First Crush (Dark Falkon #1)

by J. O Mantel

  It’s almost ten a.m. here. Oh my god!

  What? Lukas replied.

  I just still can’t believe I am actually talking to you, I mean, this is so surreal.

  He sat there, thinking. He could only imagine how she looked right now.

  Well, believe it. You said you were at work, what do you do?

  I work in real estate Sienna replied.

  That must be very hectic and stressful at times he said.

  Yes, believe me it can be.

  Working in real estate, does that require a special uniform or dress code?

  Well, I have to wear business attire, so usually a skirt, a blouse and a jacket. I know sounds boring, right? She said.

  Actually, I think it sounds kind of sexy.

  He threw the phone down again and quickly stood up, taking a deep breath and running his hands through his hair.

  “Now she's going to think I'm a complete creep. Fuck! I can't believe I just did that.” He slammed his fist on the dresser beside his bed and looked at his phone, waiting. But there was nothing. Nothing at all.

  It had been some time and there was still no reply from Sienna. Convinced he had completely fucked things up, he began organizing himself for the concert. He put on a pair of jeans and a black Tee, and threw on his leather jacket. As he continued getting ready, the telephone in his room rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Mr. Dark, this is Connie at reception, just letting you know that your limousine has arrived.”

  “Thank you, I'll be right down,” he said, hanging up the phone.

  He finished getting ready and headed for the elevator. As it came to a stop at the lobby, Lukas put on a pair of glasses and his white hat with a black strip circling the center. He stepped out of the elevator where one of his bodyguards greeted him. Together, they walked through the lobby, there were a few stares in his direction from onlookers as he walked towards the black limousine that was waiting for him.

  He sat inside, removed his hat and poured himself a drink, the driver pulled out and headed towards their destination.

  Lukas stared out the window, his thoughts getting the better of him as he thought about the last message he had sent to Sienna.

  “Fucking, stupid,” he blurted out suddenly, getting the attention of his driver, who opened the window that was separating the two of them.

  “Excuse me, Sir?”

  “Nothing! Sorry, Joseph.”

  The driver closed the window and continued driving while Lukas continued to sit there drowning his sorrows.

  His phone beeped, altering him of a text message. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the screen; Sorry, I got busy with a client and had to step out. Sexy? I wouldn't exactly call it that, sounds rather dull, if you ask me. She ended her text with a smiley emoji, and Lukas's own smile brushed over his face once more, relieved that he hadn’t freaked her out.

  I can't imagine anything looking dull on you. You looked pretty when I met you.

  “Pretty? Seriously? Lukas, you fucking idiot!” He said aloud.

  Pretty? Oh, ok! Sienna replied.

  He thought about it for a moment, Beautiful, I meant to say that you looked beautiful he corrected as he sent his reply.

  Thank you. Sienna replied, with another emoji.

  The limousine came to a halt as the driver pulled up outside the PalaLottomatica

  I've just arrived at the venue and need to get ready for the show tonight. Maybe I can give you a call afterwards?

  Joseph opened the door, Lukas put on his hat and stepped outside. Sure! I'd like that, Sienna replied.

  Lukas smiled as he sent his reply; Well, I guess I'll speak to you later.

  Yes! Looking forward to it, she replied.

  Me too! He ended his text with a kiss emoji.

  As he walked into the building, his phone beeped again, Sienna replied with a heart and a kiss emoji. With a bright smile present, he put on his shades, and headed for the stage.

  ####FRIENDSHIP####

  It was almost four p.m. by the time Sienna got home. After a soothing shower she made herself some dinner before changing into her pajamas and settling in for the night. It was nearing eleven p.m. in Rome, which meant that Lukas would still be performing on stage.

  She sat there, eating her roast lamb and potatoes and suddenly thought about Jake. She hadn't heard from him since he and the band left to go on tour. Grabbing her phone, she sent him a text; I realize you're probably busy, but I was just sitting here thinking about you and wanted to see how the tour was going.

