Phone Calls From a Rock Star (29 page)

We ate dinner in front of the fire, for once
not speaking much, and I caught him gazing at me with such fire and
longing in his eyes that I nearly shoved our plates away and begged
him to forget about his morals. But I knew he wouldn’t so I kissed
him tenderly instead.

Monday morning dawned gray and overcast with
the threat of snow. I gathered my things quietly, trying to keep
the gloom off my face. As we hit the highway, I voiced my concerns
to him about driving me all the way to school and driving back
alone.

He lifted our clasped hands to kiss the back
of mine.

“
Just trying to get every
second of Iz time that I can.” My smile spread slowly across my
face. “I won’t see you for a few weeks. Not until your play and
that’s three weeks away.”

I pushed that depressing thought out of my
head, but it returned when we reached the school. He parked and
killed the engine. Turning to me, he took my face in his hands.

“
I hate leaving you again,
Iz, but I promise I’ll be thinking of you, and I’ll call you as
much as possible.” I nodded, too afraid to speak. I thought if I
kept my mouth shut that the tears would remain behind my eyes. I
was wrong.

He pressed his lips to mine. “Don’t cry, Iz.
It kills me when you do.”

“
I’m not,” I protested,
wiping a rebellious tear away. He kissed my forehead and held me
close to his chest.

When he finally released me, I followed him
out of the car. He retrieved my bag from the trunk and took my
hand. He walked me to my dorm, ignoring a group of gossiping girls
who clamped their lips together and stared as we passed. He dropped
my hand and draped an arm around my shoulders.

I unlocked my door and tugged him inside. I
kicked the door closed and wrapped my arms around his neck. He
chuckled and pressed me closer, running his hands lightly up and
down my back. I was comforted by the steady rhythm of his heart

He dropped a kiss to the top of my head and
gave me one more squeeze. “I have to get going, Iz.”

I held him tighter. “I know.”

He laughed. “That means you have to let go
of me, angel.”

“
Don’t want to,” I
murmured. He pried my hands loose and held them in his. My bottom
lip trembled.

“
I’ll call you tonight,
okay?”

I nodded. He released my hands to cup my
cheeks and capture my lips with his. My pulse went wild as my heart
clawed desperately at my ribs. When he pulled away, his ragged,
uneven breath matched mine. His pained eyes ripped a whole in my
soul, and I could hardly stand to watch him walk out the door.

“
See you in a few weeks,
angel,” he said as he left. I shut the door softly, my back against
it. I slid to the floor, ecstatic that he was mine but miserable
that he was gone. I tried to cheer myself with thoughts that I’d
see him soon. And I recalled images from our long weekend together.
My love multiplied, and despite the fact that I wouldn’t see him
for three weeks, I didn’t think I’d ever been happier.

That was about to change.

Chapter Twenty-One

I kept my nose to the grindstone both in
class and at play practice. It helped, sometimes, to keep my mind
off missing Jake. He called as much as possible and he, too, was
keeping busy. Nick had spent a weekend with him finishing the
basement and the other guys were over constantly working on new
music. He admitted to me, in a sheepish tone, that he was keeping
busy so the time would go faster and the weekend of my play would
come sooner.

I was so smitten.

His twenty-first birthday was coming up the
first week in April. He’d once told me when he got his house
settled, he was thinking of getting a dog. He wanted a black lab
like the one he had when he was a kid. He’d raved about how much
room he had for a big dog and talked about throwing a stick off the
short pier so the dog could dive in after it. His face had taken on
such a boyish expression that I started researching breeders first
chance I got.

I found a breeder not far from school so I
grabbed Cammy and we visited them one weekend. A pudgy pup with big
brown eyes sat on my foot and gazed up at me. When he blinked at
me, I fell in love. I put a deposit on him that day.

I called Nick on the way back and let him in
on the surprise so he could keep Jake from going out and getting a
dog himself. Not that it wouldn’t be all bad to have two puppies
romping around in Jake’s huge backyard but to be honest, I wanted
to give him one first. After that he could adopt a whole litter of
puppies and a flock of chickens for all I cared.

