Breaking Point

Chapter 11 // Chantelle

[BEFORE – 8 Months Ago]

There were two weeks remaining on Jesse's original two-year contract.

How time had flown by.

It was incredible that I was almost twenty-two, Jesse twenty-two already. He'd been in love, had his heart broken multiple times by the same girl, and yet he had such a tenacious trait that resulted in him just bouncing back straight into work. He told me I was admirable, but he's a liar. He's the admirable one.

Though no new album was in the works because of the contract termination (Jesse had already stated that he would renew his contract, however for legal reasons, they couldn't commence recording a new album), I knew he was dying to get back to recording, especially since his collaborations with other artists had been such a hit. He had garnered so much fame in two years; it was utterly incredible and awe-inspiring. He'd gone from a small-town mechanic who sang to himself as he worked to a world-famous pop star.

Tonight we had organised an extravagant meal with everyone from the team, Lewis' wife, Jesse's group of friends and his parents. We were sectioned off in the restaurant because we were such a large party, but there was a bar on the other side and even a makeshift dance floor which we couldn't see from our table, but Jesse had already promised me he'd get me on the dance floor considering I told him I didn't dance and inadvertently quoted High School Musical 2. I relented, eager to feel his hands on me. For the past few months, I'd had to succumb to infrequent hugs and gentle, inadvertent brushes of the skin. That was all I could promise myself.

We were seated at a large table where Jesse was sat directly opposite me, sandwiched between Ed and Adam with Jason neighbouring him. Lewis sat at the head of the table, deep in conversation with Oliver and his wife. Next to me, I had Jesse's mom and on her other side was his dad. Jesse offered for my parents to attend, but as my dad worked with construction, he had a seven a.m. start in the morning and it was already eleven now and we were socialising animatedly with our drinks, so they politely declined, promising they would attend the next time. It would have been too much to travel, too. Jesse understood, announcing that he'd venture to my town one day and have a meal with my parents and I, perhaps even Avery too if she was available.

The image that was conjured up in my mind made me want to swoon.

Flushing from my thoughts, I had to snap back to reality as Jesse's mom turned to me with a smile. She asked how Jesse was behaving with his job and in the studio. At one point she made sure he wasn't making any inappropriate comments towards me (I think she meant flirtatious comments) and all I could think was that it was me making the sexual comments, especially since Jesse reverted to the old him again before Kennedy was thrown into the picture.

He'd recently been promoted from Two-Minute Man to Three-Minute Man based on one of his performances, and when we discussed it afterwards in the studio, I had to step outside because I was riddled by hysterical laughter.