  She finished her meal and sat on the sofa. All she could do was think about Lukas, all the text messages and the limited conversation that they had, it must have meant something. Maybe he was genuinely interested in her. She smiled at the thought, and the prospect of them actually being together, swept through her mind. It had been her dream to meet Lukas, she had always thought and fantasized about him, but it was just an idol crush, she never imagined that one day they would actually be texting or calling each other. There was also one problem, Jesse! He was an amazing guy, an amazing fuck and Sienna did care for him. In the beginning, it was all just some casual fling and maybe there could have been a possible future with him, but since meeting Lukas, she wasn't so sure Jesse was the one for her anymore.

  Flicking through the channels and unable to decide what to watch, she stood up, frustrated. She needed to talk to someone, she grabbed her phone and called Ivy.

  “Hey, Hun! What's up?” Ivy answered.

  “Hey, are you busy?”

  “I'm out with Dick at the moment. Why?”

  “Oh! Sorry! Never mind, it's ok.”

  “No, what's wrong?” Ivy asked.

  “It's nothing. I'm sorry to have bothered you. Say hi to Dick for me.” Before Ivy had the chance to say anything else, Sienna hung up the phone.

  She checked her phone some time later and there were two messages, one from Jake and the other from Lukas. She opened Jake's message first; Hey! Sorry, just finished at the concert. It was amazing and the band and I had a really great time. We received some big news today. We are actually headed to Japan on Monday. We've got a gig as a support act for Dark Falkon, of all bands it has to be that one. I'm still excited, but Lukas Dark, really!

  Sienna smiled, she knew how much Jake disliked Lukas Dark but she was happy for him. He had worked so hard to get where he is, and to be the opening act for a band as big as Dark Falkon, was a huge success.

  Jake, congratulations, that's awesome news. You should be thrilled! To be a support act for a band as big as Dark Falkon is a huge deal. It could open so many doors for you and the band. Lukas is a great guy, give him a chance. I'm so proud of you, now you are going to have to get over that jealous streak you have for Lukas. I can’t believe you're supporting them.

  She then opened the text from Lukas; Hi Sienna, the band and I are out for some drinks, can I give you a call when I get back to my hotel, later? I hope it's not too late for you.

  Sienna looked at the time; It’s only 8:30p.m. I’ll be awake for a few hours yet, she replied, realizing that he must be confused with the time difference. She looked at her phone again and there was another text from Jake; Yeah! It is a big deal for us, the agent is pretty happy and he thinks it would be good exposure too. We are heading out for the night, so I’ll text you soon.

  As she wrote her reply, the front door opened and Ivy walked inside.

  “Ivy? What are you doing here?”

  “You can't just call me and ask me if I'm free, and say everything's ok, when clearly it's not and then just hang up with no explanation.”

  “But what about Richard?”

  “Wow! Something really is wrong, you’ve never referred to him as Richard before.”

  “Ivy, please, I’m fine, go back to Dick.”

  “Dick has been in my life for five minutes, you’ve been a part of my life for far longer than that. Now sit, I’ll make some coffee.”

  She walked over to the kit
chen and put the kettle on, Sienna sat on the sofa staring at her.

  “I feel like such a bitch,” Sienna said from the sofa.

  “Why?”

  “I’ve just ruined your date with Dick.”

  “No you haven’t, he’s fine. I told him that something must be up, he was actually the one that suggested I come over and see you.”

  She poured their coffees and sat down on the sofa next to Sienna.

  “Speak,” she said, sipping her coffee.

  “It’s Lukas.”

  “Lukas? Lukas Dark?”

  “Yep!”

  “What about him?”

  Sienna sighed and took another sip of her coffee, “Well, after you left the meet and greet, he and I kind of got a bit…close, for a lack of a better term.”

  “Close?” Ivy asked, confused.

  “Well, we continued talking, I had my photo with him and then it was time to leave. But before I left, he leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.”

  “So? He was probably just being friendly, he is a rock star, Sienna he does have to be professional.”

