GABRIEL
After promising everyone in the house that I'd be back in a couple of hours to talk, I tagged along with Jo and went to have lunch with Maria.
I'm sure Jo, like me, noticed the curious looks we got from everyone when we finally left her room freshly showered, but she chose not to comment.
For some reason, she thinks we should be discreet. It's obvious they all realized there's something going on between us. Which doesn't mean I won't be asking them to keep their mouth shut.
The little restaurant Maria found us is amazing. The food is great and the customers are older than the people who often recognize me on the streets. Which really works for me. It's been ages since I've hung out with my sister in this way, so it's perfect to relax without people asking for pictures or recording us.
Maria has been discussing the details of a case she is working on and I am so proud of all the hard work she is doing. She is working hard to establish her name as a lawyer, and it is inspiring to witness her enthusiasm for her job.
"So, that's why I keep telling you not to marry a lawyer." She points her fork at Jo. "They're the worst."
Jo rolls her eyes. "Why are you always hooking up with lawyers, then?"
"I said marrying them, not sleeping with them." She winks at Jo, and I throw my napkin at her.
"Ew." I shudder. "Too much information."
"What?" Taking a sip from her glass of water, she pauses for a moment. "You're the only one who can have a string of meaningless sex on your trail?"
I choke on the beer. "What?"
"I've told you about their little orgy at the beginning of their tour, right?" She turns her gaze towards Jo and I am left speechless.
"Maria," I try, but she speaks before I can finish my sentence.
"They're all still dealing with the consequences of it. The press is all over them." She stuffs her mouth with food, and my eyes dart to Jo, who raises her eyebrows at me.
"What kind of consequences?" Jo asks, and I swallow.
"Nothing to worry about." I give Maria a pointed look.
"Of course." She gives me a cheeky smile, unable to take the hint. "Reason why your lawyer, manager, and PR flew all the way here to join you guys."
"Don't you have work to go back to?" I make eye contact with the server, and he soon approaches us.
"Is everything okay? Can I get you guys another drink?" he asks.
"Another beer please," I say, turning to Jo, who's watching me curiously. Great. The last thing I want is to talk about that fucking party Josh set up in London.
Martin, Aaron, and Lena took us by surprise earlier today, and no matter how hard I tried to not let it bother me, I knew something significant happened. Everyone is aware of how much we cherish our time off and the importance of it. I explicitly asked them not to come. There was no room for misinterpretation. So, the fact that they disregarded my request has left me feeling a little uneasy. But since Jo got up as soon as they arrived, I'll have to talk to them later to see what the hell is going on.
"And for you, ladies?" The server breaks me away from my thoughts. "Can I get you anything?"
"I'm good, thanks," Jo says, and Maria gives him a smile.
"Me too."
"Hey." Maria squeezes my hand, her eyes studying me close. "I'm just joking around. I didn't mean to offend you."
Squeezing her hand back, I shake my head. "It's all good."
She's about to say something when her phone rings. "I have to take this. It's my boss." She sighs, walking away.
"She was just kidding," Jo says. "You know how she is."
"Yeah, I know." I hold her gaze, wondering how we got to this point. For a long time, I attempted to keep my feelings for her at bay. But then she swept through my heart, creating a need for her deep in my soul.
"What?" she asks, startling me a little.
Before I can express the many things I would like to do with her later this evening, Maria comes back to the table. "I'm sorry, guys. I'll need to video call a client in thirty minutes. Do you think we could wrap things up here?"
"Sure," I say.
In less than ten minutes, I'm driving us home. Maria went straight into the back of the car so she could spread some papers out on the seat and make a call, leaving Jo no option but ride shotgun.
Maria is having a heated discussion with the person on the other side of the line and we both remain quiet, absorbing the intensity of the conversation. Her job is her top priority, so as soon as our car pulls over, she quickly exits and waves goodbye in a hurry.
