WHAT IF?
Chapter Four

Rose went back to the hotel. She walked in. She noticed that her mother wasn’t there.

"Wow, no moms. Much better for silence," she said under her breath.

"Not really."

Rose froze, then turned around. She recognized the voice. "Cal, what are you doing here?"

"Your mother called me for dinner reservations." He walked closer to Rose, while she backed away.

"Well, guess what? I’m too tired to go out today, so get stepping." Rose walked to the door and opened it.

Cal slammed the door with his hand. "Oh, come on, Rosie, don’t you want to play?" He put his hand on Rose’s cheek. She grabbed it and began bending it, until she could hear Cal’s hand crack.

He tried to lift up his other hand, but since Rose had good reflexes, she stopped him.

"You know what, Cal? The next time you try to put your nasty, disgusting, dirty hands on me, I’ll break them, and you know it won’t be pretty. Right?"

"Right!"

"Now..." Rose opened the door. "Get out!" She slammed the door. Rose stood behind the door and then locked it. Rose went and took a bath and changed clothing. She grabbed her notebook and began writing some new music. She had had all of it in her head since she left LA. She wrote until midnight.

The Next Day

Breakfast at Denny’s

"Rose, what happened between you and Cal?"

"Huh?" Rose looked up from her pancakes.

"Rose, he told me what happened."

"Oh, yeah. I twisted his arms. Personally, I felt good doing that to him, hearing his bones beginning to crack and hearing him scream for his life." Rose smiled at the thought.

"Rose, I can’t believe you did that. Cal is a great man. He’s--"

"He’s an asshole, Mom. He tried to kiss me and he tried to touch me yesterday, and he deserves to get broken arms."

"Why are you saying that?"

"Because ever since Dad died, you never listened to me until I started singing with three of my band mates who were my friends. They were the only family I had, including Aunt Beth, who always listened to me and helped me with my problems, which you didn’t know about."

"Rose, things began to change..."

"And it hasn’t." Rose got up and left. Her bodyguards began to follow, but she told them to stay. She left in her Mercedes Benz and drove to Kai’s apartment. She knocked on the door. Kai answered.

"Faith?" When Rose was younger, her friends used to call her Faith. Ruth hadn’t liked it because it was Rose’s middle name, which her father named her after her aunt, who had died in a car accident.

"Kai?"

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked in a cold tone.

"I...I just...you know…"

"What? So that you can talk about your new life?"

"No...I mean...I just want to talk." Kai was about to shut the door, but Rose stopped the door from closing.

Kai looked at her in shock. "Wow. Money made you a strong one."

"Kai, shut the fuck up and let me the fuck in!" Rose said with fury and anger. Kai looked at her and smiled.

"Much better." Kai let her in. Rose sat on the coach. Then, a girl came in the front door with groceries.

"Hey, babe. You didn’t lock the door." Then, she saw Rose on the coach. "Oh, my God!"

Kai stood next to Tara. "Rose, this is my girlfriend, Tara."

"Hey, Tara."

"You know Kai?"

"Yeah. We used to be friends. We played in a band together."

"With Rachel, Lisa, and Piper?"

"Yep."

"Do you want anything to drink? Beer, Coke, water?"

"Since I don’t want to be drunk, I’ll say Coke."

"Okay." Tara went to the kitchen. Kai sat by Rose.

"So, how long have you guys been together?"

"Almost two years."

"Wow. You sure got over Kelly."

"Yep. Do you remember when I told my mom that I was gay, and she began to hook me up with these hot chicks?"

"Yeah. Those were the good times. Kai, what happened between us?"

"Well, why don’t you ask your mom. Listen, Faith--Rose--or what ever people call you, things changed, we all had our personal problems, and…well…we were drifted apart with problems."

Tara came back with the drinks.

"Thanks."

"You’re welcome. So, how long have you guys been singing?"

"Since we were four," Kai said.

"Yeah. We’d sing along with the music. That was when we started playing instruments and became a band."

"Yeah. We called ourselves KRLFP, which stood for Kai, Rachel, Lisa, Faith, and Piper."

"Faith?"

"It’s my middle name."

"Wow."

Rose looked at her watch. "Oh, sorry, but I have to go." Rose got up. "I’ll call you."

Kai nodded. "Okay." Then she opened the door for Rose, and she left.

*****

At the conference, Rose talked about her new album and how she felt about working with different artists like Lil’ Kim, Nas, and Ja Rule. And also about her new music video, which would start filming next month. Throughout the whole time, Rose was tired and upset. After the meeting was over, she posed for pictures, then left.

She was in the SUV with her mother. It was a complete silence.

"I made dinner reservations tonight."

As Rose looked out the window, she asked, "Is Cal going to be there? Because if he is, I’m not going." She looked at her mother.

"Well, he just wants to support you for your album."

"Well, I can do that with people that I care about and without some guy who is just interested in money. Mom, let’s just have dinner. You, me, and..." Rose began to think about Jack.