  “No, it’s not that. He kissed me and then I kind of acted on impulse and gave him my number.”

  “You had a fangirl moment, so what? I bet loads of chicks give him their phone number.”

  “Yeah, but how many of them actually get a text from him?”

  “I don’t know, I doubt anyone would.”

  Sienna sighed again and took another sip of her coffee.

  “Well, I did.”

  “Huh?” Ivy was confused once more.

  “We’ve been texting each other all afternoon, Ivy.”

  “What?”

  “Lukas! He’s been texting me all afternoon from Rome.”

  “Rome?”

  “Yeah! That’s where they are at the moment, on tour.”

  “Hang on a second, am I hearing you right? You're telling me that you’ve been receiving text messages from a guy who you’ve only met once, briefly, and he is claiming to be Lukas Dark?”

  “Yep! That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “Well, I call bullshit. Sienna, seriously, I thought you were more intelligent than that?”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means, how do you know that it’s really Lukas who you're speaking to?”

  “Oh! Don’t worry, that thought already crossed my mind. He told me about the leather jacket that I was wearing, he described it in detail, down to the embroidery on the left front. Ivy, we were in a venue full of thousands of people, there is no way that just anyone could have seen that jacket, much less the initials on it.”

  Ivy was silent, in some strange way, Sienna actually made sense.

  “Ok, so what have you been talking about?”

  “Not a lot, actually. He basically told me that my work uniform sounded sexy and that he was heading to Japan on Monday for the rest of the tour. He’s just finished the concert and now he and the band are out having drinks. Look!”

  She pulled out her phone and handed it to Ivy. She scrolled through the messages and then turned and looked at Sienna.

  “Oh my god!”

  “Still calling bullshit?”

  “I’m sorry, but you have to admit, it was pretty hard to believe.”

  “Yeah, I know. I couldn’t believe it myself when he first messaged me.”

  “So, what happens now?” Ivy asked.

  “I don’t know. He said he’ll call me when he gets back to the hotel.”

  “Just be careful, Sienna.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Ivy sighed, handing her back the phone and standing up, “I mean, he’s a rock star, Sienna. He’s in the spotlight, everywhere, every day, people are following him. Magazines, newspapers, television shows. This could very well just be a publicity stunt. I mean, the guy said on the Ellen show that he was single and looking for love. He didn’t mention how long he had been single for or why. It could be very likely that he’s…”

  “Wait! You're not suggesting that he could be…gay?” Sienna said.

  “If the shoe fits. And him chasing after you could very well be a cover up to protect his privacy and any unnecessary questions.”

  Sienna hadn’t thought about that, maybe he was gay. Maybe all this was just a publicity stunt. But the more she thought about it, the more it didn’t make sense.

  “But why me? I mean, you said it, he’s a rock star. I bet he’s had millions of female fans chasing after him, and maybe he just hasn’t met the right one. Is it really that hard to believe that he may actually be attracted to me?”

  “I didn’t say that. All I’m saying is, I don’t want you to get hurt, just promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll be careful.”

  “Yes, Mom!”

  “Sienna, I’m serious,” Ivy was desperate.

  “Okay! I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be careful.”

  Ivy walked back over to the sofa and sat down again, “good,” she said, hugging Sienna. “What about Jesse?”

  Sienna took another sip of her coffee and looked at Ivy.

  “Yeah, about that. That’s the other dilemma.”

  “Well, sooner or later you're going to have to tell him.”

  “I was planning on doing it tonight actually, but I don’t know what to tell him.”

  “Sienna, Hun, the two of you aren’t even technically dating. You're just fuck buddies so really, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to him. I mean, I know I felt all insecure with Dick about not having sex, I was afraid of losing him. Then when it finally happened, everything was perfect.”

  “Yeah but-Say what?” Sienna replied, flabbergasted.

  “Huh?”

  “Rewind. You and Dick?”

  Now she’d done it.

