Forever Blue (26 page)

    
After dinner, we headed to the casino to have a look around and check out the action. It was painful to watch high rollers press their luck by throwing down a grand on a blackjack table and lose it all before they had a chance to blink.

    
Before we attempted to throw away our own money, a tall, skinny, middle-aged man in a cowboy hat and blue jeans meandered on over to us.

    
“Hey, ladies. Could I entice you two beautiful women to join me for a party in my hotel room tonight?” he asked, slinging an arm around my shoulder.

    
“Um, married,” I said, flashing him my wedding ring.

    
“Lesbian,” Ruth replied.

    
He got the message and walked off without another word. Ruth and I shared a laugh at the cowboy’s expense.

    
I decided to get brave and take my chances at the slots. Interestingly enough, the more we gambled, the more free drinks we were allotted. The two of us were nearly smashed by the time we gave up. Ruth complained that she had enough for one night and wanted to head back to the suite. I can’t say I was surprised. For as long as I’d known her, she was never a wild and crazy type of person. I eventually called it a night and followed her back to our room.

***

    
We arrived back at the hotel
the next day
after a full day of sightseeing. If I wanted to do my best at the benefit and make others more beautiful, I needed to get a little beauty sleep of my own. No doubt, it was going to be a long night. Although, I was still vague on the details of on what
my job
would entail.

    After I woke up from my power nap, Ruth convinced me to go for a quick dinner downstairs.
Later that evening, we headed over to The Wynn hotel, which
was undeniably in a class of its own with extravagant interior colors of deep reds and gold.

    
I suggested that Ruth
hang out in the casino until they officially started letting people in the club because I was unsure of whether she would be able to go inside with me.

    
At club, Tryst, the atmosphere was a bit overwhelming—unarguably a scene fit for royalty, lavishly decorated in deep red velvets. It also had its own outside ninety-foot waterfall in a misty florescent-lit lagoon surrounded by the patio.

    
The lead stylist informed me that the benefit was to raise money for an organization supporting research for autistic children.

    
“Here's the list of performers tonight,” she said, handing me a sheet of paper. “There are three musicians, as well as our main performer, who is also the host.”

    
I took notice of one particular name on the list and jolted into full alertness. “Aiden Storm?” I asked, almost unable to breathe.

     
“Yes. He's hosting the benefit. They’ve kind of kept it hush-hush until tonight. We didn't want the club to be overly packed, especially with adolescent girls trying to get in here with fake I.Ds,” she explained. “His makeup artist couldn't make it tonight, so you'll be filling in for her.”

    
My stomach began to turn cartwheels worthy of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics team.
   
“I…I—”

    
“Is there a problem?”

    
“No. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

    
“You can start at about ten. Mr. Storm will be waiting in his dressing room.”

    
Clouds of mystification fogged my thoughts as I reread the list: one rap group, two female pop singers, and
him.
How
on Earth did this end up happening? Would he even remember me? Was he the same person I knew all those years ago?
God knows I had waited desperately for this moment to come.

    
Frightened and confused,
I rushed to the front of the club to meet
Ruth.

    
“What's going on?” she asked. “You look all wound up.”

    
“Ruth—oh God—you’re never going to believe who's singing at this benefit tonight.”

    
“Who?”

    
“Aiden.”

    
“Aiden Storm?” She waved me off. “Shut up. That’s not funny.”

    
“I would not joke around about something like this,” I said, swallowing down the dryness in my throat. “I'm filling in for his makeup artist.”

    
“Oh my God, Alexa.”

    
“I can’t even tell you how terrified I am right now.”

    
Ruth took both my hands and said, “Okay, calm down. Do you think he'll remember you?”

    
“I have no idea, but I have to be in his dressing room right now. I'll meet you when the show starts.”

    
“Alexa—”

    
“Yeah?”

    
“Just be yourself and he’ll remember. You’re a pretty unforgettable, girl.”

    
The trek to the dressing rooms
was like walking
through a dream in slow motion.
I stood in front of a white door shivering in fear. Taped to the door was a piece of paper with the name in bold black letters,
Aiden Storm
,
and
all I could do was just
stared at it. The air became heavy and thick, almost suffocating me right where I stood. With no other choice, I took a deep breath and opened the door.
A
faint tingling sensation crawled up my spine
at the sound of laughter coming from inside. When I peered in,
I swear it was like seeing a ghost. There, sitting in a chair and getting his hair done, was Carter. He chatted with a handful of girls
on the couch next to him—girls
who
seemed to be getting as close as they possibly could without sitting on top of him. Carter turned his face toward the vanity mirror
after the laughter relented
and focused on his reflection. He didn’t see me come in, but his hairstylist did.

    
“You're the girl doing makeup?” she asked as she
popped
the gum in her mouth.
I noticed the dark roots
that were showing
through her bleach-blonde hair. Her hair
looked so stiff and crunchy that I was sure she used at least one whole can of hairspray to style it.

    
“Yes,” I answered timidly.

    
Wasting no time, I picked up a sponge and went to work on Carter. I remained silent as I lightly covered his face with powder and foundation, concealing
only a pimple here and there. The last time I saw him, his skin was as smooth as a baby's bottom., and now it was like sandpaper. Only once did I allow myself to look into his eyes.

     
It was hard to make any conversation with
Carter’s hairstylist continuing to
blab
on and on. The only time she took her attention off him was when her cell phone rang and she
had to answer it.
“I have to take this. Be right back,” she said to Carter.

    
I exhaled a deep breath, feeling immensely relieved.  This was my chance to finally talk to him, but I had no clue as to what to say. My mind froze like I was suddenly brain dead. After several moments, I
finally
composed myself and went in for the kill.

