Star Crossed Collection

by Campbell, Jamie

  His assurances worked a little but the boys still wanted to do something. Ignoring a challenge wasn’t something they would have done before they were the mega sensation they were now. Every one of their actions was analyzed by the public, they couldn’t be rash anymore.

  For once, I actually agreed with their manager.

  Which was a miracle, really.

  The band wrapped up their meeting and went downstairs to meet the waiting car. We all piled in to the soundtrack of fans screaming at the edges of the road. Someone had tipped them off about the boys’ whereabouts.

  Dozens of cellphones were held up and facing the car as we edged out. I was sitting in the middle seat, between Reed and Cole. At least there was only a slight chance I would be in any of the pictures taken.

  I shouldn’t have still been surprised at how much attention they received, but I was. Fans followed them everywhere, seemingly able to tell where they were or where they were going to be easily. I got the feeling these stalker-fans knew what Cole was up to more than I did.

  We arrived at the recording studio after weaving through morning traffic. The producer was waiting for them in the studio, fiddling with some of the millions of buttons on the console.

  Around his head were hot pink headphones.

  “Gentlemen, lady,” he said while standing and performing an exaggerated bow. “So glad you could make it. Are we all ready to make some music?”

  “As ready as we’ll ever be,” Cole replied. He squeezed my hand, just letting me know he was there and thinking of me. Even though we were in a crowded room, I felt the strong connection that we shared between us.

  The boys filed in and put their headphones on. Hipster Beard pressed yet more buttons and they got to work. I sat in a plush lounge chair and watched.

  Or, more accurately, I listened.

  Song after song, Two Dimension sang in front of me, recording their lyrics for the whole world to hear. When I was a fan of the band – before I met Cole – I used to have a ritual to listen to their latest album. I would buy it on release day and then lock myself in my bedroom. I would then play the album while I sat on the floor and closed my eyes. I didn’t just hear the music, I breathed it.

  The melody would wrap around me like a cloak on a misty night. The lyrics would touch my heart, speaking all the secrets of everything I felt. I became part of the music and the music became part of me.

  I’d never told anyone that, of course.

  I wouldn’t want people to think I was crazy, and they probably wouldn’t understand what I meant anyway.

  While I sat in the recording studio listening to the boys sing their newest songs, I closed my eyes and let myself have that release-day moment.

  When I inhaled, the melody filled my lungs.

  When I exhaled, all the badness inside was pushed out so I had more room for the music.

  The lyrics tattooed themselves across my skin, soaking in until they floated through my bloodstream and became my lifeline.

  The ritual might not have been conducted in my bedroom at home, and I certainly wasn’t alone, but it was definitely as soul-inspiring as ever. It was as if the boys were singing just for me because I understood and felt every one of their lyrics.

  I tuned out all the instructions from the producer. All his ‘great, let’s repeat it, boys’ didn’t reach my ears. All I saw was Cole and all I heard were the beautiful melodies.

  Time passed so quickly I could barely keep a hold on it. Lunch was delivered and eaten. Breaks were permitted. They discussed doing some songs differently, they sung them repeatedly, and they kept going until all were satisfied with the final product.

  I was in seventh heaven.

  When Cole leaned over during lunch and promised me yet another surprise later, I could barely think about what it could be. I was certain life didn’t get any better.

  But then night time fell.

  And it was time for the surprise he promised.

  Chapter Six

  “I’m not sure about this,” I said, holding the microphone. It didn’t feel right in my hands, I wasn’t the singing sensation and part of the world’s biggest boy band.

  “Come on, it’ll be fun,” Cole urged. His eyes were sparkling in the way they did when he was excited. I’m glad he was having fun because I was so nervous I was practically shaking in my shoes.

  “I’ll be horrible.”

  “No, you’ll be great. I know you’ll enjoy it when you’re up there. I promise it will be fine.”

  He wasn’t the one about to step on stage and sing karaoke for the first time ever. I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t have people looking at me while I sang, my job was to stand backstage and wait for him.

  The lights came up on the stage while the people gathered in front of me clapped for the last performer. He left the stage with a huge smile on his face, clearly he didn’t suffer from stage fright.

  “Break a leg,” Cole whispered before giving me a gentle nudge forward.

  Before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of the stage with a microphone in my hand and a sheen of sweat on my brow. Everyone in the place was staring at me, challenging me to entertain them, and waiting to see me fail.

  Weren’t you supposed to imagine people in their underwear in this kind of situation? If I did that, the only thing that changed was a look of concentration on my face. It didn’t help with the stage fright at all.

  Why had I let Cole talk me into this?

  He was the singer, not me. Every inch of my body felt like running off stage. If I wasn’t frozen in place, I definitely would have. I didn’t know these people, I didn’t have to sing for them.

  Yet, the music started anyway.

  A different kind of fear took over now. The fear of disappointing everyone by mucking up what I was supposed to do. The audience wanted to hear someone sing and apparently I was that person right now.

