Epilogue - Ollie
Two years later
“There’s too many paps out the front,” Ryan said from the driver’s seat. “Think we might need to enter via a different route.”
“Whatever you think’s best,” Luca said to his bodyguard, squeezing my hand on the seat between us.
There’d been a lot of changes in the aftermath of Kevin being fired, including a switch around in the protection detail.
The band hired a kickass new manager, Betty.
She’d taken Caffeine Daydreams under her wing like the mother hen she was, protecting her boys with the ferocity of a rottweiler.
When the contract negotiations with the label rolled around, she’d handled it with ease, landing them with better terms than Kevin could’ve dreamt of.
With her at the helm, Caffeine Daydreams were working less yet putting more money in the bank.
Kevin and Malcolm, meanwhile, had been investigated by HMRC and then the police. They were currently serving time for multiple fraud charges. Turned out Caffeine Daydreams weren’t the only clients fucked over by the duo.
Ryan had been working with Luca for almost two years now.
He was a great bloke. Unlike Jack, it was easy to extract a smile from Ryan.
But most importantly, Ryan kept Luca safe.
He had the same vigorous attention to detail where Luca’s security was concerned.
Something we were grateful for, given the uptick in media attention since the Rude Awakenings tour.
The news of my and Luca’s relationship had broken sooner than expected.
Luca hadn’t exactly been subtle with all the attention he’d been laving on me during the show the night we’d reunited.
Some fans in the pit had snapped a few photos and videos of him interacting with me during the show.
When we’d heard about it, we’d discussed playing it off as just a performance.
Then we’d watched them. Yeah…there was no way anyone would buy it. Not with the way we’d been staring at each like we’d be tearing each other’s clothes off the second we went backstage.
Which, in fairness, was precisely what happened.
Rather than let everyone speculate and keep it in the media, we’d decided to get ahead of the news. Luca had shared a selfie of us on Instagram along with a short caption.
The rumours are true. Ollie and I are in a relationship, and I love him with everything I am. Please respect our privacy - L.
While the fans…tried to follow Luca’s plea, the press held no such compunctions. They’d been relentless. They’d camped outside our homes, outside my work, making it near impossible for us to live any sort of normal life.
It’d been easier than I’d expected though.
Don’t get me wrong, there were many times my frustrations got the better of me.
Never did I think I’d be furious with the industry I was a part of.
But there was a massive difference between what I considered journalism and what the paparazzi had tried to achieve.
But somehow, Luca had made it easier to bear.
Or perhaps it was because I knew what it was like to live the alternative.
And living without Luca? That just wasn’t an option.
If it hadn’t been for the antics the rest of the band got up to, we wouldn’t have had a moment’s peace. But with everything that had happened, the spotlight had been off us and focused on the others.
Honestly, I felt bad for them. Well, for Arlo.
But Kai and Silas? With how they’d behaved during their final show on the Rude Awakenings tour, they’d doused the rumour mill with fuel and set the fucker alight. A lot had happened since then, but all of that guaranteed extra press attention.
“What’s so funny?” Luca asked, frowning at me from the other side of the car. We’d moved in together three months after reuniting, and I’d loved every second of it. Yes, he was a messy fucker. Yes, I might one day kill him for putting his washing on the floor right next to the fucking basket.
But I loved him. I loved being in his space. Watching him cook us Italian food and then snuggling in front of Air Crash Investigation.
I surveyed the long lines of his body, willing my cock to soften. When Luca wasn’t on tour, he liked to live in jeans and comfy T-shirts. It was difficult enough to resist him in casual wear.
But Luca in a fucking suit? That was my kryptonite.
“Nothing.” I lifted our joined hands, already counting down the minutes until we were back home. “Just thinking about Kai and Silas.”
He groaned. “Don’t get me started. What were they expecting? You know that’s why there’s so much press here tonight.”
“Either that or to get more juice on Arlo.” We exchanged a significant look.
None of us would let them get near him. Not after what he’d been through.
Luca tapped his phone on his knees. “I’ve already messaged the group chat to make sure their details take them to the rear of the restaurant.”
We had a private room booked in an upscale restaurant to celebrate the band’s eighteenth anniversary.
Since the day I’d turned up at Wembley holding Luca’s hand, the others had accepted me as one of their own.
I was also close to Riley and Tom, the guy who’d joined the company while I’d been on tour with Luca.
We’d become a tight-knit team both inside and outside the office.
Luca constantly pulled strings so I could travel with him as often as possible.
Knowing it was pointless to argue with him, I worked twice as hard as anyone else.
When I’d been offered the promotion to editor last month, I was able to accept it with a clear conscience, knowing it was my own talent and work ethic that had gotten me there.
Ryan pulled the car into an alley behind the restaurant. I waited in the car until he was at Luca’s door. I followed my boyfriend out from his side of the car, automatically protecting the side Ryan wasn’t on.
Luca rolled his eyes. “No one is going to jump me in an alley, Ollie.”
I raised an eyebrow as a door swung open in front of us. “You realise that’s where most people get jumped, right?”
“Welcome, gentlemen.” A smartly dressed woman gestured for us to enter. “You’re the first to arrive. I’m afraid we’ll have to cross the main floor of the restaurant from this entrance.”
Ryan scowled at the woman who held up her hands hastily. “But don’t worry. My staff has temporarily locked the front doors to keep the press out, and we’ve closed the shutters. You’ll be able to pass through without any of them seeing you.”
