by Krista Ames
When the last group of women approached, there was one hiding behind the rest but Derrick caught a glimpse of her hair and his breathe seized. He didn’t know how but he just knew, it was her. The one that got away. And she was hiding, which meant she was afraid to see him. In a way, this all seemed so familiar, like the first time they’d met. It was in the exact same kind of situation where they’d done a meet the band before the concert and her friends and roped her in to going along. She was here again, maybe it was a sign.
He watched closely as her friends tried to push her closer to the front where Ash was standing. When he realized who she was he grabbed her up in a big bear hug, twirling Regan around in circles because that had always been their thing. He hadn’t heard her laugh in a long while and it was music to his ears. She moved on to Ollie and then Keaton after him but stopped short of coming in front of Derrick. She tried not to make eye contact but he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“Ahh DJ Anderson, oh my god I can’t believe it’s you.” The girl screamed and launched herself into his arms and started kissing him all over. Brit moved into action the same time Regan’s friend Marci did, and between the two of them, they escorted the frantic woman out of the tent before she could make a bigger fool out of herself.
That left Regan standing alone in front of the band.
“Uh Regan, it was fantastic to see you again.” Ash was ever the diplomat. “Don’t be a stranger will ya?” He smacked Ollie and Keaton, motioning them to the back of the tent.
“We’ll just leave you two alone then.” They disappeared somewhere back behind, but Derrick really didn’t care. He’d waited a while for this moment and all he could do was look at her. He was making her nervous. He wasn’t really a good icebreaker but they’d probably stand staring at each other all night otherwise.
“Hi Regan, you look great.”
***
“Five minutes’ guys.” Regan and Derrick both looked at Brit as he yelled at the guys.
At that very moment Regan felt like an idiot. There was no focus all day because of the anticipation of this very minute and now she had no clue what to say to him and time was quickly running out. It was simple, he looked amazing.
“I’m really sorry about my friend, she gets a little fan girl crazy.”
“It’s okay, they get like that sometimes. I’m glad to see you here.”
“Thanks Derrick. I’m glad to see you too.” But she couldn’t help the frown that appeared on her face.
“Are you sure about that? I kind of wish it were under different circumstances. I had no clue til yesterday we were even doing a concert or I would have gotten ahold of you.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I didn’t find out either and then Marci wouldn’t give me any details so this whole meet and greet was a surprise to me. I figured she’d have arranged backstage passes or something.”
“I’m guessing that Ash must have worked it out with Marci and didn’t tell either of us.”
“That sounds about right. They’re both evil like that.” She let a slight smile slip when they nodded in agreement.
“Hey, I guess we have to get out there pretty quick but will you be around after? Maybe we can talk?”
That’s what she wanted right? To talk? That’s exactly what she wanted so she would definitely stick around.
“Sure, I’ll stay.”
“Okay great, make sure you get a spot in front.” He brushed a finger along her cheek, bent toward her and left a soft kiss in the same spot. “Thanks for coming Regan.” He smiled and disappeared behind the curtain.
She walked out of the empty tent to find her friends waiting with the bodyguard.
“Brit, it’s great to see you.” She hugged him and apologized for the outburst from her friend. She’d gotten to know the man fairly well when she traveled with them. While the band was on stage, she would stick close to Brit because girls at rock concerts or any concerts probably, are nuts. They didn’t often let it show she was with one of the guys because women were also vindictive when they wanted something they knew belonged to someone else.
“Great to see you again Regan, don’t be a stranger. Those guys could stand to have you around a lot more. They ate better.”
Regan laughed. “Thanks Brit. See you later.” Regan, Marci, and Suzy pushed their way to a spot in front of the stage.
“Okay girlfriend, spill. Did you get to talk to him?” The crowd was so loud she could barely hear Marci talking.
“Oh, you mean after Suzy’s spaz attack?” She gave the evil eye to her new friend.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. He’s just…well you know, he’s DJ Anderson. He’s adorable and I just wanted my hands all over him.”
“It definitely was an ice breaker for sure.” She turned back to Marci and Suzy flittered off to flirt with some unsuspecting sucker.
“So…” Marci prompted.
“We didn’t get a lot of time together and I didn’t say much other than it was nice to see him and that I was sorry for Suzy. Before he had to go though, he asked me to stay after so maybe we could talk.”
“And…”
“No and, not really. Okay, he touched my cheek then kissed me and disappeared so I came to find you. That’s it.”
“Well wasn’t that mostly uneventful.” She thought the same but then again, what had she expected? By the time all the others had their meet time with the guys, that left hardly any for her. It wasn’t like they would jump into bed and pick back up right where they’d left off. Jesus, where did that come from?
The lights on stage started flashing then the crowd got wickedly loud. Regan and Marci looked at each other and shrugged.
Chapter Six
“Hey guys, I have a favor to ask.” Ash stopped the other three before they took the stage. He’d written something special after their practice session and wanted to make it the starter song.
