Siren's Heart (Siren's Duet Book 1): Love at first sight

16. Chapter Sixteen - Millie

Messages started trickling in only half an hour after Luca”s and my walk through that park. Naroa knew what was coming and was on top of it and hired more security for me, so there was no need for me to do anything. But that somehow makes it worse. With past boyfriends, the absolute minimum was releasing my own statement or a social media post, some kind of reaction from me.

I’m not giving them that this time. Not yet, at least.

On one hand, I’ve been itching to scream it from the rooftops. ‘Luca Sheppard is my boyfriend!’

On the other hand, I hoped that the news would never break and we’d be able to enjoy our relationship in peace. Now, I can’t go anywhere without my security team again.

The plan was to release a picture confirming our relationship, but Van and Naroa paddled back, told us to wait, and let everything play out before we give them any reaction.

I think they’re hoping that Kayla and Asher will simply overshadow the news of their best friends dating and that everyone will forget it. We”ll see how that works out, but I’m not very positive about that plan.

It”s the next day already, and I shot my parents a quick message before turning my phone off and putting it into a dark corner of my flat to withstand the temptation of having a look at what people are saying. I’ve already told them about Luca, so they could expect the media shitstorm that will hit them as well, without a doubt.

Because it always goes the same, every single time. I”ll be hopeful my fans will be excited for me and welcome my new boyfriend to the fandom; only to be starkly reminded that hate is so much louder than love when it comes to social media.

But as Kayla always says, hate is just jealousy with extra steps. And I”ll have to convince myself that”s what I”m dealing with here. Jealousy. Be hateful all you want, bitches and dickheads. You”re just mad that I”m the lucky woman who gets to be with Luca.

And having him spend the night definitely helped with ignoring my phone as well.

Luca, though? He”s as relaxed as he can be, cool as a cucumber, but he”s also the furthest thing from a social media person. Like, he doesn’t use it at all. Apparently, he doesn”t even let management post on social media for him.

If I were as offline as him, I probably wouldn”t give a fuck either. But I can”t just log off and give it up. We owe our success to social media and the fans who discovered us on those platforms and cheered us on, all the way to the top. I can”t just up and leave, those fans be damned. It would be so unfair to them.

Today is the first day that Luca and I arrive at work together. Now that we”re about to step into the backstage labyrinth, I feel his muscles tense beside me, his hand squeezing mine when we arrive.

Whispers follow our every footstep at the stadium. When Luca and I walk inside, me clinging onto his hand, his teammates are already waiting for us. Both of us freeze for a moment, startled by the silent welcome.

“Fucking finally,” someone shouts, and suddenly, everyone starts cheering, huddling around us and clapping Luca’s shoulders and back as they congratulate the two of us. And Luca never lets go of my hand.

It”s nice. Then again, those were the guys telling me he rescued their cats and whatnot. They were definitely aiming for this.

A smile is plastered to my face the whole time. They”re joking with each other, congratulating the two of us, and it”s just so goddamn nice to be around supportive people. As Luca leans down to kiss me goodbye when I tell him that I need to get to work, they start hollering and whistling. One of them even acts like he”s swooning. I leave the room giggling, and my heart feels light as a feather. Who knew it would take this little for me to feel better about everything? To be this optimistic about our future?

Kayla is already waiting in the dance studio, stretching her legs and ready to go.

”There you are, girlfriend,” she greets me with a happy grin, skipping over and throwing her arm over my shoulders. ”I have to say, though, the picture of you two is hella cute.”

”Are you feeling better?” I ask her curiously. She’s been out sick the past few days and I was getting worried. And overwhelmed by the one-on-one training I got from Mike in the meantime. When she nods, a relieved sigh escapes me.

“I haven”t even looked at the picture yet.” I was way too scared to do anything on my phone, terrified that my notifications would suddenly show me every mean comment about me. “Show me. Well, without comments, please.”

She grabs her phone, her fingers flying over the screen until she pulls it up.

She’s right. We do look cute together.

