by DeSalvo, Kim
“And you,” Dylan said, slinging his arm over her shoulder and kissing the top of her head, “were nothing short of spectacular. You know, I think we sound pretty damn good together, you and me,” he said with a smile.
“I completely agree,” Lexi chimed in. “I’ve obviously heard her sing before, but I still couldn’t believe it was her on that stage! The audience loved it, too.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not giving up my day job just yet,” Tia laughed. “But this certainly goes down as one of the best nights of my life!”
“Mine too,” Lexi added. “Even though I can’t tell a soul about it.”
A shadow crossed Dylan’s face. “What do you mean?” he asked.
Lexi held up two fingers in the Girl Scout salute. “I am sworn to secrecy when it comes to who Tia is dating,” she said. Dylan looked over at Tia with a question in his eyes.
“It’s just easier that way,” she said. “First, it isn’t her story to tell…” she stuck her tongue out at Lexi and she responded in turn. “Second, I only knew you a few days when I left, and I only had a couple weeks to get everything together to come here. I didn’t have time for the extra attention I’d get if people knew I was coming here to see you, and it’s not the kind of news you send in an email…”
“That was actually a good idea,” Dylan agreed, although he was amazed again that she’d keep him a secret. Most women wanted the notoriety of dating a celebrity, but she was too down to earth to see it as an advantage. It was actually more of a disadvantage to her—he knew that, but he was surprised to see that she realized it too. “I just hope there weren’t paparazzi in the audience snapping your picture while you were on stage. You could be all over the British tabloids tomorrow morning.”
“I didn’t see any big cameras,” Tia said, “but I did happen to see our little friend Miss Valentine in the audience tonight.”
Dylan frowned. “I’d heard she was in Europe,” he said, “but I didn’t know she was here. At least she had the sense not to try and get back stage again. Now that she knows you’re here, hopefully she’ll keep her distance.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t like me very much,” Tia agreed, “and that suits me just fine.”
Bo walked in then, always the last to leave the stage, and handed Tia two drum sticks. “I kept the real ones for you, sweetheart. A little memento of your InHap debut.” He smiled, and she hugged him. “You were spectacular, by the way. You did us proud.”
“Thank you very much,” Tia said in her best imitation of Dylan, which wasn’t very good. “I am humbled and honored to share the stage with such a fine bunch of gentlemen,” she added with a flourish and a bow.
“Well now, I wouldn’t go that far,” Bo added with a grin. “But you can sing for me anytime.”
Tia and Lexi sat in the common room while the boys flirted with fans who waited patiently outside the stadium for a glimpse of their idols. Jessa finally joined them, and after introductions and more gushing about Tia’s stage debut, the girls popped the tops off a few Stellas and toasted each other.
“Seriously,” Lexi said. “You said that things were pretty intense between you and Dylan, but seeing you on stage together—I thought I was going to melt from all the heat!”
Tia just laughed, but Jessa leaned in toward Lexi and whispered, “They’re like that all the time—you can just feel it whenever they’re in the same room together. And when they aren’t together, Dylan is always worried about what she’s doing and who she’s with. I say it’s love.”
Lexi shook all over as she took it in. “I knew it!” she exclaimed. “I just knew she was holding something back! Whenever we talk it’s all like, ‘we’re getting closer, I really like him,’ but it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
“I think so,” Jessa said. “I’ve known Dylan for over a year now, and I’ve seen the way he was with other girls. It’s totally different with Tia.”
“So it’s him too, and not just her?” Lexi asked.
“Uh, hello?” Tia chimed in. “I’m still here, remember? Could the two of you refrain from making decisions about my love life until I’m at least out of the room?”
“Ah hah!” Lexi burst. “You just said ‘love life.’ You are in love with him, aren’t you?”