“I know you guys won’t know the tune but maybe you could just pick up from my lead? It should be pretty basic and I trust you guys.”
“Sure, but are you gonna tell us what happened with you and Regan back in the tent?”
“Nothing happened.”
“Nothing at all?” Ash prodded because he knew Derrick wouldn’t have said nothing.
“No not really. She apologized for her friend and I asked her if she’d stay after so we could talk then I kissed her cheek. I thought it might be out of line to go right for the lip lock.”
“There’s never a bad time for a kiss bro. You just gotta play the caveman and take control.”
“Shut up Keaton.” Typical hound dog.
Brit showed up in front of the guys.
“You ready to go before they break down the stage area?”
“Hit the lights Brit, we’re ready.”
The four band members of Afterthought took the small stage to a roar of thunder from the waiting fans. It was a feeling like no other. Keaton ran out ahead and took his place at the drums and started beating out a rhythm as the other three took their places. Ash stopped at the keyboard while Derrick moved to the microphone at the edge of the stage and thanks the crowd for the warm welcome.
“I’d like to start tonight off with a song I wrote just today so bear with us because the guys haven’t even heard it yet. This is a debut special just for you all but it’s written for one special person that’s out there with us tonight.
“All right everybody, let’s hear what you’ve got.” Ash got the crowd moving with his clapping.
Derrick picked out a simple tune on his bass guitar, closed his eyes and started to sing.
When the lights go down....
I can only see you in the room......
When the lights go down....
I wanna be alone with you....
You said we were done.
You said we were through.
I watched you walk away, and I lost that part of you......
When I saw you again, and we talked for a while...
; I realized I still had that part of you, and you still needed me like I needed you....
Ash picked up the tune easily on the keyboard and the drums followed in softly. With Ollie as backup guitar, Derrick sat his guitar on the stand and finished the slow ballad. He hoped that Regan knew he was singing to her, saying things he wasn’t sure he couldn’t have face to face. When he finished the last word and the instruments went silent, the crowd roared like they’d never heard it before and Afterthought had their first new song.
The next two and a half hours flew by as the band played a packed list of favorites and the crowd sang along with every song.
They thanked the college for having them, the crowd for their constant support even after their time off and ran from the stage to a waiting limo. When they jumped in the car, Derrick was pleased to see there was one extra person along for the ride. Keaton and Ollie took the seats on each side of Regan and Ash & Derrick sat across from them.
There wasn’t much said between Derrick and Regan with the others in the car but the guys made up for it by picking on Regan as they drove around town. The driver needed to make sure they hadn’t been followed before he started dropping off at each of the houses and the last stop was Derrick’s.
“Do you want me to have the driver take you back to the campus?” Derrick didn’t want to assume that Regan would want to go to his house, that was a lot to ask. They’d been apart for a while now. A neutral place would probably be better to talk anyway.
“Actually, Marci said that my car was at your house so I guess I should go there, if that’s okay?” More than okay. He couldn’t have it work out any better.
“Of course, that’s fine by me.”
Once they stopped in front of Derrick’s place, the driver opened the door for them both and left them standing in the driveway.
“So, are you hungry?”
***
She really hoped she was doing the right thing by going to his house. It wasn’t like he was a stalker or anything bad, he was a rock star. Just a famous rock star that she’d once dated and every female in this country and probably many others wanted to sleep with.
Well that’s not helping anything.
She was so stupid, and she sounded like a dumb blond even though she was a brunette. Maybe he didn’t mean hungry for food, maybe he wanted to have sex. It’d been quite a while but she remembered exactly what that was like.
Jesus Regan, shut up while you’re ahead.
And now he was looking at her oddly.
“Oh sure, I could eat.”
“Okay, come on in, I’ll cook us something.”
It felt strange being in his house again. She sat on the loveseat so she could see him working in the kitchen. He sang while he worked, that she remembered about him.
“Would you like something to drink?” She went to where he was pouring a glass of milk for himself.
“Can I have some of that?” She wasn’t a big alcohol drinker.
“Sure.”
“I liked your new song. When did you write that?” She was a little embarrassed to mention that he’d written it for her. She sipped on the milk while he explained.
“It’s funny actually. I haven’t written anything in at least six months and after the guys told me about the concert, was all sat down and worked through a playlist for tonight. After they left, I just found myself in the groove and all I could think about was you.” She noticed his glance toward her then back to what he was stirring on the stove. “Truthfully I’ve done nothing but think about you since you left.”
He was avoiding eye contact which was probably best because it was hard enough to talk without being put on the spot. She’d always been a shy reserved person and obviously, he was outgoing, at least with his fans. Together though, as different as they were, they still just clicked.
