“What?” I asked innocently.
He just rolled his eyes and pulled his strong, tan arm away from the dashboard. The other arm was bracing the laptop on his legs. He ran a finger along the top of his white V-neck shirt, loosening it just a bit, and finally relaxed his shoulders.
“Do you think that he’s serious about Rob Harlow?” he asked with a new enthusiasm now that we were mostly in the clear.
“He said that he was a man of his word,” I remembered him telling me. “So probably.”
“WOOHOO!” Riley hooted with joy.
“Yes, less is more.” I smirked over at him.
“Whatever, I’ll just see you in Charleston,” he said in a mockingly girly voice.
“What?” I smiled. “I
am
going to see him in Charleston.”
“It isn’t what you said, it’s how you said it,” Riley emphasized.
“Anyway, there is one problem.” I glanced over at him. “About Rob.”
“What?”
Biting my lip, I tried to think about how I could explain what Lizzie did to sabotage his and everyone else’s happiness just because she was miserable. “I met Rob Harlow the other night,” I confessed.
“How could you not tell me! When? Where? Details,
hello.
”
“Apparently, Rob is the only other person who has caught a glimpse of The Grimm Reaper,” I explained. “He was there the night I had to identify him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Riley asked, sounding a little hurt.
“It didn’t exactly go well. You see I was in the middle of getting his autograph for you when,” I glanced over at Riley, “Lizzie said in a flippant way that you know,” I drifted off as I stared ahead at the busy highway.
“Killing me, here,” Riley urged.
“That we just love the gays.”
He gasped. “We don’t even know if he is gay!”
“I know,” I agreed.
“And he freaked out?” Riley said expectantly.
“He didn’t
freak
out,” I clarified. “But it wasn’t pretty. He just quickly left the room.”
“Forget about The Grimm Reaper,” he roared. “
I’m
going to kill her!” He looked like a very pissed off Calvin Klein model; full lips curled in spite, eyes narrowed and a tense jaw.
“And for a moment there,” I said under my breath. “I wasn’t going to tell you.”
“No, I’m glad you did,” he growled. “God, he’s going to hate me on principle.”
“He seems like a very respectful person,” I countered. “Not mean at all.”
“It’s not even like that with him.” He crossed his arms over his cut chest. “I was just excited about meeting my idol.”
“I know.”
Taking the exit for Buckhead/ Cumming, I sighed to myself.
“What did she do to you?” He glared over at me. Sensing some of the heat coming my way, I wanted to mention that I was just the messenger, but I really understood his anger.
“She announced to Hawkins, and the rest of the band for that matter,” I rolled my eyes, “about what Jake did to me and how you can even YouTube it.”
“What?!” Riley asked in outrage.
I was startled by his intensity. Oh shit, was Lizzie going to get it. Not only was Riley pissed, he was the kind of friend who took on your anger, too, like Lizzie had betrayed him twice this morning.
“Who knows, Riley,” I whispered, trying to calm him down. She was turning into this crazed diva with all this attention, but I decided to keep that to myself for now. It was amazing how my anger could lift when Riley was mad.
Riley glared down at his computer, “Oh…holy…shit!”
“What?” I looked over at him, but he was just staring down at the computer screen with his mouth dropped open. “What? You’re freaking me out.”
“MSN has a picture of you with Hawkins.”
“Please tell me that you’re joking!” I said as I tightened my hands on the wheel, getting ready to pull over.
“Don’t worry it’s blurred and from a distance.” He waved it off. “It was probably taken from someone’s cell phone. I just know that it’s you.”
“Well, you could have started with that?!” I exhaled with relief while releasing my tense grip from the steering wheel.
“A source told them that the mysterious brunette stayed close by Hawkins side all night. They’re wondering who you are?” Riley grimaced over at me.
“Great,” I sighed.
“The source also claims that Lizzie was seen with Warren, but that she looked jealous of the mysterious girl in question,” Riley said, then muttered, “She should definitely have that look down by now.”
“Anything else?” I asked him while praying that it was over.
He typed fluidly along the keyboard and clicked the mouse pad. “Umm, Hawkins tweeted.” He let me know while I smiled at the memory.