The week before opening night was absolutely
crazy. And hectic. We had rehearsal every night until eight or
nine, and then I had to rush back to my room to finish homework.
I’d fall into bed around midnight so I could toss and turn until
morning. I hardly talked to Jake all week and the one time I did it
was just to find out how many tickets he needed.

Opening night finally arrived and everyone
was a huge mass of frayed nerves. The last week of rehearsal had
been nothing short of a disaster. I had missed lines, flattened
notes and forgotten dance steps. Ms. Norbert, bless her sweet,
optimistic soul, had kept her patience and had reassured us that
we’d get it together by show time.

I hoped she was right.

I paced backstage and listened as the
auditorium filled up with eager students and proud parents. I knew
my own parents, grandfather and brother were out there. Jake had
requested four tickets so I figured the other guys would be here,
too.

Ms. Norbert called for places and Phillip
McGuire, the guy playing Roy, gave my hand a quick squeeze. I
managed a feeble smile and waited for the curtain to rise.

As soon as I stepped out on the stage, my
nervousness vanished. I was in my comfort zone and hit my stride
early. My lines came effortlessly, and I found that I was having
fun. When I hit a high note during the first music number, a
raucous “hell yeah, Iz,” wafted to the stage. I nearly laughed but
caught myself in time. I made a mental note to kick Ronnie in the
shin the first chance I got. Hard.

But for a couple of missed lines here and
there, the play went rather well. We congregated together
backstage, congratulating each other happily, relieved and saddened
that opening night was over. Ms. Norbert bustled about proudly,
arranging us for our curtain calls. My hair was plastered to my
forehead and I wiped my sweaty palms on the red dress I had to wear
for our last number before taking Phillip’s hand. We were last to
take a bow and the applause was thunderous. The lights were far too
bright, and I wasn’t able to scan the audience to find Jake.

Once the curtain calls were finished, Ms.
Norbert ordered us to the lobby for a meet and greet. She insisted
our fans would be eager to congratulate us on a fine performance. I
think they were eager for us to change so we could all leave but
who was I to contradict the director?

Phillip took my hand and dragged me to the
lobby. Another small round of applause went straight to my cheeks
and turned them redder than my dress. A reporter and photographer
from the local newspaper were snapping pictures. I groaned. They
had interviewed us before the show and I hadn’t expected them to
stick around. I shrugged and stood on my toes, trying to locate my
family and friends.

Finally, my brother found me and lifted me
in his arms.

“
Not bad,” he smirked,
tugging me through the crowd to my parents who gushed embarrassing
praise all over me.

Jake and the others stood back and let my
family greet me before Jake stepped forward to thrust a bouquet of
red roses in my arms. He kissed my cheek sweetly, sending my pulse
into overdrive, and I couldn’t wait to get him alone so I could
kiss him for real.

Nick wrapped his arms around my waist and
kissed my cheek. “You were amazing, Iz,” he whispered, his green
eyes sparkling.

Ronnie spun me around until I was dizzy. He
kissed my head, grinning, until I kicked his leg.

“
Ow! Hey! What was that?”
he whined, rubbing his shin.

“
I heard you,” I said, eyes
narrowed.

“
I was just caught up in
the moment, Iz,” he grinned.

My laughter finally emerged in a snort. I
kissed his cheek and hugged Matt, thanking them all for coming.

My head whirred excitedly, my adrenaline
pumped. All my nervousness before the show was forgotten in my mind
as Annie and Cammy joined our group, all smiles. I chatted with
them briefly, telling them about all the little mistakes, until I
noticed the other cast members slowly make their way back to the
dressing room.

My parents and my grandfather bid me a
goodnight, promising to see me the next evening and left. I beamed
expectantly at my friends. Annie took the flowers from my arms and
shoved me toward the hall.

“
Go change. We’ll take
these back to your room and meet you all at Mario’s.”

I loved Annie more than junk food at that
moment.

***

At Mario’s, the preferred pizza joint of
Meridian Valley students, we pushed a few tables together and
Ronnie ordered the pizzas. I was a little scared—I’d witnessed
firsthand the unusual toppings Ronnie liked.