He looked so handsome standing in the soft kitchen lighting. He wore faded blue jeans and usually a character t-shirt that always fit him tighter in the arms. She could tell he’d recently cut his hair but it was usually a little longer on the top and had that windblown look. Every time she saw it, Regan wanted to run her fingers through it. She could remember doing that a time or two. Right now, a strand was hanging down into his face and it made him look sexy as hell.
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to be there if she was having those thoughts. They weren’t dating anymore after all. Maybe she should just get right to the point. Marci had helped her practice everything she needed to say.
“So, Derrick? I have a question.”
“Shoot, I’m all ears.”
“Why did you sleep with that girl after your concert?”
Chapter Seven
“What?” What the hell is she talking about? I’ve never slept with anybody but her after a concert. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I saw you with my own eyes, I was there.”
“Where Regan?” By this time, Derrick had turned off the stove and pushed the pan of food to the side to cool.
“After your concert in Detroit.”
“I didn’t do anything but sleep after that concert.”
“There’s no way.” She was adamant, slamming her hand on the counter. “My flight arrived late so Brit took me back to the hotel so I could wait for you. I had to leave my bag at the front desk so I was down the hall getting a pop from the machine and when I was walking back to the hotel I saw you standing at a room when some barely dressed blonde sex goddess jumped into your arms as she kissed you and you both fell into the room and the door closed.”
He was lost for words, trying to remember exactly what happened.
“Derrick, I can tell you it’s not a good thing that you aren’t denying it. I was there, I know what I saw.”
But nothing happened. I would never have done that to her.
“Regan, I swear to you nothing like that happened, ever. On the nights that you weren’t with me, I was always alone in my room. I barely remember that night in Detroit, the guys fed me so many shots on the way back to the hotel but I slept alone. I do know that.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. I have never been that type of guy. I thought you knew that about me. Keaton’s the one that takes a different groupie to bed after every concert, not me.”
“Well let’s get Keaton on the phone and ask him then.”
“Really? Now?”
“If you didn’t do anything then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about, right? All I know is I left that hotel heartbroken and I need answers Derrick.” Her face was turning different shades of red and the rims of her eyes were glistening.
“Okay, let me get my phone.” If those guys set me up to hurt her, I will fuck them up.
He called Keaton’s number but got voicemail. No reason to try Ollie, he hated cell phones. So, he dialed Ash, praying to god he’d answer.
“Hey sport, what’s up, how’s Regan doing?”
“Ash I don’t have time to chit chat, we have issues.” He sat the phone on the counter and hit speaker so she could hear too. He didn’t have anything to hide that he could remember.
“Okay, what’s up?”
“Do you remember Detroit last year?”
“I don’t think anyone could forget Detroit, it was cold as shit.”
“Yes, but after the concert, at the hotel. What happened?”
“DJ what is this about? We were all shit faced that night.”
“Regan was at the hotel.” As she listened, she was tapping her finger nails on the granite.
“No, she wasn’t.”
“Yes, I was Ash.”
“Oh, hey Regan. Uhm I don’t remember seeing you there.”
“No? Well I remember seeing all of you, and the stacked blonde chick that went to bed with Derrick.”
“Oh shit.” Ash got seriously quiet.
“Uh what do you mean by oh shit? Ash, tell me, what the hell did you guys do? This isn’t funny right now.”
“Yeah, that’
s exactly what I thought.” Regan picked up her empty cup and put it in the sink then grabbed her purse.
“Please, please don’t leave, I will get to the bottom of this if it’s the last thing I do.” He had both hands together praying she wouldn’t walk out on him. He mouthed the word please, begging her. He was hard-pressed to believe this was happening. That his best friends could fuck up, on purpose, the one really good thing he had in his life.
“I think maybe you should talk to Keaton about this.”
“I don’t fucking want to talk to Keaton and besides, we already tried him, he didn’t answer. Ash, talk now dammit.”
***
Regan listened closely as Ash backpedaled now that Derrick was pissed. He would be so hurt if his friends did something to him on purpose. She laid her purse on the dining room table and sat on a bar stool where Derrick was standing over his phone shouting.
“Tell me now dammit, before I jump in my car and come over there and beat it out of you.”
She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Derrick this angry. The four of them had always gotten along so well.
“Okay, but both of you please know that it was not my doing I swear. I had nothing to do with any of it.”
When Derrick looked at Regan, she could see the anger boiling in his eyes. She placed a hand on his arm and whispered. “You need to calm down.”
“You’re too nice.” But she noticed that he took a deep breath and relaxed his stance a little.
“Not meaning to throw anybody under the bus intentionally but it was all Keaton and Ollie. They thought it would be funny to get you all liquored up and they knew Regan wasn’t there so they brought one of the groupies back to the hotel with us.”
“She was in the limo? I don’t remember that.”
“She was next to the door beside Keaton I guess. I don’t remember seeing her either but then Keaton does so much dumb shit that I usually ignore whoever’s with him.”
