In The Spotlight: A Rockstar Romance

by J. L. Ostle

  A car follows behind us, holding Jensen’s bodyguards; that’s something I still need to get used to. I look out the window watching the world fly by, the whole time my hand held firmly in Jensen’s. My eyes go wide when I see a movie theatre and I beam at him. When we walk in, it’s completely empty apart from a couple of people who are in uniform.

  “Welcome, Mr. Ryder, is there anything else we can do for you?” a man in his late fifties asks.

  “No thank you.” Jensen captures my hand again and guides me to one of the rooms which is also entirely empty. How did he do this? “Lake told me you loved movies so I booked the place out so we would have some peace and quiet. I’m sure you can imagine how crazy it could get if people saw I was here. Plus, it’s a bonus of being a famous rock star,” he answers my thoughts with a wink.

  We take a seat in the middle and a person comes with two huge boxes of popcorn, two large drinks and basically every bag of sweets you can think of. I put the popcorn between my legs and wait for the movie to start. I’m surprised when I see the title and it’s Calamity Jane, a musical.

  “We’re actually watching a musical?” I look at him, shocked.

  “Lake said you loved musicals and I thought you would like this one.” I smile at him and press a kiss to his cheek.

  When the movie starts, I watch intensely, not wanting to miss a single bit. The way Calamity sings, her voice is so beautiful, and I love the story line. The songs are fun and catchy and this is definitely something I want to see again. Jensen never complains once and half way through, he held my hand again, entwining his fingers with mine.

  I’ve never felt so moved or touched by a movie. I’m glad they got their happily ever after. We walk back to the car and I quickly throw my arms around him, knowing he did all this for me. Watching a movie, I know most guys would hate.

  “Thank you so much for this, it was amazing.” I go on my tip toes and kiss his lips gently.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I was anxious about the movie choice, in case you didn’t like it, but I watched you watching the film and it was like you’ve never seen a movie on the big screen before.” I look at the ground, unsure what to say and he lifts my chin looking at me like he thinks he said something wrong. “Have I upset you?” I shake my head.

  “I’ve never actually seen a movie on a big screen,” I say, embarrassed.

  “I’m glad I could change that. It’s a memory I will always cherish,” is all he says before kissing my knuckles and taking me back to the car. I thought we were going back to the bus but we take a detour to McDonalds and I laugh when we wait in the drive through.

  “I can’t believe you’re taking me to McDonalds for lunch.” I laugh but I can’t wait to eat a Big Mac. We eat in the car, laughing and talking about anything as the car just drives us anywhere and everywhere.

  We park up at a beach and we take off our shoes so we can walk on the sand barefoot; I love feeling the sand between my toes. We walk to the ocean and along the shore, talking about him and the gigs he has played at, life on the road when they first started.

  It’s been a perfect day. When we start to walk back, I see a blanket on the sand with a picnic basket. I gasp when I notice it. How did he plan this? Being a famous rock star clearly has some advantages. I sit down and watch Jensen take out some fruit, bread, cheese, chocolate and a couple of bottles of water.

  I pick at the food as I watch people around us; children building sandcastles, people playing fetch with their dogs. Watching people doing normal things. Jensen stands up and sits behind me, so that I’m now sitting in-between his legs. I rest my head on his chest as we watch the sun start to set. Seeing the different colors in the sky is so mesmerizing. I’ve never been on a date before, but this has been so romantic and thoughtful and after yesterday, we needed this.

  “I loved being near the ocean when I was a kid,” Jensen says, and I don’t respond, just let him open up to me. “I used to build forts and fly my kite, back before life got hard; before pressure got put on me.” I entwine my fingers with his and he tightens our joined hands.

  “I know what pressure is like, I was brought up to be the perfect daughter, the perfect girl but the thing about perfect, is that it doesn’t exist.” I feel the wind against my face.

  “You’re perfect to me. I’m happy how you turned out; you are special and definitely one of a kind.” I chuckle at him.

  “At least I’m special.” I elbow his stomach.

