32. Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lila
A fter dinner, I eagerly awaited Barry’s return from talking to Audrey and Liam. I meant to change out of the wig, but I was too busy writing a song about spending time with a family you find rather than the one you’re born with.
It didn’t take him long to get back, though. I was only through writing the first verse when he opened the door.
“Oh, hey. That didn’t take long. What did they say?”
“They kicked me out of the bar,” he grumbled. “Those assholes.”
“What do you mean they kicked you out?”
“I only halfway mentioned I was helping a friend with something in LA when Audrey called security and told them not to let me back in.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I think I owe her some flowers.”
“She’s too much like Ruth. If those two met, they’d either kill each other or plot world domination.”
“So, you can go to LA?”
“Yes, I can. But I’ll be on call in case they need anything, which they probably will in the end.”
“That’s totally fine. You can step away whenever you need to. And we’ll make it work if you have to come back. I promise.”
“All right, then, I guess I’m packing tonight. What do I even wear to be a stand-in guitarist?”
“Comfortable clothes. It’s hard work. Here, I’ll help you.”
Song momentarily forgotten, we went to his room and I helped him pack. We spent the night talking about the tour and what he could expect.
I could tell he was nervous up until he fell asleep.
Sleep evaded me, too, and I went over exactly how I was going to tell everyone about our new addition. Near midnight, Mom texted me.
Mom: So, no one else knows?
I hadn’t talked to her in a few weeks, and while I hated to admit it, not having her talk my ear off about my secret identity helped ease my worries.
Dad had called to check in, but once he found out that I was busy, he was quick to tell me he would give me space to work. It all seemed too good to be true. He had to be busy with something that he forgot about. Or maybe there was something else up his sleeve.
Rose: No. No one knows.
She didn’t answer and I felt terrible for the fact that I was almost grateful.
I finally fell asleep early into the morning, and when we woke, the plane was ready. While we were driving to the airport, my phone lit up with a call from Malia.
“I know you’re supposed to be relaxing,” she said, and I heard a smile in her voice, “but I have something you need to hear.”
“Is it about the new guitarist? Because I have news for you.”
“No, not at all, but what’s the news?”
“Barry agreed to step in so we can continue practicing while we find someone else.”
“That’s fantastic. Justice will be so relieved.”
“Yeah, we’re really lucky he could step away from his other job.”
“I’ll be sure to give him my thanks in person. Now, enough about work. I need you to listen to Blaze’s new album.”
“It already came out?”
“Yes. He surprise-dropped it. And it’s . . . hilarious, honestly. But I wanted to tell you first because you’re mentioned in it. A lot.”
I’d been dreading whatever he was planning, but I knew I couldn’t stop him. He had Mia behind him and I wondered if they were working on something devastating. I didn’t think they were going for comedy, however. “Why’s it so funny?”
“It’s terrible,” she said. “The worst album I’ve ever heard.”
“Really? But Mia produced it.”
“And you can tell she’s a PR agent trying to make music. Give it a listen. It’ll brighten your day.”
“I will,” I said. “Thanks for the warning.”
We got off the phone moments later, and I could see Barry watching me.
“I heard Mia’s name. That doesn’t usually mean good news.”
“This time it is. We have an album to listen to. A very bad one, apparently.”
Blaze Matthews FINALLY Releases His Side of the Story . . . And It’s Bad
By Perez Adder
We were all waiting for Blaze Matthews to release something detailing what went down with Lila Wilde. According to him, it takes two to ruin a relationship and she seemed happy pushing the blame onto him.
At midnight, Blaze dropped his album as a complete surprise, and fans clamored to listen to it. Since it was produced by most of the same team that made Lila’s music, we all had an expectation of quality. But Blaze is made to be the muse, it seems, because those lyrics do NOT work. He whines about how Lila found someone else, how he did everything for her and got nothing in return.