We attracted quite a bit of attention,
including Lance and his new girlfriend, Patrice, a starry-eyed
sophomore. I wondered vaguely if he’d been at the show but when I
looked into Jake’s blue eyes, I found I didn’t really care.

Jake, Seth and the others had checked into a
hotel in town, and I longed to spend the night wrapped in Jake’s
arms, but it wasn’t possible. I wasn’t allowed to spend the night
off campus without parental consent. Besides, we had early morning
rehearsal, and if I were to stay with Jake, I would have a hard
time leaving him in the morning.

I had one last dramatic sigh left in me and
I released it slowly. Jake put his arm around the back of my chair
and leaned in close. “Are you okay, angel?”

“
Yeah,” I said, offering
him a soft smile. “I was just thinking how much I’d like to stay
with you but I can’t tonight.”

He scooted my chair closer and kissed my
temple. “Maybe tomorrow night.”

I rested my cheek on his shoulder, content
to at least have this time with him. “I’ll have to get my mom to
give me permission. This school and its rules.”

He chuckled and clasped my shoulder.
“They’re for your own good.”

He kissed my cheek near my ear making me
giggle as he eased me closer, kissing my jaw. I shuddered and
wished we were alone so I could kiss him properly and tell him how
much I loved him. It was bad enough my brother was blatantly
ignoring me as he attempted to hold a conversation with Matt on the
other side of the table.

“
You two are just too
cute,” Cammy said, dreamily. Her eyes glazed over and a sickly
sweet smile flavored her lips.

I groaned as a blush brushed my cheeks. I
hid my face in Jake’s chest as he rubbed my back, sending shivers
down my spine.

“
Get a room already,” Annie
chided, joining in with the rest. Obviously totally humiliating me
was a new sport and they all wanted a turn.

“
I’ll gladly get you a
room, Bella, if that means you won’t make out with Jake at the
table,” my brother piped in, only adding to my
embarrassment.

Okay, someone shoot me now. Please.

“
That’s okay, Seth,
thanks,” Jake laughed. “I’ll see that she behaves.”

Although my face had to be a raging, deep
red, I sat up and glared at them all equally. I opened my mouth to
chastise them but the waitress took that moment to begin piling
pizzas on the table. Ronnie flashed a grin and offered me the first
slice. My stomach churned at the smell so I had to turn my head,
much too frightened to see what was causing it.

“
Come on, Iz,” he wheedled.
“Live a little.”

“
No thanks,” I frowned.
“I’ll wait for the normal pizza to get here.”

He shrugged and crammed half the slice in
his mouth.

***

Jake drove me back to school, alone, and I
could hardly contain my joy. When he cut the engine, I grinned at
the clock. I had twenty whole minutes of Jake time left.

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the
top of my head. My heart fluttered.

“
I missed you so much, Iz,”
he said in my hair. “Why don’t you spend your spring break with
me?”

My fluttering heart soared. “Of course I
will. I mean, I don’t really have anything else planned. Cammy
talked about me going to Florida with her, but I’d rather be with
you. My parents are always busy, so I usually just sit around the
house.”

I had an urge to smack my
own face. Can I ever
not
ramble?

He gripped my chin and pressed his lips to
mine. My eyes drifted shut as I melted into him. He broke the kiss
but his lips remained on mine. “I love you, Iz.”

My internal organs danced merrily. He’d told
me he loved me on the phone a few times but it was so much better
in person.

“
I love you, too,” I
responded before drawing his lips back to mine. He’d just deepened
the kiss when headlights flooded the car.

“
You’d better go. I don’t
want you to miss curfew,” he said sadly. He ran his fingers through
my hair. “Maybe you can stay with me tomorrow night.”

“
I’ll figure it out,” I
promised. I kissed him again as my hand fumbled for the door
handle. “Goodnight.”

“
I’ll walk you,” he said,
getting out of the car. I meant to tell him it wasn’t necessary but
as soon as he wrapped his hand around mine, I couldn’t.