Behind Closed Doors (5 page)

“You have very alternative tastes, we will work well together.”

I smiled at him, I was glad that he felt that we were a good fit.

“This week you get to pick any song you want to sing. Any ideas?”

“I was hoping to sing 
Wherever You Will Go
?” It came out as a question, as if I was asking his permission.

“Sure,” he grabbed his pad paper and wrote something down.

“I’ll get the sheet music printed and we’ll have a practice tomorrow and then a full on stage rehearsal on Wednesday.”

I smiled, thankful that Jayce was so laid-back. I assumed our time together was coming to a close and waited for him to wrap up our session.

He took me by surprise when he rested his feet on the table, getting himself comfortable. He tucked his hands behind his head and it was hard not to get distracted by the way his biceps hardened with every movement.

“How are you doing in the house?” he asked.

“It’s okay. I mean, as okay as it could be living with twenty other people. Why do you ask?”

“Just interested to know how you’re finding it, if you’re making friends?” he prompted.

“Yeah, I am,” I smiled genuinely. “I’ve met some pretty amazing people.”

“Good. I know it will be hard not to get a little homesick at first.”

I nodded, but knew the nostalgia wouldn’t apply to me. At home, all that awaited me was an empty house, demanding job and too many painful memories.

“Do you have a special someone waiting back home for you?” he asked.

I fidgeted with my hands in my lap.
Someone special? Yeah, right.

“If you mean a boyfriend then, no,” I swallowed roughly. “No, I don’t.”

He nodded and averted his gaze. I wondered if I looked as uncomfortable as I felt.

“Have you seen much of Los Angeles before?” he asked and I was thankful that he filled the silence that had settled between us.

“I’ve done a lot of shopping and been to a few clubs,” I answered.

I would usually only venture south for the odd weekend, here or there.

“I haven’t done many of the touristy things.”

“Try not to venture out to too many clubs while you’re here,” he started. “Guys will be wanting to get close to you for all of the wrong reasons now that you’re on the show.”

I forced a smile, but didn’t say anything further. In truth, I was a little offended by his comment. I knew how to look after myself and I wasn’t going to be tricked into bed by some fame chasing horn bag.

Perhaps sensing my irritation, Jayce stood and walked over to me.

“I think we’re done for today.” He smiled as he held his hand out and helped me to my feet.

We walked toward the door together. I needed a coffee, but I had no idea which direction the kitchen was.

“Can you tell me how to get to the kitchen from here?” I asked Jayce as he held the door open for me.

“I’ll walk with you. I need to get a glass of water, my mouth is dry from talking too much.”

I smiled to myself, but he noticed my smirk.

“I talk a lot don’t I?” he asked.

“I couldn’t shut you up.”

Jayce grinned at my retort as he steered us toward the kitchen.

I stopped in the doorway when I noticed Victoria and Laura were already in the room. They were making coffees at the counter with their backs to us. I don’t know why I hesitated, but my sudden halt caused Jayce to run into the back of me. I gripped the doorframe to prevent my body from lurching forward as my feet stayed immobile beneath me.

“I saw the auditions online,” Victoria was talking to Laura as she stirred her coffee. “She’s not even a good singer. I don’t know why everyone keeps going on about her. ‘Kyla this, Kyla that.’ Marc is absolutely in love with her and she’s not even that pretty...”

I was about to turn and walk away when I felt Jayce’s hand press against the small of my back.

He cleared his throat, causing Victoria and Laura to spin around and face us. Victoria stood with her mouth open. For once, she was speechless. Laura’s cheeks started to turn bright red as she looked from me to Jayce and then back to me again.

“You’re right,” Jayce said, walking into the kitchen. “She’s not a good singer, she’s a great singer.”

Jayce made his way to the sink as Victoria and Laura continued to stand, frozen with dumbstruck looks upon their faces. Once he’d filled a glass with water, Jayce turned and walked out of the room, giving me a wink as he passed.

“And she’s not pretty. She’s beautiful.” He shouted back, as he continued to walk down the hallway.

No longer feeling the need for a coffee, I turned on my heel and walked away from the kitchen.