    
“So, um…it's really packed out there tonight, huh?” I asked as I dabbed foundation on his forehead.

    
“Yeah. It’s a pretty good turn
out, especially for an unannounced
event,” he responded with a playful
grin. I was glad to see he hadn’t lost that famous boyish smile.

    
I continued powdering his face
in absolute silence.

 
  
Great, Alexa! Your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you draw a blank!
“Okay, you're all set.” I wanted to kick myself.

    
Carter glared at me intensely, like he was looking straight through me. “Um—have we met?” His intoxicating gaze held mine. “You look familiar.”

    
“Well, we—”

    
An older blonde woman barged into the room. “Aiden, can I have a word with you please?” she asked.
“It’s extremely important.”

    
He was gone
before I could think of anything to say to stop him, and
I returned to the front of the club. Nothing could ease the affliction swarming inside of me. Quite simply, I
had blown
my chance, and I wasn’t going to get another one.

    
I searched the room for
Ruth as I fought back tears.
Through the massive swarm of people, I found her two feet away from the stage. Two rappers
were jumping
around like a couple of wild savages, screaming and shouting so loudly that I could hardly hear myself think.

    
“What happened? Did you talk to him?” Ruth yelled over the noise.

     
My voice broke and cracked as I admitted, “It took an hour for anything to come out of my mouth.”

    
“Yeah, and?”

    
“Then out of the blue he asked if we had met somewhere before. Just when I was about to answer, we were
interrupted. Why am I always the one who gets cheated? Can someone please tell me why? ”

    
“Alexa, I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”

    
“All
right, folks. In just about five minutes, it will be the moment you've all been waiting for, and our host for the evening will be here—Mr. Aiden Storm!” the DJ announced.

    
“Maybe you can get backstage later and talk to him,” Ruth suggested.

    
“Yeah right. Not with all the security.”

    
“But you’ve been hired to work on the set. You should at least try.”

    
  The lights went out
five minutes later,
and the rumble of background music started up.

    
“Everyone please give it up for Mr...Aiden… Storm!”

    
Carter came out onstage, breaking out into a song. He was
dressed in different attire than what I’d seen him in earlier. He wore a bright orange and blue tracksuit jacket, with a
white collared shirt underneath, and his bangs were gelled up in the front.

     
“I live my life for you, so how could you treat me the way you do. Baby, we were meant to be, I wish I could make you see. So stop stepping on my heart. You're ripping us apart...”

    
Carter held the microphone out to the audience and allowed people to sing along.

    
When the song ended, he surveyed the audience with a satisfied smile on his face. “I just want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight. I am very happy to be a supporter for such a very special cause. If you haven't been to the auction table, please do so before you leave. We have some great items. Your donations will be put to good use in our fight against autism. Now, this next song is from my new album, which comes out in October. And all you haters out there can kiss my ass.”

    
The audience whistled and hollered.

    
Carter took a seat on a stool and strummed his guitar. He sang the words to a slower
song:
“Baby, love takes time. Let's take our time, let's take our time. There's no need to rush when it's just the two of us...”

    
I fell into a hypnotic trance
as I listened to Carter sing, and tears came to my eyes. This man was far from the boy I
had
befriended so many years ago. My love for Carter ran so deeply that when I looked at him, I didn't see his troublesome past. I saw only a man who pursued his dreams, a man who made some mistakes along the way but redeemed himself. True, Carter had fallen into the typical Hollywood
scene at a young age, but through the years, he
had
found himself. He
had overcome
the pitfalls of stardom, which the weaker, younger celebrities throughout history had fallen prey to.

    
There was a sweet, tender side of Carter
when it came to his fans.
After his performance, he walked off the stage and did his best to sign autographs. The females surrounded him like a pack of hungry wolves.

    
“Good luck even getting an inch close to him,” Ruth said. “I'm getting out of here before I die in the stampede.”

    
I wished for the nerve to shove all those ditsy girls out of my way, so I could have gotten to Carter first. But I couldn’t stand around anymore like some love sick teenager. I made my way back to the front of the club. At that same moment, Carter strolled by me without anyone hanging on his arm. All at once, the blood rushed to my head. I had to do something, or I’d risk losing my last chance. Without a second thought, I caught up with him. Our arms brushed against each other right before a group of wild girls swallowed him whole and dragged
him away. Tears blurred my eyes, and with all hopelessness, I cried out, “Carter!”

    
If I had known that was the only thing I’d ever have to say to make him notice me, then I would have said it hours earlier. Upon hearing his real name, he jerked his head in my direction and held my gaze with an intense stare. I watched the over-exhilarated female fans carry him away as he mouthed, “Alexa?”

    
And then he was gone.

    
I wanted to believe everything would change, but Carter proceeded on with his life. All I could do was watch him from afar, as he remained in the VIP lounge, chatting with his entourage. My moment of optimism
was short lived.
I headed for the main entrance of the club without glancing back.

    
There was a tap on my shoulder before I was able to step foot outside the club.
 

    
“Miss, I was told to deliver this to you,” a bouncer said, slipping a small piece of paper into the palm of my hand and then walking off.

    
I opened the note and read:
Alexa, please meet me here at The Wynn, Suite 602. I’ll be there around two in the
morning. Come alone... Aiden.

Chapter 13:

Things Will Never be the Same

    
How I managed to ignore Carter’s note and head back to my hotel room without a second thought was beyond my recognition. In the end, it didn’t do me much good. I tossed and
turned in my sleep, and my restless mind kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. A
digital 2:30 stared back at me on the clock
when I finally made my decision. I had to go right then, or else my chance was shot. I quietly
dressed and crept out of the suite like a bandit. I raced through the casino, out the hotel doors,
and hailed a taxi.