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

18. Chapter Eighteen - Millie

”What are you doing here?” I hiss when Luca pops his head around the corner to Kayla”s and my dressing room. Rob, our bodyguard, looms over him, but after giving him a brief nod, he leaves and lets Luca in.

”I wanted to come say ”hi” before your press conference,” he steps closer with a sheepish smile. Without conscious thought, I purse my lips for a kiss, receiving one immediately. A chaste one, though, Kayla is in this room, too, after all.

”Only to say ”hi”?”

”And to tell you good luck and to ignore the asshats,” he adds with a grin. ”And to get another one of these.” He leans in and brushes his lips against mine one more time.

”You two are disgustingly cute, you know that?” Kayla says from her corner, where she”s popped out one of her headphones, and chuckles. ”Seriously, I”m going to get caries watching you.”

”Then look away.” In a very mature move, I stick my tongue out at her. She flips me off with a laugh and directs her eyes right back at her phone, where she’s already been messaging back and forth with someone the whole morning.

Shaking my head, I turn back to Luca, whose hands are now on my hips, keeping me close to him.

”How did you even know we’re here today?”

”I asked Kayla,” he admits with a slight shrug and nods in her direction. I jerk and look up at him, surprised. ”I told her I wanted to surprise you.”

”Well, you definitely achieved that.” I sigh and lean into his embrace. I”ve been pacing our wardrobe for the past twenty minutes, counting down the seconds until we have to go and face the mob of reporters.

Today is one of those days that I”m glad that most of their questions are directed at Kayla because I”m just feeling... off. There is no way to describe it; there”s just an uneasy, prickly feeling in my stomach that hasn”t gone away since Luca left my apartment yesterday.

”Thank you,” I mumble against his shirt. ”I really needed that.”

”Always happy to help.” He shoots me a happy smile and presses his lips against my forehead.

I love when he does that. It makes me feel safe and cared for. His love language is most definitely touching, which works perfectly for me, because I”m enjoying every single moment of it and melt under every single one of his touches.

”Don”t you have training today?” I ask him, tilting my head until I can meet his eyes

The match is only three days away now, and everyone is starting to stress about it. Naroa is tenser than I have ever seen her, shouting at anyone and anything that moves. Mike is stupidly worried that he forgot to go through anything with us, making us go through the whole choreography over and over again, correcting the smallest movements he deems mistakes, and from what I”m hearing, the football trainers are on edge as well.

”I have to be there in twenty minutes, and it”s one minute to get to my car and then a fifteen-minute ride to the stadium, so I have four more minutes with you.” He nods, clearly proud of himself for having thought so far ahead.

”How”s Asher getting to the stadium?”

”Oh, he”s sitting in the car waiting for me.” From the corner of my eyes, I see Kayla tense.

I”d love to ask her about what”s going on with the two of them, but whenever I breach the topic, she immediately shuts down the conversation. One time, she just turned around and left without a word, which, I mean, was fair. I’m pushy, I get it, but it’s not like she’s telling me anything if I don’t push for it.

But now I”ve decided to let the topic rest. If she wants to talk to me, she will. She’s an adult. She can use her mouth. I”ve tried enough to be there for her, but right now, I need to focus a bit more on myself.

And Luca. Pushing out a heavy sigh, I lean my head against his collarbone, thanking God for setting powder and setting spray that prevents me from leaving an imprint of my face on his shirt.

I can hear his heart beat furiously in his chest, and I can”t help but feel satisfaction that I”m the reason it beats this fast.

I have no idea how I got lucky enough to find Luca, but I feel so much happier than I’ve been in a long time. Despite the uneasy feeling in my gut, despite the media or people hating on us.

”One more minute,” he whispers against my head, tightening his hold. I do the same, digging my fingertips into the small of his back.

”I don”t want to let go,” I whine softly, making him shake with laughter and drop a kiss on my head.

”Neither do I. But I”ll see you tonight?”

”Your place?”

”I”ll come to yours so Rob can have the night off.” Poor Rob and the rest of his security team got hired just to keep an eye on me. Poor guys. The only place where they don’t need to stand guard at my door is in my apartment building since they deem its safety measures enough.

I nod, and Luca gives me one more kiss before disappearing out the door just as quickly as he appeared there.

”Match made in heaven, I”m telling you,” Kayla grumbles, and I giggle, my cheeks warming. ”Or maybe hell. I repeat, disgustingly sweet.”

”Are you jealous?” I can”t help but tease her. She tenses for a second, before shaking her head, making her hair fly.

”Not in a million years.”

Sure, Kayla, I think to myself. Keep telling yourself that.

”Naroa, I”m going to get some coffee,” I shout into the room. Rob hasn”t left my side all day, even standing guard while the reporters were able to ask their questions. Some of them eyed him curiously, and others seemed more suspicious, but nobody dared ask any questions about him.

No wonder, I mean, the guy is almost two meters tall, even taller than Asher, and pure muscle. I ran into him accidentally when I changed my mind about where I was going, and that man is a freaking wall!

