Chapter Ten.
Carmen.
The guestroom of Daren's home is dark, pitch-black when I wake up, curtains drawn, and door closed.
I feel the back of my shirt wet with sweat and I sit up, still groggy and dull. Wren said I had high fever before he tucked me into the bed, and I fell asleep.
Searching for my phone I tap around the mattress and under the pillows, not finding it. I huff and fling my legs over the edge of the bed and stand up. I walk forward in the direction of a door until I come to contact with a wall, touching around until I get a hold of a door link.
The hallway is also dark, but the lights from down the stairs create a dim lightening and you can see around.
I don't fucking know where Wren or Kian's room is and I'm not going to go through every door I see right now. You know, perhaps I will get kicked out for spying.
The floor is dark wooden, the walls are white and up here also in this hallway is also a big floor to ceiling window showing me the dark backyard. I walk down the stairs slowly. Past the kitchen and to the sitting room, I'm relieved to find Kian sitting there on a couch, on his phone.
"Hi"
He notices me then, snapping his head around to see me. "Hey. Feeling better?"
Not much.
"Yes. What time is it?" I ask.
"Almost nine" Kian glances at the screen of his phone.
That was a really long time I was asleep.
"Like today or the next day?"
Kian smiles widely at my disorientation. "The same night, babes"
"Whatever"
Someone walks in and puts their hands on my shoulders from behind me, I tense. "Here you are" Wren.
I turn my head to look at him, standing right behind me. "Yeah" I shake off his hands.
"Feeling any better?" I get asked for the second time.
"Yes" I give the same answer. "A bit"
I did sleep well, better than at home.
But I'm still feeling heavy. I guess that's what comes with being sick like that. I don't know, usually when I get sick, I sleep it off. My mother stopped tending me when I was five and I have been brushing anything off on my own after that.
"Hungry?" Wren then asks, "Mom said she'll bring takeout-Chinese and Mexican. She'll be home soon"
I am not saying no to free food. Free good food.
"Yes, please"
Wren smirks, nudging me with his elbow. Hair so blonde and messy, eyes shining bright. "Gained some manners, Carm?"
I bite into my bottom lip, feeling it dry, and shrug.
Clinking of heels sounds out against the hardwood floor and we turn to see a tall woman at the living room entrance.
In a beige long trench coat, high heeled boots and patterned tights, black dress underneath the coat, she looks dressed up and lavish. Exactly like someone who'd live in this house. Like someone who needs to look good and dashing.
Her softened features switch upon seeing someone other than her sons in the room, leaving her face serious and critical.
I recognize her from Perez's mother's magazines at his house. I happened to skim the pages of those years ago. Also, there have been articles of Myles Darden and his long-term girlfriend and their appearances in public, stories and interviews with the rockstar.
Her eyebrow quirks as her dark eyes set on me, purse tangling from one of her hands.
I also recognize her from somewhere else. She's the lady from the parking lot, who I lowkey yelled at, oopsies. I smirk and then straighten up, because that situation is intimidating as fuck.
That's their mom.
Alexandra Ledger, the love of Myles Darden and mother of two. The two kids in question have never been in the eye of the public, their faces and identity hidden and protected, unrevealed.
"That's Carmen, Carmen, that's mom" Kian says as he walks past me to kiss his mother on the cheek and leaves the room.
Briefly flitting her eyes to her other son, a slow smile graces her dark red coloured lips, and she steps forward, one hand raising to delicately move a strand of her dark straight hair out of her face.
"Hello, Carmen. I'm Alexandra"
Quick, what do I do?
"Hi"
Really?
You're so pathetic, Carmen. Just go home at this point.
I love life, because Wren opens his fat mouth and saves me from speaking.
"Carmen is sick, and she couldn't go home, and we brought her home so she can rest. That's okay, right?"
"Absolutely okay, Tobes" Alexandra says and sighs deeply. "I'll go get changed, go eat kids"
"Kids" Wren scoffs and we all walk out of the room.
"I love saying that, I've always wanted to. You know, to play parent and shit"
What is life? I'm at Alexandra Ledger and Myles Darden's home and I'm experiencing her cursing, so free and casual with her kids.
"To play parent, mom? What's going on?" Wren asks as his mom is halfway up the flight of stairs and we're turning into kitchen
Her chuckle is heard as she's out of sight up the stairs and we arrive at the kitchen counter where Kian is taking out the containers of food from the brown paper bag.
We sit down, Wren hands me the silverware and we begin eating.
A thought strucks to me- if there is Alex, then there's got to be Myles somewhere, right? Celebrity meeting, yay.
I keep my face straight, enjoying the still warm food.
"So," I start, "is your father joining us for dinner?"
Kian spits out his water he was drinking and coughs, trying not to laugh. Wren just smirks, sitting beside me, looking down at his food.
"Fan?" he asks.
I mean, I never said I wasn't. It's not like The Sun was on my top 5 most listened artist this year...
I shrug, shoveling a forkful of noodles into my mouth. I watch as Kian ignores the question after that, focusing back on his plate of food.
Wren clears his throat, "Not today. Besides," he smirks suddenly, "already want to meet the whole fam and shit?"
I shake my head amused.
The food is good, but I feel full too soon and my appetite changes. I just want to lay down and avoid my sickness, just sleep it off like I always do.
I wait until they finish eating, not wanting to walk away and walk around like a headless chicken. Going back to the bedroom seems strange also.
So, I wait until Wren is done eating, I tell him I want to go back to sleep, and he walks me there, bringing me medicine like he's my mother or sum shit. I swallow the bitter syrup he extends me on a big spoon, letting him tend me.
"Is that really necessary?" I ask.