And most of all, we look really damn happy with each other. His adoring gaze down at me and the shyness written on my face as I look up at him are just palpable. I might have to print it and put it in my journal. Or put it into a nice frame and put it into my living room. I”m also pretty sure this one was taken just before he alerted me to the camera.

Suddenly, Naroa storms into the room.

”You two,” she points at the two of us and throws each of us a jacket. Mine is pink, and Kayla”s red, our signature colors. ”Put those on. We”ve got a children’s and youth charity coming over for a meet and greet in ten minutes.”

”Wait, what?” I ask her, shocked, and look down at my outfit. I”m dressed for sweat-inducing dance training, not for a meet and greet, much less with children. Neither is Kayla.

”Sorry, this was a pretty spontaneous thing,” she says, and I believe the remorse I hear in her voice. ”A group of foster kids won a tour, and since a camera is coming along, the board decided just this morning that they want to give them the VIP treatment.”

I sigh and put on the jacket. It”s one of those football team jackets, but I realize that instead of a football logo, they have our Siren’s logo stitched on the front. Inspecting the back, I realize our names and the number ”2” are embroidered on both.

”What exactly are we supposed to do?” Kayla asks, slipping her arms into hers. I follow suit and take a look at myself in the mirror. It”s cute. A bit big, but I”m kind of into the oversized look, not in a sports bra and leggings. But I can work with it.

”Take a quick picture with them. Answer their questions if they manage to ask one. It”s only fifteen minutes, so there”s not much time for anything anyway,” she says with a deep sigh. ”I’m sorry, the organizers insist on it since the documentary videographer will be with them.”

”Great, because being in a documentary without any makeup is just what I wanted,” Kayla grumbles, and I nod along. Naroa freezes, looking at the two of us, her face scrunches into a grimace.

”You know what? Valid point. I”ll have a talk with them. They can come tomorrow for filming.” She storms to the door, then stops and turns to us, shooting us a firm glance. ”So, makeup tomorrow, girls.”

Both of us give her a mock salute, and I take a deep breath when she disappears out the door.

”I hate this spontaneous shit,” Kayla curses and starts pacing in front of the mirror. “Is it too much to ask to have fixed schedules?”

”Yeah,” I agree, leaning against the wall and slowly slipping to the ground. ”She should know by now that we need a bit of time for emotional preparation when we have to meet fans.”

”Right?” She sits down next to me, her legs twitching nervously. We remain silent, both of us going through our own process of preparing for the storm that is meeting fans. You never quite know what to expect. Will they be sweet? Will they be aggressive?

Before we know it, the ten minutes are up, and a knock on the door announces the group”s arrival. Both of us jump up and plaster smiles on our faces, one of our simplest exercises.

”We can do it,” Kayla says through gritted teeth and I agree with a slight nod.

”Hi there,” we say in unison as a group of children and teenagers stream into the room. It”s easily thirty people, and I shoot Naroa a dirty look. I was expecting like ten, but she wants us to take pictures and make a lasting impression with everyone in fifteen minutes?

Chaos breaks out immediately. Some of the kids begin to run around the room in a game of tag, completely ignoring us; others freeze and stare at us, completely starstruck, and some of the older ones already have their phones out and filming, pointing their cameras at the two of us.

Naroa is doing her best to bring some structure into this turmoil, herding the group into something that resembles a line.

”Sorry,” a woman with brown, curly hair storms into the room, with a small girl holding onto their hand. ”We had to do a quick detour to the bathroom.”

”That”s alright,” Naroa tells the woman, but I can see that muscle in her jaw twitching, telling me that she’s, in fact, pissed. ”Why don”t you go to the front and take the pictures for everyone?”

”Of course.” The woman lets go of the small girl and scurries over.

The meet and greet starts alright. The smaller children pose for a photo with wide smiles on their faces, and one of them tells us all about her favorite song. Kayla and I smile, returning the small talk and waving at them as they return to the hallway, where they gather to go to their next stop on this backstage tour.

”Yo, can I take one with, like, only her?” One of the teenagers, a girl with fire-red hair and piercings in her ear, asks as she points at Kayla, and my heart drops.

