Authors: Gina Buchanan
Before she could respond to his sarcastic remark, she was again pushed forward. This time, however, she had reached her boiling point. She turned to deliver a full chastisement and immediately thought better of it when she came face to face with a brawny bald man with multiple piercings on his face. Her eyes fell upon the tattoo of a skull on his right arm and a tattoo of the grim reaper on his left arm. She excused herself and then moved to find refuge from all the chaos. She settled on a corner in the living room where she appeared to be out of everyone’s way. She peered through the open French doors at the large swimming pool in the backyard, which was presently being ravaged by women in thong bikinis. She gasped at the realization that some of the women lacked tops to their swimsuits, thus exposing more than what Carly really wanted to see. She shook her head in utter disbelief.
“You want some?”
Carly turned to find a young man with curly black hair standing before her. His green eyes appeared large and dilated, and he held up a plastic bag filled with a white substance for her to inspect. She sneered at him and curtly turned away.
“I asked if you want some!” he repeated, somewhat more loudly and forcefully.
Carly remained silent, praying he would just go away.
“I'll let you have a line for free if you let me hit it. Give you a night you won't forget, baby." He winked and licked his lips while staring at her cleavage.
She gasped and felt the overwhelming urge to slap the perverse grin off of his face. Much to her relief, though, Jake finally appeared and sent the pest on his way with a few harsh threats.
“That guy’s not even supposed to be here,” Jake growled, watching the young man disappear into a sea of people. He then turned to look at her and smiled gently as his blue eyes perused her face.
“You okay?” he asked.
Carly vehemently shook her head.
“All these people! And they’re all crazy!” she exclaimed.
She suddenly caught sight of a tall, stunning redhead whose green eyes were fixated on Jake. As soon as she noticed Carly’s inquisitive stare in her direction, the pretty redhead averted her gaze. Carly saw her uttering something to one of her female companions, and both the redhead and her friend then turned to stare at Carly. This time it was Carly who averted her gaze. She could have sworn she saw envy in both of their eyes, but more so in the redhead’s.
“I’m going back to my room,” Carly finally said.
“Oh no, you’re not,” Jake answered playfully.
He reached down suddenly and encircled both of her legs with his arms. He then lifted her straight up and flung her over his shoulder.
“Put me down!” she squealed, hitting his back with her small fist.
She took note of the direction he was headed in and began struggling even harder.
“Don’t even think about it!” she yelled at him when he halted at the edge of the pool. Behind him, Danny and Aidan were urging Jake to fling her into the pool. Several of the men already in the pool added further encouragement as they hooted and howled. Much to her dismay, Jake heeded the inspirational chanting of his peers. She felt him release, and several seconds later her body hit the cool water. She immediately rose to the surface, wiping the water from her eyes. Before she could utter a single word, Jake followed suit and jumped into the pool. She gasped as the water sprayed onto her face, causing her to wipe the water from her eyes again. She then felt Jake’s hand on the small of her back as he pulled her forward. Before long, his face was dangerously close to hers. He was momentarily lost in her eyes, and he couldn't help feeling enticed by the wetness of her lips. He bent down, intent on tasting the sweetness of her mouth. But before his lips could meet hers, a huge splash sounded out and startled both of them. Carly moved away from Jake to find refuge at the edge of the pool and turned to find that Aiden had been the culprit. Soon, more people followed suit. Carly just shook her head at the wild, reckless scene unfolding in the pool. She turned to find Jake and spotted him standing outside of the pool. His arms were around the lovely, long-legged redhead with the startling emerald eyes she had noticed earlier. The tall beauty was putting up a feigned struggle before he threw her into the water. He then jumped in after her and lifted her into his arms, playfully threatening to toss her into the water again. All the while she was giggling delightedly, and her eyes seemed to sparkle like two gemstones as he awarded her his full attention. Carly’s throat constricted with newly sprung anger, and she lifted herself out of the pool. She turned once to see if he had even noticed her getting out. Jake's attention remained fixed on the lovely, green-eyed creature. With a feeling of indignation causing her blood to boil, Carly stormed into the house and up to her bedroom. She tore off her wet clothes and slipped into a robe. Heavily engrossed in thoughts of throttling Jake, she barely noticed the knock on the door. She paused, searching for the perfect words to throw at him to perfectly convey her anger and disappointment. She finally got up and barely opened the door, peering through the crack.
“Why did you leave the party?” the male voice inquired.
Carly’s heart immediately sank when she realized it wasn’t Jake after all. She did her best to sound cheerful as she replied.
“I’m just tired. I’m going to bed. Good night, Danny.”
With that, she shut the door. Peering at the half moon through the window, she pondered the disturbing events of the night. She had never felt so completely isolated and out of place. She could not ever recall a moment when Jake had made her feel so insignificant. She finally decided that it had been the chaotic atmosphere of the party tonight that had prompted her best friend’s insensitive behavior. She reassured herself that tomorrow things would be better and that Jake would be a lot more attentive.
Chapter Twenty-One
Carly awoke the next morning with a lingering yawn and rolled over to her side. She nearly scrambled off the bed when she saw Jake seated at the edge, a sly grin marking his sunny face. She grabbed a pillow and threw it straight at his head. He easily caught it with his outstretched hands.
“Don’t scare me like that,” she growled, still feeling the sting from last night, albeit less intensely.
“I was wondering when you’d wake up,” he said. “I made us lunch.”
“Lunch!” she said. She glanced at the bedside clock and almost shrieked with dismay.
“I slept ‘til noon?”
Jake answered with a nod.
“How could you let me sleep that long?” she asked, the annoyance all too evident in her voice.
“You just looked like such an angel, sleeping so peacefully,” he answered, that same sunny grin still on his face.
