Chapter 7 #2
“We didn’t pick that,” he said, his mouth twisting slightly. “That was all the record label’s idea. Apparently we needed to ‘appeal’ more to teenagers.” He used air quotes around “appeal.”
I stared at the TV as I processed what Oliver had said. I had always been so critical of the Heartbreakers, and my cheeks got warm as I wondered if I had been too harsh. From what Oliver had just told me, the band didn’t seem to have any control over its own image.
“Well, I suppose it worked,” I said. There was no denying that the record label had known what they were doing when they renamed the band. The Heartbreakers had cast a spell on millions of teenage girls.
“Maybe,” Oliver said, a grin slowly creeping onto his face. “But I’ve always liked to think that my adorable smile won everyone over.” He winked and I rolled my eyes.
“So if you three grew up together, how did you meet Alec?” I asked, changing the subject before Oliver’s cocky side could make an appearance.
“Alec is actually how we got our record deal,” he said. “He’s from California and his dad is the CEO at Mongo Records. Alec always wanted to perform, but his dad didn’t think he had the right personality to be in the industry.
“That’s when JJ got an email from Alec saying he liked our music. He found us on YouTube and promised he could get us in to see a producer if we didn’t mind adding a fourth member to the band. So we—”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “Let me get this straight. Alec emailed total strangers and asked if he could join your band?” There was no way. I hardly knew Alec, but I could already tell that he was way too shy to ever do something so assertive.
Oliver nodded his head. “Surprising, huh? I think his love of music outweighed his fear.”
“Wow, good for him.”
“Right? Well, anyway, we were totally excited about Alec’s email, but we didn’t really know what to think about him joining the band.
I mean, we didn’t even know if he could sing.
So we told him that we wanted to meet and see what he could do.
Alec was on a flight to Oregon the next day.
Not only could he sing, but he played bass, which was perfect since Xander and I both play guitar and JJ’s a drummer.
Everything just fell into place,” Oliver said, finishing his story.
His gaze was focused on the TV, but I could tell by the half smile on his face and his glazed-over eyes that he was in a different place, reminiscing over memories.
After a few seconds, he shook his head and looked down at me.
His lips tweaked up into a grin, and then he reached out and pulled me against his chest.
It was a bold move, something only a guy with real confidence could do, and Oliver didn’t hesitate in his execution.
My back and shoulders grew rigid, and suddenly I could feel the rise and fall of each breath he took.
Resting my head on his chest felt so personal, like something only a real couple would do, but I couldn’t make myself pull away.
“Do you ever miss it?” I asked, trying to distract myself again. My breathing hitched, and I hoped he hadn’t noticed.
“Miss what?”
“I don’t know, like, before everything?”
“You mean my anonymity? Sure.” Something in Oliver’s voice sounded off, and I craned my neck to look up at him. He was staring past me, deep in thought, and then a scowl crossed his face. “But I would never go back. Ever,” he added fiercely.
The skin covering his knuckles turned white as he tightened his fist, and I bit my lip, not sure what to say. I didn’t think he was mad at me, but something had upset him.
“Sorry,” I told him. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No worries,” he said, sounding much softer than before.
But Oliver seemed to be done talking, because he turned his attention back to the movie.
And without our conversation, my nerves crept back up.
I realized I was holding my breath when he started moving his thumb in small circles on my arm.
For some reason, I found the sensation calming.
Bit by bit, my breathing returned to normal and I nestled down into his side.
Just as I finally relaxed and turned my attention to the movie, Oliver chuckled at something 007 said, and I felt him shake beneath me. Tilting my head back a few inches, I looked up at him through my lashes. There was a dusting of pink on his cheeks, and his eyes shone as he laughed.
He must have felt my gaze, because his eyes snapped down and found mine.
His lips slowly parted as he stared down at me, and my whole body flooded with warmth.
Someone was shouting something crazy on-screen, but I was too preoccupied with Oliver to turn toward the TV.
The way he was looking at me made me want to press my body farther up against him, and the thought made me blush.
Embarrassed by my own thoughts, I suddenly needed to look away, to focus on anything but him. But as I turned, Oliver gently grabbed my chin. He held my head in place until I made eye contact, and then, once he knew I was watching, he dipped his head and brushed his lips against mine.
