Jess stumbled after me as I went into Nana’s office, grabbing my phone I had to call Beau. Only it wasn’t going to be so easily done as Julia came in behind me and shut the door to keep Nana and Jess out.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, glancing between her and the door.
“You can’t just say that and walk away!”
“Of course I can, it’s all just fiction isn’t it?”
She narrowed her eyes at me and crossed her arms defensively. As someone who had always avoided confrontation, my first instinct was to run away, but I didn’t want to give her that satisfaction.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, what we went through! Just because I ended the story where I did doesn’t mean it is over. Bea-Brock and I will never be over, you have no right to judge me so unfairly!”
I wanted to tell her I did, that I had more of an insight than what the book offered. I wanted to tell her that they really were over, yet a part of me wasn’t sure if that was so true. I had seen her still get under Beau’s skin and how could she do that if there was nothing there? I wanted to tell her I knew the truth and that he had moved on, but the words never came to me. Everything I came up with sounded nothing more than a jealous girlfriend trying to one up the ex and I was better than that.
They had a past, but Beau and I had the future.
“Of course, so how is your fiancé?”
The diamond sat like a trophy on her left hand and she tucked it further against her chest to hide it from view.
“None of your business.”
“So is there a point to this?”
I focused on breathing, trying to keep calm before I started to scream at her for everything she had done.
“You know something don’t you? Think you’re all righteous for sticking up for him! What were you one of his backstage fucks or maybe you were in rehab too? Did he tell you the sob story of how he got famous and left everyone behind, still expecting them to wait for him to live out the rock star dream? I didn’t want him to be famous, I wanted him. I wanted the house and the kids and to stay as we always had. I didn’t matter, he just did what he wanted!”
She stalked towards me, her voice rising with each word to the point she was practically screaming in my face. Struggling to keep my own voice even, I clenched my fists and focused on the feeling of my nails digging into my palms.
“Music is who he is, how could you want to hold him back like that?”
What I wasn’t expecting was for her to slap me, the frustrated growl like sound coming from her as Jess and Nana came back in. My hands instantly went to my cheek and my skin was stinging from the impact as my mouth dropped open in shock. No wonder Rosa made so much noise when I punched her, being hit the face hurt!
“Your opinion doesn’t even matter. It’s fiction, your crazy to think it’s even anything more than a story!”
The irony was evident and I just stared, knowing better. Julia stepped back, running her hands over her skirt awkwardly as she realized what she just did.
“I think it’s time for you to go Miss Trips.” Nana’s voice was flat and the warning obvious; get out before I throw you out.
Julia glared at me one more time and nodded, slipping out the back door. It took seconds before Jess had me in a hug, Nana right behind her. A few minutes later we were all sitting around the table with a fresh coffee.
“So that’s..”
“Yup”
“And that means…”
“Yup”
“Shit”
“Yup”
Jess sipped her coffee and Nana still had no idea what was going on.
“That was helpful girls”
“Sorry Nan, that’s Julia. Beaus ex and the series is all about them” I admitted, the truth hard to hear. Just how much was fiction? Clearly Julia had creative control.
“Really? Maybe I will try reading it again!”
Jess and I looked at her in horror and she laughed uncomfortably.
“Just kidding.”
“I need to talk to Beau.”
They both nodded and I got my phone, heading outside to call him.
He didn’t answer so I sent him a message asking him to call me, but I already knew he wasn’t going to. He was going to have to deal with something and that wasn’t something he did well.
“Hey Bec, what’s up?” John answered his work number and it didn’t surprise me he was at his desk.
“I need you to book me the next flight back to LA”
“Ah why? What’s going on?”
“I need to see Beau, like now. I just met your friend Julia.”
“Really? How?”
He sounded confused and I didn’t hear any typing going on.
“You better be online booking my flight while you’re talking!”
“Yeah ok, what’s going on?”
“Did you know John? Did you know she was the author of Lyrics to my Heart?”
“What are you talking about? She works in marketing, not an author. It’s how I met her!”
He didn’t believe me and it made sense if she worked under a different name.
“When do I leave?”
“Two hours, I’ll email it through to you now.”