  “You are,” he whispers in my ear and kisses the side of my head.

  “Thank you for today, it has been beyond words.” I turn my head and he leans down and kisses my lips.

  “I’m glad. I wanted to make it… special.” I chuckle.

  “It was.” I won’t forget this day.

  We stay there till the sun fully sets and when it starts to get cold, Jensen helps me up and folds the blanket. He picks up the basket and we walk back to the car, our hands still joined. I lay my head on his shoulder and soon, sleep takes over. The next thing I know, I’m being lifted. I open my eyes to see we are back at the buses and I’m sad that the day has already ended.

  “I didn’t want today to end,” I groggily say.

  “Neither did I, but we will have more days like this.” I snuggle back into his chest as we walk on to his bus. He helps me take off my dress and put on one of his shirts before helping me into his bed without it being sexual. The whole day he has been the perfect gentlemen. We talk about the day; out favorite parts of the movie and about the ocean. I fall asleep again feeling content, happy.

  The next day we are rehearsing when I hear my name being called and my blood runs cold. I turn to see Sherry staggering towards the stage. I look to Dominic who rushes to my side; Jensen was supposed to be here but he and his band are doing an interview for Rolling Stone right now. I’m glad he isn’t going to witness this.

  “Look at you, Sky. I guess fame really does change you. You looked like a nun last time I saw you, now look at you.” She swipes her hand up and down my body. “I guess fucking with a lead singer of a famous rock band changes things,” she laughs. I look at her appearance, seeing dark circles under her eyes. Her skin looks paler but not in a healthy way.

  “What are you doing here Sherry?” Leon walks to my other side.

  “I came to see my once-upon-a-time family. We grew up together and you kicked me to the curb without a backward glance. Thanks for checking up on me, doing great as you can see.” She sniffs and wipes her nose.

  “We don’t have time for this; you made your bed after you attacked Sky, you changed and that’s not our fault. Just leave, okay? We don’t want to cause a scene.” Dominic says.

  “A scene? Don’t you fucking worry about making a scene. That’s why I’m here; I need some cash and I know you guys are doing very well. I need a few thousand to cover some expenses.” She sniffs again. I see that her eyes look a little too wide.

  “Why the hell would we give you our money?” Chris chuckles.

  “Because if you don’t, I’ll go to the papers, magazines, anyone who will hear my story. You’ve mentioned that there was another lead singer, so maybe they’ll want to hear some stories from behind the scenes. I can tell them all about how you and I fucked, Chris. Or about how I fucked the lead guitarist three days before the choir girl showed up on your door step.” My body tenses up, hearing her say that she slept with Dominic a few days before I arrived.

  “Why are you doing this? You really want to hurt us that much?” Leon shakes his head in disbelief.

  “You all fucked me over, so yeah, I would. I’ll answer every dirty question they can think of, so it’s up to you.” I look at Dominic and he is grinding his teeth.

  “Fine, I’ll give you the fucking money.” He spits out.

  “Dom, you know she’ll just come back for more,” Chris whispers in his ear but I hear it. I look at Sherry, remembering her looking flawless and confident and seeing her now, her body looks like she’s shaking.

&n
bsp; “I just printed this out. I heard what she said and made this up.” Lake walks towards us with a piece of paper. “It’s a contract, we give her the money and if she tells anyone anything about us, we will sue her ass and whoever she tells the story to will have no choice but not publish whatever rubbish she spews out.” Lake walks towards Sherry with a look of disgust. “Sign this.” I watch Sherry’s hand shake as she signs her name. Lake gives her a check and Sherry accidently drops it. When she bends down to pick it up, I see a small plastic bag with white powder in her pocket.

  Is that drugs?

  “Fuck, Sherry, you’re doing drugs?” Dominic looks at her with pity. “We promised we would never touch that shit.” He says with sadness in his eyes.

  “Well, sometimes people forget the promises they made to one another. Have a nice life guys, thanks for bailing me out.” Her voice shakes and, in that moment, I do feel bad for her.