”Yeah,” another one snickers. This one has black hair and a tattoo on her temple. And it”s not even a pretty one. I think they’re supposed to be butterflies, but they just look like black blobs. ”The actually talented one.”

I gulp, struggling to keep the smile on my face as I gulp down the emotion building up in my throat.

”The one who doesn”t have to sleep around to stay relevant,” another one adds. Wordlessly, I step aside, each word piercing through my heart like a blunt needle. I cross my arms in front of my chest and bite the inside of my cheeks to refrain from tearing up.

”Yeah, no,” Kayla says and shakes her head. ”That’s not happening. I”m not taking a picture with you. You can leave.”

”What the fuck?”

Naroa, hearing the commotion, suddenly appears beside us. ”What”s going on here?”

”They”re insulting Millie, and I”m not having it,” Kayla tells her before I can even open my mouth. Naroa looks at the curly-haired woman responsible for the teens, looking at us with a bright red face.

”I can only apologize for these three,” she sighs. Seems like it hasn”t happened for the first time. ”Please wait for us outside.”

”But that”s unfair,” red hair complains. “We want a picture with her.”

”Yeah.” Her friend nods along.

”Well, life ain”t fair, but in this case, you behaved like dickheads and had it coming,” she says mercilessly and points towards the door. Honestly, I’m a bit shocked at her bluntness. ”Now go, or I”m sure those lovely girls” security details will assist you.”

The three of them shoot us dirty looks but finally leave.

”So it begins,” I whisper to Kayla, my good mood from this morning now completely gone.

”Five more minutes!” Naroa announces, and we quickly go through the last pictures. There”s only enough time for the kids to come up, smile for a picture, and say maybe half a sentence before Naroa rushes them away until finally, they”re all gone.

”Already?” I ask her past the knot in my throat, raising my eyebrow. This has been the fastest I”ve heard this kind of dismissive shit after being photographed with a new boyfriend.

”What can I say? Your pictures are making the rounds.” Naroa lets out a deep sigh. ”We”ll have to wait for it to die down.”

I sink into myself, disappointed by how this is going. I”m not even sure what I want her to do. Or the label. Whatever kind of statement they might release wouldn’t solve anything. If anything, it would fuel the fire, with people assuming I need my agency to save me.

Yet, they’re doing it for Kayla all the time. From the time they used my relationships to cover for her hook-ups, she’s been protected, while they leave me out in the wild, throwing some meat at me for good measure to attract the wolves.

Well, if this is telling me anything, it”s that I need to stay off the internet. I sigh and sit down in the same spot I did before those kids came in and ruined my mood. Kayla follows suit.

”Are you okay?” Kayla asks quietly when Naroa leaves after receiving a call on her headset.

”Not really,” I admit and swallow past the emotion in my throat, pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin on them. ”It”s exhausting. I was hoping it would get easier.”

”I”m sorry.”

I give her a gentle slap to the back of her head.

”How often do I need to tell you, what the label is doing is not your fault.” I sigh. It”s not mine either; I know that much, but I’ve never been mad at her for it. ”I”m just exhausted. I want to ignore it, but then, just when I think I have a grip on it, situations like these happen.”

”I”ll fix it,” she says, her voice full of determination.

”That sounds intriguing, yet kind of scary,” I chuckle and nudge her arm with my shoulder. ”It”s not your problem to solve, though. Don’t get into this and do anything dumb.”

”You”re my friend, which makes it my problem too,” she declares, flicking my forehead. I rub the spot as she continues. ”And if Naroa can”t come up with a plan, I sure can.”

”That sounds like you have one already. What are you planning?” I tilt my head and frown at her. Seriously, that sounds borderline illegal.

”Nothing bad.” Well, that doesn’t sound any more legal. “Just trust me. I”ll go on a date with Asher and distract them. It”s worked so far.” I know she means it genuinely, but I frown. Something about that statement isn’t making sense. What does she mean, ‘it worked so far?’

