Chapter 12
By the time we arrived at the radio station for the interview I was starving, and I had already eaten my banana. Oliver was right—there was no time for lunch.
But I didn’t care. I was too engrossed in my surroundings to be concerned about my complaining stomach.
I’d never been inside a radio station before—unless you counted the autograph signing in Chicago, and that was only the lobby.
Being here with the band, I got the chance to go behind the scenes and see how everything worked, and I found all the computers and buttons exciting.
The boys were in the middle of their interview.
They were sitting in the studio with the two radio hosts, Jack and Kelly, and everyone was crowded around a circular table that had microphones sprouting from the middle.
JJ was telling a story about how the band had been locked out of their dressing rooms during a show in Toronto, and I was watching the entire discussion through the long, rectangular window that looked in on the room.
My stomach was being loud, and I knew I should go hunt down the vending machine we passed during our tour of the station, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
The Heartbreakers were captivating. During the short time we’d hung out together, I’d gathered as much, but this was different.
With the attention on them, the boys turned up the charm and were charismatic in a way that made it impossible to hate them.
While I was listening, it occurred to me that this was why the boys were able to wiggle their way into millions of girls’ hearts. They had star power.
“…and so then Oliver was running through the halls in his boxers, and he ran smack into a fan who’d managed to sneak backstage,” JJ said, finishing his story. Everyone laughed.
“She must have had the surprise of a lifetime,” Jack said, still chuckling. “I bet she didn’t expect to find one of her idols gallivanting around the halls in nothing but his underwear.”
“She practically jumped me,” Oliver said. “Security had to pry her away. I had nail marks on my shoulders for a week!”
“So it seems you’re quite popular with the ladies,” Kelly said then.
Oliver lifted both his shoulders, shrugging in an attempt to seem casual, but he had a knowing smirk on his face. “I suppose.”
“Is all the attention hard to deal with?”
“It can be overwhelming at times,” Oliver said, “but it helps to have three other people who know exactly what I’m going through. If I’m stressed, I can turn to them.”
“None of us would be able to do this on our own,” Xander added. “We’re each other’s support system.”
Oliver was nodding his head. “These guys are my family. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
“You four have accomplished so much together,” Jack said. “I bet it’s impossible to imagine it any other way.”
“Exactly,” JJ answered.
“That’s incredible,” Kelly said, shaking her head as if she truly was impressed with everything the band had told her. “Now, we’re almost out of time, but before we wrap up, I want to take this conversation back to girls. Oliver, have you ever dated a fan?”
“I’m not saying that I wouldn’t date a fan, but I’m not one to date in general,” he responded. “It’s just too hard when we’re on the road all the time.”
“So there’s no special girl in your life right now? Not anybody?” Oliver paused and I held in a deep breath. I felt JJ’s gaze flicker in my direction, so I quickly looked down at my phone and pretended to be reading a text.
“Oliver?” Kelly prompted, and I peeked back up.
Pushing back his bangs, he offered her a devilish smile. “Maybe,” he said, and my heart started to flutter like the wings of a hummingbird, light and quick.
“Ooh,” Kelly said, her eyes sparkling as she leaned in. “Someone we’ve heard of?”
He continued to smirk. “Definitely,” he said, and his words shot the hummingbird right out of my chest. Oliver was seeing some other celebrity?
“Is she an actress? Maybe a model?” Jack asked. “Give us some sort of hint.”
Oliver shook his head as his lips twitched in amusement. “I’m not saying anything else.”
I looked away from him and swallowed hard.
I’d known nothing was going to happen between us, so why had I let myself think otherwise?
No doubt because Oliver had been so charming today.
Then again, he probably made every girl he talked to feel special.
My brows pinched together in a frown, but I wasn’t angry at him.
I was annoyed with myself. How could I possibly feel disappointed when I’d known this would happen from the start?
Kelly said something about Oliver being too secretive, and I was pulled back into the conversation.
“I wouldn’t say secretive, per se,” he responded, “but I try to keep my love life private.”
