The Road to L.A. (29 page)

              “Don’t you dare!” the blonde growled fiercely.

Hayden, Danny, and Jake entered the bathroom just in time to witness the blonde’s dismayed expression as the water drenched her made-up face.  Hayden ran over to the bathtub to turn the water off and then attempted to appease the girl, who was in the midst of a temper tantrum.  Black streams of mascara were running down her cheeks, and her hair clung like limp spaghetti to her face and neck.  Carly walked by Jake and Danny, who both looked at her questioningly. 

              “What?” she asked innocently.  “She got what was coming to her.” 

With that, Carly sauntered out of the bathroom.  Danny and Jake eyed each other, desperately fighting to hold back the laughter.  Moments later, Jake discovered that Carly had made her way to the kitchen and was calmly eating her breakfast at the table.  He sat down directly across from her.

              “I’m not even going to ask what happened,” he said lightheartedly.

              “Good,” she replied between mouthfuls of cereal.  “Because you really don’t wanna know how much of an evil bitch that girl is.  It just amazes me how rude and condescending these L.A. women are.”

Jake scoffed and said, “Yeah, well, you’d be surprised.”

              “I honestly can’t wait to get back to Clanton, where people are actually civil,” she continued.  “These people out here are so mean.  And superficial.”

              "Not everybody is," Jake answered.

              “Well, I’ve never been treated so rudely,” she shot back.

Jake replied, “Well, she’s Hayden’s friend, not mine.  I’ve never really talked to the girl.”  Jake shifted in his chair, then continued, “Anyway, not to change the subject, but there’s this party at this rich kid Caleb's house.  I really want you to go with me tonight."   

              “Sure,” Carly replied, even though she wasn’t really up for another night of partying.  Jake, though, appeared pleased with her answer. 

              “Cool.  You're gonna be here by yourself this afternoon.  We gotta go to the studio to record some songs,” he said. 

              "Okay.  I guess I'll see you this evening."

He nodded and left her to her breakfast.   She was immensely thankful he hadn’t been angry with her for the bathroom stunt. 
But could he blame her?
 

After finishing her cereal, she occupied her time with looking for an outfit to wear to the party.  Once she had accomplished that task, she slipped downstairs to watch some t.v., although the onset of a sudden headache made it difficult to concentrate on any of the programs.  As the headache made it nearly impossible to focus on anything and the merciless pounding rendered her listless, she decided to take a nap.   She slipped under the covers and allowed the kindness of sleep to extend her some relief.  Even though it felt like it had been mere minutes since she had retired, Jake woke her three hours later. 

              “What's wrong?  Why are you in bed?"  he inquired. 

Carly attempted to sit up and instantly grimaced at the pounding in her head. 

              "My head is killing me.  I don't think I can make it to the party."

Disappointment marked his face.  He left abruptly and returned with a small bottle.  He opened it and gave her two pills.

              “These'll make it go away.  It'll make you feel a lot better." 

              “Where were these magical pills three hours ago,” she frowned.

She swallowed them with the glass of water on the nightstand.

              “I’m gonna wait for your headache to go away before I go."

Carly shook her and said, “No, go.  Once I feel better, I’ll call you and take a taxi there.” 

Jake pondered her proposal, not happy about the prospect of leaving her. 

              “It’s okay,” she reassured him.  She relished the fact that he appeared so concerned. 

              “Alright,” he finally conceded.  “But you’re not taking a taxi.  You can take one of the cars.  Just call me before you come so I can give you directions.” 

He bent down to cup her face and drew her close.  He bestowed a deep kiss on her soft lips, his tongue sending shivers down her spine.

              "I'll see you soon," she said when he got up to leave.   