"And who?" Ruth crossed her arms.

"Well, I was wondering if, you know, if Jack can come." Ruth was about to speak when Rose interrupted her. "But if you don’t want to come, we can go by ourselves."

Ruth thought about it and changed her mind. "Listen, I’ll let you and Jack go by yourselves, and by the time we get back to LA, I want to meet his family."

Rose smiled. "Fine."

As soon as they arrived at the hotel, Rose grabbed the phone and called Jack.

The phone was answered.

"Hello. Is Jack there?"

"Yeah. This him speaking."

"Hey, it’s me."

"Hey, Rose. What’s up?"

"Uh, nothing. I was just wondering…what are you doing tonight?"

"Um, nothing much. I’m free."

"Great. I was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner?"

Jack sat up as Rose waited for an answer. Then he nodded.

"Yeah, sure. What time?"

"At eight. But you can come early if you want."

"Um, all right. I’ll be there in twenty minutes."

"Okay. Just bring your stuff, and don’t wear a tuxedo. Wear something that you would go out clubbing with friends in." Rose smiled.

Jack chuckled. "All right. Bye."

"Bye." Rose hung up, got up, and hit the shower.

Jack got up and walked to the living room.

"Hey, Fab, I need to tell you something, man."

"What?" Fabrizio looked up from his work.

"Do you know Rose, the singer?"

"Yeah. She has some nice booty." Jack glared at him. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Dude, I’m going out with her. Tonight." Fabrizio looked up from the paper. "What? You two are, like, a couple? Because if you are, can she hook me up with Taryn Manning?"

"Uh, no. And besides, she has feelings for Rose’s brother."

"You know her brother, too?"

"Yeah. We went to the same college in LA."

"Man, you’re lucky. But are you going to dinner with her?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good. Now, get rid of that goatee."

"What? There’s nothing wrong with it." Jack touch his chin.

"Uh, yeah, there is. She’s not going to kiss a guy with a goatee."

"Too late."

Fabrizio looked at him. "You kissed her, too? Anyway, just shave it off."

"All right." Jack got up.

*****

Rose got out of the shower, then put on something more comfortable. She got out her dress and laid it on the bed, but then changed her mind and hung it back up. Then she heard a knock on the door. She opened it. Jack stood there. As Rose hugged her him, he hugged her back. As they hugged, she felt Jack lift her up. She gasped at his grip. He shut the door behind him.

"Jack, put me down!" He did as she said. Rose grabbed his bag and put it on the coach, then walked towards him and kissed him. After the kiss, Rose noticed something different. "You look different."

"Oh, the goatee thing."

"You shaved it off?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Well..."

"Well..." She kissed him. "I’m waiting."

"Well, I did it because of you."

"Aw, that’s so sweet." She smiled, then kissed him passionately.

*****

Rose got ready for dinner, as did Jack. Jack drove over to the restaurant in Rose’s Mercedes.

As they arrived there, there were paparazzi taking photos of different celebrities. Jack and Rose quickly entered the restaurant. They sat and ordered their food, and they talked about their lives.

They left the restaurant and went back to the hotel. When they arrived, Rose went into the bathroom and changed, while Jack sat on the couch. When Rose got out of the bathroom, she sat on Jack’s lap and looked at him.

"You have the most intense eyes." Jack looked at her and kissed her. The kiss deepened. Jack’s hand began to go up her shirt. Rose moaned at his touch. Then he went up to her bra and slid his thumb through it and touch a little bit of her breast. Rose gasped and removed his hand, then got up. Jack looked at her. "What’s the matter?"

Rose got scared and began to apologize. "I’m so sorry, Jack, but...but I’m not ready."

Jack looked at her and caressed her face. "I understand, and I’m sorry." He hugged her. "I didn’t know, and I’m sorry." He kissed her forehead.

He looked at the clock. "Oh, shit."

Rose looked at him. "What?"

"I have to go and finish a project."

"Oh. But you’re leaving for Los Angeles, right?" Jack made a face. "Right?" Rose asked again.

Jack shook his head. "What? But, Jack, I thought that you were staying here for a day, and..."

"I’m sorry, but my friend is opening this club and I need to be there."

"So, I’ll stay, and besides, I never met your friend."

Jack looked at her. "Are you sure?"

Rose nodded.

"Okay. I’ll pick you up tomorrow."

"Okay." Rose kissed him. "Bye." She opened the door and he left. She locked the door behind him. She walked over to the phone and called her mother on her cell phone. The phone rang and no one answered, but she left a message.

"Hey, Mom. This is me, Rose. I’m calling you because I decided to stay in New York a little bit longer, because…well…you know. Anyway, call me back on my cell phone. Bye. Love you!"

Then Rose called her manager Clifford, and said the same thing, except for the love you part. After that, she went to bed.

Chapter Five
Stories