  The words flashed up on the screen and something else took over. My mouth opened and lyrics came out of it. My eyes were glued to the screen so I didn’t have to see everyone watching me. I kept up with the song, holding the microphone steady in my sweaty hands.

  The song was “Love You Like a Love Song” by Selena Gomez. About halfway through, I relaxed because I realized the audience were actually enjoying it. Some were clapping along, others were even dancing. They weren’t booing me or getting ready to leave because my voice was so horrendous.

  I stood a little straighter and sung a little harder. I was so confident of the song lyrics that my eyes strayed from the screen and found Cole in the mass of people. He gave me a thumbs up, the world’s biggest smile on his face. He had pushed me to do this and I was so glad he did.

  It was clear why Cole and the boys enjoyed performing so much. There was an exchange of energy between me and the crowd, everyone fueling one another until we felt invincible. Everything felt possible in those few minutes.

  I wasn’t just Melrose Morgan, I was Melrose the performer, another personality that had been hiding deep inside me.

  The song ended before I was ready to finish the experience. I enjoyed it so much that I would have continued forever if there wasn’t a line of people waiting to have their turn.

  Cole was waiting for me at the edge of the stage, the tables completely turned for a few moments. He pulled me directly into his arms and squeezed me tight. “You were so awesome!”

  I pulled away so I could see his face, to make sure he wasn’t lying. “You really think so?”

  “Mel, you couldn’t have done better if you were a professional. Everybody loved it.”

  His eyes were sparkling even under the mood lighting. He was telling the truth, or the truth that he believed, anyway. There was just one more question to ask. “Can I do it again?”

  We put our names on the bottom of the list and waited for our turn. This time I wasn’t going on the stage alone, Cole was coming with me so we could sing a duet. With him by my side, I knew I wouldn’t suffer from the paralyzing stage f
right again.

  An hour went by before it was our turn. When we stepped onto the stage together, the audience roared with cheering and applause. They all recognized Cole, they definitely weren’t that happy to see me back again.

  We chose “Everything Has Changed” by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran for our duet. It was the only song I could think of that was made in the last ten years. All the other duets seemed to be really old. Sonny and Cher, who on earth were they?

  There were no nerves this time. Cole sang to me and I sang to him. Everyone else in the room were just witnesses. I felt the music and my voice flowed freely. It felt completely right being there in that moment with the boy I loved.

  Once again, it was over before I knew it.

  Everyone went wild with their applause as we took a bow before leaving the stage. It was impossible for Cole to be anonymous after our performance. Everyone jostled each other to get close to him for a selfie or an autograph. He was being good about it, but this was our alone time and we needed to be an ordinary couple.

  We left the club via an emergency exit and stepped out into the warm night air. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, all the stars above us were free to sparkle and shine on us. I was buzzing with sheer joy and happiness. The night with Cole had been spectacularly beautiful and I didn’t want it to end.

  “Do you feel like going for a walk?” Cole asked. He must have been reading my mind. Either that or he didn’t want the night to end yet either.

  “A walk sounds perfect.”

  The streets were largely deserted, both from cars and pedestrians. We walked aimlessly with no real sense of direction or purpose. It wasn’t until I heard the rush of the ocean waves that I realized we’d walked all the way to the beach.

  Cole’s hand felt warm in mine as our footsteps sunk into the sand. The moon was huge as it hung in the sky. It was full and bright, casting a shadow on the ocean and rippling with the movement of the waves.

  We sat on the sand and laid back until our gaze went skyward. My head was on Cole’s shoulder, his arms around me. It felt like the perfect end to a perfect day. And none of it had anything to do with Cole’s fame or fortune. It was him that brought magic to everything we did and I felt myself falling further and further in love with him.

  “This is nice,” I murmured.

  Cole kissed my forehead. “Any moment is nice with you. I love you, Mel. Never forget that, okay?”

  “I could never forget,” I replied. “I love you, too.”

  In his arms, at the beach, it felt like being in the safest place on Earth. I never wanted it to end, the moment needed to stretch into infinity so I could always feel this way.

  We watched the stars twinkle above and it felt like they were sparkling just for us. It was a show they were putting on for just two audience members.

  In these quiet moments, it was when I truly felt connected to Cole. We breathed together, our hearts beat as one, and there was nothing in the world that mattered. I was completely and hopelessly in love and I couldn’t do anything about it.

  Even if I wanted to.

  When I thought ahead to my future, all I could see was Cole. As long as I had him, everything else would fall into place. I’d go to the college of my choosing, I would get my dream job, and my family would be okay. I could imagine getting married to Cole one day, having babies after we’d travelled the world together.

  My future was all there, in that one moment, because I had Cole and nothing could tear us apart.

  At least I hoped not.

  Chapter Seven

  “Mel, wake up.”

  Someone was shaking me and I did not appreciate being woken up. My eyes blinked open and I had to rub them before I trusted what I was seeing.

  Cole was leaning over me. “We fell asleep and now we’re really, really late.”

