“That’s all you’ve got for me?” I frowned. “Try not to think about it?”
He shrugged with his whole body and shot me a tense smile. “If you think too hard about these things, you’ll go mental. Take my word for it.”
I didn’t doubt that. I felt anxiety trickle through my body just thinking about it now. Call me crazy, but I would’ve traded places with any fan in the world. Exhaustion wracked my body. I didn’t find the crowds exciting, the number of people collected in the streets was nuts.
We’d managed to avoid the hustle by entering the hotel through an underground entrance, but driving down the ramp into the hotel’s parking lot had ensured that we got a decent glance at everyone who’d gathered to watch us arrive.
There were hundreds of them. They flooded the roads and clogged the streets until traffic was at a standstill. I’d never seen so many people crowded onto the streets at one time – aside from when a parade was scheduled to pass through.
Don’t think too much about it. Harry’s words echoed in my head. I took a deep breath and turned back to my phone, deciding to tackle James first. I hesitated, knowing how mad he was going to be, before clenching my eyes shut and dialling quickly. He answered on the first ring.
“Ava.”
His voice sounded calm, but I knew James better than that, and the foreboding undercurrent in his voice told me that it was the calm before a storm.
“James… Hi.”
“That’s all you have to say? Hi?” He growled incredulously. His voice was a mixture of both stunned and pissed.
“I’ve had the news on all day! What’s going on Ava? Christ, are you alright?”
I let out the breath I didn’t know I had been holding and felt a wave of guilt wash over me. I should’ve called him right away. If our situations were reversed, I would’ve been out of my mind with panic.
“James, it’s okay. I’m fine.”
“Fine?! I called you about ten times as soon as I heard what happened!” He bellowed. “And then when you didn’t answer your phone, I drove to your apartment and there were people everywhere… and then I saw that video on the news...”
He took a deep breath and I tried to cut in. “James— ”
“What were you thinking Ava?!” He burst out. “You could’ve died! I saw you charge that guy with a gun. He had a gun. I’m telling you, Javier is going to kick your ass later. No, that’s if I don’t get to you first…”
He continued to ramble angrily and I let him keep going until he was finished. James had always had a temper. I’d never be able to get a word in. When he finished, I hesitated, waiting to see if there was more.
“James, there was a room full of people.” I began. I could almost hear him start to interrupt me again, but I kept going.
“The room was full of people, and I was the only one who could do something. They hadn’t seen me yet.” I heard myself let out a slightly delusional chuckle as I remembered the gun and the safety lock.
“One of the guys didn’t turn the safety off of his gun. It was the best chance I was going to get.”
“It wasn’t your responsibility to save them Price.” His voice was quiet. “The guy had a knife to your throat.”
“It was my responsibility to do anything I could. You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t have done the exact same thing!”
He was silent on the other end. I took that as encouragement and continued.
YOU ARE READING
Chasing Blue Roses
Humor"He was the type of guy who would break your heart into thirty million pieces and make sure you had the time of your life while he was doing it. It was the kind of heartbreak where after he was done, you'd drag yourself up off the ground, compl...
6. Professionals Do Not Wear Batman Pyjama Pants.
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