Deciding to pay Riley back for almost giving me a heart attack, I acted coy. “Did he say that I was intelligent, charming, and sweet?”
“He…said that you are beautiful.” Riley bit his fingernails nervously. Staring down at the laptop, then out at the road, he was clearly thinking about how to explain the next comment to me.
“Is that it?” Pressing him, I fought back a laugh.
“Umm.” Riley darted a sideways glance over at my chest.
“Riley, are you checking me out?” I asked jokingly the way he always did to me.
“NO! Well, yes.” Riley’s face flushed a crimson red. “He likes your rack.”
“I’m only toying with you, Riley.” I laughed then explained that I had written the tweet.
“You bitch!” He playfully and lightly shoved my shoulder while laughing. “So what are you two doing? Messing with the public or something?” His eyes were wide with excitement.
“Pretty much.” I grinned over at him.
“That’s kind of,” Riley whispered in awe, “naughty.”
Biting my lip, I tried to stop myself from smiling because Riley was right. We were scheming against everyone and it did feel a little naughty. Our own little private joke, I mused.
“Yeah, well, let’s see what he
blogs
.” I snickered.
“Wow,” Riley gushed. “You just
talked
last night, right?”
“Yes, our mouths were moving,” I said jokingly. “I mean
talking
.”
“Joie!”
“I can’t help it! He makes me feel, I don’t know,” I sighed happily, “light and carefree. I don’t worry when I’m around him and it’s nice.” I exhaled with relief. “It’s
so
nice.” Outside was a blur of cars and all I felt was truly happy for the first time in a long time.
“Oh, girl,” Riley said. “You’re in love.”
Goose bumps ran down my arms as I whispered, “I know. I didn’t think after Jake that it was even possible.”
Looking out at the passing skyscrapers, I thought about Hawkins. Remembering how good it felt to be in his arms. The smell of his scent, his soft silky lips against my lips, his soft dark disheveled hair in between my fingers, but it was those intense blue eyes that I couldn’t get out of my mind.
When we pulled up to the hotel, my attention was instantly drawn to Lizzie. She was standing in front with her arms crossed, designer sunglasses secured in place, and had a cold, hard expression across her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her, forgetting for the moment that I was pissed at her. She tossed her new luggage to the side of the cot and got in.
“Warren and I are fighting,” she announced resentfully as she went to lie down on the cot in the back. “He doesn’t want me to be Hawkins’ muse.”
“Just explain to him that you aren’t.” I smirked and Riley laughed a little too darkly.
“Ha, ha.” Lizzie half laughed.
“Why won’t you give Wayne your social?” I asked her, changing subjects as we merged back onto Peachtree Street.
“Hello? We’ve been over this already,” Lizzie said, clearly frustrated.
“Warren will understand,” I said coaxingly, “Especially after the other day.”
“It’s not Warren that I’m worried about,” she confessed under her breath while drumming her perfectly manicured fingernails along the metal floor next to the cot.
“Then who?” Riley asked like he really didn’t have a clue because there was no way Lizzie thought she still had a chance with Hawkins. Instead of answering though, Lizzie had suddenly become preoccupied with “reading” a magazine.
My eyes bugged out at Riley with the realization.
“Lizzie,” I said warily. “It’s not going to happen with Hawkins.” I was starting to feel bad for her. Even if Hawkins didn’t like me, which apparently he did, he had made it very clear that he didn’t like Lizzie.
“Why not?” she asked hotly as she slapped down the magazine.
“Have you even had a conversation with him?” I asked her earnestly.
“Yes,” she emphasized. “Besides, I’m his muse, remember?”
“Yeah, to the public.” I tried to break it to her gently. “I’m not even sure if he’s
your
type. Besides,” I thought back to last night, “I’m kind of hanging out with him, now.”
“So?” She laughed while throwing her platinum blond hair over her shoulder and puckering her lips together in a snotty expression.
“I’m pretty sure he’s interested in me,” I said more surely.