  “Don’t leave like this.” Dominic takes a few steps forward.

  “Goodbye Dominic.” She gives him a small smile and leaves. I wrap my arms around my middle, hating what she has done to her life and I hate how I feel somehow responsible.

  Since our date, Jensen and I have been inseparable. I sleep over on his bus and all we do is kiss, cuddle or just talk; not once has he pushed for anything more. He watches as I rehearse and vice versa. It’s rare to see one of us without the other close by. It’s been two weeks since we started the tour and we are starting to get a larger fan base. Lake said we have over thirty thousand likes on our Facebook page.

  I woke up in Detroit next to Jensen and wanted to surprise him with breakfast in bed. I saw a café not far away when we were driving up and decided to get something to eat and drink for when he wakes. I write him a quick note letting him know I would be back in case he wakes up and worries that I’m gone.

  I put on my jeans and his black t-shirt, tying my hair up in a high ponytail. My hair has gotten longer, now reaching my waist, but I like it. I walk off the bus and everyone is still sleeping. I start walking down a path until I see the sign ‘Bev’s Café’ and walk inside, ordering some bagels, croissants, and coffees. The lady behind the counter is super nice and I leave with a pep in my step but it quickly fades when I hear a few girls scream nearby.

  I’m suddenly surrounded by a group of girls, screaming and shouting at me, some taking pictures. I try and walk past them but they’re blocking my path and won’t move. They shout questions at me; asking if I’m from the band Risen Knights, am I with the lead singer Jensen, am I leading Dominic along. It’s so much that I start to feel claustrophobic and am having difficulty breathing properly.

  “Can you please let me through?” I try and squeeze by but it’s like they can’t hear me. I feel my hair being pulled and my shirt is grabbed.

  “You don’t deserve Jensen. You’re using him,” One of the girls say. She’s behind me and I can’t see her face.

  “Let her go!” another girl shouts and I’m being pulled back and forth. I fall to the ground, tears streaming down my face, and the girls are basically on top of me. I’m trapped.

  “What’s it like being with Jensen?”

  “Are you sleeping with Dominic too?”

  “Are you wearing his shirt?”

  “Can we meet him?”

  Questions are being thrown at me right, left and center and none of them care that I am on the ground, sobbing, trying to stand up. I feel my shirt rip and it’s like I’m in another nightmare but I can’t wake up from this one. I tuck myself into a ball and pray someone will save me. All of a sudden there are arms under me and I’m being lifted from the ground.

  “It’s Dominic!”

  “Dominic, are you in love with Sky?”

  “Are you jealous she’s with Jensen?”

  “Marry me Dominic!”

  I tuck my head into Dominic’s chest as we walk through the crowd and I see a few body guards trying to get the crazy fans away. I have one arm around Dominic’s neck as I fist his shirt in my other, crying into him.

  “I got you. You’re safe,” Dominic tries to soothe me but I can’t stop the tears. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves!” Dominic shouts out.

  I am back on my bus and being taken down to my room. The door opens with a bang as Dominic places me down. I feel him sit me up and take my shredded top off and then place another over my head before he tucks me under some covers and holds me.

  “Where’s Sky?” I hear Lake somewhere on the bus and she comes into the room, running to my side to hug me as soon as she sees me. “What did those bitches do?” she whispers.

  “I wanted to surprise him with breakfast and the next thing I knew; I was being trapped by a group of girls. They were all talking at once; they wouldn’t listen to me when I told them to let me go. Someone grabbed my hair, pulled at my shirt. It was horrible,” I sob into my sister and she strokes my hair.

  “Fuck. You’re okay now. Shhh, you’re safe,” she says over and over again, rocking me back and forth.

  After some time, my tears have finally stopped but I want to stay in my sister’s arms. Dominic is still next to me, watching over me. I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for him.

  “Thank you, Dominic,” I say, but my voice comes out hoarse.

  “I’m always here for you, you know that.” I feel the bed dip and his hand palms my head and brings me into his chest. “I just wish I had gotten there sooner,” he whispers to me.