  “Oh! Yeah, we kind of had sex.”

  “Kind of?” Sienna asked.

  “Well, ok, so maybe we did it, finally.”

  “Oh my god! When?”

  “A few weeks ago, now.”

  “Babe, that’s fantastic. How was it?”

  “Um, that’s none of your business you sticky beak,” Ivy laughed.

  Sienna threw her arms around Ivy, hugging her.

  “Oh, babe, I’m so happy for you, and a little pissed that you didn’t tell me, actually.”

  “I’m sorry, but you’ve had your own problems to deal with.”

  The two of them smiled and finished their coffees. Lukas still hadn’t called Sienna, so she figured that he still must be out with the band.

  “So, what are you going to do about Jesse?”

  “Tell him the truth, I guess. Like you said, we were never dating to begin with, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.”

  “Good! Well, make sure you let me know how it all goes.” Ivy looked at her watch and stood up, “I better go, Dick’s waiting for me back at his place.” She walked over to the door, pulling it open.

  “Thanks for the talk,” Sienna said, hugging her again.

  “What are best friends for? Good luck.” She waved and shut the door behind her.

  Sienna picked up her phone and text Jesse, asking him to come over. She cleaned the left over dishes, which had piled up in the sink, while she waited. Her phone beeped alerting her of another message; just heading back to the hotel now, will call you when I get there x.

  She read Lukas’ message and slight panic swept over her, she hoped that he wouldn’t call while Jesse was there, making the matter much worse. Sienna had no idea how much time she had, then suddenly there was a knock on the door.

  Jumping to her feet she opened the door, greeting Jesse.

  “Hey!” he said, leaning in ready to kiss her.

  “Hi!” she replied, pulling away, as he walked through the door.

  “Is everything alright?” he asked.

  “Sit down, Jesse. Can I get you a drink?”

  “No, thanks!” he placed his helmet on the table in front of him, Sienna sat down next to him. He placed his finger on her
knee, slowly sliding it up to her thigh, Sienna grabbed his hand and pulled it away.

  “Jesse, please,” she said, sliding away from him.

  “What? What is it?” he asked.

  She hesitated for a while, her hands were trembling and she was getting extremely nervous knowing that Lukas could call at any minute.

  “Jesse! The reason I called you over here is because, there’s something that I need to tell you.” She paused and swallowed, hard. “I’m sorry, Jesse, but I can’t see you anymore.”

  His eyes widened, he stared at her; “What? Why? I thought we were great together.”

  “We are…were! It’s just…I’ve met someone else.”

  “Oh!” suddenly his face turned to disappointment.

  “I’m so sorry, Jesse. You're a great guy and all, but it’s just not going to work between us. Look, it has nothing to do with you, it’s all me. I want a guy that I can come home to, someone who can love and respect me for who I am. I’m not saying you can’t do any of those things, but I just think that we both want different things.”

  “I thought things were going smoothly between us. I thought we were happy just screwing around.”

  “In the beginning, I was, but now I’ve met this guy and he’s just different. I just can’t see myself having a future with you. I’m sorry, Jesse, but it’s over.”

  “Wait! Don’t I get a say in this?”

  “No! I’m sorry. I wanted to be upfront and honest with you, I didn’t want you finding out from someone else.”

  “Well, I can respect that. So, because I was happy for us to just be casual, I suppose that makes me the bad guy.”

  “No, Jesse. It just makes you the wrong guy.”

  There was a moment of silence before Jesse grabbed his helmet and stood up, making his way to the door.

  “Well, if it’s any conciliation, you're an amazing girl, and great in bed,” he brushed his finger down her cheek and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, Sienna. I hope this guy makes you happy.” He opened the door and stepped outside.

  “Hey, Jesse?”

  “Yeah?” he replied, turning around to look at her.

  “Good luck, huh?”

  “You bet! Thanks. You too.”

  Sienna watched as he revved his Harley Davidson. Strapping on his helmet, he looked at her, and with one final smile, he rode off.