake seemed surprised.
“Yes. I’m not a country bumpkin Jake. I’ve travelled a little bit.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said sheepishly.
“I know, I’m kidding. So why do
you want to know if I have a passport?”
“’Cuz I was thinking maybe you’d want to use it.”
“Keep talking.”
“Well…I have three shows in London this weekend and I was wondering if you want to come?”
“Really?” I asked, lighting up with happiness. He wanted me to visit him!
“Yeah, I could buy you a ticket in one of those fancy first class sleeper seats that you’re so jealous of,” Jake grinned.
“You want me to fly to London?” I questioned.
“Yeah, why not?”
“Why not?” I laughed. I thought about it for a minute and then I realized that I might never get an offer so appealing for the rest of my life and I replied, “Yeah, why not?”
Jake looked at me confused. “Wait, does that mean you’ll come?”
“Heck yeah…I’ll come.”
“Great. I’ll book your ticket right away so you can’t change your mind.”
“I don’t want to change my mind. But Jake, just book me a regular seat. I don’t want you to spend that kind of money on me.”
“Casey, it isn’t that much money.”
“Yes, it is. I’m perfectly fine flying coach. Promise me, Jake, or I won’t go.”
“Okay fine. Should I book you a seat near the bathrooms too so you can be even more of a martyr?”
I laughed. “I’m not Mother Teresa. Just get me a window seat at least a few rows up from the porta-potty.”
“Oh my God, you’re so demanding,” Jake joked.
Chapter Fifteen
Jake
I didn’t have much time to prepare for her arrival. I’d been thinking about inviting her to visit me but the London idea came to me on Monday and I was going to be in town on Thursday. I assumed the chances of her having an active passport or that she would actually say yes were pretty slim but I had to ask anyway. When she agreed to come with no hesitation I was ecstatic but soon the nerves set in. What if we didn’t have the same chemistry in person that we had the first time? What if things were awkward between us? Then it would be a long-ass weekend.