Just as Jake had promised, her headache completely subsided an hour and a half later.  Jake’s magic pills had done the trick, and thus she got out of bed to get dressed.  After applying some light makeup and styling her long hair, she grabbed the keys to one of the SUVS from the key rack in the garage.  Before pulling out, she decided to call Jake to find out where she was going.  His phone rang for several moments before sending her to voicemail.  She sat in the truck, debating on what to do next.  She then remembered that Danny had given her his cell phone number, and she knew he would be at the party as well.  She searched her contact list and dialed him.  He answered almost immediately. 

              “What’s up, Carlita?” he shouted.  She momentarily pulled the phone away from her ear as he had screamed into it. 

              “I’m coming to the party. Can you hear me?” she asked.  There was an inordinate amount of noise in the background on his end of the line.

              “It’s pretty wild over here!   But yeah, I can hear you!” he bellowed. 

Carly again moved the phone away from her ear. 

              “I tried to call Jake for directions but he didn’t answer,” she explained. 

              “I don’t know where he is!” Danny answered.  “But I can give you the address!  It's in the Hollywood Hills!” 

He instructed her on how to get to Caleb's mansion, and she thanked him.  She wondered why Jake hadn't picked up and hadn't called her back yet.  Surely he saw her missed call.  Before long, she was on her way.   

*                                          *                                          *                                          *

Jake downed the last of his beer before heading up the grand staircase to look for the bathroom.  He squeezed his way through the hordes of celebrities, socialites, and models, only to be summoned into conversation at every turn.  Each time he apologized for his hasty retreat, but he promised he would return.  He poked his head into several rooms along the upstairs hallway and finally stumbled upon the bathroom. After relieving himself and washing his hands, he moved to make his way back down to the party. But he found himself blocked by two beautiful women who had planted themselves in the doorway.  They both looked like they had stepped out of a lingerie catalog, their bodies statuesque and tall.  The brunette stepped forward until she was close enough to whisper into his ear. “We know who you are.  And we think you're incredibly sexy.”

The redhead curved her lips into a seductive grin. 

              “My friend and I want to show you something,” the brunette continued in a wispy voice.  She gently took his hand and led him down the hall, stopping in front of a door at the very end.  The redhead opened it, revealing an elegantly furnished bedroom decorated lavishly with red and gold silks, white fur rugs, and a large oak canopy bed.  The women stood behind him and eagerly coaxed him into the room.  The brunette turned to shut the door, but it remained slightly ajar.  The redhead approached him first and ran her fingers down the front of his chest. 

              “You’re so strong,” the redhead remarked while the lust heated her grey, almond-shaped eyes.  In a very delicate and skilled manner, she folded the top portion of her dress down to reveal a pair of large, creamy-white breasts.  She ran her hands down the pale flesh of her chest in an effort to entice Jake, then stepped forward until her body was pressed against his.  Her hands came up to the nape of his neck, and she ran her fingers through his dark blonde hair.  The brunette busied herself with running her hands down his thick arms, pressing the hardened muscles with her finger tips.  Without warning, the redhead tilted his head down, and she eagerly thrust her tongue into his mouth.  Jake was immediately thrust into the throes of crude lust as he thought about taking both of these beautiful women.  Before he could fully react to this sexual escapade, the bedroom door burst wide open.  They all turned and stared at the petite figure standing in the doorway.  She had been looking for him, having been told by someone that she could find him upstairs.  Jake felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach as the reality of the situation hit him.  Carly stifled a hurt cry and turned, fleeing down the corridor.  She heard Jake running after her, his footsteps resounding in the great hallway.  She quickened her pace as she stormed down the staircase and pushed her way through the swarms of people.  He was able to catch her outside.  She was fumbling in her purse for the keys to the truck when he reached out and grabbed her arm.  She turned and violently jerked her arm free.

              “Don’t bother saying it!  Don’t bother saying that it wasn’t what it looked like!” Carly snapped. 

              “Okay, so it was,” he stated, looking straight at her.  “But it didn’t mean anything.”

For a long moment, neither Carly nor Jake uttered a single word.  Jake didn’t know what to say to her, and Carly didn’t know what to think of him.  She didn’t know what to think of the entire situation.  She was utterly confused.  She looked at him, seeking some kind of clarification to her confusion. 