“Yeah,” she said doubtfully as her pink lips curled up into a perfect smirk. “You and half a dozen other girls who have
hung
,” she made quote marks with her fingers and continued, “out with him on his tour bus before.”
“This is different,” I insisted.
I knew that Hawkins liked me. He drove me nuts. I drove him nuts. It didn’t hurt that he was hot, but it probably drove him even crazier to know that, at the end of the day, the way he looked wasn’t enough to cut it in my book.
“Oh, please,” she jeered. “You’re not the first girl and you won’t be the
last
.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled to myself, knowing that Lizzie was never going to understand.
“And since you’re doing it all wrong…” Lizzie drifted off while picking up the magazine again. Oh no, she did not just go there, I thought while glaring at her through the rearview mirror.
Riley went to argue, but I stopped him, “No, please, Lizzie, enlighten me. What am I doing wrong?”
“You can’t see that it’s just a fling. He’s not going to sweep you off your feet and rescue you from your life back in Shadyside,” she said bitterly while still pretending to be completely fascinated with the magazine.
“Unlike you, I don’t, nor have I ever, looked for some guy to take care of me,” I said, losing my calmness and sympathy.
“Maybe, but I’m not disillusioned. You think you can just be yourself and he’s going to fall in love with you. He can have anyone,” she babbled on. “He’ll just get bored with the innocent act and then move on. It’s just the nature of things.” She finally finished her rant.
“Wow, I feel bad for Warren.” I shot back.
“Sorry for Warren?” Lizzie reiterated. “Why do you feel sorry for Warren?”
“Because if he had any sense, he’d see that you’re just
using
him,” Riley interjected with more passion than necessary.
“Warren sees just fine,” Lizzie assured us. “I’m telling you, these guys are famous millionaires. They never hear the word no and I know how to work them. It’s why Warren will keep coming back to me for more and more. And it’s why Hawkins will eventually get bored with you and move on.” She looked up at me with a smug expression.
“Yes, you’ve worked Hawkins so well, he can’t even stand you.”
“Really, then why is it that my picture is up everywhere?”
“Because I don’t want the attention.”
“Everyone wants the attention, and please, it was all over your face during the poker game last night.” She waved her hand dismissively in my direction.
“What was?” I was curious now.
“That you’re in love with him.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Riley said with an edge. “She’s just trying to get inside your head because she knows what you said about Hawkins is true.”
“What did I ever do to you?” Lizzie aimed her first glare at Riley.
Riley only laughed, apparently too upset to talk about it. Everyone was silently fuming when we merged back onto the highway. Thankfully, Lizzie crashed for the next couple hours so Riley and I could nibble on snacks and gossip.
“You didn’t take any of that personally, did you?” he asked me.
“Do you mean the part about her supposedly being my friend and she still tried to bash me? Because no, that part didn’t hurt at all,” I said sarcastically. “She seems to have this made up fantasy of what she believes Hawkins is like.” I thought about it. “I’m not even sure if she has had a conversation with him. And what’s so wrong with Warren?”
“She’s just moving from person to person because if she was being honest with herself, she’d still be with Ryan.” Riley had cooled down by now and if anything, sounded sad for a moment.
“Who knows?” Glancing out my side window, I actually passed another car for the first time today. We had successfully put the crazy Atlanta driving behind us and I welcomed the two lane highway like a long lost friend.
As the day continued, we popped Combos in our mouths while trying to get trucks to blow their horns at us. I dared Riley to moon one of passing cars and to my immense surprise he did. Though, the girls in the red Grand Cherokee didn’t look like they minded and kept pace with us for the next two miles. Sorry girls, but you’re shit out of luck. Riley crossed off New Hampshire and Colorado from our list of license plates we had yet to see from the fifty states. We bounced along to the music of Simon and Garfunkel on the radio station I could pick up at the time.
“Cecilia, I’m down on my knees,” I sang.
Riley looked up from his laptop. “
Your
blog is up.” He smirked now that he was in on the secret.
I was a little apprehensive about what Hawkins would write under the false impression of being me since he didn’t think much of my writing abilities.
“Read it to me,” I said, feeling a mix of butterflies, excitement, and nervousness.