“Really? ’Cause you’re not very good at it,” JJ said. “Terrible, really.”
“‘Try’ was the important word,” Jack said and chuckled. “You should know by now that we media folk are professional detectives.”
Everyone laughed, but the way Oliver’s eyes crinkled up in amusement made it hard not to grin.
I instantly realized I was in trouble. Major trouble.
Regardless of his lack of interest in me, I still liked him, and the feelings I was starting to have were dangerous.
We couldn’t keep flirting, and he most definitely couldn’t keep charming me with tropical fruit.
The next time a private moment presented itself, I would talk with Oliver.
Even though he’d obviously already forgotten our shared kiss, I had to make it official that, moving forward, we would be strictly friends.
Maybe then my good senses would return, and I would stop feeling light-headed and silly whenever he glanced in my direction.
After all, I wasn’t here for Oliver. I was here for myself.
“Hey, Stella?” I tore my eyes away from Oliver and found Courtney standing over me. “May we have a word?”
“Sure,” I said, shooting out of my seat. I was eager to get away from the interview and Oliver, so I dumped my camera bag on the chair and followed her out of the room. We made our way down the empty hallway until we were out of earshot.
“You having fun so far?” she asked. She rolled forward onto the balls of her feet, and I could tell she was trying to be friendly before broaching whatever topic she really wanted to talk about.
“Loads,” I said, which wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either.
“Good,” Courtney said and nodded. “I wanted to talk about the privacy policy you signed with Paul. I’m sure he covered this, but I have to reiterate how important it is that while you’re working with the band, you don’t divulge any privileged information that you may hear. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, of course,” I said quickly. I would never do that, not only because this job was important to me, but also because the boys were becoming my friends.
I had a feeling this little chat was prompted by what I’d overheard in the car earlier today.
At the time, the conversation was confusing, but later that morning I slipped off to the bathroom and paged through the magazine Oliver was reading.
I found a short article about how the Heartbreakers appeared on a talk show, and when the host asked some direct questions about the breakup rumors, the boys were so caught off guard that the interview was cut short.
“Wonderful,” she said, letting out a deep breath. “Glad that’s sorted out. Turkey or ham?”
“Huh?”
“My assistant is running out to pick up some sandwiches.”
“Oh. Turkey works,” I told her, but I wasn’t really feeling hungry anymore.
***
My first day with the Heartbreakers could only be described as a whirlwind, especially considering their concert hadn’t even started yet, and all I wanted to do was crash.
Thankfully, around half past eight there was a short break in the storm.
As fans poured into the arena, chanting the boys’ names and singing their songs, silent anticipation swept over the group while we waited in the backstage dressing room.
All four guys retreated into their own worlds, so I took a spot on one of the empty couches and gave them space, content with merely observing as they readied themselves.
JJ seemed the most nervous. He was pacing back and forth with his drumsticks moving in a blur as he twirled them between his fingers.
Every once in a while he’d fumble and one of the wooden sticks would clatter to the floor.
Xander was sitting on the countertop in front of the long wall of lighted mirrors.
He had his inhaler clutched in his hands, and even though he’d already administered the medicine, he turned the plastic device over and over as if it would bring him luck.
Like usual, Alec had his headphones in. He was leaning against the far wall, his foot tapping along to whatever song he was listening to.
And then there was Oliver. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed as he meditated.
His outfit was plain—a black V-neck and skinny jeans, combat boots, and the always-present dog tag that hung around his neck—yet somehow in its simplicity, he managed to look both seductive and mysterious.
Like the bad boy at the back of class who could make any good girl want to be bad with one smoldering stare.
I couldn’t help but study him—the way his long lashes brushed against his cheek, the fullness of his lips, the sturdy line of his jaw—and I wished he didn’t have such an effect on me.
My gaze must have lingered too long.
Oliver cracked an eye open. “What?” he asked, looking directly at me.
I felt my ears heat up and started winding the cord of my backstage pass around my fingers. “Nothing,” I said, wishing the couch could swallow me up.
“You were staring at me.”