“What about the other patrons?” Ryan growled, his usual sunny demeanour clearly having fucked off over this development. “How will you stop them from taking photos?”
The hostess winced. Poor woman. She probably didn’t sign up to deal with the demands of A-list celebs.
Wasn’t like there were many of them rocking around Southampton.
Until Caffeine Daydreams, the city’s biggest claim to fame was Craig David.
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s the only route to the private dining room. ”
“It’s fine.” Luca stepped forwards, flashing her his trademark grin. “Not a problem at all.”
The hostess’s expression cleared. “Excellent. Please, follow me.”
Ryan indicated for me to take the lead as he covered our backs. One of his hands rested on the concealed weapon I knew was strapped at his waist.
Before Arlo, I would’ve said he was being overcautious.
Now though…we knew better.
A discernible hush fell over the dining room as we entered. Not everyone recognised Luca, but there were enough who did.
I kept my eyes down as we followed the hostess. Whispers followed us, and I’m sure more than one camera was pointed in our direction. That was fine. They wouldn’t get anything other than a photo of Luca and his boyfriend being affectionate.
With the way Luca couldn’t keep his hands off me in public, the number of those on the internet probably outnumbered his nudes. A fact he was immensely proud of.
We’d almost made it to the other side of the dining room when a feminine voice piped up with a gasp.
“Ollie?”
I stopped so fast that Luca hit my back with a faint oof.
No. It couldn’t be.
But as I turned in the direction the voice had come from, I saw the odds weren’t in my favour.
Suzie gaped at us, her eyes flying between myself and Luca. Opposite her, Callum watched me with a wary expression. They were still together then. That fact made me feel…
Nothing. I literally felt nothing. Maybe a vague sense of nostalgia. But most of that was reserved for the friendship Callum and I had once shared.
Oh, there was also gratitude. Because if I hadn’t caught them that day, nothing would’ve happened with Luca.
I couldn’t imagine how different my life would be now. How much worse. Turned out I needed to hit rock bottom to learn how truly unfulfilling my life with Suzie had been.
“Hello, Suzie. Callum.” I inclined my head at them, all too aware of the phones pointed in our direction.
Luca’s hand slipped into mine as I greeted them and squeezed. The next thing I knew, he’d extended his other hand to my ex. “Hi, Suzie. I’m Luca.”
The shock was replaced with gushing awe. She jumped from her seat and stood before Luca, practically vibrating. “Oh, I know. I’m your biggest fan. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the post about you and Ollie.” She trilled a high-pitched laugh that had me wincing.
“I almost reached out to Ollie so many times to see if he could introduce us.” Her voice was breathy and her hand clutched Luca’s like a lifeline. “Did Ollie tell you about me? We’re such good friends.”
That was the moment I knew Luca lost it. His charm slipped, and alarm bells rang at the back of my mind. “Oh, Suzie. Ollie has told me all about you.”
Her smile wavered as if it was just now occurring to her that she was the villain in my story. “I mean, that’s all water under the bridge now, right, Ollie?”
“Right,” I said smoothly, letting go of Luca’s hand to wrap my arm around his waist. I pulled him snugly against me, my fingertips soothing his side under his jacket.
“All water under the bridge. After all, if it wasn’t for you and Callum, Luca and I would never have met.
So I suppose I should probably thank you. ”
“T-t-thank me?” she stammered, her gaze darting between us as she undoubtedly tried to figure out what part she’d played. “Um…you’re welcome?”
I bit back a grin at her bewildered expression. “Anyway, lovely to see you, but we need to get going.”
“One second,” Luca said, pulling free of my grip. He shot me a wink over his shoulder that had me worrying. What was he up to now?
Ryan moved close to him as Luca clapped Callum on the shoulder. He leaned down and whispered something in my former best friend’s ear that had him blanching white and then flushing deep red. Callum’s gaze was filled with shame as it cut to me before hitting the floor.
“Like Ollie said, so lovely to meet you all.” Luca pulled back from Callum, his lazy grin painted on. To the casual observer, the whole encounter probably looked like old friends catching up. “Do have a nice life.”
I didn’t say a word until we were seated at the private table in the dining room. “Do I want to know what you said to Callum?”
“Probably not.”
“Luca,” I said warningly.
He took a sip of his drink before answering. “I just pointed out that, no matter how he felt about Suzie, betraying you was shitty. That he’d been your closest friend, your family, and he’d thrown that all away. And that I hoped it was worth it.”
My throat thickened. I brushed a rough kiss over Luca’s stubbled cheek. He jumped in surprise. “I thought you’d be mad at me.”
“How could I be mad at you?” I asked hoarsely. “You’re right. What he did was shitty. But it was worth it. I’ve got you in my corner now. What you did proves that.”
The door slammed open and the rest of the group poured in. I leaned closer to whisper in Luca’s ear. “And when we get home, I’m gonna show you just how damned grateful I am to have you.”
Fire lit his eyes, and if it wasn’t for Silas grabbing his attention, he’d probably have pulled me off into the nearest bathroom.
But that wasn’t what tonight was about. Tonight was about Caffeine Daydreams. About celebrating everything they’d achieved. Everything they’d survived.
Luca was right. Callum had been my only friend. My only family.
But the one I had right here was worth a million times more. These men had given me such happiness that some days, I didn’t know how to contain it.
Especially Luca. I watched him laugh with his friends and my whole heart swelled.
He was worth everything.