Victoria’s comments stunned me. I was upset, but I couldn’t deny the thrill I felt at the realization that Jayce was on my side.

Chapter 5

Back at the house, I settled in my room, practicing my song in preparation for my rehearsal with Jayce. I hadn’t told anyone about the altercation at the studio with Victoria and Laura. In truth, overhearing what they thought about me had hurt. Big time. It felt like high school all over again.

To make matters worse, Victoria was acting nice toward me, presumably overcompensating for what happened earlier. Her fake smiles and over the top politeness was like rubbing salt in an open wound. I decided not to tell my newfound friends about the incident, figuring it would do more harm than good, but Emily was already suspicious.

“Have you noticed Victoria is being really nice to you?” she asked as she sat on the edge of my bed.

“No, not really.”

“Well, she is and it’s suss. She was just telling me how she loved your audition.”

That surprised me. Victoria was good at turning things around and manipulation was definitely her game.

“I think she’s jealous of you,” Emily stated.

“Oh yeah, how so?”

“Because she likes Marc, but Marc likes you. Now that I think of it, it’s pretty obvious that she’s jealous of you.”

Emily tapped her finger on her chin as if pondering something. I didn’t want to hear her theories anymore. I needed to change the subject.

“What are you singing this week?” I asked.

“
Don’t Speak 
by No Doubt.” Emily clapped her hands in excitement. “I’m so glad there’s no theme this week. I am dreading being given a list of songs to choose from. Knowing my luck there will be a boot scootin” week and a best of Bjork week.”

“You’re too much,” I laughed, throwing my note pad onto the bed. Practice was over for the day. 

***

It was Wednesday, which meant it was only twenty-four hours until the first live show. I was so nervous about my performance. The thought of quitting the show had crossed my mind on more than one occasion. I knew I had to face my fears and just do it, but the prospect of choking in front of an audience was playing on my mind.

There was also the underlying fear of letting Jayce down, which bothered me more than it should. I knew it was going to be a mind over matter situation, but it was hard not to psyche myself out about the performance.

Prior to my final rehearsal, I was booked in to meet the in-house stylist and wardrobe assistant, Joss. We were given a weekly allowance to purchase clothes and shoes for our performances.

The outfits I brought with me were either too casual or hardly appropriate for television, so I was looking forward to spending every cent I’d been allocated. Being a lawyer meant my wardrobe was full of formal clothes. Skirt suits, fitted black dresses and button up blazers took up the majority of my closet space, which seemed extremely unimaginative and showed zero personality.

“You must be Kyla,” a tall and slender woman held her hand out to me. She looked to be in her forties, with deep auburn hair and clear blue eyes that crinkled at the corners when she smiled. “I’m Joss.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said as I subtly looked her up and down. Yep, she dressed like I thought she would, with figure hugging clothes
 
that accentuated her perfect figure.

She walked me through to a large room that resembled a walk in closet. There were racks upon racks of clothing, most of which still had price tags on.

“I’ve already got some garments in your size.”

“These ones?” I ran my fingers along the clothes hanging on a portable rack in the middle of the closet.

“Yep. Pick a few items and try them on.”

After parading a few options, I settled on an electric blue oversized, off the shoulder top. Joss agreed that the color would look great on camera. I chose some plain black leggings and black boots to complete the look. It wasn’t a loud, outrageous outfit, but I felt comfortable, which was what I wanted for my first show.

“Thank you for your help,” I hugged Joss, truly thankful for her advice.

“You’re more than welcome, Kyla.”

“No wonder all the celebrities dress so well, they have someone like you telling them what to wear.”

Joss smiled, “those clueless celebrities keep me in the job.”

“Can I take you home with me?” I asked and she laughed, not sensing that I was half serious.

I bid farewell to Joss and made my way to rehearsals. I wore my new boots to try and wear them in, enjoying the clicking sound they made as I walked the halls of the studio.

I entered the arena where I would be performing the following day. I eyed the stage warily, intimidated by the size of the
podium.

