As Lily tried to ditch the small amount of tabloid reporters who jumped in their cars and followed us out of the parking lot, I stared at her waiting to hear her answer to my simple question.
"You're impossible to get a hold of," Lily said, frustrated as she shook her head.
"I was in yoga class," I replied.
"You haven't been online this morning?" she asked.
"No, I couldn't sleep. I went straight to class."
"Look at your phone," Lily demanded as her eyes focused between the road and her rear-view mirror.
I reached into the string bag and retrieved my phone, realizing I hadn't placed the ringer back on from shutting it off the night before. As I unlocked the phone, I had too many texts and messages to count. Lily ordered me to ONLY click on the link she texted me.
"What's going on? Just tell me," I said as I nervously handled my phone.
Lily shook her head and became silent as I anxiously waited for the page to load on the screen. I seriously felt like I was going to either pass out from the exhaustion of my hot yoga class or from the sight of the newest, tabloid headline that stared back at me.
It read:
"NICKY'S LOVE TRIANGLE...THREE'S A CROWD?"
I immediately searched for the pictures, because there were always pictures. I saw my worst nightmare in front of me, a photo with the tagline, "Nicky's Revolving Door."
There it was, in plain sight, Nate leaving my studio late at night after the first scandal hit the internet. The pictures were mostly focused on me as I barely wore my robe over my naked body as I sobbed over his abrupt exit. Nate's face and body were noticeably blurred, not on purpose, but because he was standing in the dark away from the outside light. No one in the world would be able to identify him, but one thing was for sure, he didn't have long, blonde hair like Reed, my "current," boyfriend.
In complete shock, the phone dropped out of my hand and onto my lap.
"They weren't following Reed. They were following you," Lily revealed.
Both of us just assumed that reporters followed Reed to my house and that's how they caught us together. I never thought the tabloids would be sitting in the woods outside my studio just waiting for me to hand-deliver their next biggest story on a silver platter.
"This was a while ago. Why now?" I asked, slightly trembling at the thought of people stalking my house 24/7.
"Probably waiting for the right time to destroy you and Reed as the happy couple, or they were hoping to get a clearer picture of Nate," she said, knowing how crazy this all sounded.
"I have to call him right now," I said reaching for my phone again.
Lily moved her hand off the wheel and blocked me from making the call.
"We don't have time for that," Lily said directly and to the point, "We have to get you out of town."
I stayed silent as I absorbed her words, letting them marinate in my mind as I began to grasp the potential implications of this new development.
"OMG, What about Reed...and WALT?"
"I spoke to Walt already, we have a plan," Lily replied.
Then, Lily proceeded to tell me I was not to use my phone to contact anyone, for any reason.
As we pulled into the main entrance of the farmhouse, everything started to become clearer. Paparazzi were camped out across the street from the main gate of our house trying to get an exclusive photo of me in the car. Lily sped into the driveway as security quickly opened the gate. The camera's flashed, practically blinding me through the car window until Lily told me to duck down and cover my face.
We pulled up to my studio, and I saw my father standing outside, holding two stuffed duffle bags in his hands. His stance was almost like he was at attention and waiting for his next assignment. Two, black Suburbans were parked side-by-side off in the distance while a couple of security guards were having some kind of serious discussion nearby.
I felt like I was experiencing an out of body experience at that moment, this nightmare could not be really happening. I started to panic as Lily and I walked over to my father.
"I got everything on the list," he said, handing the two duffle bags to Lily.
"What list? What's happening? Tell me what's going on," I pleaded.
My father glanced over at Lily, like she was the drill sergeant in charge.
"We have to get you out of here, and I'm talking about NOW, RIGHT NOW!" she revealed.
I looked over at my father who warned me fame came with a price and my privacy would be the first to go. I promised him I would be extra cautious at all times. I believed I had lived up to his expectations, but I hadn't factored in the lengths some creepy stalker would go to. I mean, how could someone invade my home like that, just to obtain a photograph of me with the sole purpose of sabotaging my career and life? I couldn't have planned for that.
"Walt and Lily know what they are doing. I trust them," my dad declared without hesitation while making direct eye contact with me to reinforce his opinion.
"But what about Reed?" I asked, glancing towards Lily's direction, looking for more answers.
"I'll tell you everything in the car. Say goodbye, and let's go," she demanded as she walked towards one of the cars and handed security the two bags in her hand.
I placed my attention back on my father, and I immediately started to cry. He took me in his arms and softly kissed me on the top of my head, my hair still sweaty from the class I took.