Tia took a deep breath and let it out slowly, bowing her head in resignation. “Yeah, I just can’t help myself.” Lexi and Jessa high fived each other over the table, but Tia was quick to scold them both. “Not a word from either of you—got it?” Lexi and Jessa shared knowing smiles. “Listen, girls. If he’s going to hear it from anyone it’s going to be me, and I’ll never forgive either of you if you say a word to anyone. I have no idea if that’s what he’s feeling, despite Jessa’s insightful guessing. We only have a few more weeks before he goes away to make that damn movie, and I have no clue what’s going to happen then. He could forget all about me once he’s wrapped up in the Hollywood scene again.”
Lexi leaned across the table, resting her chin on her fist and turning to Jessa. “What do you think, Jessa? Is he going to forget all about my friend here and just go on as if they never shared anything?”
“No way,” Jessa agreed. “There’s something between the two of them. Something that isn’t going to just go away.”
“You see?” Lexi turned to Tia. “Don’t give up before you give him a chance. You aren’t the only one with a say in this, am I right?” she said, turning again to Jessa.
“Oh, I think he’ll have a lot to say about it,” Jessa replied, and Tia chewed that over in her mind until they were interrupted by the return of Ty and Bo.
“Who has a lot to say about what?” Bo asked, pulling Lexi up into a hug. “I do hope you’re talking about what you and I are going to be up to later, beautiful,” he waggled his eyebrows at her obnoxiously.
“Well yeah, of course,” Lexi teased, “how could we be talking about anything else?”
It was a public evening, out and about at London’s hottest clubs. This was part of the job, Tia knew, but she felt a tugging at her heart every time a female fan wanted to get a picture with Dylan or wanted him to autograph a part of her body that Tia had no desire to see. They flirted with him unabashedly, pressing themselves against him and whispering what she could only assume were suggestive comments into his ear. He turned to look at her often, pointing to her and then himself and then interlocking his index fingers to indicate that they were connected. It helped ease her some, but it still gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach when she realized, not for the first time, that he could have any of these women any time he wanted. Even though Jessa had said that she thought Dylan’s feelings for her were beyond a little fling, she felt that damn pang of jealousy again. She held her ground, though, and tried to focus on all the good points of the evening—her singing on stage, her best friend by her side getting along famously with her new friend; and she forced herself not to interfere with his work.
She and the girls sat off to themselves when they first arrived at each place, sipping British beers and laughing amongst themselves while the boys did their thing. They made a great threesome--Jessa and Lexi hit it off almost too well— and they couldn’t stop joking about Tia not being able to focus on anything else but Dylan.
When the boys finally called it a night, Dylan pulled her close. “I’ll miss you tonight,” he whispered. “My bed’ll be cold and lonely without you in it.”
“It better be,” she snapped, and was immediately sorry she’d said it.
“Oh Tia,” he soothed, smoothing her hair with his hand. “Don’t you know that there isn’t anyone else here for me but you?”
“I’m sorry,” she said immediately, meaning it. “It’s just so freaking hard watching all those girls literally throwing themselves at you all night long.” She exhaled sharply. “It isn’t my business, I know,” she added sadly, “but it is your business, and I have no right to be upset.”
“I am your business,” he replied, pulling her chin up to meet his gaze,
“and I think I’d be bummed out if you weren’t a little jealous. This is just part of the job, that’s all, and I never even remember the faces I see night after night. They’re all the same to me. You’re the only one I want to be with. I won’t be able to think of anything else but you all night.”
She leaned against him and held him tight. “I’ll miss you too,” she said.
“Well, you girls’ll have fun tonight. It’s obvious Lexi missed you.”
“Yeah. It’s really great to have her here. And you were right—having her here is like a little bit of home. I didn’t really realize I’d missed it until she got here—thanks so much for bringing her. But you and me…”
“Shhhh,” he whispered. “We have lots more time. And I’m pretty exhausted. I’m going to have some tea and hit the bed—alone—and I’ll see the two of you at the stadium, tomorrow afternoon, right, after your little tea party?”
“Definitely,” she said. Jessa and Lexi had already decided that the night wasn’t over yet, and Tia watched Dylan and the boys go as she went back to join the girls.