The loud hum of a familiar tune pulled my attention to the stairs that led up to the stage. Jayce was sitting on the steps, his foot propped beneath him, cradling his acoustic guitar as he strummed the strings effortlessly.

He was playing
Desire
, one of my favorite songs and the song I sang at my audition. I was mesmerized, watching him pluck the strings as his foot tapped the floor with the beat of the song. I silently moved closer to him, not wanting to disrupt the perfect melody, but my clumsiness did just that. I banged into a stray chair that was in the middle of the space. The legs of the chair screeched across the concrete floor, echoing loudly throughout the arena.  Jayce stopped strumming the guitar and looked up at me.

“Kyla!” He said enthusiastically, as if he was happy to see me.

“S-sorry to interrupt,” I stuttered out.

“Hey, it’s your rehearsal.” Jayce stood and rested the guitar against the wall.

“It was beautiful,” I said. “I love that song.”

“I know,” he stated simply. “You ready?” he asked when he noticed me eyeing the stage.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I answered, leaving my handbag and new clothes on a nearby chair.

Jayce introduced me to the band members who were warming up, running through the familiar melody of the song I had chosen. Jayce handed me the microphone, the item feeling foreign in my hand. This would be the first time I had sung with an actual microphone. When I was a kid I had pretended to be on stage, singing, using my hairbrush as my microphone, what kid hadn’t? But in my twenty-seven years, I had never sung into an actual microphone.

“Okay, we’ll run through the song once, from beginning to end.” Jayce sat in a chair next to the stage, an earpiece in his left ear. I sang the song in full, blending my voice with the beat of the band. Once I crooned the last note, Jayce stood from his chair and clapped his hands loudly.

“Awesome, Kyla. It sounded great!”

“Really?” I asked, still unsure of myself.

“I don’t clap for just anyone.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as we talked about ways to change some notes, exaggerating certain parts of the song. We ran through the song repeatedly until Jayce was happy that I’d nailed it.

“Okay, we’re done,” Jayce said, holding his hand out to me.

I took it and descended the stairs, relieved that I’d worn my new boots without incident.

“We’re set for tomorrow night. I’ll try and come backstage before the show to check on you.” He gripped my shoulders and looked directly into my eyes. “Don’t stress, you’ll do great.”

I nodded and swallowed roughly. “God, I hope so.”

He gave me a tight smile before speaking again. “Are those girls still giving you trouble?”

Why did he have to bring that up?
 I felt my cheeks burn from sheer embarrassment.

“Who, Victoria and Laura?” I asked as nonchalantly as possible. “They’re harmless,” I said, shrugging casually.

“I can have a word with Laura if you like?”

I had forgotten that Jayce also had one-on-one time with Laura. Heck, I’d forgotten he had one-on-one time with anyone other than me.

“Seriously, it’s fine.”

Eager to change the subject, I asked Jayce for some advice about singing in front of a large audience. I was surprised when he told me he still got nervous before his own performances. He had rituals he completed prior to each concert, although he wouldn’t elaborate on what those rituals were. I wouldn’t have picked Jayce to be the superstitious type, but then again, I hardly knew anything about him.

We exited the arena to find Marc sitting next to the door holding two Starbucks cups in front of him.

“Hey, I thought you might need this.” Marc walked over to me, virtually ignoring Jayce.

“Now, that’s service. Where’s mine?” Jayce joked as he looked at the two cups Marc was holding.

“Sorry, dude. Only have two hands,” Marc shrugged.

Jayce looked at me and then smirked.

“See you tomorrow, Kyla,” he said as he shook his head and walked away.

I was wondering what the shake of the head was all about when Marc interrupted my thoughts.

“How’d your session go?” he asked.

“Good. Thank you for the coffee. You’re too nice.”

I was flattered by Marc’s attention and if it were under different circumstances, I might have been interested in his advances. He was hot, I couldn’t deny it, but I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend. 

“Nice boots,” Marc winked at me.

“Thanks. How was your rehearsal?” I asked as we walked toward the studio exit.

“Good. No, great actually. I like Dion. It’s just like hanging with one of my bandmates.”

“I know what you mean,” I said as I thought of how easy Jayce was to talk to.