I know the band had nothing on till next week, but that was yesterday and things change quickly.
“Do you know where they are?”
“Sparky is here, I’ll ask him to check with Noah.”
Hanging up I went back inside, grabbing my bag Jess came with me. I grabbed a few things, not sure entirely what was going to be happening once I got there, I just knew I had to see him; make sure we were still ok.
“Good luck Bec, call me when you can” Jess hugged me in the drop off bay at the airport and I wished she was coming with me.
“I will, thanks” We hugged again and before I knew it, I was going back to LA.
-
I tried calling Beau when I landed and was surprised when I actually got answered - only it wasn’t him.
“Hey Bec, it’s Seth.”
“Hi Seth. Is Beau there, I really need to talk to him.”
Silence.
“Sorry he isn’t. He stayed here last night, but he left early this afternoon and forgot his phone. Noah is on his way around after the call from Sparky. His Mum hasn’t seen him either and Sticks is with me now. What happened?”
“I met Julia, but I didn’t know it was her. He phoned this morning and I told him about the book signing in my Nanas bookshop not realizing Josephine is actually her”
“Let me guess, you’ve read the books?”
“Yeah”
“I told him to tell you!”
He blocked the phone and I could hear the muffled voices of others.
“Noah just got here, we’re going to go check out a few places and I’ll let you know if we find him.”
“Seth, I’m in LA.”
“How?”
“Plane?”
I could imagine him rolling his eyes at my sarcasm and pushed my way through the slow moving crowd to get out of the terminal.
“Get a taxi to De Lucca’s building, we’ll meet you there”
-
Palm trees flew by as I made sure the driver knew it was urgent. The location I gave him had him looking back every five seconds, trying to work out if I was someone he should recognize and ignoring him I leant my head against the window. I wanted to hope he was just out at a long lunch, maybe he went to see a movie and the lights of the buildings began to glow brighter as the final rays of the sun slipped away.
We stopped at a set of traffic lights and while I was people watching it was the familiar face of Perry I saw standing above the crowd. He was Beaus personal security, and I threw the driver a fifty and jumped out before the lights changed. No one paid him any attention as he headed towards one of more exclusive hotels and keeping my distance I followed him in. Had the guys called him?
He was waiting for the elevator when I ran up behind him, tapping his shoulder I was surprised he didn’t pull a gun on me as he jumped and spun around.
“Miss Adams?”
“Hi Perry, is Beau here?”
He didn’t want to answer, and as the elevator opened he got in. I followed and he closed the door, shaking his head as a couple tried to enter.
“I’m glad to see you, I was asked not to tell anyone where he was, just that he was ok.”
“Is he ok?”
“A friend of mine called me from a bar down the road, he was getting drunk enough for people to start recognising him. He asked to come here and I went and got him a few things” He held up the bag and the clink of glass told me what was in there.
“Let me go in ok? Can you tell the guys I’ve found him?”
“Are you sure, he is really out of it.”
The concern the bodyguard had for his employer was obvious and it made me feel better Beau had him looking out for him.
“I’ll be fine, I’ll call if I need you.”
We went the rest of the way up in silence and the elevator opened into the small lobby of the penthouse. Perry passed me the bag and opened the door, before going to sit on the lounge by the elevator. The curtains had all be drawn, the faint glow of outside lights not providing much help in seeing around band I managed to find the table without falling over. Looking around I had no idea where to find a light switch and before I could locate a lamp, Beaus voice greeted me.
“Leave it out there Perry. You can go now.”
I wasn’t Perry, but he didn’t need to know that. Heading in the direction of his voice, I finally found a light switch and from the other side of the room an empty bar was lit up. It gave me a chance to see the room though and I saw the door in the corner, which was where Beau’s voice had come from.
I held my breath as I turned the door knob, opening it the room was just as black and the rest of the suite. The bar light did nothing from over here and I could see the silhouette on the bed as my eyes became fully adjusted to the dark.
“I said you can go now.”
“It’s me Beau.”
Silence.
I quickly got my phone out of my pocket, forgetting I had it and turned on the torch, He didn’t look up, rather keep staring at something on the bed in front of him. I went straight to the lamp on the bedside table and turning it on, he flinched slightly at the introduction of light. What I didn’t expect to see the needle sitting in front of him.