Now, I’m not the biggest fan of Lila myself, but even I can admit that SHE wrote her own songs. Blaze didn’t do EVERYTHING for her.
He was in a position to turn the tables and make everyone see his side of the story, and unfortunately, it looks like he fumbled the bag.
5642 Comments
H8terfister69: Lmao we knew this would happen eventually
BuzzBuzz: This doesn’t make sense! He helped her with ALL of her original stuff! How could his album be so bad?
RealLilaFan247: Because SHE wrote it, you doofus.
NomChompy: Ah, the garbage taking itself out. Perfect.
The album played on the plane while Barry and I laughed until we couldn’t breathe.
It was truly awful. It was all the worst parts of my old songs—the repetitive lyrics and the synthetic pop beats combined with Blaze’s pitchy singing—making it more of a comedy routine rather than an emotional album. He tried to drop mean one-liners about me in every song, but paired with his voice, they all sounded cringey.
There were tears in my eyes from it. When he’d threatened to release an album, I knew it would have been bad for me if the album were good . But this? This was the best-case scenario.
“He tried to get picked up when I did,” I said when we finally managed to calm down. “I knew he was a bad singer, but I thought he would at least take some lessons. Or that Mia would be able to whip him into shape.”
“It just proves that she never made your songs good. Only you did.”
Warmth spread through my chest. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”
As we got close to landing, I asked if he could put his hair in a hat. I hated to even bring it up, because I knew he wasn’t a fan of hiding, and yet he didn’t complain as I tucked his long strands away.
And when he looked totally different, it was time to disembark. As usual, people were dying for photos of me. Juno had been relaxing for most of the time, preparing for the chaos of LA.
When we got out, it was definitely that. There were yells of Lila’s name, asking for my opinion on Blaze’s album, or if I was seeing someone else. Photos were snapped of the three of us as soon as we got off the plane until we were driving down the road. Barry grabbed my hand the second we were alone.
“It’s so good to be back,” I muttered. “There’s more security at the practice arena. And we’ll take the long way to throw them off the trail.”
Barry’s hand didn’t leave mine and his eyes were on the windows.
A terrible thought hit me.
“You can always tell me if this is too much,” I offered softly.
His eyes finally settled on me. “It’s not too much.”
“Your grip on my hand says otherwise.”
Barry’s eyes trailed down to our intertwined hands. “Sunshine, I’m holding your hand because I want to, not because I’m worried about some strangers I don’t know. I’m more worried about how they make you feel.”
“But it’s so hectic. No one can handle it.”
“I can, and I will. And I’ll do it without complaining once.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to, the same way you want to give everything to those around you. I’m going to return the favor, and then some.”
His hand squeezed mine, and for a brief moment, I thought he might not be real. How could one person want to do so much for me? How could he want to be in this loud, wild life I had?
“Thank you,” I managed to say.
“You don’t need to thank me. Just let me do it.” He gave a half smile and my heart nearly stopped.
I could have written a song about that moment if only I’d had more time. But we pulled into the venue and I had to force myself to focus on what we were about to do.
“Ready to see behind-the-scenes of a tour?”
“I am. Let’s do this.”
“Don’t worry about what they think of you. They’re all nice people.”
“You know I won’t worry about what they think.” But his eyes roamed over the building.
“Do you need a minute?” I asked. “I know these kinds of things can be overwhelming.”
“It’s not overwhelming. It’s just . . . you know how it feels when you’ve somehow managed to do something you dreamed of?”
I had that feeling when I played on my first tour. “Yes.”
“That’s what I’m feeling right now. It’s not nerves, it’s . . .?”
“Excitement. The purest form of excitement.”
“Yeah. That.” He took one more moment to look, but then turned to me. “All right. I’m ready.”
As we walked in, the band was mingling around their instruments. They were all relieved to see a new guitarist was temporarily joining so we could be sure that we had every part of this right. I only had time to give them his name before we practiced all of the songs for the new setlist.