She groaned with utter frustration and then froze as she eyed him with a wary expression.
“How long have you been watching me sleep?”
He threw her an ominous glare and feigned a voice resembling that of Dracula.
“I’ve been watching you all morning, my darling.”
She threw another pillow at him, and this time it hit him squarely in the face. Jumping out of bed, she plucked a pair of jeans and a t-shirt out of her suitcase. Before she could move to the bathroom to change, Jake snatched the pants out of her hand.
He said, “Before you do all that, I want you to try the lunch I made. It took me a long time to get it just right.”
“So, you’ve been slaving over the stove all morning. I’m actually quite impressed,” she said as she followed him downstairs and into the kitchen.
“By the way,” she added with a sardonic tone, “it looks better in here when there aren’t a bunch of crazy people all over the place.”
The heavy dose of sarcasm in Carly’s tone didn’t escape Jake. He laughed at her while he stepped behind her and planted his hands on her waist. He steered her toward the kitchen table and she looked down at the plates set on the table. She said dryly, “Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
“Yeah, I’m obviously not much of a cook,” he chuckled.
She laughed and then plopped down on the chair.
“Hey, I don’t make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for just anyone,” he said playfully.
She eyed him dubiously before taking a bite of her sandwich.
“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you. What happened to you last night?” he asked. “I mean, one minute you’re in the pool having a good time, and the next you’re gone.”
“Having a good time,” Carly replied with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “You actually thought I was having a good time?”
Jake took note of her tone and straightened up in his chair. His expression became earnest.
“Were you mad at me?” he finally asked.
She could see the concern in his eyes as he asked the question. She sighed and decided that what had happened last night couldn't be changed and, therefore, was not worth bringing up. Besides, she didn’t want to spend her time in L.A. arguing with Jake or holding grudges. She changed the subject.
“So what’s on the agenda for today?” she inquired.
“I’m glad you asked,” he said, going along with the departure of topic. “You’re accompanying us to the concert at Venice Beach.”
“Great,” Carly responded. Jake could tell she was feigning enthusiasm. "I love spending my time hiding away backstage being jostled around like a useless rag doll, always in everyone’s way.”
Jake frowned at her.
“Sorry,” she said, changing her tone to sound a bit more agreeable. “I will gladly go and offer you my support. I guess I’m just a little moody this morning.”
“Yeah, I can tell. You should be nice to me. Especially after I went out of my way to make you this gourmet lunch.”
“A gourmet lunch, huh? That’s definitely an exaggeration, Harmon.”
“I love it when you smile,” he said.
She couldn't help admiring the dimples on his face as he grinned widely.
“You ready to go see the beach?"
Her face brightened like the morning sunshine at this revelation. How could she have forgotten about that? Did Jake have that much of an effect on her that she could so easily forget about something she'd been looking forward to ever since leaving Clanton?
“Of course I am,” she exclaimed.
Her mind raced as she imagined walking along the Pacific's coast and beholding the infinite stretch of blue water continuing on into the distant horizon. She wondered what it would feel like digging her feet into the warm, velvet sand and watching the majestic ocean waves end their tumultuous journey in the form of a benign tide on the sandy beach.
“So, when do we go?” she asked zealously.
He chuckled and replied, “Not soon enough, obviously.”
She quickly finished her sandwich. The sooner she could shower and get dressed, the sooner they could be on their way. Hours later, StoneLief’s limousine carefully made its way through a crowd of screaming fans. The limousine halted behind the expansive stage that had been set up to face the crowded beach. Men dressed in black crew t-shirts were busy running around and testing equipment onstage. Camera crews for several of L.A.’s top news channels cluttered a large pavilion that jutted out over the beach and provided a perfect view of the front of the stage. A barrier made up of orange barrels and yellow tape, as well as several uniformed officers positioned behind the barrels, served to keep the screaming fans at bay while StoneLief exited the limousine. They climbed out and stood in plain sight of fans and paparazzi. Several flickers of phosphorescent light flashed all around them as photographers eagerly snatched valuable snapshots of each of the band’s members. Jake heard his name being called from every direction. A man Carly surmised to be in his early 40s wearing a black pair of designer sunglasses and a blue, silk button down shirt with black slacks, slipped through the back door of the stage and hurried toward them.
As he approached, he exclaimed, “Guys! You finally made it! Let’s get you backstage!”
Jake turned to her and explained that this was John Burleson of Infinity Entertainment, and that John was their agent and manager. She thought the man would introduce himself to her but, instead, he completely ignored her. She followed the band and Mr. Burleson to the backstage area and nearly gasped with incredulity at the chaos she bore witness to. Her incredulity burgeoned as she noted all of the famous faces of alternative rock, pop, and hip hop.
“That’s…”
Jake nodded, laughing. He then said, “I’ll introduce you to some of the other bands later. Right now, it’s gonna be a bit hectic.”
“A bit hectic” was an understatement. Backstage could have best been described as an absolute chaotic circus of people running around as if preparing for the apocalypse. Everybody seemed to be talking in clamored and hurried voices that bespoke of panic and stress. Jake and the others were immediately sucked into the frenzied, convoluted environment. Before long, Carly had lost them. She looked around, feeling immensely out of place and unwanted. It felt as if she was completely invisible, and it didn’t help that concert staff consistently bumped into her without apology, shoving her from side to side as if she were but a piece of discarded trash on the ground. She caught a brief glimpse of Jake and called out to him. He, however, seemed not to hear her. And he appeared to be in heavy conversation with a member of the stage crew. Mr. Burleson, though, had heard her clearly enough. He approached her, wearing a fictitious smile that mutated into a sneer as he got closer.