"Everything's going to be fine, trust me," he said confidently and compassionately.
Lily came back and broke up our father/daughter moment and ordered me to hop into the backseat of one of the cars. I did what I was told as Lily got in on the other side and took a seat in back with me. One of the security guards got into the driver's seat and started to follow the other car down the driveway, going through the same gate we went in. The same reporters continued to wait across the street, hoping to snap a picture of me, the two-timing singer who supposedly had lots to hide.
Unfortunatly for them, Lily and I hunkered down on the backseat floor out of sight from the cameras. Confusion ensued when reporters realized there were multiple cars, obviously this mission was well planned with one vehicle designated as a decoy.
As the whole group rushed to follow us in their cars, they had to choose which SUV to follow. We stayed quiet on the floor as half of the cars followed the other vehicle and our driver lost the other half, weaving in and out of traffic. Once we were in the clear, he pulled over into a gas station and parked.
"What are we doing?" I finally asked.
"Wait here," Lily said as she quickly stepped out of the car, leaving me alone to get off the floor and take a seat by myself.
The driver followed Lily out of the car. I heard muffled voices for a few seconds, then Lily opened the driver's side door and got in.
"What are you doing?" I asked, still confused as to what was going on as the security guard disappeared into the gas station's convenience store.
"I'm getting you out of Nashville. Why don't you try to get some rest and just relax," she said more determined than I'd ever seen her before.
"Where are we going?"
"Just trust me, I know what I'm doing. Please, just don't ask anymore questions," she begged as she pulled out of the parking lot and got back onto the main road.
I was too exhausted to put up a fight with someone who I knew only had my best interests at heart. Instead, I felt defeated, personally and professionally, as I curled up in the backseat.
I tossed and turned a little bit in the car before I fell into a deep sleep. I attributed my ability to nap during my crisis to many things, including the awful sleep I had the night before, the hot, yoga class, and the emotional rollercoaster I was currently on again.
When I woke up, I was surprised to see it was dark outside. I wasn't sure how long we had been in the car or if we had stopped along the way. Poor Lily, still up front and driving, continued to be focused on the road.
I sat up and looked out the window as she began to slow down. Lily was driving in a quaint neighborhood with a cul-de-sac at the end. Lily noticed I was sitting up and glancing out the window.
"You're up," Lily said, staring at me in the rear-view mirror.
"Where are we?"
Lily turned into a random driveway and came to a stop. She turned the car off and glanced back at me, flashing a quick smile.
"Somewhere safe where you can hide out for a while," she replied as she stepped out of the car and popped the trunk.
As she retrieved my bags, I finally stretched my legs as I stepped out of the backseat. I set my attention on the house standing in front of me, an adorable, white cape with black shutters. I noticed the lights were on inside and outside, which meant either somewhere was already at the house or someone prepared the house for our visit. After Lily secured the bags for me, she started to walk towards the front door as I continued to assess my surroundings.
"Is this like an Airbnb?" I asked, glancing around the quiet neighborhood surrounded by mature trees.
"Sort of. Follow me."
I reluctantly tagged behind her as she carried the bags up the front steps.
As we arrived at the door, Lily leaned in and quickly knocked as she placed the bags down beside me.
"I forgot something, I'll be right back," she said, rushing back to the car.
"But what am I supposed to do?" I shouted, slightly annoyed she abandoned me as I gestured my hand towards the door, not knowing what I should do if it opened while she wasn't there.
Lily dismissed me by continuing to walk to the car, simply waving off my question with her hand and not looking back at me. I didn't have much time to be annoyed with her. I heard a sound coming from behind me. As I turned my attention back to the house, the door slowly opened.
Nate, casually dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, stood in the doorway. I locked eyes with him, a thousand questions popped into my head. I glanced back at Lily, hoping she would have the answers, but she had already backed the car out of the driveway. As she sped off down the street, I realized she had just abandoned me. The sequence of events happened so fast, I was in complete shock as I returned my focus to Nate.
"I don't know...what's happening," I said softly.
Nate didn't react at all, not letting me in on what he might've been thinking at that exact moment. Instead, he simply opened the door wider and gestured his hand for me to step inside. I didn't know if I should smile, cry, apologize, or jump in his arms and never let go.
I decided to do none of those things. Instead, I simply picked up my bags and walked into Nate's home. I wasn't certain about much, but I knew one thing was for sure, Lily was right, I would be safe there.