6. Chapter Six – Adam
Adam
The first week of the conference is over in a flash, a haze consisting of meetings, getting work done during breaks, greeting people I might or might not have met before and listening to lectures that are boring but informative.
One more networking event this evening and we are going to have the weekend to ourselves. Two days of silence and rest. Of course, I’m not above working on weekends, but jetlag is still kicking my behind. I’m only slowly starting to get used to the time difference and I already dread the day I’m flying back.
For tonight, the organizers rented out a so-called Izakaya, about a ten-minute walk away from the hotel. I’m still clueless as to what that is when we come to a stop in front of the unassuming building and only once we step inside do I realize that’s a bar.
Not a regular one though .
It’s unlike any bar I’ve ever been to. While there are sections with regular tables and chairs, the host guides us further to the back of the establishment, revealing a whole different setting. The tables and surrounding area are on little platforms and as I take a second to take everything in, I watch as everyone sits down on pillows and what looks like bamboo mats on the ground.
Groaning inwardly, I do as all the others and slip out of my shoes before sitting down. My back is absolutely going to hurt from this tomorrow.
Lily doesn’t seem too thrilled at the prospect of sitting on the ground, but when I blink, the sour expression has been replaced by a tight smile as she sits down two people away from me.
Somebody ordered beer for all of us and I start scanning the menu for some snacks. If it weren’t for this event, I’d probably be asleep already, but too many people asked me about this event for me to skip.
I’m so fucking exhausted, though. My leg is already starting to fall asleep and I’m tempted to get myself an energy drink. Even as the thought crosses my mind though, I can hear Zoey’s scolding voice echoing in my head. ‘Those are not good for you.’ ‘You’re going to get a heart attack from those and I’m only going to visit you at the hospital to dance around your bed and sing “I told you so.”’
Maybe some food will help to keep my exhaustion at bay instead.
"Surprise, surprise," a female voice suddenly says behind me. Swallowing a groan, I turn my head, seeing everyone else following suit from the corner of my eye.
“I’ll be damned,” I mutter, a grin tugging at my lips. Eve is the manager of global pop-sensation Mia, the one pop-princess even more successful than the Sirens. The two of them are the power-duo of the industry. Mia the one who fills stadiums, Eve the one who made her famous and is sticking with her until today.
I was wondering why I haven’t seen her at the conference yet and even more surprised she has now turned up.
"Eve!" Lily's face lights up and she jumps up from her seat to greet her with a hug and I watch them, confused. How do those two know each other? "Where did you come from?"
"Mia is on the Japanese leg of her tour and I had to be there,” Eve tells her with a chuckle as she returns the hug. "I wanted to get here earlier, but her last live here was yesterday so this morning was the soonest I could leave from Osaka. And now here I am. Thanks for saving me a seat."
I only now realize that sometime during our conversation the space between Lily and me freed up.
“You’re so welcome,” Lily tells her with an eyeroll and sarcasm dripping from her voice. Lily sits back down and Eve follows suit, nudging me with her elbow in the process.
"Walker. How are you doing? Did I miss anything interesting? "
"It’s good to see you, Eve. But as if I'd tell you," I chuckle and shoot her a wink. "You’d tattle to your Dad and he’d leave me in the dust. Not a chance."
"I’ll share my notes with you," Lily offers, and Eve sticks her tongue out at me before holding up her hand for a high five for Lily.
“Ah, nostalgia,” she mutters and the two of them burst into a giggle.
"How do you two know each other again?"
Eve’s been in the business for a while. She already started working at Joe, her dad’s, music label almost a decade ago if I remember correctly and jumped right into artist management.
But Lily? I have no idea what she did before she joined Siren’s Talent. Was she even in the entertainment business or did she move over from another job?
"We went to college together," Eve tells me with a wide grin while Lily turns to Felix as he whispers something into her ear.
"College?" I raise my eyebrow. I didn’t even know she went. I kind of thought Joe had just taken her under his wing and she was learning by doing.
"Yep."
Eve nods and Lily on her other side is now in a hushed discussion with Felix. The two of them are staring at a woman across the table, and Lily seems giggly, her cheeks flushed with heat, fueled by alcohol .
"I think we got paired up during the A&R module," Eve continues in a low voice, shooting me a knowing look. "She's got a mad good eye for potential."
"So I've noticed," I tell Eve with a grin which she returns.
"Let's just say you don't want her as your enemy,” she continues solemnly. “Trust me, she can do a lot more than she’s showcased so far. Don't make the mistake of underestimating her."
"I won’t,” I promise with a nod. “What else?" Eve leans back and narrows her eyes at me.
"What do you mean, what else?”
“Tell me about her," I ask, lowering my voice and leaning a bit closer. “What was she like in college? What makes her tick?”
“I’m not going to help you craft your warfare against her,” Eve scolds me playfully. “I’m having way too much fun watching you get knocked down a peg.”
“That’s not what this is about.”
I gulp and Eve’s eyes grow wide before she breaks into a grin. “Oh my God. You’ve got a crush .”
Thank God she says it in a whisper. I shoot her a sharp glance anyways.
"Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Now, let me think.” She taps her lip, tilting her head as her eyes stare into nowhere. “She's a coffee addict."
"So I’ve noticed." I grin and shake my head that she’s mentioning the most obvious fact .
"No matter how early our lectures started, I'd always see her with a giant cup from the local coffee shop in her hand. If not two.” She shakes her head at the memories. “She's not a morning person at all. I know a lot of people say it, but when it comes to Lily, I can only recommend you don’t talk to her before she’s had her first coffee."
I nod along, making a mental note of it. Although I guess I kind of did that when approaching her after the flight and I still live to tell the tale.
"She's also very direct, and I’ve never seen her afraid to speak her mind.” She takes a sip of the beer that has suddenly appeared in front of her, and I motion the waiter for another one for me. “I remember once she tore into a professor who was a misogynistic dick," Eve continues, before making an approving sound and looking at her drink. “Damn, this is delicious. Anyways, she and I got grouped for a presentation and busted our asses, only to score twenty percent lower than a boys' group who bullshitted their way through keywords and a Powerpoint containing copyrighted pictures and no sources. I was ready to let it go, just to not deal with that dick of a professor, but not Lily."
"Huh?" Lily turns to us, her cheeks now a deep red. It looks cute as hell. "I heard my name."
"I’m just telling Adam about Professor Dickinson," Eve tells her with a grin, and Lily raises her hands to cover her now even darker cheeks.
"Oh God, why that story? "
"Because it's a great story." Eve shrugs and bumps her with her shoulder. "Would you rather have me tell the one where we made 200 pies for a fraternity pie fight?"
"Yes," Lily bursts out, then quickly shakes her head, a strand of hair falling into her face. "Well, no. Oh God, can you just not talk about me at all?"
"Not a chance," Eve teases her, and I watch the exchange between the two of them curiously. "You, my friend, are the gossip of the year."
"What? Gossip of the year?" Lily's eyes grow wide. God, she looks adorable with her big eyes and flushed cheeks, fidgeting in her seat, then reaching for her beer to press it to the side of her face to cool her cheek. "Why?”
"You came out of nowhere and you're stealing all the good talent," Eve says, and Lily purses her lip in a pout.
"Oh, come on. I wouldn't say all the good talent. You still have Mia.” She points at Eve. “And you," her eyes jump to me, "have your brothers."
"And you have the Sirens," we both point out in unison and burst into laughter while her pout intensifies.
"Well yeah, it's their company. It would be weird if I didn't. If we’re being picky, they actually have me ."
"You also snagged Brandon right from under my nose," I remind her and she tilts her head as she tries to remember.
"Brandon?” She taps her lip two times before her eyes light up with recognition. “Ah, the actor, right? Brown hair, nose piercing? "
"That very one."
"Well, you got Rosalie instead." She takes another sip of her beer and shrugs. Eve’s eyes jump from left to right as she watches our exchange.
"Right,” I admit, my fingers gathering up some condensation from the side of my glass. Rosalie won a talent competition on TV, and Croney was among the many agencies who extended an offer.
“So, I'd say we're even," she points out, and I want to object, but before I can even open my mouth, Eve chimes in.
"Who else do you have your eye on?" She leans towards Lily while she scoots a bit back, a giggle falling from her lips, and she shakes her head.
"Listen, you might see the alcohol in my cheeks instantly, but no matter how drunk I get, it won’t be enough to spill those secrets."
"You willing to bet on that?" Through the mirror lining the opposite wall, I see Eve raises her eyebrow at her.
Lily's eyes dart between Eve and me, turning around to check in with her assistant, who has long changed seats to the other side of the table and now is in a flirty conversation with the woman the two of them had eyed earlier.
"Bitch, please," Lily finally says, straightening her spine and rolling her shoulders. "If you're anything like in university, I'm going to drink you under the table."
I knew Lily would need to have a competitive side, but seeing it is completely different. Her whole demeanor changes and the need to win is rolling off her like an aura.
"Don’t worry, I’ve had practice." Eve grins, challenge written all over her face and no less competitive. "Then the game is on."
Lily motions for the waiter and places an order with him in Japanese.
“He’s going to keep the shots coming,” she tells the two of us before her eyes jump to me. "You’ll have to be the referee," she continues in a tone that doesn’t leave room for objection, so I just nod.
"You're already one beer deep,” Eve mentions and reaches for the glass in front of her that’s still half full. “Give me a minute to catch up and then we can start."
"Deal," Lily nods and takes her chopsticks, reaching for one of the side dishes that have appeared on our table a while ago. I think the one she’s reaching for are gyoza. "Take your time."
Felix is suddenly behind Lily, leaning down to whisper something into her ear. She replies with a nod and lifts her hand to wave at him as he grabs his jacket, gives the room a little wave and leaves.
"And what are you going to do when Lily spills all the secrets?" I raise my eyebrow at Eve. “Steal her plans?”
"No way, I just want to win," she chuckles and throws a bean at me. Lily grabs her wrist and stops her from throwing another one .
"Behave."
"Alright, Mom." Eve rolls her eyes and tries to lower her hand. But Lily keeps it in a tight grasp, turning it in the light, and that’s when I realize there’s a pretty diamond sparkling from her ring finger.