”Wait!” Naroa yells back, and I see her fight her way through all the scurrying staff in the hallway. ”I”d really prefer it if you didn’t go out.”

”Naroa, I”ve been sitting in some kind of sad, windowless room for–” I check my watch. ”More than six hours today already. I need some air and some sunlight, unless you want me to slip into a depression.”

She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose between her eyes. ”Please don”t.”

”Rob will come with me. I”ll be fine. I solemnly swear to not run away, listen to every word he tells me, and act on it.” She eyes me, exasperation etched into her face, and a deep, deep sigh escapes her. ”I can”t just hole up and hide from the world because I”m dating. Everyone”s more interested in Kayla”s love life anyway.”

Her distraction tactic worked. One walk from her car to a shop, holding hands with Asher, managed to get a good portion of media off my back. Well, so I”ve been told because I still haven”t dared check myself.

Naroa realizes there”s no use in discussing my coffee run. It’s happening, whether she likes it or not.

I hope she comes from a place of concern and worry for me, but I fear I might go crazy if I have to stare at the bleak walls of our dressing room, which probably haven”t been painted since the eighties, within the next fifteen minutes. Plus, we still have two more hours of interviews to go, and I”m just so fucking tired. I need some sugar, caffeine, and maybe a cupcake if they have any.

”Only coffee,” she finally says, pointing at me with her index finger threateningly. ”No detours. No walks. Only the coffee shop right next door. Are we clear?” She stares me down until I nod, then gets confirmation from Rob. ”Good. See you in a few minutes.”

”Well, what kind of coffee do you want?” I ask her before she leaves. As if I’d go for a coffee and not get her one too; she’s been working longer than Kayla and me already today.

”Cappuccino,” she shouts, then turns the corner to the hallway.

”Kayla?”

”Iced coffee. And get me a pack of sugar, please.” She shoots me an air kiss, then turns to the mirror to quickly freshen up her makeup. I also ask the rest of our team for their orders, jotting them down in my notes app before leaving.

My eyes narrow when we step into the sunlight. Damn, it”s bright out here. Horns are blaring, and people are chattering, and I quickly put on my sunglasses. I”m not exactly incognito, still wearing my press conference outfit, only with a jacket thrown over it, a hat, and the sunglasses. I just hope I”ll be in and out of there without anyone recognizing me.

The coffee shop seems pretty empty. Thank God. Rob walks in first and scans the store, deciding it”s safe he opens the door to let me walk through it in front of him. I feel like an agent on a secret mission.

Well, a bad agent. It feels like as soon as I step in, all eyes are on me immediately. Which must be my paranoia because I can”t actually see anyone looking up from what they”re doing, but the prickly feeling in my neck tells me I”m being watched.

Forcing myself to pay it no mind, I hurry to the counter, waiting behind the one person who is currently ordering. They”re taking a while, so I take the chance to have a look at the store.

It”s cute. Not a coffee chain but, it appears to be an independent store with its own roast and wonderful coffee specials for spring. They apparently have a pink latte.

Lovely, I can”t wait to try them out. Discreetly, I jot down the name and take a picture of the logo. It”s a cat staring longingly at a coffee bean, and it”s absolutely adorable.

”Next one,” the barista shouts, and I step up, all the orders pulled up on my phone.

Despite the sunglasses, recognition flashes in the barista”s eyes. They grow wide before she schools her face and clears her throat. I might as well take my sunglasses off to see the screen better, then.

”Hi there, what can I get you?”

I smile and greet her back, before dictating my order. Some of those they don”t have here, so I substitute it for similar drinks, hoping it”s alright with everyone. Just in case, I order three regular coffees additionally, as well.

”They”re coming right up. Would you mind waiting over there?” The barista points to the end of the counter, and I shoot her a smile and nod. She turns around to start on the coffees, and while I’m facing her back, I quickly slide a generous tip into their tip jar.

The person who ordered before us has already received their coffee and left, so Rob and I have some space as we wait for my order. He stands between the tables and me, shielding me from the area where people are dutifully working on their laptops, while I inspect the picture on the wall. It shows the different stages of coffee beans, which is interesting to see. I didn’t even know that coffee had petals. Suddenly, a female voice booms through the room, making me jump.

”Yo, ain”t that the slut from the news?” My heart starts beating furiously, and a cold shiver runs down my spine. I can’t see where the voice is coming from; all I see is Rob straightening his back to his full height and crossing his arms in front of his chest. ”Get the fuck out of here, whore!”

Now, all eyes really turn to me. And Rob is wide, but he can’t shield me from all of them. I remain where I am, crossing my arms in front of my chest, while Rob’s whole body tenses, ready for whatever is happening here.

”I”m so sorry,” the barista says, suddenly beside us, and says something into her headset, hopefully calling for backup.

Then I hear a commotion and a scream from that same voice. “Get out of my way, that bitch needs to learn some manners!”

