Chapter 8
Asha bolted down the front walk of her house, barely glancing back at Riya, who stood in the doorway with crossed arms and a disapproving frown.
“Hey, Alec,” she said when she slid back into the car and slammed the door shut. “I never got to tell you, but I totally adore your guys’ music. ‘Astrophil’ was my favorite song on the new album!”
Alec checked the rearview mirror as he backed out of her driveway. “Thank you,” he said with a nod.
A satisfied grin spread on Asha’s face as she buckled her seat belt and stuffed an overnight tote between her feet. Alec had offered to swing by her and Boomer’s houses before leaving LA so they could pack small bags for the trip.
“Sooo…” Asha said. From the way she was bouncing her knee, I knew she was working up the courage to ask him a question. “Is it true? Are you guys going to be in an episode of Immortal Nights?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “Three actually.”
“WHAT?” she exclaimed, and I flinched at her volume. “Ohmyfreakinggod!” She collapsed back into her seat, waving a hand in front of her face.
Boomer glanced up and gave Asha a causal once-over before diving back into his game. “I think you may have killed her,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” Alec responded, his brow wrinkling with concern. “Should I not have told her?”
I rolled my eyes. “Give her a minute. She’ll be fine. Probably just fandom overload, both Immortal Nights and the Heartbreakers together. This is like a dream come true for her.”
“She’s a bit obsessed, but we love her,” Boomer added.
“Oh please,” I said to him. “If Alec had driven his F12, you would have jizzed yourself.”
Boomer looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Without a doubt.”
Alec barked in laughter. “I take it you’re into cars?”
“Correction—he lives for cars. Honestly, before I met Boomer, I didn’t know the difference between a coupe and a sedan,” I explained. “He was so horrified by my lack of knowledge that he had to educate me before we could be friends.”
“Well, yeah. I couldn’t associate with someone whose dream ride was, and I quote, ‘a blue one.’ That’s just embarrassing.” Boomer hesitated, but then asked Alec, “Do you really own an F12?”
At this, Alec rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s my dad’s car. This is going to sound totally lame, but he insisted we drive it to the ball. He likes…making an entrance.”
But Boomer didn’t think it sounded lame, and the boys chatted about cars until we reached his house.
He was in and out before the song on the radio changed, returning with a backpack slung over his shoulder.
Five minutes later, we were on I-5 North.
My blood rushed in anticipation. I was on my way to Rose!
After four years of thinking I would never talk to her again, I would hopefully get the chance tonight.
I never questioned if Alec knew where he was going, and he didn’t ask for directions.
He seemed confident enough as he weaved through the traffic, and that was refreshing.
Since Boomer was the only one who owned a car, he always drove, but he also had the worst sense of direction.
The guy couldn’t get from Point A to Point B, even if it was a straight shot between the two, so I was always the designated copilot.
Twenty minutes into the drive, Alec pulled off the highway and I frowned.
Where are we going? I nearly asked, but as soon as the question formed in my head, I realized we were in Los Feliz, a neighborhood known for celebrity residents.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to grab a few things.
” Alec rolled down his window as he pulled up to a gated underground parking lot.
He punched a code into a keypad on the wall, and the gate slid back.
“You guys can wait here or come up,” he said as he steered his car into an open stall. “Doesn’t matter. I won’t be long.”
“We’re definitely coming,” Asha said, throwing open her door. There was a feverish look in her eyes, like this was every Christmas she’d ever experienced rolled into one giant holiday.
I unbuckled and got out, although with less enthusiasm.
I felt… Was strange the right word? This was Alec’s apartment.
Not his dad’s or his mom’s. He actually owned his own place.
Which was understandable since he was eighteen and had plenty of money, but it made me feel out of my league.
He was only a year older than me, but suddenly those three hundred and sixtyish days felt like a decade.
Asha hooked her arm through mine as we crossed the garage toward the stairwell. “This is so unreal,” she whispered. “Alec Williams just invited us to his apartment.”
“You really need to work on your quiet voice,” Boomer said from behind us. “Everyone can hear you, including the guy who invited us to his apartment.”
I peeked at Alec, who was a few steps ahead of us, keys swinging in his hand. If he’d heard, he made no indication.
Asha snickered. “Of all people, you’re one to talk.”