“Beau, what is that?”
“Why are you here?”
He finally stopped staring at the thing in front of him and looked at me. His eyes were red, puffy and I was certain he had been crying. “I came to see you, what’s going on here Beau?”
“Why?”
“I’m going to take this ok?” I carefully picked up the needle and he said nothing as I left the room with it. I had no idea what was inside it exactly, my drug knowledge was non-existent and I didn’t want to know. “Perry?”
“You ok Bec?” He was up and at the door in the time it took me to make sure we were still alone.
“Can you do something with this?” I handed it over to him and his mouth went into a tight thin line while his eyes darkened angrily.
“Fuck. I can’t believe I left him in there with this!”
“Thanks Perry, could we maybe keep this between us for now?” He nodded and I went back inside.
Beau hadn’t moved and frowning I stood at the end of the bed.
“Why are you here?”
“I told you, I had come see you.”
“But why?” The more he spoke the more I could tell it wasn’t just the booze that was affecting him, he had been crying and looking around the room a little more closely I could see the dressing table chair had been knocked over and a vase of flowers had been broken beside the table.
“Why would you come and see me?” He repeated a couple of times, clearly unable to comprehend why I was there. I kneeled on the bed, moving so I was sitting in front of him. I was taller than him like this and I took his head in my hands, forcing him to look up at me.
“Because I love you.”
Jess was right. Let it come naturally. It wasn’t forced or faked and I had never meant anything as much as I did in that moment. His lips were cold as I kissed him, unresponsive and as I pulled away, his arms went around my waist bringing me closer. I climbed onto his lap, my legs curling around behind his back as he clung to me. His head rested against my chest and l gently stroked his back, clueless as to how to help him.
“I love you too.”
We sat there like that until my leg went numb from the odd angle I had it bent at, finally forcing him to let me go I sat back casually trying to work out what to do now.
“What are you doing Beau?” My voice was barely a whisper, scared to talk in case it had him closing up again.
“I told you there was more. Now you know and I don’t know why you’re still here. I’ll only ruin you like I did her.”
“No you won’t, I’m not her. Snap out of it Beau, the first sign of trouble isn’t going to make me run away or leave you. I don’t care if you’re going to be going on tours and get photographed with groupies. Just not Rosa because I will hurt her.” I was joking, but then again if she did try anything I think it would be on like donkey kong.
He moved towards me and at the approach, I laid down. His head rested on my stomach he kept his arms around my waist while I gently stroked his head.
“I trust you Angel and I love you. I thought because you read the books and know that she made Brock about me, you’d leave. I’m an asshole.”
“You have your moments” He gave a snort of a laugh, finally starting to loosen up. “Since the first time I read part one, I’ve been on your side. It’s a story Beau, even if it’s about you two, it’s in the past and I’m sure parts were exaggerated to make it fiction.”
“Yeah; made me look like more of an asshole.”
“It’s not you in there, its Brock. You’re both talented passionate people and that’s as far as it goes. Whatever I just walked in on is not you, don’t keep defining yourself because of some words she put on a page!”
We stayed like that for a while and his breathing soon evened out before soft snores filled the room. I’d been there for two hours and I knew I should let everyone know what was going on. It took me another ten minutes to get free and I headed out into the living area, opening the curtains to see the world lit up with the lights of the city.
“Perry?” The guard had fallen asleep, slowly sitting up he looked around for a moment before seeing me in the door way. “It’s ok now; you can go if you like?”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” I said goodbye to him and phoned Noah, telling him everything I figured he was the best one to speak to. It was nearly ten at night and I was starving, yet the emotional drain of the day hit me hard. Food can wait till later.
Beau looked so peaceful asleep, his lips were turned into a tiny smile and it was if nothing had even happened. I woke him up enough to move him back to lay amongst the pillows and getting changed, slipped into bed beside him. Instantly I was pulled against his chest, his legs entwining in mine and his arms held me in place.
“Goodnight Angel.”
“Goodnight Beau.”
----
Don't worry, the story isn't over yet!