Chapter 4 #2
“It’s so nice to see you again,” I say, opening my arms to give her a hug.
Bailey and I have only met a few times, but she’s always been so sweet.
Plus, Liam’s head over heels for her and has been for years, even before they got together—that alone tells me all I need to know about the kind of person she is.
Her hug is soft and warm, just like the powder-blue sweater she’s wearing, and her grey eyes shine with genuine joy when she pulls back to look at me. “We’re so happy you could come and stay with us, even if it is only for a couple of nights. I’m guessing you probably want a shower?”
I nod. “God, yes.” The plane smell has got to go.
“Say no more, flying always makes me feel gross. Follow me. Bring her bags, Alfred,” she calls over her shoulder to Liam.
“Yes, milady,” he replies, mimicking her faux-posh accent and following us across the open-plan area and down a corridor.
“Alright, this is you.” Bailey opens the door to a guest bedroom.
Similar to what I’ve seen of the rest of the apartment so far, it’s decorated in a modern minimalistic style with a few cosy touches.
There’s a knitted blanket draped over the back of the dove-grey high-back armchair in the corner, and two cute decorative cushions propped against the other pillows on the bed.
Liam comes in behind us and sets my bags on top of the blanket box at the foot of the double bed.
“Bathroom’s across the hall. You’ll have it to yourself since Bails and I have an en-suite.
Take your time, grab a nap if you need one, then come and find us in the kitchen when you’re ready. We’ll order in for dinner.”
“Thanks. A nap sounds like a good idea—I slept like shit on the plane.”
Twenty minutes later I’ve made it through a quick shower, and the damp strands of my hair leave dark patterns on the cotton of my pyjama top. I set an alarm for five o’clock, not wanting to sleep too long and keep Bailey and Liam waiting for dinner later.
Obnoxious beeping rouses me from a dreamless sleep, and I fumble to turn off the alarm, struggling to remember what city I’m in.
Then it comes back to me. I’m in London.
Better still, I’m at Liam and Bailey’s place.
Eager to catch up with them, I toss back the covers, throw a hoodie on over my pyjamas, and head down the hall to their open-plan living space.
Bailey perches on a sleek barstool at the dark granite kitchen counter, and Liam’s retrieving glasses from an overhead cupboard when I approach.
“Hey, is that better?” Liam asks when he spots me.
“Much, thank you. A shower and a nap were exactly what I needed,” I reply.
Bailey smiles. “Come sit and we’ll order in. We were thinking Indian food, if that’s good with you?”
“God, yes, it’s been ages since I had a decent curry.”
Forty minutes later, the scent of different spices hangs in the air as we work together laying out the steaming containers on the kitchen counter.
“Cassie, you’re our guest—you grab what you want first,” Bailey instructs, handing me a plate. Liam hugs her from behind and kisses the top of her head, making her smile up at him.
“Thanks.” Doing my best to ignore the pang of longing in my chest over watching them together, I focus on helping myself to some chicken tikka masala, pilau rice, and aloo gobi.
They’re so happy, so comfortable with each other.
Their easy affection is beautiful, but it’s also a reminder of something I desperately want but know I can’t have.
Liam knew Bailey before he became a household name.
There’s never been any doubt that she loves him for who he is.
I don’t have anyone like that in my life.
The only person who’s been with me since before I was famous is my mother, and I can’t trust her to have my best interests at heart.
Finding someone who loves me for me and not what I can do for them is impossible.
I’ve been burned one too many times by guys I thought I could trust who turned out to have ulterior motives.
One guy used me to get exposure for his band and ditched me the second they got a record deal.
Another sold photos of me to the press. Fortunately, none of the images were risqué, but they were taken inside my home without my knowledge.
Supposed fans went wild for the window into my life, not caring that I never consented to letting the details of my private safe space become public knowledge.
Miranda was royally pissed too—not because of the violation of my privacy but because the photos of me lounging around my house in leggings and baggy t-shirts didn’t fit with my brand.
After all that, I need a break from having my heart broken.
It’s been three years since I last went on a real date.
Now I let my team set up my dates for events, or I attend alone.
It’s better this way, but it doesn’t make it any less lonely.