"Obviously"
When I come to think about it, my mother used to give me some medicine when I was a kid. I don't really know much about them, perhaps I should keep up with that, taking care of myself when sick.
When I wake up again, it's still dark outside, the door is cranked open, the Moonlight shining through the hallway. My phone shows me the time just a few minutes past midnight.
I stand from the bed, walking into an adjoined bathroom. I wash my face from the nightmare I woke up from, my throat tight.
I hear muffled talking from outside of my room, pushing the door farther open, I make the dumb decision to step out. I recognize Wren's voice from two doors down to my left.
Wren.
"This is your last chance, Darden" He says my last name tauntingly, with a threat underneath his words. He could reveal to the public what Myles Darden's son is up to. One anonymous message to the media, to any social life journalist and I'm busted.
"I can't today, I told you" I grit, gripping my phone tightly in my hand.
"There isn't-"
I exhale sharply, "Look, I'll be there next week. I'm doing this, you hear me? Have I ever let you down, Sterling?"
Sterling grunts on the other side of the phone, "I'm counting on you, boy. I trust you, alright?" he huffs, "Don't even think of doing anything to make me question it." With that he ends the call.
I let out a deep breath and toss my phone onto my bed.
I close my eyes and dig my hands through my hair, leaning forward. God, help me with that shit I have gotten myself into.
Light knock on my door startles me slightly, second later the door open.
Carmen.
"Hi" I drop my hands from my hair to my sides. Carmen stands there, closing the door behind her.
"Come sit" When she gets closer, I hold onto her shoulders and gently push her to sit down on a beanbag.
She slowly leans back and relaxes into it. "I hate beanbags, they are so weird, like, ugh" She shivers.
She does look a bit disturbed, tense, but trying to relax and play it off.
I smirk and shrug a shoulder, "Kian forced it into my room. He likes them and apparently my room needed one, especially when he decides to hang out here."
Which is quite often, we basically share a room.
Carmen nods, looking around my room. She hasn't really been in here, not long enough to take it all in.
I sit down on a chair and see how her eyes settle on a door opening, a place where there could be a door, but isn't. The light in that room is out and the light where we're right now doesn't really help to see what's inside.
Carmen turns her head to me, "What's in there?" She points, thin blanket that laid on the beanbag before now wrapped around her, her finger peeking out from between the material.
"A Secret"
She does her usual Carmen eye-roll and stands up with that blanket still around her and walks to the other side of the room. Stopping by the opening, she switches the light on to the music room. Carmen doesn't walk in, just looks over what's in there.
In that room is a small couch, barely fits three people, shelves with vinyl records and albums, a table and other random shit.
"Oh, didn't take you for a player" she briefly turns her head to glance at me, "not surprised though, like daddy like son"
She found them guitars.
"He isn't my son"
Carmen turns around and blinks, scoffs and walks back to beanbag, now seating more comfortably.
"Few days ago, or something like that," Carmen speaks up as I turn on the TV and start scrolling through my playlists for music. I glance at her to let her know that I'm listening, nodding my head upwards for her to continue.
"I ran into Alexandra in a parking lot" Mhmm? "We kind of left off in a really shitty situation. Basically, I kind of yelled at her and run away"
I turn my head to her, raising a brow. "What for you yelling at my momma in your free time, Carmen? Didn't find anyone your age to pick a fight with?"
"Yes, that's it, Tobes"
"Why call me Tobes?"
"Why not?"
"Why?" I ask.
"Stop asking why"
I shrug and look back at the screen, starting a song to play quietly in the background.
"Tell me more" I say, telling Carmen to continue her story.
Door all but bursts open and Kian saunters in, beelining for the beanbag. Seeing Carmen there, his seat occupied, he scrunches up his face.
"What's with you always taking my place?"
Carmen rolls her eyes again, not answering.
"Move" Kian demands. When Carmen doesn't obey, he gives up and plops down beside her. Carmen huffs and scoots to the side so he could fit too. "Now, why are you bitches hanging out without me, your best friend?"
Carmen leans back further until she's basically laying down. Shrugs, "I don't see anyone named Perez here, no idea what you are talking about"
Kian shoots her a dirty look, "Okay. Didn't like you anyway"
He then stares at me.
"What?" I snap.
He mocks me and looks at the screen, leaning forward he snatches my phone from me and changes the song.
"Carm?" I speak.
She opens her eyes and looks at me. "Oh, yeah" she sighs. "Anyways. Now I met her properly, not sure if she recognised me or not, she didn't act like she did. I feel shit though, and I want to apologize"
"Face like yours is hard to forget, Carma, doubt she did." Kian says, turned towards the TV screen, not taking his eyes off as he types a song name in.
I don't disagree.
From the moment I saw her, it was obvious that Carmen is gorgeous, painfully so. Dark long hair, tan skin and these striking blue eyes and that permanent, resting glare. Not really a glare, but her face expressionless, like she's indifferent about everything. Probably is.
Despite the small unnoticeable flaws, she has always been too bewitching to me.
In those sharp hard blue eyes, though so enchanting and prisoning, I see sadness seeping underneath.
I lean forward and rest my arms on my knees, "What were you arguing 'bout?"
Carmen swallows subtly and shrugs. Deciding to be honest, "She thought I needed her help. I was upset, and with my spinning head I too snappily told her that I was fine and didn't need it"
"Were you actually fine?" I ask.
"No..."
"Who are we talking about?" Kian says.
"Your mom"
"Well then you had it coming. And besides, what business were you yelling at my mom?"
Carmen shrugs, "Favorite hobby"
"Even if she remembers you" I say, "she won't be too mad, she'll forgive you anyway"
"Mhm" Kian hums, "You're too lovely to hold grudge against"
"Shut up, Kian"
****