Lance looked up cautiously and cringed, waiting for the onslaught.
“I repeat, what the hell did you just do?” she asked more calmly than the first time but still with determination.
How was he supposed to explain to her when he didn’t even know himself? “Hi, I’m Lance.”
As soon as he’d said it he knew it had been the wrong thing to say.
“Your name is Lance?” she said.
He nodded.
“Tell me something I DON’T KNOW!”
He visibly winced as her voice increased in volume.
“Your face is plastered on fucking walls in my HOUSE for Christ’s sake. I know who you are. What I want to know is what you just did?”
“I…um…I grabbed your hand…and I….I erm dragged you out of there,” he said sheepishly. He felt like a fool immediately, what had he been thinking?
She nodded. “Uh huh. Yeah, that’s what I thought happened. Now would you like to tell me why?”
He’d heard before that honesty was the best policy. “I didn’t want to be there, you looked like you wanted to get out just as much as me.” He laughed nervously. “I guess I granted both our wishes.” Not a good explanation Lance, not a good explanation, he told himself.
She stood with her hands on her hips looking at him as though he were crazy, perhaps he was. “It’s my JOB, I’m supposed to hate it!” she exclaimed.
She turned and began pacing up and down the dark alley in front of him.
His eyes followed her back and forth.
“You do realise you just lost me my job right?”
He looked down, ashamed. “I’m sorry.”
“And you do realise you just sealed the deal on me living with my parents for the next TEN YEARS,” she screamed.
He didn’t like the screaming, no he didn’t like it at all.
“Maybe I could have a word with them, with your boss? Explain to them that it was all my fault.”
She ignored him and kicked a stray can. “I live in LA, you’d think I’d be used to people being a little eccentric but YOU…oh you take the biscuit.”
His cell phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and looked to the screen for the caller ID. JC. He rolled his eyes and answered the call. “Hello?”
He looked up and noticed the girl had stopped and was now listening to his every word. He still didn’t know her name, he mentally noted to her ask her soon.
“LANCE! Where the hell are you?”
“Hi JC,” he said unenthusiastically.
“Don’t “Hi JC” me, where are you and what the hell just happened?”
He held the phone away from his ear as JC went into full out father mode. He noticed the girl’s amused smirk. “Sorry someone already has dibs on answers to that question.” He chuckled to himself.
“WHAT? Lance you’re talking in riddles. Just get your ass back here, we want to leave, I think we’ve had enough embarrassment here to last us a lifetime.”
“I’ll see you at the hotel later,” was all he said before cutting JC off.
“So hit me with it seeing as I have first rights.”
He laughed. “You heard that huh?” He let out a sigh. “Do you wanna get out of here?” he asked.
She started laughing and shook her head. “I can’t believe you just asked me that. Why would you think I’d want to go anywhere with you after what you just did? I mean you’re not exactly showing any sane qualities here, how do know I’d be safe?”
“Come on,” he urged, “I’ll give you answers if we can got get coffee or something. It’s more comfortable than sitting in the street.”
“I don’t like coffee,” she said stubbornly.
“Whatever, anything, you pick. Believe me, I’m not too fussed.”
She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. She was as crazy as he was if she gave in and went with him. The guy was obviously off his head.
“There’s a coffee shop down the street, they do a mean hot chocolate with whipped cream,” she said.
Well she had never claimed to be the most sensible person in the world.
Lance smiled and jumped up from the ground, dusting his pants off. “Lead the way.”
Lance carried the two mugs of hot chocolate over to a booth in the back where…he still didn’t know her name, sat.
He’d picked the hot chocolate on her recommendation and had insisted on paying. Let’s face it, it was the least he could do. He owed her a lot more than a measly drink and he had no idea how he was even going to begin to pay her back.
He placed one of the mugs in front of her and settled down opposite her.
He noticed that she had pulled the pins from her hair and it now settled on her shoulders. The top two buttons of her shirt had been undone, exposing the top of her tanned chest, and the sleeves rolled up. She looked a lot more comfortable.
She looked up. “Thanks.”
“What’s your name?”
“Huh?” She honestly looked surprised.