"Wait, what? You’re engaged?” she asks with wide eyes and Eve nods with a radiant smile on her face. “When did that happen? Who? What?"
The two of them stick their heads together as Eve tells Lily about her fiancé. Apparently, he’s the vocalist of an infamous rock band. Meanwhile, I roll my shoulders and lean back, propping my hands on the ground behind me, and watch them.
As much as I didn’t want to come here tonight, this is turning out more entertaining than I thought. And if Eve gets Lily to spill some of her secrets, that would make it all more than worth it.
Although seeing her letting loose with a friend, adorable blush on her cheeks and plump lips from biting them is enticing in itself.
Four hours later, around midnight, the event is slowly starting to end. I didn’t know that even in a huge city like Tokyo the trains would stop running after a certain time, but I catch more than one person saying they need to catch the last train to get to their hotel.
Fascinating. I thought everyone was staying at the same hotel, but I stand corrected.
Eve and Lily have decided on calling it a draw, both of them already unsteady on their feet and talking very slowly to not slur their words. Even though the Izakaya was on the first floor, I wish there was an elevator because the way the two of them are making their way down the stairs, clinging to each other and giggling, has me fearing for their lives.
I breathe a sigh of relief when the three of us finally come to a stand in front of the building, all in one piece.
"Right. I'm taking the taxi," Eve says with a slow nod, stumbling a step aside as she loses her balance. I reach out to grab her by the elbow and steady her. "My hotel is in Ikebukuro."
"Is that far?" I ask, and she shakes her head.
"Few stations by train,” she slurs, but thanks to having to deal with three brothers who used to love partying during their college days, I decipher her words. “Ughhh. Trains. People.”
"Taxi it is. I’ll check how to get one," I offer, but just as I say it, a taxi turns into the street.
"I think they called one for her as we left,” Lily whispers, speaking a bit more clearly than Eve. “What a service!"
I open the taxi door for her and make her tell the driver where she needs to go before I close the door.
"Get home safe," I tell her. "See you next week? "
"Tuesday," she mumbles and bumps her head against the car frame. “Ouch.”
"Alright, until Tuesday. Try not to bump your head again."
“Yes, Dad.”
I shake my head and close the door, watching the car drive down the street and finally disappear around a corner. Then I turn to Lily who is leaning against the building with her eyes closed.
"Hey, champion. How are you feeling?"
"Alright," she slurs, hiding a big yawn behind her hand. "You can go ahead."
"Are you sure? Should I call us a taxi too?" I step closer to her, and she looks at me with big eyes, then shakes her head.
“Fresh air,” she mumbles, and I nod in understanding.
"Alright," I say softly and offer her my hand, but she doesn’t notice it and starts walking. After a few steps, it's clear she's not very steady on her feet. "Sorry," she mumbles when she loses her balance and stumbles into my side.
"Are you sure you're alright? Let me get you a water."
"It's fine," she mumbles again, stubbornly continuing to walk. "Jus’ tired. Wanna sleep."
She can barely keep her eyes open, face almost permanently hidden behind her hand as she yawns.
“Okay. Just don’t throw up, cause I’m a sympathy-puker.”
I don’t think she heard me. At least, she shows no reaction as she stumbles forward. It's adorable, like watching a puppy that's just learned how to walk, not quite steady on its legs, but very determined.
"Come on." I finally catch up and grab her by the elbow to stop her from running into a lamppost. I take her hand and pull her arm around my back and put mine under her armpit to steady her.
For a moment, she stiffens, but then simply walking is demanding all her focus and she starts to relax. The ten minutes it took us to get here double on our way back, although with her babbling nonsense, it’s much more entertaining.
By the time we make it back to the hotel, she can barely keep her eyes open, leaning against me heavily until we reach the elevator and she leans her back against the wall, sighing happily when her neck touches the cold metal.
"Which room?" I ask, and she wordlessly hands me her room key with her eyes still closed.
"Not very safe." I shake my head, but her eyes remain closed and she slowly lifts her hand to wave me off.
When the elevator announces the arrival on her floor, her eyes blink open slowly and she keeps her hand on the wall to keep herself steady as she walks.
I walk her to her room and open the door for her. A big sigh leaves her lips when she stumbles inside while I remain in the doorframe, watching her sink down on her couch.
Whenever my brothers came home drunk out of their minds, I’d used to wrestle them out of their clothes and throw them into their bed with a bucket in case they’d need to throw up. Obviously, I’m not doing that.
I walk over to her fridge and take a bottle of water out of it to hand to her.
“Here. Drink this,” I urge her, and she narrows her eyes at me. “I know you want to sleep. But you don’t want to feel like shit tomorrow.”
That gets her to sit up and I twist the bottle open for her. After a few sips, she lowers it and presses it to her forehead instead.
"Finish it before you go to sleep, okay?" I ask, and she nods. "And lock your door."
"Locks by itself."
"Good." I walk over to the door and stop, turning around to check on her one more time. "Sleep well, Lily."
"Thank you, Adam." Another big yawn. "You too."