Lexi said, “So who’s the third wheel now?”
Now that it was just the girls, Tia put herself into party mode. “Not you, Lex. Never you.”
Lexi and Jessa raised their glasses and Lexi made the toast. “To Hollywood’s new power couple!” she exclaimed. “I could cut the sexual tension with a fucking chainsaw right about now.”
Tia laughed and raised her glass to toast her friends, ready to enjoy a girls’ night out. It was great to be with them, and how often did she get to go clubbing in London with such amazing people? They hit the dance floor, ignoring the men who tried to cut in on their trio, and made an already incredible evening even more unforgettable.
In the end, there was an article in the tabloids, but all the pictures were too grainy to really make out Tia’s face. “Beautiful Mystery Woman Becomes Sixth Member of InHap at Wembley,” the headline read, and the article went on to wonder if “sexy heartthrob Dylan Miller is taking his name off the Most Eligible Bachelor List,” quoting that he’d called Tia “my lovely lady” and that he’d kissed her before she exited the stage. They got her name wrong, though, calling her ‘Tina,’ and although they didn’t know her identity, readers could be assured that a team was ‘on the case.’ Tia bought ten copies.
Chapter 22
Walking into the spa was like walking into a fantasy—it was all marble, soft colors, incredible smells and total comfort. Dylan had insisted Jessa join them for the day as well—and the girls donned their thick robes and headed first to the steam room. They’d finished the two Wembley shows; thankfully Ty’s voice had come back enough to perform the second show, and they had a couple free days in London before going up north to Manchester to play two more gigs at the end of the week. Dylan was spending the day with some of his old friends in Northampton, an hour and a half outside of London by train, and he had a lot of catching up to do. He figured he’d likely spend the night—sleeping on someone’s couch, he’d said, just like the old days. Tia was thrilled to have a spa day and time with the girls, and wanted Dylan to have his guy time, too, but she was well aware that it was already mid-July, and that their time together was growing short.
“Oh, this is the good life,” Lexi moaned as she lay back on the warm wooden bench, stretching her arms over her head. “I kind of like this guy you’re dating, Tia—he knows how to please a woman.”
“You can say that again,” Tia smirked. “And he has good ideas for girls’ day out, too,” she said, adding a wink.
“You going to be OK being without him for a whole day?” she teased.
“Funny,” Tia said. “I think I’ll survive, but if I have to be without him, I think I can handle spending it this way.”
Lexi turned to Jessa. “What do you think, Jessa, is she really going to have fun, or is she going to be pining all day and just pretending?”
“We’ll just have to make sure she has fun,” she answered, “and I think we have that pretty well covered.” They shared a knowing smile.
Tia sat up. “What?” she asked suspiciously, eyeing the looks on her friends’ faces. Their expressions suddenly turned falsely innocent, and they shrugged at each other. “Spill it—now.” Tia said, folding her arms across her chest and giving them scolding looks.
“What, and ruin the surprise?” Lexi replied secretively.
“You have a surprise for me?” Tia asked. “Now why would you do that? You know I hate surprises!” When that didn’t elicit a response from either of them, she tried whining. “Come on, tell me! Please?”
Lexi stood. “Maybe in the hot tub—isn’t that our next stop?” Lexi bolted out the door and the girls followed. They showered off and slipped into the deep tub that had wonderfully scented bubbles rising a foot off the top of the water.
“Mmmmm,” Lexi moaned.” This is already a great day, and it’s barely even started.”
“Alexis Marie, tell me my surprise!”
Lexi looked at Jessa. “Hmmm, what do you think Jessa? Should we tell her?” she asked innocently. “Or make her wait?”
Jessa shrugged, “I don’t know,” she pondered, “I keep remembering that first night in Chicago when she let you figure out that she was with Dylan by watching him dedicate the show to her from the stage—seems to me she can dish it out, so maybe she should be able to take it, too.”
“Exactly!” Lexi agreed. “I’m still pissed about that! You are a wise woman, Jessa, maybe we should make her wait.”
