The Road to L.A. (31 page)

Carly simply laughed and waved good-bye to the twin.

On the way back to her parent's house, Carly made a quick stop at a convenience store to pick up the milk.  She ran inside, heading straight for the coolers at the rear.  She was in the process of locating the milk when she nearly collided with a young man standing in front of the door to the beer cooler.  She swiftly apologized for her near clumsiness, and he turned to look at her.

              “Carly?”

He stepped back as if he had seen an apparition.  His eyes roved her body and came to a rest on her face.   

              “Wow!” he exclaimed.  He was grinning widely at her.  “It’s nice running into you.”

              “Yeah, same here,” Carly reciprocated. 

              “So, how’ve you been?” she asked. 

              “Pretty good.  Just bought a house out at Quail Lake.  Don’t spend as much time at the bar like I used to.” 

He paused and added, "There's no reason for me to be there since you left." 

Carly blushed and looked down.  Travis noticed her bashful gesture, and he laughed.

              “I’m joking!  We hired a bartender not too long after you quit.  I gladly relinquished my bartending duties.” 

She relaxed again and also laughed, although she could have sworn there had been some truth to his jest.  He looked at her now, as if momentarily captivated by her beauty.  He reached into his pocket to extract his wallet and pulled out a business card for her.

              “Call me sometime.  And if you’re needing a job, we definitely have an opening.  Just for you.” He added the last statement for good measure.

She graciously accepted the card and looked up to find him smiling at her.  The sight of his dimples was disarming, and she had to force herself not to stare at his handsome face.  She had forgotten just how striking Travis was.  She wholeheartedly blamed that on Jake.  He always had a way of seizing her full attention so that she forgot about everything else.  But how could anyone blame her?  Jake was the finest male specimen she had ever seen.  And he was so talented, and confident, and adventurous.  Not to mention he was compassionate when he wanted to be.  She groaned inwardly and immediately cut those thoughts short so she could re-focus her mind on present matters.  Smiling sweetly at Travis, she replied, "I might just take you up on that offer.” 

Chapter Twenty-Four

Four months later, Jake found himself in New York City.  An entire floor of a five-star hotel had been reserved exclusively for them and it was overflowing with people, a majority of them girls desperate to hang out with the band.  Only the lucky few had managed to catch the band members’ eyes and were now enjoying a night of partying with the rock stars.  StoneLief had just finished its
Road to L.A.
tour, with the last stop being New York City, and was now celebrating the spoils of this very successful, lucrative venture.  Jake was astonished at how many millions in revenue the tour had generated.  The financial returns had greatly pleased their manager, and he had gushed eagerly about StoneLief's next album.   

Jake leaned back in the sofa now, allowing a Brazilian beauty to kiss on his neck.  The girl seated atop Hayden was pushed off his lap so he could fish for something in his pocket.  He retrieved a sandwich bag containing yellow pills and tossed it on the coffee table.  He motioned with his fingers for a tall blonde in the corner of the room to come over and join him.  She smiled victoriously at the other girls. Before long, she had planted herself next to Hayden on the sofa and took the pill he offered her.  Aidan also took a pill from the bag and offered it to his beautiful companion. 

              "What is it?" she asked. 

              "It's Ecstasy.  Here?"  He again held it out to her. 

She hesitated momentarily as if thinking whether she should take it and then said, "I have to work tomorrow.  I don't know if I should." 

              "Hey, if not you, someone else will."  Aidan nodded at a brunette.  "You wanna try it?"

His hesitant companion immediately changed her tune and said, "Fine.  I guess I can call in sick." 

Aidan smiled widely at her compliance and placed it on her tongue.  Jake watched and then gently pushed the Brazilian model away.  Standing, he moved to leave the room.

              “Where you going?” Aidan asked.  His hands were under the girl's rear, and he was rubbing it while she licked and bit on his neck.  A cloud of smoke escaped his mouth after a draw on his cigarette. 

              "I'm tired."

              "You didn't like what I was doing to you?" The Brazilian cast him a  woeful glance, and a pout had formed on her lips.   "I can do better.  I'll make you feel really good, handsome." 

She made sure to lower the neckline of her dress so that her cleavage appeared even more enticing.  Her tactic failed, however, for Jake didn’t even bother to reply and continued his trek out of the room. 

              "You could totally nail this hottie.  What's wrong with you, bro?"  Aidan called to Jake.  But he failed to respond to Aidan, too.  He really didn’t care much right now. Besides, he had seen too many beautiful women who had readily thrown themselves at him to really be tempted by this one.  He just didn't have it in him right now to fuck anyone, even if the girl looked like a supermodel.

