Chapter 26 Aurora #2
Looking up from my phone, I’m shocked to see every member of Caveat Lover spread out in the open concept living room and kitchen, with Callie’s bright smile directed at me.
“Oh. Um. Yes. I was up late last night.” My cheeks flush, but I push forward. “I thought you had a long day today?”
“Heartless does. They’re filming all the Sydney shows, so Hammond is running a tight ship. Me and the guys get the day to lounge.”
“Oh. I forgot about the filming. Uncle Wade mentioned it when he picked me up from the bus station, but it must have slipped my mind.”
“Understandable. A lot has happened since we left LA.”
I nod. “I don’t know how you guys do it.”
“For the money, baby,” Ezra chimes in from his place on the couch, and Callie rolls her eyes.
“You’re full of shit,” Callie says to him. “You’d be doing this even if we were still couch-surfing and living out of the van.”
Ezra shrugs. “I knew we’d get here. I was playing the long game.”
“Yeah. The fat paychecks make it all worth it,” Crue adds, and Rocky barks out a laugh.
“Shut the fuck up, Your Highness. As if you didn’t already have a treasury-sized bank roll.”
I look back at Crue. “Your Highness?”
Crue waves him off but ducks his face into a book in his lap. “Rock’s stoned.”
I survey Rocky. He doesn’t look stoned, but what do I know? The hardest substances I’ve been around in years were the cocktails I consumed in Adelaide.
“Actually...” I glance around the room, then bring my attention back to Callie. “Now that I think of it, you guys have been surprisingly...sober.”
Callie grins. “We pride ourselves on bucking those rock star stereotypes.”
“She’s not like other girls.”
Ezra’s tone is high-pitched and mocking, but aside from the middle finger she brandishes in his direction, Callie doesn’t acknowledge him at all. I laugh, and she winks at me.
“Think of him like a pesky, annoying brother. He feeds off attention, so it’s best to let him starve.”
Her comment sends a wave of sorrow through me, and I can tell from her expression that she noticed. Her face softens with concern, and she lowers her voice so her next words can’t be overheard.
“Are you okay?”
I give her a shrug. “My brother passed away a few years ago. Sometimes it still hurts.”
She nods. “You’ll grow around it. The grief, I mean.”
“Yeah. I’m trying.”
“Give yourself grace. You’ll get there.”
A moment of understanding passes between us, and it feels healing, in a way.
Being seen without pity. Having my pain acknowledged and accepted without shame.
It brings a genuine smile to my face, because this is what it’s like to have friends.
This is what it’s like to be met where you are without expectation or judgment. This is what I’ve been missing.
The realization gives me courage, so I take a deep breath and step a little closer.
“Callie, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“It might be kind of personal...”
She smiles. “That’s fine. What’s up?”
I shoot a quick glance to the guys to make sure no one is watching. They’re occupied with each other, but I still turn my body so they can’t see my face before I speak again.
“If Torren ever wanted you to do something, but you really didn’t want to do it, how would you...I mean how would he...” I close my eyes and take a breath. “How would you handle that?”
“Oh, um...well, I guess it would kind of depend on what it was—”
“Something life-altering.”
Her brows jump at my interruption, but she recovers quickly and nods.
“Well, I guess I would start by talking to him about it. I think once he knew about my feelings, he’d respect them.”
I can’t fight the frown that pulls at my lips. Torren would respect her feelings, but I’m certain Brady won’t respect mine. I shake my head.
“And if he doesn’t?”
Callie studies me with concern, her eyes scanning my face as if she’s analyzing a painting.
I get the feeling she’s connecting dots, this conversation with the story of my dressing room outburst, and I don’t miss the way she hesitates.
She glances over my shoulder toward the guys, then back to me before she speaks.
“If it was important to me, if it was something I truly didn’t want to do, and he didn’t respect that, I’d probably end the relationship.”
I don’t know why it affects me so much. I shouldn’t be surprised. She doesn’t seem like someone who would let another person control her. But I’ve watched them together; they seem so in love. I guess I didn’t think ending the relationship would be an option for her.
“You would?”
“Yeah, I would.”
I fist my hands in front of me and shift my weight, dropping my eyes to the floor between us so I don’t have to look at her. I can’t for this part.
“What if you, like, owed him. Like, what if he had once helped you, and he did a lot for you, and now you feel like not doing what he wants would be...I don’t know...would be...wrong? Unfair? Like it would make you a bad person?”
She’s quiet for long enough that I can’t help but raise my eyes back to her face just to gauge her mood. Did I cross a line? Did I say too much? Does she think I’ve completely lost it?
I find her watching me carefully, her face soft, and when we make eye contact, she gives me an almost sad smile.
“Torren and I have been through a lot together, actually. I almost died in a car accident a few years ago.” She traces her fingers along the surgical scar on her forearm.
“Without him, I probably would’ve given up on piano and my music career.
I owe a lot of Caveat’s success to Heartless, too.
They’ll never say that—they insist we’re successful because we’re talented—but I know the truth.
Without the boost Sav and Torren gave us, Caveat Lover would’ve stayed a dusty memory, and I would still be working two jobs and living in a tiny apartment with my mom and sister.
So, I know a bit about feeling like you owe someone a debt you can never repay. ”
“And you’d still...you’d still end it? You wouldn’t compromise?”
Callie shrugs. “I don’t want a love that comes with strings, or a relationship built on a foundation of obligation.
I’m willing to compromise on a lot, but my bodily autonomy isn’t one of them.
If I really didn’t want to do something big and life-altering, and Torren didn’t respect my choice, I would absolutely end it. ”
I blink at her like an idiot as her confession settles around us. Torren helped her heal. He helped her professionally. They’ve been through a lot together.
Yet, she’d still end their relationship if her wishes weren’t respected.
And she said bodily autonomy, which means she definitely has an idea of what I’m talking about. I’m not embarrassed, though. I’m more...I don’t know. Empowered, I guess. Validated. I feel stronger.
My phone goes off with another alarm just as Brynn comes bounding into the kitchen with her laptop.
“Well, I have to go. She has a test today,” I say, nodding toward Brynn. “But thank you for being honest.”
She smiles, and it’s genuine. “Anytime, Aurora. Seriously.”
I could get used to having friends.