What Liam and Bailey have is special, and I’m glad my best friend has someone like her in his corner.
“OK, obviously you can totally say no, but I thought you might want to change your look if you’re planning to go incognito.
I bought you a box of hair dye,” Bailey says, stepping out of the circle of Liam’s arms to scoop food onto her own plate.
“Liam mentioned that you’re not a natural blonde, and it got me thinking that your hair is part of Melody’s signature look, right? ”
I grimace. “Yeah, Miranda and the label thought blonde worked better for the whole princess schtick. I’m not sure anyone outside of us, them, Ant, and my hairdresser realises it’s not my natural hair colour.”
“That’s the impression I got too, so—please don’t think I’m creepy—but I did a deep dive and found a video of you singing at your school’s talent show when you were like fourteen or fifteen.
You still had brown hair at that point, so I used the video to help me pick a shade for you.
From what I can tell, the dye I got should be close to your natural brunette. ”
Liam looks at her with a confused frown. “Why didn’t you just ask her for an old photo, Bails?”
She elbows him lightly. “Well, I would have, but I only thought of it this morning and figured she’d have already left her normal phone at home. Oooh that reminds me, we should both get your new number so we can stay in touch while you’re in Pine Grove.”
“Sure, I left my phone in the guest room, but Liam has my new number.” My old phone is locked in my safe back in Nashville. The only people who have the number for my new one are Ant, Liam, and now Bailey.
Liam fishes his phone out of the pocket of his black sweatpants. “There, I just forwarded it to you.”
“Thanks.” Bailey rises onto the balls of her feet to kiss his cheek before turning her attention back to me. “Anyway, back to the hair dye. It’s in the bathroom cabinet of the guest room if you want it.”
“I do, thank you, but um… I’ve never dyed my hair myself before. What if I mess it up?”
“It’s pretty simple, but I can do it for you if you’d like?”
Hesitating, I bite my lip. If I can’t even dye my own hair, how can I expect to survive alone for at least a month? Then again, I don’t want to end up looking like a complete disaster either… “Could you maybe supervise, make sure I’ve not missed any sections?”
Bailey smiles warmly. “Sure, we can do it in the morning.”
Relieved I won’t be left with one random blonde stripe on the back of my head, I tuck into my plate of food. “Oh my God, that’s good.”
“Right? It’s our favourite.” Liam grins.
Quickly, I swallow my mouthful and reply, “I can see why.”
We spend the next hour catching up while eating at the counter, then migrate over to the lounge area to watch a movie.
“What are you in the mood for?” Liam asks us, picking up the remote. He and Bailey are cuddled up at one end of the enormous grey couch while I’m snuggled under a blanket at the opposite end.
“Not horror—I want to actually get some sleep tonight.”
“Seconded,” I agree.
Liam gives an overdramatic sigh. “You make a girl watch one horror comedy—”
“The people literally exploded,” Bailey argues. My lips twitch but I do my best to hide my amusement. This clearly isn’t the first time they’ve had this discussion.
“They were the bad guys.” Liam gives a nonchalant shrug.
“Yeah, but they exploded. Save the horror flicks for your guys nights with my brother.”
Sensing they could continue the familiar routine of their bickering for some time, I decide to chime in, “How about that new fantasy one, I think it’s called The Dragon’s Flame, or something?”
Bailey claps her hands together. “Oooh, yes. The trailer looked so good, but we didn’t make it to the cinema for that one. Plus, that Alexander whatshisface is in it—so hot.”
Damn, I forgot that jerk was in it. Whatever. If I avoided media with every cocky dude Miranda tricked me into photo ops with I’d never listen to or watch anything new.
“I’m sitting right here,” Liam says giving her an unimpressed look.
She rolls her eyes. “Fine, you would make a hotter dragon shifter—happy?”
Liam snorts a laugh. “Ecstatic.” He types in the first few letters until the film comes up as a suggestion. “Damn.” He murmurs giving the poster an appraising look.
Bailey snickers. “Told you he looked good in this.”
“Yeah, alright—that guy’s jawline is so sharp it could murder me.” Liam’s thumb hovers over the remote. “So, dragons?”
“Dragons,” Bailey and I agree simultaneously.