Before long, Jake had shut the door behind the ongoing chaos on the 20
th
floor of the hotel.  He locked the door to finalize his retreat.   He then propped his whole body against the floor-to-ceiling window and peered outside.  He beheld the breathtaking, panoramic view of the colorful city lights.  The brightness seemed to go on endlessly as if the whole world was covered with it.  They reminded Jake of the ocean, so infinite and vast.  Even when exposed to New York City’s lustrous and animated splendor, Jake still felt somber.  Everything around him had turned so completely cold, and an overcast grayness followed him wherever he went.  He thought of her then, just as he had done countless other times when he wasn’t distracted.  He balled his fist and struck the thick glass, silently cursing her for causing him to feel so completely miserable and alone.  He could even recall the number of days it had been since the night she had left L.A. so abruptly.  He thought he had known - had been so sure of it - what he wanted out of life and what would fill the emptiness that had so often plagued him growing up.  Never really having had the family experience and the attention Carly so readily received from her parents, he had longed to feel that exact thing.  He had craved the shelter, the love, and the acceptance.  He had been so certain that all the attention he was getting in L.A. would fulfill what he had been seeking for so long.  But he was now slowly realizing he had been wrong.  He never knew who was being honest, who he could really trust, and who had his best interests at heart.  He hadn't even been able to find anyone to talk to about these solemn feelings.  There was only one person he trusted, who he knew was always honest with him, and whom he could talk to anything about.  He often became angry with himself for not responding when she had told him she loved him.  The fact was that he did love her, too.  Even though he had tried to forget about her - fought to erase her from his mind - it was obvious to him that he loved her more than anything and would not be able to let her go so easily.  He suddenly decided he needed a distraction, and the only thing that seemed to work during moments like these was his music.  He sat down on the recliner next to the window and reached for the pad and pen on the table next to him.  He turned on the table lamp so he could see what he was jotting down.  He began to write slowly, then with increased fervor, as the words seemed to fall on the paper with an unbridled, creative flow.  At the conclusion of his efforts, he jotted at the top of the page
Come Back (To Me). 
He groaned out loud and tossed the pen across the room.  Even his music was betraying him now.

*                                          *                                          *                                          *

Carly wiped down the bar counter while an off-key rendition of
Strawberry Wine
emanated from the karaoke section.  Several weeks ago, Travis had graciously re-hired her, and coincidentally, he became a permanent fixture at the karaoke bar again.  He poked his head out of the manager’s office and instructed Jeremy, the new bartender, to grab a few cases of rum from the cellar.  Jeremy sighed and directed a frown at Carly.

              “Ever since he hired you, he’s always here,” he griped.  “And when he’s here, he works me like a dog.”

              “Sorry,” she replied.  Her grin was apologetic.   

With that, Jeremy left to go complete his task.  Travis came out of the office to fill in for the bartender, and Carly couldn’t help notice his eyes on her while she worked.  She looked up at him and met his stare. 

              “What?” she asked and tossed a towel at him.   

Jeremy finally reappeared with a heavy box in his tattooed arms.  After Travis and Jeremy restocked the bar, Travis looked at her and said, “Can I see you in my office, Carly?  I need you to verify your timesheet for me.” 

Jeremy threw her an insinuating glance as she walked past him.  Before she was able to close the office door behind her, Travis attacked her with the full force of his body, sending her back against the wall.  His lips crushed hers as he kissed her passionately, and his body craved hers while he held her pinned against the wall.  She accepted him at first, having longed to feel the touch of a man and to be the subject of a man’s ravenous desire.  Before long, however, the intimacy brought back memories of the feelings she had experienced with Jake when they had shared something so deep and so emotional.  She pulled her lips away from his and turned her head to the side, allowing her hands to release their grip on his shoulders. 

              “What’s wrong?” he asked.  He clasped her chin and forced her to face him.  Peering into her eyes, he searched for an answer.  He stepped back as the realization dawned on him. 

              “It’s Jake, isn’t it?  You were thinking about him.”

Carly didn’t say a word.  She slipped past him and sat down, looking at the floor with remorse.

              “I’m so sorry,” she said meekly. “But I can’t do this.”

He walked over to her and sat on the edge of his desk. 

              “I’m sorry,” she reiterated, near tears. 

              “Don’t be,” he replied in an attempt to placate her.  “I’m the one who should feel bad for accosting you like that and for being so damn aggressive.  I shouldn’t have done that.” 

She looked up at him and smiled half-heartedly.  “Oh, Travis, don’t say that.  I wanted it just as much as you did, and I could have stopped it at any time.  I just…”

              “You don’t have to explain,” Travis reassured her.  He reached down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.  “I understand.  I’m just having a hard time understanding why you guys aren't together."

She looked up at him again, a hurt expression in her dark eyes.  “He didn’t want me, Travis.”

He wrinkled his brow with disbelief. 

              “What guy in his right mind wouldn’t want to have you, Carly?”

She rose and placed her hands behind his neck and then drew his face down to hers so she could kiss him gently. 

              “That’s what I love about you, Travis…your honesty and sincerity.” 

He smiled and said, “Well, if it doesn’t work out with him, I’m always available to the most beautiful girl in the world.”

He slid off his desk then and left her alone.  She took a few deep breaths and attempted to steady herself.  She silently cursed Jake for having thus far ruined a lot of things in her life.  She knew deep down that every man she would meet from this point on would fall prey to the looming shadow of Jake’s existence. 

Chapter Twenty-Five

             
Carly was barely awake when Amanda burst into her room and shook her by her shoulders. 

              “What!” Carly cried out, groaning as she was shaken like a rag doll.  “It’s 7 in the morning!”

Amanda groaned with frustration at her friend’s lackluster response, and she thrust her phone into Carly’s hand.  Carly looked down at the still of the YouTube video on the phone screen, a puzzled expression on her face.

              “What is this?” Carly asked.  She was looking at the skyline of a city.  She was pretty sure it was New York. 

Amanda groaned again and plopped down on the bed.

              “It’s Jake’s single.  It was a solo project.”

Carly continued to stare at the twin as if not comprehending the significance of this major event that prompted such a rude intrusion.

              “Jake was on MTV a few weeks ago talking about his first single he did as a solo artist.  He's still with StoneLief but he's also working on a solo album,"  Amanda explained, “It’s been at the top of the singles charts for weeks now.  I can't believe you haven't heard it." 

              “This is what you woke me for?” Carly grumbled, sliding back down on the mattress and pulling her blanket up over her head.  Amanda curtly tugged it back down.