She looks like fun

Chapter 17

One hour later and we are still sitting in the same restaurant. Ana is showing us a video of Edy trying to flirt with a girl and everybody is laughing their asses off.

"It's not funny." Says Edy crossing his arms.
"It definitely is." I say trying to catch my breath.
"Fuck you all!" He said and we all started laughing harder. We got some weird looks from the waiters but we couldn't care less honestly.
"I'm going for a smoke, somebody coming with me?" I ask and they shake their heads.

I leave the restaurant and the cold September air hits my face and my bare shoulders. I light my cigarette and take a long drag out of it and exhale it slowly through my nose. I didn't realize that there is somebody standing next to me until the sound of a lighter woke me up. I look to my side and see the figure of that leather jacket that I could recognize in a million. We make eye contact and hold it for a few seconds until his mouth opens to say something.

"Hey..."
"Hi."
"It's been a while." He then continued. I don't know if I should be bitchy or be nice to him. I just nod and look away.
"I get it if you don't want to talk to me. I'm sorry." He said. I kept my gaze to the street and he sighed. "Can we at least be friends?" He then asked. I look at him and feel a lump in my throat forming.
"I don't know..." I simply respond and take another drag from the cigarette. He nods and crushes his on the pavement and heads back inside, his lips forming a line.

I stay still looking at the cars passing by lost in my thoughts. After I finish the cigarette I get back inside and sit down.

"You okay?" Asked Maria.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be ok?" I respond looking into her blue eyes.
"I don't know, you look...lost." She said.
"I'm fine."
"Okay..." she said not really convinced and turned back into the conversation the others were having.

**

The next morning I had my flight back to the US. I woke up pretty early to get to the airport in time. As I was checking out I get a message from Milan, my brother.

Mi🫶🏻 7:36am:
"So you got back with the band?"

I frown confused and type in.

Me 7:36am:
"How do you know?"

Mi🫶🏻 7:37am:
"*link* youre everywhere on social media."

I open the link and see some paparazzi pictures of us from last night. So that's where Matt saw the pictures. I think to myself.

"Fashion designer, Maya Calloway, was seen yesterday night with the new sensation The Death Ramps in Paris having dinner. The singer and composer of the group was seen outside the restaurant with teary eyes smoking and talking to the Diesel fashion designer. What is going on between these two? Scroll to find more."

I scroll and see a zoomed picture on Claudiu's face where you could see his eyes. I didn't even realise that he had tears in his eyes yesterday. I scroll more.

"Maya Calloway and Claudiu Valdez were in a relationship 5 years ago in high school and reporting to their colleagues their relationship didn't end well. They've been dating for 4 months and then Calloway changed schools and continued her studies at a private school as some people assume. We don't know the cause of their break up but it surely wasn't nice. Could the flame between these two be reborn, or was it just a high-school-sweetheart-relationship?"

I sigh and close my phone. How do these people know everything? I open my phone again and send the link to Ana to wich she immediately calls me and I respond.

"I'm sorry. I've already read it." She says.
"You don't have to be sorry. I just don't know how the fuck these people know everything."
"Neither do I." She sighes.
"What are you doing up so early anyway?"
"We have some interviews, you know rockstar shit." She says and I roll my eyes.
"Ok miss rockstar, I have to go now or I'll lose my flight. Say hello to the others."
"I will, bye!" She says and I hang up.

**

I was driving home from the airport listening to the radio with my shades on my nose and my gaze fixed to the road.

"We have a new single today from our beloved Death Ramps. Get ready people this one is sad." The lady from the radio station says. I freeze when I hear their name and my heart skips a beat.

A weird tune starts playing with some drums following and the I hear his voice.

I heard the truth was build to bend
A mechanism to suspend the guilt
Is what you will require but still
You've got to dance little liar

The hair on the back of my neck raises and his voice sends shivers down my spine.

Just like those fibs that pop and fizz
And you'll be forced to take that awful quizz
And you bound to trip
And she'll detect the fiction on
Your lips and dig a contradiction up

And then it hit me. This song is about him and I, about our relationship and how it ended because of him lying to me.

And the clean coming will hurt
And you can never get it spotless
When there's dirt beneath the dirt
The liar takes a lot less time

When the instrumental hit I started tearing up without even realising. All those years of ignoring him and trying to erase him from my mind for nothing. It's like he's following me everywhere. I wish I could just change the radio station but I couldn't. The song finished and the lady started talking again.

Claudiu's POV

We were all sitting on desk chairs with headphones on our heads and microphones in front of our faces listening to our new song "Dance Little Liar". The song ended and the lady who's name I don't remember started talking.

"What a song! Now we've got here in direct the one and only Death Ramps! Hello guys, how are you?"
"We're fine, thank you." Said Maria.
"Beautiful song we've got here, everybody wonders who is this song about?" The lady asked.
"Well it's not about someone, it's more about me. I don't really want to talk about this. It's a rather sensitive subject." I respond and the lady nods.
"But still can't you tell us somethings about it?" She asked. She started getting on my nerves. I look at the others annoyed but they were already looking at me. I look back at the lady.
"No." I say annoyed.
"Well let's continue then, shall we?" Ana intervenes and the lady nods.
"I heard you got an album coming, do we have a date or something?"
"The album is mostly done, we just have to record some stuff and we expect it ready by December." Edy responds the question.