But Tia wouldn’t have it. “Listen girls,” she said. “Neither of you would be here if it wasn’t for him, so leave Dylan out of it.” She stuck her lower lip out in a pout and lowered her head. “Don’t make me beg!” she said. “Tell me!”
“Oh, alright,” Lexi drew out the words as if she’d just surrendered, but Tia knew she wouldn’t have been able to keep the secret from her for long. “After the spa, we have a personal shopper set up for us at Harrods—it’s time for your birthday present!”
Tia could hardly contain her excitement. “Oooh, seriously? That’s going to be so much fun! I can’t wait! But you know you don’t have to do that Lex, it’s too much, really.”
“Oh stop it,” Lexi scolded. “You’ll let me do this, and you will enjoy every minute of it, or I’ll kick your ass.”
“I will enjoy every minute!” she exclaimed, “and since you’re being such a smart ass about it, I’ll make sure it costs you!”
“I’m counting on it,” Lexi smiled. “But Jessa set the whole thing up for me, so you have to thank her too.”
“You are pretty awesome,” Tia said to Jessa. “I can see why Dylan keeps you around.”
Jessa smiled. “Happy birthday, by the way. When is it, exactly?”
“July 28th,” Tia said, and immediately added, “but not a word from either of you about it to Dylan!”
“You mean you still haven’t told him about your birthday?” Lexi asked.
“Why in the world not?” Jessa added.
Tia just glared at them. “Hello? Could the man do any more for me? We’re all sitting here enjoying this pampering because of him. This entire summer is a gift to me—I couldn’t ask for more. But if he knew it was my birthday, he would do more, and I don’t want him to feel obligated…”
“Obligated?” Jessa interrupted. “I think he’d want to know. It’d be up to him if he wanted to do something special, and I think he’d be ticked off if you didn’t let him make that decision for himself!”
“How has that not come up in conversation?” Lexi asked. “You know that he hates cauliflower, for God’s sake, and you don’t know each other’s birthdays?”
“I don’t know,” Tia defended, “but it hasn’t, and I’m not going to go tell him and look like I’m asking for something else from him. If he asks, I’ll tell him, but I’m not making a point of it, and neither should you. It’s absolutely enough for me that I get to spend it with him—and in Paris no less! That’s the best g
ift I could have.”
Lexi and Jessa rolled their eyes simultaneously and then laughed at each other and at Tia. “Fine, whatever,” Lexi said, “subject closed. Now let’s get back to shopping, shall we? I was checking out their website from home and Harrods has designer everything—I’m going to do some serious damage to my credit card, there’s no doubt about that!”
“I’ve wanted to go there since we got to London,” Jessa agreed. “I’m so ready to splurge a little, and I couldn’t think of a better place to buy overpriced clothes and shoes!” she said, doing a little happy dance through the bubbles.
“We’re all going to get decked out in new digs and then hit the town tonight,” Lexi said. “Here’s to girls’ night out!”
The next three hours were heaven--massages, manicures, pedicures, haircuts and make-up. By the time they left, they were all feeling pampered and spoiled, and they grabbed a black taxi to Harrods. The store was enormous, and they rode the Egyptian escalator up to meet their personal shopper.
Dylan hopped off the train and looked around at the familiar station in Northampton. The one thing about the old cities in England, he thought, is that they never changed much. They’d stayed pretty much the same for hundreds of years, and it was like stepping back into his past. He hadn’t bothered with much of a disguise today, just a sweatshirt with the hood up and a pair of dark sunglasses. He’d gone unrecognized on the train, but as he scanned the station, he caught a familiar pair of eyes that recognized him right away. “Dylan, mate, it’s great to see you!” His old friend Max grasped his hand and then pulled him into an embrace.
“You haven’t changed a bit,” Dylan remarked, clapping him on the back. “You look great!”
“Yeah? Well you certainly have,” his old friend commented. “Big hotshot celebrity now, aren’t you?”