Barry blended in, knowing every part of every song. We sounded perfect together, as if Jason were here.
“That’s it,” Justice called as we finished up. “That’s the sound I was missing!”
She ran over to me, eyes on Barry the whole time. “Where did you find this guy?”
“Barry? He’s a friend of mine.”
“He knows every one of your songs,” she said. “He fits in like he’s really on the tour.”
“It’s only temporary. He, unfortunately, has a life back in Nashville.”
She sighed. “They always do. Don’t worry, though. We have some interviews set up in ten minutes.”
“Oh, okay. Do you need me to go?”
“Definitely.”
“Then I need to go say bye to Barry. Give me five minutes.”
“Of course. I’ll grab Juno.”
When I approached Barry, he was talking to the drummer, Steven, who was telling him about the best restaurants in LA.
“Hey,” I said. “Sorry to interrupt, but I have to go do interviews.”
“Do you need me to go as well?”
I shook my head. “It’ll be boring. You’re welcome to hang out here or I’ll send a car for you.”
“I’ll get to know these guys,” he said. “They’re going to a local dive bar and I’d love to see how another one is run.”
“Are you sure?”
“I like them. If I’m only doing this for a few weeks, I might as well enjoy it as much as I can.”
I smiled and told him to have fun. He got to live his dream for a bit. I would let him do it however he wanted to.
Barry
I got home from the dive bar around nine. It had been fun, but it wasn’t my bar. The company was excellent, though. I didn’t mention my usual profession solely because I didn’t want them looking me up, but I was very tempted to.
Lila walked into her mansion a half hour later and fell right onto the couch, wig still on. “I’m fucking exhausted.”
“How did the auditions go?”
She heaved out a sigh. “Some of them were good, but none of them knew the material. This is going to be an uphill battle. I’m so tired I can’t even take the wig off at this point.”
“Has this happened before?”
“Usually after a show. Or a bunch of interviews. I’ll be fine. I’ve slept in it before.”
“Fine is not good enough,” I said.
“Barry, I literally can’t get up right now.”
“That’s fine. I’ll take it off for you.
Her couch was so big that I could sit next to her lying down. When I did, she sat up only long enough to move her head to my lap.
“Can’t get up, huh?”
“Shut up. I’m only moving so I can get cuddles and to see if you’ll actually take the wig off for me.”
“I’m a man of my word.”
“It’s a whole process.”
“I’m guessing wig and cap. Did you use glue?”
“How the hell do you know how wigs work? Are you about to tell me you wear a wig too?”
I laughed. “No, but I looked it up once I learned the truth. It seemed like it would come in handy.”
Taking my time, I removed the layers of Lila, careful not to tug her beautiful copper hair. Once the strands were free, I ran my hands through it, rubbing her scalp.
“Thank you,” she muttered. “I needed that. Sometimes it restricts my ability to think.”
“Happy to help,” I said lowly. Knowing I was the only one who knew her like this, who could take off her mask and return her to who she was, made my heart skip a beat. “We should get your makeup off too.”
“Why?”
“So I can see your freckles again.”
She laughed softly. “Fine. I’ll get up to do it, but only because the relief of getting the damn wig off added ten years to my life.”
She got up to head to the master bathroom. I followed, waiting patiently as she scrubbed her face with cleanser.
“I really need to make a routine of getting un-Lila-ed every day.” She wet her face and scrubbed all the soap off. “Shit, I didn’t grab a towel.”
There was one on the farthest wall, which would feel like a mile away to someone with a soaking wet face.
“I have one,” I said, walking to her. “I’ll do it.”
I pulled her into my arms and helped her dry her skin, but my eyes were stuck on her freckles.
“What?” she asked. “Did I miss something?”
“No.” My fingers brushed across one of them, and then another. “You’re just beautiful.”
Her cheeks reddened under my touch. “I’m supposed to be tired,” she grumbled. “But now you’re waking me up.”
“Should I apologize?”