Then there’s even more commotion and shocked gasps, and suddenly, Rob is on the ground, pinning a woman who must be in her forties down with his knee on her back.

“You bitch! You don’t deserve him! Come on, fight me, woman to woman!” She swings her fists, even while on the ground, and Rob shoots me an exhausted look before he looks behind him.

”Someone will come to collect our order,” he tells the barista. Just then, two of his co-workers come storming into the store, eyes taking the scene in, alarmed. ”Millie, you go with Takanori.” I nod wordlessly, mouthing a quick ‘thank you’ at him, and dutifully scurry behind the other man.

Takanori shields me from curious glances and passersby staring at the commotion as he escorts me back to the studio. Once we”re inside, he tells me to go back to our changing room, before he darts back out to help Rob.

Fuck.

A helpless feeling washes over me, threatening to pull me under and suffocate me. Deflected, I trudge back into the lifeless room, blinking back tears as I sink into the uncomfortable couch they have in there.

I”m tired. So damn tired. And I don’t even have my coffee.

”Hey, what”s going on?” Kayla steps into the room, softly closing the door behind her, curious eyes taking in my miserable figure. ”I heard from Naroa there”s been a commotion.”

I give her a quick rundown as she steps closer and sits down next to me.

”What the hell?” she asks, fury blazing in her eyes, then curses under her breath and jumps up to pace the small room.

”Yeah,” I agree softly and blink away tears.

Suddenly, she stops, looking at me with her arms crossed in front of her chest, her jaw set, and a muscle in her throat ticking before she takes her phone out of her handbag and starts a call.

”Hey, Naroa? Yeah, you can go ahead and cancel the rest of the interviews for today.” I open my mouth to interject, but Kayla shoots me a sharp glare, not leaving any room for objection.

”I don”t give a fuck, Naroa. You”ve had plenty of opportunity to make this right. Now we”ve had someone try to fucking attack her. You better get your shit together and draw up one of your funny PR campaigns or whatever to fix this.” Her shoulders tense as she listens to our manager.

”Listen, Naroa, I love you like an annoying aunt, but this can”t go on. You told me years ago that this was only temporary while you covered up me sleeping around, and now you”re still throwing Millie to the wolves. Trust me, if I have to pick between you as my manager and my fucking best friend”s mental health, you”re not going to walk out the choice a winner.” I gulp past the emotion building in my throat and try to blink away the tears forming in my eyes.

”Fucking fix this.”

She takes the phone off her ear. I can still hear Naroa talking, but she ends the call with a tap of her finger, sliding the phone back into her bag.

”Listen, I”ve had enough.” She starts to rant, pacing the floor once again. ”You and me, we”re going to need to have a talk. Because our management and label have been using you for drama points for years now, and I”m not standing for it anymore.

“I”m giving them a deadline to fix this, or I”m walking. Maybe I’m leaving anyway. I want to make music with you, make our fans happy, and enjoy ourselves. Not see my friend cry because they let the media falsely paint you as the kind of woman who hangs off another guy”s arm each week when I”m the one fucking around without any repercussions.”

”I–”

”Sorry, I should have asked you before threatening to walk, but I–”

”Can you shut up for a second?” I stand up, and before she can run or push me away, I hug her. ”Thank you.”

”Of course,” she presses out, stiffening in my hold before she relaxes and hugs me back. ”I might be a stoic bitch, but you”re my friend.”

”You”re my best friend.” Despite the shitty situation, I giggle as I give in to the urge to top her. ”Do you think they can even fix it?”

”I don”t know,” she answers honestly, letting me go. Hesitantly, I retract my arms as well and take a step back. ”Let”s see what kind of plan they present us with, and if we don”t like it... we”ll think of something.”

”Naroa has been with us so long, though,” I say, doubt creeping into my mind. She isn”t our first manager, but she”s the one who”s been with us the longest, through our first global tour, our big first award, and our best-selling album.

”Yeah, and I mean it when I say I love her like an annoying aunt. But at the end of the day, she receives more than handsome pay from us to manage our schedules, how the public perceives us, or get us in touch with the right people. And she”s failed by making you the scapegoat. It”s also not the first time I had this talk with her.”

I take a sharp breath, looking at her with wide eyes. They”ve had this talk before? ”Don”t look at me like that. Your exes were idiots, but that doesn”t mean you deserved the public bashing that came with them. I told her when you started dating Victor to get it under control.”

My eyes grow even wider. It”s been three years since I dated Victor.

”Thank you,” is all I can muster to say. I don’t know what else to add.

It would be a lie to say that I had no resentment for taking the fall for Kayla. I understood why they did it, after all. Having several boyfriends is a better look than being caught with new hook-ups every week, but by now, we really have a standing in the industry where it shouldn’t matter who we date.

”Now, let”s get home, order some ice cream and chips, and make a girl”s day of it.”

”That”s the second-best thing I”ve heard today.”

She links her arm with mine, and off we are, Rob and Takanori joining us in the hallway and getting us home safely.