The small bit of contact was all I needed.
Something flared up inside me, and instead of waiting for Oliver to deepen the kiss, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
I’d kissed boys before, but I had never felt like I did in that moment—crazy and wild and losing control.
When Oliver yanked me onto his lap, my mouth left his and I started kissing down his neck.
His head rolled back against the couch, and he groaned, yanking at his shorts with his free hand as he tried to readjust.
The front door banged open. “Stella? Oliver? Are you guys up here?”
When Xander’s voice rang through the apartment, Oliver pushed me off and shot to the other side of the couch as if I suddenly had a contagious disease. Sitting up straighter, I patted down my hair.
“There you guys are,” Xander said when he entered the living room.
“Oh hey,” Oliver said.
He put on a wonderful performance. First, he casually glanced up at his friends like he hadn’t heard anyone enter the penthouse.
Then he yawned and stood up to stretch as if his muscles were cramped from watching the movie.
If he wasn’t a singer, I thought, he would make an excellent actor.
Grabbing the remote, Oliver flipped the movie off just as Aaron ushered the rest of the guys into the room.
Then a woman with short, blond hair stepped inside after them.
“Aaron called Courtney,” Xander said, his lips tightening.
Oliver narrowed his eyes at his bodyguard. “Traitor.”
“Aaron did the right thing,” said the lady I presumed was Courtney. “We have an interview tomorrow morning and a concert tomorrow night. You should have gone to bed hours ago.”
“We’re not kids, Courtney,” JJ complained. The way he rolled his eyes made him look exactly like a little kid, and I covered my laugh with a cough.
“Really?” she responded and put a hand on her hip. “Could have fooled me. Aaron shouldn’t have to call me in the middle of the night to make you behave. I’m your manager, not your babysitter.” So this Courtney chick was the band’s manager.
“Okay, we get it,” Xander grumbled. “We’ll behave. You can go back to bed now.”
“I will,” Courtney said, “but your friend has to leave.” She pointed at Drew.
“Friends,” Drew corrected her. “My sister is coming with me.” He shot me a look that said, “No way in hell are you staying here alone.”
Courtney’s eyes flickered over to the couch when my brother looked in my direction. She sighed before turning to Oliver. “Your friend has to leave as well.” The way Courtney dismissed me made it seem as if she had done it many times before, almost like it was a normal occurrence.
“Okay,” Oliver said calmly. For a moment, nobody moved.
“Well, are you both coming?” Courtney asked as she nodded in the direction of the door.
A gut-wrenching feeling washed over me as I stood up. I turned to Oliver, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. Okay…why was he acting so strange all of a sudden?
Alec spoke up. “It would be nice if we could say good-bye to our friends.” Courtney raised an eyebrow as if she were waiting. “Privately,” he added and crossed his arms over his chest.
The boys’ manager pursed her lips together before responding. “Fine,” she agreed, “but don’t take too long. I’ll see you four in the morning.” Taking Aaron with her, Courtney backed out of the room. It remained quiet until the door clicked shut.
“That went well,” Oliver grumbled to himself. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around awkwardly.
Drew started our good-byes. “It was great to meet you all.” He actually looked a little sad as he gathered Cara’s belongings from the table. “Thanks again for signing everything. It will really mean a lot to our sister.”
“Oh! That reminds me,” Xander said before disappearing into one of the back rooms and returning with another poster.
“Good call,” JJ said when he saw it.
“It’s going to be in next month’s issue of Tiger Beat,” Xander explained to me as he held it up.
It was a picture of all the guys jazzed up in suits.
My eyes went straight to Oliver, who had his hands raised to form a fake gun.
His eyes twinkled in amusement as they stared up at me from the glossy page. Bond, James Bond.
“Nobody has it yet,” JJ added. He took the poster from Xander, flattened it out on the table, and wrote a message for Cara in the top left-hand corner. It read:
Happy Birthday, Cara!
Sorry we missed you, but we hope you have an awesome day.
—the Heartbreakers
All four boys signed it, the letters in their names dipping in and out in impressive loops. I was always jealous of celebrities’ signatures because they looked so perfect and special. Mine looked like a two-year-old wrote it.