46. Chapter Forty-Six
For the past two hours, I’ve been sitting in my assigned room, simply wasting time. I can’t bring myself to go out there and face him. But it’s my job. It’s what I’m being paid to do. It’s the very reason why I’m here in the first place. Once this job is over, then I’ll never have to see him again. I’ll have my house and the freedom I’ve longed for since moving out of my mother’s house all those years ago.
I hop off the bed, grab my phone, and slide it into my pocket. As I walk down the corridor, I hear music coming from the other side of the door. The guitar stops playing for a bit and then starts again.
I open the door and suddenly freeze.
There, sitting on the edge of the lounge, is Xander. A notebook is open beside him, a pencil tucked behind his ear, as he plucks the strings of my father’s guitar. The sight brings forth a flood of emotions. Not just because of my father, but also because Xander has kept his guitar all this time. Despite his fame and wealth, he still treasures that one symbol of our past.
I swallow hard, trying to push down the painful lump in my throat as I stand there, watching him. He strums a few chords, then pulls the pencil from behind his ear and scribbles in the notepad. With him momentarily distracted, I take the opportunity to study him, something I haven’t had a chance to do since I’ve seen him. I check out his strong jawline and how his hair falls into his eyes. He’s no longer the boy I remember, but a man, edgier and undeniably more attractive. I can’t help but check out the muscles in his arms as he reaches for the bottle of Jack on the table in front. He tilts his head back and takes a long swig before putting the bottle on the table with a loud thud. Then, he focuses on the guitar. This time around, he”s singing. I shiver as I hear his sultry voice, memories flooding back to all the times he serenaded me.
Every time my mind wanders,
it always brings me back to you,
But as I can see,
you long forgot about me.
The moment I enter the room, he looks up.
As I come closer, I can feel Xander watching me as I search for coffee. I make a point to not make eye contact with him, instead choosing to focus on anything else in the room. Where the hell is that hostess who was here earlier when I got on the plane?
“What are you looking for, Princess?” Xander asks.
Closing my eyes, I remember how that word sounded on his lips all those years ago. Initially, I despised that name because of its implications, but as time went by, I grew to adore the seductive and playful tone with which he used to say it.
I shove those memories aside, throw up my walls, and turn to face him.
“Coffee. I need coffee.”
Without saying a word, he grabs the phone on the cupboard next to him. He pushes a button and puts the phone to his ear.
“Hey, Theo. You guys finished yet, it’s been two hours.” After a momentary pause, a grin spreads across his face.
I used to love that smile, with how it lit up his face.
“Alright,” he says, looking up at me. “Yeah, coffee. Cream and one sugar.” He raises an eyebrow in my direction, and I give a nod, surprised that he still remembers my coffee preference.
He hangs up the phone and focuses on his guitar. “You might wanna grab a seat. They said she wouldn’t be too long, but you never know with Theo.” He casually plucks a string on the guitar.
“I’m surprised you’ve still got it,” I state, sitting on the couch opposite him.
He glances up and when his brows furrow, I point to the guitar.
”Yeah, I couldn”t bear to part with it,” he says, shifting his focus back to the guitar.
No, but you could leave me pregnant and heartbroken.
The silence between us grows more awkward by the second. I shift in my chair, wondering if he’s annoyed that I’m on the plane, given our history. I wonder if it’s because I remind him of the girls he used and discarded as if we were nothing. I”m not that naive girl anymore. His looks, charm, voice, or words won”t fool me. So what if he”s Xander fucking Williams, the rock god of today? I”ll never fall for his manipulative charms again.
Bored, I strum my fingers on my lap, contemplating whether I should say something or just get up and walk away. As I am contemplating my next move, he breaks the silence.
“Mind if I ask you something?” he asks, not bothering to lift his gaze from his guitar.
”Yeah, I guess,” I say, not sure where this conversation is headed.
“Are you and your son”s dad still a thing?” He lifts his gaze and locks eyes with me.
What the actual fuck? Is he serious right now? Why is he asking me this? Does he still think I”m some easy girl who”ll just sleep with him because I”m here for the next eight weeks?
”No,” I snap, my voice warning not to mess with me.
Without uttering a word, he nods and reaches for the bottle of Jack on the table before him. He takes a long swig, and I watch his throat as it moves while he swallows. His gaze remains fixed on me as he places the bottle back on the table and resumes strumming his guitar.
While we”re sitting there, the door behind me swings open and the hostess shows up, looking like a mess. She looks like she’s just rolled out of bed as she hands me a cup of coffee. As I take it, her shirt catches my attention - one side of it is buttoned unevenly.
”Thank you,” I say, feeling the warmth of the steaming cup of coffee in my hands.
“Can I get you anything else? Perhaps some chocolate cake?”
”No thank you,” I say, before blowing gently on my hot coffee to cool it down.
”And how about you, Mr. Williams, is there anything I can get for you?” the attendant inquires, standing by the edge of the couch.
As I wait for Xander to answer, I keep my eyes fixed on my cup. When Xander doesn’t respond, I lift my eyes to see him watching me with a smirk on his face, clearly amused. He always found it amusing when I blew on my coffee, thinking it would magically cool down.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing,” he says grinning.
”Sir,” the flight attendant says again, her voice slightly raised this time as if Xander is stopping her from her duties.
“No, now fuck off,” Xander replies. “Make the most of banging the band members, because this is your last shift on this fucking plane.”
Yep. There he is. The rude asshole who doesn”t give two shits about what he says or how he says it.
The hostess”s face goes red, and she quickly goes back through the door she came from.
“That was a little too harsh, don’t you think?” I comment, taking another sip of my coffee.
He puts down his guitar and grabs the bottle, then settles back on the couch. His intense gaze scans my body, and I have to stop myself from fidgeting or pulling down my shirt to hide my stomach. It’s no secret Xander’s been photographed with beautiful women. Last year, I saw the headlines of him with some model on a magazine cover. When I saw it, I went home and bawled my eyes out because, even though he dumped me, I still clung to the hope that he”d come back someday. But when I saw that picture, I realized it was a lost cause. He”s a total celeb, living his dream life, while I”m just plain old me - someone he used to know. A nobody. Just a girl who lived two doors down.
“Why?” he remarks. ”She”s supposed to be here doing her job, not just a plaything for two band members.”
“But isn’t that what you guys do? Or is it a problem because she’s not your plaything?” I interject.
With a faint smirk on his face, he watches me. “Just because you see it doesn’t make it true. Don’t believe everything you read in the papers, Princess,” he adds, taking a gulp from the bottle.
There’s that name again, the one that sends goosebumps across my skin.
“Yeah, just like all those other girls you”ve been caught on camera with.”
He flashes me that sexy grin, and I realize my mistake. I’ve fucked up.
“Sounds like you’re jealous, Princess. Don’t stress, I’ll make sure there’s enough room for you to be my plaything.”
“Sorry, did I look interested? My bad.”
That smirk is back on his face, but this time it”s even bigger. I try my best to shake off the intense rush of desire that sweeps through me.
I lean forward and put my empty coffee cup on the table. “Well, it’s been an interesting chat, I guess.” I stand up and make my way to my room, fully aware he”s checking out my ass.