Boomer grinned and gave her a playful shove. “That may be true, but that doesn’t make you any less creepy.”
The elevator ride to Alec’s apartment was silent with one exception: Asha was humming to herself.
I caught her eye and shot her a look, which was supposed to say, “Can you please act normal?” But she just offered me a mischievous smile and carried on.
It was only when we reached his floor that I recognized the tune—a Heartbreakers song.
Someone, please. Kill me now.
My face turned impossibly hot, but the embarrassment was quickly replaced with surprise when Alec unlocked the door to his apartment, and we all filed inside.
He flipped on the lights. We were standing in the kitchen, and my first thought was: This is small. Small, but nice.
Past the island countertop and bar stools was the living room.
A sectional couch and matching chair were centered in front of one of those fake, electric fireplaces.
Above the mantel hung a flat-screen TV. The far wall had what looked like a floor-to-ceiling window, but the curtains were drawn, hiding whatever view Alec had of the city.
The remaining wall was covered by a huge modular bookshelf.
Some of the cubes held books, but judging from our conversation about To Kill a Mockingbird, they were for decoration.
The other compartments displayed vases and glass bowls and other accent pieces.
I don’t know what I was expecting—maybe a penthouse bachelor pad—but this was definitely not it. The space was cozy and warm, and I liked it.
“Well,” Alec said. He gestured vaguely in the direction of the living room and then shoved his hands into his pockets. “Make yourselves at home. I’ll be right back.”
Boomer had no reservation about doing just that. He plopped down on the couch and pulled out his Game Boy. “Alec’s not half-bad,” he said, glancing at me over the back of the couch.
I shot him a look. “Well, thank God he has your approval.”
“I have to pee,” Asha announced, starting down the hall in search of the bathroom. I suspected she wanted to see the rest of Alec’s apartment and was being nosy, but I said nothing.
Once she was out of sight, I wandered over to the fireplace to inspect the row of picture frames arranged along the mantel.
I didn’t need an explanation to figure out the first was of Alec and his sister.
Vanessa had the same gray eyes and nearly white hair Alec did, and their noses were identical.
The siblings were standing at the edge of some desert ridge wearing hiking gear and smiles of accomplishment.
The next frame held two pictures of Alec with his bandmates: Oliver Perry, JJ Morris, and Xander Jones.
The first was of them laughing and sitting around a campfire, and in the second they were in what looked like a hotel pool, chicken fighting.
Something about the two snapshots was startling.
I’d only seen the Heartbreakers in magazine spreads and on posters, so it was strange to see them in such casual settings, like they were regular teenagers and not celebrities.
The fourth photograph was also of the band, but standing in the center of the group was a brunette with a streak of blue in her hair and a nose piercing.
My stomach twisted when I saw Alec’s arm around her shoulders, but she was holding hands with Oliver, and I remembered Asha telling me he was dating a photographer named Stacy or Sara something or other.
My gaze slid to the last picture of Alec and a beautiful blond woman who could only be his mother.
Her head was thrown back in laughter, and Alec, who looked like he was two or three, was propped on her hip.
The smile on his face matched his mother’s joy, and I smiled to myself. Toddler Alec was adorable.
Out of nowhere, a funny ringing filled the room.
At first I thought it was Boomer’s game, but he always played with the sound off because it drove Asha crazy.
I turned in a circle, trying to find the source of the noise, until I noticed the computer on Alec’s desk had lit up. Someone was calling him.
“Hey, Alec?” I shouted down the hall. “Someone’s Skyping you!”
“It’s probably Vanessa,” he yelled back. “Can you answer it? I’ll be out in a sec.”
“Sure thing!” I rushed over to the computer.
The incoming call was from someone named DoubleJMan.
I had a feeling it wasn’t Vanessa, but I slid into the chair and answered anyway.
It took a few seconds for the call to connect, and when the camera finally blinked into focus, Alec’s sister was not on the other end.
Instead, there was a guy with dark-brown, almost black, hair.
The first thing I noticed was that he was shirtless.
And he looked very good shirtless, all buff and muscly, with an armband tattoo twisted around his bicep.
His face was just as recognizable as Alec’s, and I knew who he was in an instant—JJ Morris, drummer for the Heartbreakers.