  “What time is it?” I mumbled. I sat up with Cole’s help and realized we were still on the beach. The sun was perched in the sky, halfway up for the day. I had sand in my clothes and my skin felt gritty.

  “It’s almost nine.”

  That was not good.

  I quickly finished waking up and stood, Cole doing the same. “How did we fall asleep?”

  He shook his head as we ran for the road. “I don’t know. The last thing I remember is hugging you and then closing my eyes for a moment. We’re going to have to go straight to the airport.”

  “But my clothes…”

  “I’ll get the hotel to ship them to you,” Cole said. I trusted that he would take care of my belongings for me. He had people to help him with everything. One request given and my clothes would end up at my house in perfect condition. They’d probably even wash them for me.

  “I hope the plane doesn’t leave without me.” Otherwise it would take a whole lot longer to get home. I couldn’t miss any more days of school, not without my dad grounding me for the rest of my life. He only ever agreed to let me visit Cole as long as nothing else in my life suffered.

  Cole hailed a taxi and we rushed for the airport. Private jets couldn’t just do whatever they liked and take off when they felt like it. We had an allocated slot to use the runway and would have to wait forever for another opening if we missed it.

  Morning traffic was terrible in the city. I felt every minute pass by as if it was an hour. Cole’s cellphone kept chiming with more messages His brow furrowed with each one that came in. “Everyone wants to know where we are.”

  “How angry is Scott?” I asked.

  “You know how he hates everything that is out of his control. He’s about a twelve on a scale of one to ten.” That seemed about right. The band’s manager seemed to simmer at about eight most of the time. “I’ve told him I’ll be back to the studio as soon as I drop you off at the airport.”

  “You don’t have to come with me.” I felt bad for getting him into trouble with the others. Not that it was anyone’s fault we fell asleep, but we should have woken up earlier and I should have left for the airport on my own.

  “Don’t be silly,” Cole said, with a smile to back it up. “Of course I’m going with you. I don’t want to miss even a second of being with you. Everyone else can just wait and be patient.”

  He always knew what to say to make my stomach flutter. Even though there was only a teeny, tiny slim chance that I was going to make the flight, I relaxed. In the grand scheme of things, this wasn’t a major deal. So I’d be late home, so I’d probably miss a day of school, would it really matter?

  When we finally arrived at the airport, the pilot and flight attendant were in a panic. They rushed me onto the plane, tearing me from Cole before I could say goodbye. A rushed wave was all they allowed me.

  Two minutes later, we were taxying down the runway and flying away from the boy I loved.

  I missed the goodbye hug and kiss. Cole would always whisper sweet words in my ear and make me giggle before we parted ways. All I got this time was an air-blown kiss. It would have to do me until I saw him again.

  Whenever that would be.

  I closed my eyes and tried to distract myself by thinking of the things I had to do once home again. School was at the top of my list, but I would also have to decide what I was going to do about my mother. She wanted to be part of my life now and I would have to let her be, otherwise she would try to get to Jemma.

  Protecting my little sister was paramount. She wouldn’t have to suffer the same loss as I had when our mother left. I wouldn’t allow her to go through that. It almost killed me and it would shatter her.

  We touched down and a car was waiting for me to take me to school. My clothes were a bit too good for school but they would have to do. Hopefully nobody would notice that I hadn’t had a shower and probably still had sand stubbornly clinging to me.

  All the books I needed were in my locker, thankfully. I didn’t have to go home first. The driver dropped me off and I hurried in just as the first bell rang.

  I’d done it.

  My father would never have to know h
ow close I came to breaking our agreement. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice that my belongings were missing before they could be delivered. Hopefully he wouldn’t be at home when the FedEx guy arrived.

  I was walking a tightrope and not going to fall, this time.

  It was always difficult returning to normal life after visiting Cole. His world was so different to mind, so chaotic. He was always due to be somewhere or do something. He had people to tell him where he needed to go.

  All I had was a bunch of teachers that were bored with giving the same classes again for another year. They didn’t care who my boyfriend was, they just needed to teach and mark papers. Plus bury us with homework, of course.

  Lunchtime came around too slowly but at least I got to see Dallas. “Tell me all the details,” she said by way of greeting in the cafeteria. We were sitting at a table in the corner, trying to make sure we weren’t overheard by someone who would put the whole thing online.

  I gave her the rundown while she gasped and nodded at all the appropriate places. It would have been nice sharing these experiences with Dallas, she was my best friend, but the boys didn’t like having too many people hang out with them. The more people, the more chances their privacy would be abolished.

  “What does your dress look like?” she asked.

  “Long and cute, I guess.”

  “You don’t sound too excited. If I was wearing a Simone LePark original, I would die. And she picked it out just for you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And she’s giving it to you?” I nodded and Dallas’s eyes grew even bigger than they normally were. She was a pageant girl, she was used to wearing beautiful dresses, but they were never designer. “That’s what dreams are made of, Mel.”

  “I know. I’m really lucky.”

  We were interrupted as a girl stood next to our table and stared at me. She was a first year, much smaller than her age denoted. “Can I help you?” I asked.