“I just realised that I still don’t know your name.”
“Oh, it’s Summer. Please, no jokes about winter, spring... I’ve heard them all from Ric.”
“Ric?”
“Ricardo, the guy behind the bar.”
“Oh.”
She shifted into a more comfortable position and cradled the mug between her hands, looking at him expectantly. “So…you gonna explain why I no longer have a job?”
He cleared his throat nervously. “I thought I already did.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot, I looked like I wanted to get out,” she said sarcastically. When she noticed that he looked genuinely sorry she gathered together all the understanding she could muster and decided to give him a break. “Tell me why you wanted to get away so bad then.”
He sighed. She was going to think he was stupid…well she probably already thought that. What kind of sane person goes around dragging people, who they don’t know, out of restaurants? He appeared to have it all and most of the time he was happy with what he had…or he had been.
Their break before the promotional tour had just enforced the fact that he had nobody. Sure he had his family and friends but seeing the other guys… he felt he was missing out.
Maybe, to put it plain and simple, he was jealous. Jealous that they had someone to lean on, share their ups and downs with, even having someone to talk to.
Maybe that was why every little thing drove him crazy. He’d been holding everything in and all the problems, all the insecurities had just been piling up and in the restaurant he had reached his boiling point.
Everyone had been laughing and joking and he’d been the odd one out. He’d spotted Summer and she had looked as glum as him and he’d just switched off and his body had taken over. The next thing he knew he was outside with, what he had now noticed, was a very cute girl, and he’d been clutching her hand.
He covered his face with his hands and groaned out loud. Good going Bass! He was so stupid.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He repeated his previous thoughts out loud. “I’m so stupid. You must think I’m the biggest freak you’ve ever met.”
“I know I may have said something along those lines before but now,” she looked at him carefully, “I’m withholding my judgement until a later date. Now talk.”
“I felt smothered,” he replied meekly. “I’m always told what to do, where to be and tonight I just couldn’t hack it. I’m sorry I brought you along for the ride.”
Summer looked around. “Are you going to be okay here on your own?”
“I’m not on my own, I’m with you,” he pointed out with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Is it safe for you to be here without bodyguards?”
There weren’t that many people there but you could never predict what could happen, he knew that from experience. “I’ll be fine,” he replied unsurely.
“No offence but I’m more worried about myself. I don’t fancy having my hair pulled out by teenies.”
He chuckled. “Gee thanks for your concern.”
He knew that it wasn’t that farfetched though. It just took one crazed fan. Their girlfriends in the past had received verbal abuse and the odd thing had been thrown at them. He didn’t like it, he didn’t like it at all but was he to do?
He looked up at Summer and noticed her eyes on him, regarding him curiously. He’d been waiting for an outburst but it hadn’t come. No screaming, no shouting, no hitting…nothing.
She looked him straight in the eye, something he liked but also unnerved him at the same time. He was afraid that if she looked deep enough she’d see what a loser he actually was. That’s what he’d spent his lonely nights in hotels doing. He’d skipped the nights out with Joey, the girls he met in clubs were meaningless and somehow it just depressed him more. So he’d spent his nights convincing himself that he was a loser that nobody wanted. Most of it was self-pity but he did wonder what was wrong with him, why was he the only one left without anyone.
He glanced to his right and spotted a magazine and hoped he wasn’t on the cover. He didn’t particularly like having his picture taken, you’d think he was used to it by now but there was nothing weirder than seeing your face staring back at you as you browsed the magazines while paying for groceries.
He slid the magazine closer. Oh no, damn it!. It was a countdown to another awards show he had to attend. It had slipped his mind. He would be going stag. He couldn’t even get his mom to go this time. If he couldn’t get his own mother to tag along then what chance did he have with anyone else? Admittedly she would have gone if she could but she had to work in his absence. His sister had a baby shower to attend and his closest girl friend had tests at college.
Lance slowly looked up. She wouldn’t…would she? Hell he might as well try, she already thought he was crazy.
He’d been staring too long and she was growing suspicious. “What?” she asked slowly.
Here goes Bass. “I don’t suppose you’re doing anything on Thursday night?”
Chapter 3
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