“No. Just kiss me.”
I captured her lips with mine. The world melted away, leaving only her. There weren’t two sides—Rose or Lila—when she was like this. There was just my sunshine, the woman who made breathy noises when I moved my lips to her neck.
“You’re going to spoil me,” she said.
“As much as I can,” I replied before kissing her again. I wanted to promise every single one of my days, but I couldn’t.
Eventually, I’d go back to the bar and she’d set out on an unforgettable tour with her new rhythm guitarist. We had a lot of time before we would be alone together again, but it didn’t matter. I had her now.
I deepened the kiss, knowing it was just the two of us and we were free of any of the burdens that weighed us down. At this moment, I wasn’t going back to the bar anytime soon and she didn’t live a double life, one of which I couldn’t be with.
Pulling her closer, I felt the cotton leggings and tank top she’d been practicing in. My hand moved to where I cupped her ass, bringing her impossibly closer. My tongue met hers and she sucked in a breath.
“Should we go to the bedroom?” I asked.
“That’s too far away,” she said.
And it was. This mansion was too huge, and too empty.
“We can stay right here then,” I said. “Even if it’s uncomfortable.”
She nodded and brought her lips back to mine. I lifted her onto the marble countertop and her hips jerked down on my hardness.
“I think I like that,” she said breathlessly. “Being moved around like I’m nothing.”
“Really?” I asked. “So, if I just threw you over my shoulder one day . . .?”
“We’ll definitely have to try it out.”
I noted that for later and took off her shirt, moving my lips down. I thought about taking her pert nipples into my mouth, but I was craving something else on my tongue.
As I grazed her stomach, she tensed.
“I might be sweaty from practice,” she said.
“I don’t care.”
“But it might smell.”
“I still don’t care. You might be insecure about it, but I promise you I won’t notice. I’ll only care about making you feel good.”
She blinked as if she’d never heard those words before. “Okay, but only if you’re sure.”
I was. I went downward, pulling off her leggings and underwear. I knelt on the ground as I brought her pussy to my face.
I hadn’t lied. I didn’t fucking care about the smell. I cared about the way she tasted, the way she gasped when I touched her for the first time, how wet she was for me.
Sucking on her clit, I listened for the sounds of her pleasure. I was rewarded with gasps and moans, her head thrown back.
Rose’s thighs tightened around my neck, moving me in closer. Any more and I would have suffocated, but I didn’t mind. It would have been the perfect way to go. Her body shuddered and her hips moved as she chased exactly what she needed. I knew she came when she nearly screamed and fluid rushed out of her. I drank in the moment because there was nothing more perfect than this.
“Oh my God,” she said as words finally came back to her. “I can’t believe we did that in the bathroom.”
“We can find all sorts of places to do this and more.”
“I hope you’re talking about doing some of that now. I think it’s very unfair that I’m naked and you’re not.”
“Say no more, sunshine.”
My clothes came off in a flash and I was back on her again, hips hovering over hers as I pressed my desperate cock into her entrance. I pushed in, feeling her tightness surround me. She gasped against my lips as I bottomed out inside of her.
The world melted away as I was lost in her. Sex hadn’t felt like this before, not with anyone, and it never would again. Rose would be ever-present in my mind and I couldn’t wait to have more memories to be tortured with.
I moved, unable to hold back any longer. I rammed into her, feeling her pussy flex and flutter around me.
“I don’t know how long I can last.”
“Fuck lasting long. I want you to come.”
My movements grew rougher and she stopped talking, only moans escaping her open mouth. I felt heat building from everywhere as I tumbled toward an orgasm.
She was close too. I could tell by the way her body moved under mine. I bit my tongue, desperate to hold out for her. And when she sucked in a shocked gasp and her eyes closed, I finally let my own orgasm hit.
It was blinding. All-consuming. I had to catch myself to avoid falling on top of her.
“Wow,” she said as she caught her breath. “I wonder what place will be next.”