Chapter 5 #2
My eyes bulge. “You can’t be serious? It was horrific.”
“Right. The girls. Tell me the rest.”
“They came out of the hallway and around the corner naked. One of them said something about assuming it was only going to be a foursome, but she could get on board if the other girl could.”
“I take it they didn’t know Bren was your brother.”
My face scrunches up. “Do you think I would’ve considered it if he wasn’t?”
She shrugs. “Sorry, Livianna, but you’ve told me some things that make me believe you would’ve.”
“Quinn, I may have been wild as fuck back then, but I would never share the man I love with another woman. I’d watch people with him, let others watch us, but no way would I share.”
Her eyebrows rise and her lips purse as if she caught me in some kind of strange confession.
I’ve told her I’m open-minded, so I’m at a loss. “What’s with the look?”
She tilts her head and shrugs. “You just said you were in love with Cash.”
“Yeah, back then.”
“How long had it been since you had seen him before that night?”
“A little over a year.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I left LA when I was twenty.”
“So you hadn’t seen him in over a year but still loved him. It’s only been another two years, so maybe you have locked away feelings for him.”
Heat swirls in my chest and my cheeks burn. The alcohol must be hitting me. It’s been a while since I’ve let loose.
“Quinn, I’m not in love with Callum anymore.”
“I’m not saying you are, but there must be unresolved feelings there.” She takes a sip of her cocktail. “Think about it, Livianna. The last time you saw him, he told you he loved you. I assume you left based on your inability to share, so…”
“So what?”
“I get it now that I know the backstory.” She pulls her phone out of her bag. “Have you listened to the words of their song ‘Forget Paris’?”
“No. I try not to pay attention to their music.”
She stops what she’s doing and stares at me like I’m personally insulting her. “You don’t listen to your brother’s band?”
“Um…sometimes.” I blink twice. “I’m busy with work, so I rarely have time to explore new stuff.”
“Well, you have plenty of time now.” She fiddles with her phone. “I’m connecting this to the vehicle’s sound system.”
A few moments pass, then dark notes filter in through the speakers. Quinn turns up the volume.
“Listen closely, Livianna.”
I recline, close my eyes, and take in every part of the song.
Hawke’s drum fill starts with a soft, steady pulse on the kick of the drum. Bren joins in with a light strumming of his guitar.
The deep, warm tone of the bass guitar Cooper’s playing sets the somber mood. Callum’s raspy and haunted voice builds smoothly and lures me like he’s singing to only me. His Irish accent is nearly undetectable.
I focus on the lyrics as Bren’s guitar blends with the song, swinging in and out of the melody. Hawke’s light taps on the hi-hat change and grow with him introducing a gentle tom roll that resembles thunder in the distance.
Callum captivates me. He sings from the depths of his soul.
A flash of hope, but signals misread, echoes of what used to be.
At that moment, time stood still. I took a chance, went unfulfilled.
A hotel suite, a chance encounter.
Your blue eyes shine like the Eiffel Tower.
Now you’re lost in a crowd, believing lies for hours.
Your sad smile, it cuts me deep.
A memory I refuse to keep.
Oh, I wish I could turn back time.
Erase the hurt, rewrite the rhyme.
Vixen, forget Paris. Please, forget Paris.
Love lingers in this empty soul of mine, with it the slow tick of time.
Though I can’t deny I roam with hearts untrue, I only want you.
It’s true, it’s only you.
I’ll always love you.
Phone lines silent, rumors cold.
Every corner holds stories untold.
Like a follower in your cult, I seek out our star in the dark of night.
Like your scars, the constant result, only blackness in my sight.
Your silhouette visits my lonely nights, a fleeting ghost that feels so right.
Oh, I wish I could turn back time.
Erase the hurt, rewrite the rhyme.
Vixen, forget Paris. Please, forget Paris.
Love lingers in this empty soul of mine, with it the slow tick of time.
Though I can’t deny I roam with hearts untrue, I only want you.
It’s true, it’s only you.
I’ll always love you.
Now I walk through shadows bare, haunted by your whispered air.
In the silence, love remains, a bittersweet and aching pain.
Though the world keeps spinning fast, I hold on to what we had.
In every dream that fades away, I still cherish you this very day.
Come back, vixen. Forget Paris. Please forget Paris.
Chills scatter over my skin. My blood runs cold, but my insides burn. I sit straight and my heart pounds against my ribs.
Quinn shuts off the music. “Don’t even try to tell me that song isn’t about that night you just told me about.”
My gaze flits around. Holy shit. What was that?
I swallow and fix my confused stare on her. “When did that song come out?”
“Last year.” She does something on her phone, then flips it to face me.
There’s a photo of my brother’s band hugging on a stage. I’m not making the connection.
“Quinn, what are you showing me?”
“This is a picture from when they won the last of the six Grammy Awards they received.”
The blood in my body drains. “They just won those this past February.”
“I know.” She slips her phone back in her bag. “You’ve never listened to that album?”
“Kind of, but I was busy. I skimmed through most of it.” I sink back in my seat with a thousand emotions bombarding me. “Bren told me they won, but that’s all he said.”
“You didn’t ask him anything about it?”
“No. We have an unspoken agreement not to discuss what Callum does.” My head grows light. “Callum wrote about the night I was humiliated and won a Grammy for it. I can’t believe this.”
“Yeah, neither can I. If I weren’t witnessing this for myself, I wouldn’t. So why don’t you start from the beginning?”
“There’s just so much to tell.”
“We have time and don’t cut corners because I have a feeling you’re going to need someone who understands you today.”
My adrenaline spikes and I stand to pace in the small area in front of our seats. “Why do you say that?”
“Because my intuition is always spot-on and I’d say Cash has a plan. If I’m right and you’re not prepared, you’ll be blindsided. And that’s never a good thing.”
She’s right. If I don’t come up with something, Callum will have the upper hand and I’ll be fucked.