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JOEL POV
Eyes focused on the ceiling, phone twirling in hands as thoughts rummaged through my head. Another month had managed to pass by, tour still going strong as ever. The rumors had finally managed to die down, leaving some space to take a breathing break from everything that had been circling in my life recently. Though there was one person who was still absent from it . . . my Hanae. I had tried calling her several times, immediately being met by this phone is not available. Please, try another number.
I looked down at my screen, sighing and going into my messages. Though her phone number was no longer available, I still went back to look at our latest messages. I could feel a soft tear escaping the corners of my eyes, reminiscing back to times when we were happy. Those three simple words still written down, yet not sent. I LOVE YOU. That feeling would never change, no matter how things ended between us. Never in my short-lived life had I ever met someone like her –– so genuine and true to themselves. She didn't even care that I was internationally known around the world, because the only thing she saw was that Mexican boy with a dream of making it big.
Richard came barging through the door, an envelope in his hands. "What's going on?" Jumping out of my bed, I turned to look at my bandmate who seemed to have a livid look upon his features. "The results are here." At that moment I felt my heart drop, not knowing what to think. That envelope could either make it for me or completely shatter me to the ground.
HANAE POV
"Come here, princess." Yoandri supported Jennah by holding her petite hands, her lips parting and revealing her first teeth on the bottom row. It brought light into my dull everyday life, seeing my little creating growing with the passing months. Yoandri had been coming over more frequently these days, wanting me to spend as much time as I could with Jennah before she turned a year. I had to admit that staying away from her was hard, especially during the nights when I'd lay in bed on my own. But I also knew that this was the best decision I had made for us both, knowing that she would be suffering with me if I decided to keep her around.
She came walking unbalanced with her chubby feet, Yoandri laughing as he followed behind and made sure she wouldn't slip. Upon reaching my hands, he let go and I was quick to lift her up into the air, earning a soft giggle that filled the room. "Mama is so proud, baby." Pressinf my lips against her cheek, I placed her back down and watched as she crawled towards her monkey, playing around with it on the floor.
"How are you doing?" Yoandri came to sit beside me, keeping his eyes on the little girl. "I've been better, but I'm not complaining about anything." Silence fell upon us, both keeping eye contact with the 10 month old baby. "He misses you a lot . . . you know." Those works broke the comfortable silence between us, causing me to shift in my place. The thing was that I couldn't talk about Joel with anyone without feeling I was suffocating. But with Yoandri, things seemed to be different. Though he was his best friend and would always have his back, there was just something about his calming manners that made me feel at peace.
I turned to look at him, pulling my eyebrows together. "You still think he didn't do it, right?" He looked down, twirling one of his vintage rings. "I know he didn't do anything, Hanae. I've known Joel for years and I know it isn't in him to humiliate someone like this." "Well, maybe you don't know your friend that well then." I noticed in the corners of my eyes that he was shaking his head, pressing his lips together. Blaming him for standing by his best friend would be wrong, because anyone would do that. Heck, I'd do that for Esme and Kat. But it still hurt knowing that someone believed his words.
"But what would you do if everything turned out to be wrong? That Joel was in fact innocent . . . would you get back together?" That question caused me to look at him, thinking about the possibility of us being back together. Of course I'd lie if I said that's not something I wanted, but the question was . . . would he take ME back after accusing him of so much? I looked down at my hands. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if everything turned out to be a blunt lie. Yoandri, I accused him of so much and didn't believe his words. If anything, I don't think he would take me back. Who would want a girlfriend like that?" Something shone in his eyes at that second, as if he knew something that I didn't realize or know yet.
JOEL POV
"I was drugged?!" Anger filled my every being, getting up from bed the second Richard had read the envelope from the laboratory. I couldn't believe that something like this had actually happened, but how could it? I swore to know that no one else was in my room that night, except for me. Anyone could sign down on that! I ran a frustrated hand through my curls. "That's not all . . ." Richard continued, furrowing his eyebrows. "The fingerprints on the bottle belonged to you, because you picked it up. But there was another fingerprint found belonging to . . . Oriana?" Her name caused me to turn around immediately. "Oriana?" He nodded, reading it over again to make sure everything was right.
Was Oriana down in Argentina? But even if she was . . . how the heck did she get into this hotel room? And how did she manage to drug me, when I was wide awake the entire evening? "The orange juice." I suddenly blurted out. "What?" Richard looked confused, putting the piece of paper down. "The last thing I remember was drinking the orange juice. If she is the one owning that drug, she must've put it in the orange juice before I came back in." He rubbed his chin, pressing his lips together as he nodded to every word I said. "Which means that the security camera in the hallway must've picked it up if she walked in here before you came back. But that doesn't explain the . . . nudity." "But I wasn't naked, bro." I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. "I woke up with my boxers on. If something happened, I don't think she would've bothered to put them back on, do you? Besides –– if she drugged me, I wouldn't have been able to be awake enough to have sex with her."
At that second, a lightbulb suddenly went off between the both of us, exchanging simple glances of pure shock. "Which means that nothing happened that night!" Richard rested both of his hands against his head, biting down on his bottom lip as he looked at me with widened eyes.
I couldn't believe this had happened. Oriana had sunken low by doing this, simply earning none of my sympathy. Not only had she caused me to think badly of myself, but she'd made me lose the love of my life and child in the process. But why would she even do that? I sighed in frustration, going to pick up my phone. "What are you doing?" "I'm calling Kat." Richard was quick on his feet, pulling his eyebrows together. "Why are you calling her? She has to hate you more after what happened." I sighed, knowing what he was referring to. But if someone were able to break through Hanae, it would be her best friends. I knew I was taking a shot in the dark doing this, but what more did I have to lose? Hanae already believed I cheated on her and Kat probably wants my nuts long gone. But when you love someone, you do whatever it takes to have them back . . . right?
Going through my contacts, I pressed the call button and put the phone against my ears.
Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring . . .
"WAS ABOUT TIME YOU CALLED, YOU SON OF A BITCH."
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