Suddenly, it all clicks into place. Her dating Asher even though she doesn’t like him–her dating, when she usually only has hook-ups or her friend with benefits.

”Wait– are you okay, Kayla?” I turn so I face her completely. There’s no way.

”Why wouldn”t I be?”

”Something”s up.” I narrow my eyes at her. ”Please don”t tell me you”re only dating Asher to distract from Luca and me?”

Her silence tells me all I need to know. Oh, that sneaky bitch. She’s playing martyr for me, and I didn”t even fucking know it.

”Kayla!” I scold her, and she raises her hands defensively, evading my eyes. Why would she do that? Wait, does he know they’re only dating to distract from Luca and me? The question and shock must be written all over my face because she hurries to answer it.

”Relax. He knows. We”ve decided together to do it to buy you two a bit of time. It”s no big deal.”

”Kayla!” I scold her again. I”m pissed. And happy. And angry. And speechless. ”Why the fuck wouldn”t you tell me?”

”Because then you”d feel guilty, so you wouldn’t have gone on a date with Luca and all that jazz.” She rolls her eyes and waves her hands dismissively. ”The point was to let you two focus on each other. I”m not jumping in there to talk to you about my fake relationship and distract you. And see? It”s worked out. The two of you are together, and you’re disgustingly cute and adorably happy. The plan went well, wouldn’t you say?”

”Well, what”s going on with Luca and me aside. Is there something to talk about?” I ask alarmed, just to make sure and ignore her question. It’s such a huge thing, I can”t believe she wouldn”t tell me about that.

”No,” she says, but I can see in her face that she”s lying to me. She has this tell where one of her nostrils flares just before she’s telling a lie.

”Kayla,” I warn her, but she shakes her head.

”It”s nothing. I’m having some ”me” problems. We”ll keep this up until the match is over and then go our separate ways while you two ride into your happily ever after sunset, and everything”s going to be fine.”

I sigh. Getting Kayla to open up about feelings is worse than prying a can open with a fingernail. But I love her anyway.

”Well, feel free to involve me in your ”me” problems anytime.” I lay my head on her shoulder and feel her tense up for a moment before relaxing. ”I”m your friend. That”s kind of what I”m here for.”

”Well, same goes for you,” she mumbles and hesitantly leans her head against mine. ”If Luca ever gives you shit, you tell me. If Asher gives you shit after we break up, you either tell me, or you go right ahead and kick his ass. Just make sure to film that roundhouse kick.”

”I”m sure Luca would love to help out if it comes to that,” I tell her and let out a deep sigh, letting comfortable silence settle for a bit.

”You know, I”m glad I”m doing this whole being a popstar thing with you, Kayla.” breaking the silence after a few minutes.

Kayla agrees with a low hum, and we stare at the opposite wall for a while, each of us dealing with our own thoughts. I”m so glad we”ve stuck together through all of these years. There were times we became sick of each other, times when all I wanted was to be left alone, and even times she literally fled from me because we had to spend so much time together and were fed up.

We are going stronger than ever, but there were definitely times I wasn”t so sure our friendship would survive. Where I feared that she’d rather go solo than deal with me.

All the happier I am that we’re still here. And our friendship is the strongest it has ever been. Even though madame keeps up her damn walls. Good thing I have my chisel and sledgehammer to slowly but gradually break them down. Maybe someday she’ll talk to me about what’s really going on in that beautiful head of hers.

Now that I know she”s not dating Asher for real, a lot of questions go through my mind, though. Even though it’s fake, she seems…softer. Happier, even though she doesn”t quite show it with how she acts.

Then again, maybe that”s the thought of the charade being over soon. Or the thought of the charity match being over soon. Because I have to be honest, I”m getting a bit tired of dancing my way through the same routine over and over again, until even the movement of my fucking pinkie is according to Mike”s wishes.

I want to write songs. Get into a recording studio and let the words and sounds flow. Convert my emotions into music and share them with the world.

Maybe someday they”ll understand me. Maybe someday they”ll show me some grace.

Maybe someday I”ll catch a break from all the hate going on online.