              “What are we, Jake?”

              “What do you mean?” he asked, perplexed.

              “I mean,” Carly started, sighing with frustration, “we’ve been best friends for years.”

Jake nodded at this.

              “And ever since you came back for the funeral…and that night that I stayed with you…” She hesitated, biting her lip.  She was having a hard time finding the right words, which only served to confuse Jake more. 

              “That night we shared an intimate moment,” she finally said.  “And then we shared more of those moments last night.  I felt something, Jake.  I felt feelings that I’ve never felt for anyone else.  I felt that for a moment…” she paused, the nervousness creating an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.  “I felt that…”

He looked at her expectantly.

              “I felt that I could actually be in love with you!” she finally blurted out. 

She felt her cheeks suffuse with heat when Jake failed to respond.  He simply stood there, as if utterly shocked by her confession.  Anger at his lack of response expelled all feelings of embarrassment, and she looked directly into his eyes.

              “If you can honestly stand here and tell me that all those times we made love didn’t mean anything to you, that you didn’t feel anything, then I truly don’t understand anything at all anymore.” 

Jake finally responded. 

“Carly,” he began, shifting his stance, “I think you're confused.  Yes, we shared some...moments.” 

He paused, then continued.

              "But that doesn't mean we're in a relationship.  I have my career to think about, Carly, and I really don't have time to devote to anyone.  Right now, everybody wants a piece of me and that's my main priority.  I need this.  And if you can't handle it, then I'm sorry."

              “So this is how it’s going to be?  All that really meant nothing to you?” She nearly choked on her words.

              "I don't know what to say," he replied.

She bit her lip to avoid an onslaught of tears, although she could feel the water gathering in her eyes.  

              “I’m going back to Clanton...tonight."   

He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll tell them to get the plane ready."

Anger suddenly shot through her and she said, "You’ve changed, Jake.  You’re not the same person anymore.  It really makes me sad." 

She wiped at a tear that had managed to find its way down her cheek and continued, "I hope you get your huge success.  Everyone will know your name, but they won't see the real person.” 

With that, she spun around and climbed into the truck.  She waited, somehow hoping he would stop her and tell her to stay.  But he didn't.  She started the car and drove away, looking once in the rearview mirror to catch one more glimpse of him.  She managed to maintain her composure during the drive to his house, and even while she packed.  But once she had taken her seat on the jet, she fell victim to her own grief.  Soon the tears were flowing freely. 

Chapter Twenty-Three

              Jake hesitated, not sure if he wanted to find out.  Yet he remained in front of the shut door anyway, his ears straining to detect any sound that would disclose her presence in the room.  Suddenly, his ears alerted him to slight movement.  Before he knew it, he had flung the door wide open.  His heart sank as he beheld the vacant room, the bed nicely made and Carly’s suitcase no longer on the floor.  He walked over to the bed and sat down, touching the soft comforter.  He recalled how beautiful she had looked in the mornings, always appearing so angelic with her locks spread about the pillow and the white comforter wrapped around her body in a convoluted mass.  He lay down on the bed and laced his hands together behind his head.  He stared at the ceiling, feelings of regret and loneliness chewing away at his heart.  He tried to remind himself that he was on the road to huge stardom with thousands - no, millions - of fans vying for his attention.  His band mates were becoming his family, his manager was always around making sure he was happy, and t.v. personalities and radio hosts wanted him badly.  He had never gotten so much attention, and it made him feel absolutely buoyant to know that people constantly strove to be in his presence.  He was never alone, and he was never told he wasn't good enough.  In fact, they all adored him and showered him with praises.  He simply could not - did not - want to let that go.  He tried to reason with himself that it would never have worked out between them anyway.  Their lives were so completely different, their worlds in complete opposition to each other.  He decided at that moment he would have to forget about her, no matter how hard it might be.