Shaking my head, I watch as Jo chuckles. "There should be a picture of Maria besides the word workaholic."
"Can't argue with that." I hold her hand and she turns her attention to me.
"Should we get inside?" she asks.
"Can you give me a couple of hours to deal with everyone?" I ask. "I'd love to go back to our little song writing."
"Of course. I'm going to sit outside for a while to outline my new book. We can go down the beach around six if you're done with them."
"Works for me." I lean in closer, my nose touching hers. "I just need something first."
"Yeah?" She breathes. "What?"
"This." I take her in my arms and pull her towards me, pressing my lips against hers in a soft kiss.
*****
As I walk inside, the smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the air. Everyone is in the kitchen, seated as if they were in a corporate meeting. Josh's eyes lock on mine and the look of disinterest on his face tells me that this gathering will take some time.
Contemplating the scene in front of me, I feel a subtle sense of unease knowing that Maria is just a few feet in her room and Jo is outside on the patio. With so much testosterone around, the guys can get really loud, making the atmosphere pretty uncomfortable for the girls.
"Glad you finally joined us." Lena gives me a smirk when she notices me by the door and I let out a sigh, plopping down in a chair.
"What's up?" I place my elbows on the table, noticing Dave and Aaron look pissed. Great!
"Turns out dear Josh is even more fucked up than you right now," Aaron shifts in his seat and dread settles in the pitch of my stomach. Sitting up straight, my eyes dart to Josh, who's looking at the sea through the window.
"The little party you guys took part in." Lena heaves a long sigh. "One of the girls was a minor."
"Shit." My head falls into my hands. "You gotta be fucking kidding me."
"Oh, I wish I were..." Lena goes on, handing us each a picture of a group of girls. "The blond one claims Josh forced her into having sex."
Rage builds from deep inside my soul as I turn to him. "A minor, really? Where did you even find those girls?"
"They were with one of Nora's friends." The nonchalant tone of his voice pisses me off even further. "I had no idea she was a minor. And FYI, I didn't sleep with her."
"Of course, you didn't..." I murmur, as I take a good look at the picture. Fuck! The girls obviously look older.
"What does that fucking mean, Gabe?" He shouts. "You're implying I knew who she was or that I'd fucking sleep with her, knowing she was a minor?"
"Hey, now!" Tom, our lawyer, tries to calm us down. "This girl has just turned eighteen from what I've gathered, which is the country's age of majority."
"And what's the age of consent over there?" I ask, feeling a headache forming in the back of my skull.
"Sixteen. Unless there's a position of trust, authority, or responsibility over one of the parts," Tom explains. "Then, it could still be viewed by law as grooming, for which there are specific offenses. Especially if there's a big age gap."
"There's also another issue we won't be able to ignore," Lena chimes in. "TMZ and all major British tabloids got ahold of the situation."
"Fucking hell." I sigh.
Silence fills the room and Martin, our manager, is the first one to break it. "Which means they're this close to knowing about Nora, too."
My back stiffens. "What about the non-disclosure agreement we sent her to sign?"
"She says she's not signing anything until you talk to her." He raises his eyebrows. "Apparently, you blocked her number."
Rubbing my face, I wonder how the hell we got here. We are no strangers to this world. We know how things work. How drugs, sex, and partying too much might lead to disaster at some point. So, how the hell did we get here?
"We need to think about a quick course of action," Tom says. "We can have your endorsement deals pulled because of this."
"He's right," Lena adds. "The press will have a field day if we don't act soon."
My eyes find Josh. "You're not leaving this fucking band until we sort all this shit out."
Holding my gaze, he nods, and it's like I can hear a collective sigh of relief.
When the tour was over, all I wanted was a couple of weeks to unwind and put my head on straight. Then Jo happened and for a second I thought life was giving me a sign that I could have more.
But now...
Now comes reality showing me things are never so simple.
_____
A/N: Looks like there's some drama on their way...
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Celeste