  “How did you know she was there?” Lake asks him and I feel his body tense up.

  “I was on my laptop when my Google alert beeped; someone was recording what was happening. I saw Sky getting hurt and I ran out there, taking some guys with me. This world sometimes makes me sick. Recording someone getting attacked and doing nothing about it?” I feel him shake his head.

  “Thank you, for getting her,” Lake says tenderly.

  “I told you, I would never want to see her get hurt.”

  “I know.” I feel something in the air change and I’m about to say something when my bedroom door bangs open again and I see Jensen standing there, looking anxious. When his eyes land on me, he runs to my side and lifts me into his lap.

  “You shouldn’t have left; you should have told me what you were planning.” Jensen rocks me.

  “I wanted to surprise you with breakfast.” A few tears slide down my face, he cups my cheeks and wipes away the tears with his thumb.

  “You’re so sweet, but so stupid for what you did. You are a rock star now; you can’t go somewhere without having security with you from now on, okay?” I nod and he pulls me back in, holding me before lifting me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. “I’m taking her back to my room, thank you for looking after her.”

  “You going to be okay, Sky?” Lake walks to me and holds my hand that is around Jensen’s neck.

  “I will be, thank you.” I smile at her.

  “Just be careful okay? I don’t want to go to jail for kicking some crazy woman’s ass.” I chuckle and nod my head. We are near my door when I quickly turn my head around and see Dominic watching me.

  “Thank you, Dominic, for saving me.”

  “Anytime.” I feel Jensen’s body stiffen but then relax when he walks me off the bus, towards his.

  “If she goes anywhere, make sure someone goes with her,” he barks out orders to someone. I’m taken to his room and he lays me down, spooning me, and holds my hand. I don’t know if it was the whole ordeal, or what, but I’m suddenly very tired and worn out. I’m about to fall asleep when I remember the breakfast I got must have fallen to the ground at some point.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get you breakfast,” I groggily get out.

  “Don’t be stupid, I’m just glad you’re okay.” He glides his fingers up and down my arm and, not long after, I fall into a deep sleep.

  I wake up not sure what the time is and see that I’m alone in the room. I lift my head and it feels like it weighs like a ton of bricks. I need some painkill
ers; my body is aching all over. I’m still dressed so I walk to the door and start to open it but stop when I hear Jensen talking about me.

  “I can’t not be with her. I really like her, okay?” he seethes out to whoever he is talking to.

  “I get that you like her but, come on, she isn’t part of this world yet. She needs to get used to being in the spotlight, not get thrown in the deep end because you see her as some sort of challenge,” I hear Lloyd’s voice.

  “I don’t see her as a challenge. I like being around her, I like seeing me through her eyes.”

  “That’s very nice to hear but you aren’t that guy Jensen. You’re going to end up hurting her at some point, I know you man. Just end things now, before anything else happens. Look at today for example, she needs time to get use to this life. We had the chance to gradually get here, she’s being forced. Do the right thing,” Lloyd sighs.

  “I’m not letting her go,” Jensen whispers shouts at him.

  “Do what you want but remember, we’re meeting up with Trigger tonight. Do you really think Sky will be okay being around that scene?”

  “Fuck. I’ll just tell her to hang out with her friends tonight.”

  “So you’re going to tell the girl who got attacked to go back to her bus even though she’s been living with you for two whole weeks? Good plan,” Lloyd says sarcastically. Who is Trigger? What’s happening tonight?

  “What do you want me to do?” Jensen says dejectedly.

  “Do what you want but, Sky is a good girl, she doesn’t need to see this shit.”

  “That’s why I’m going to make her stay on her bus. She’ll understand and plus, she’ll get to hang with her sister. It will be fine.”

  “If you say so.” I walk back in the room and lay back down on the bed, wondering why Jensen is getting all wound up about tonight. I hear the door open and Jensen lies next to me, kissing my neck and falling asleep while I stay awake with several different scenarios running through my head.