Just One Song

chapter Eight





Nicole

I wake up the next morning to a strange pounding noise. It takes me a few minutes as I look around the unfamiliar room I’m in to remember that I’m on a tour bus. I wipe my eyes, trying to wake up when I hear the pounding again.

Someone is knocking on my door.

“Just a minute.” I climb out of bed and throw on some pajama pants and a robe over the camisole I wear to sleep.

I’m startled when I see Zack standing on the other side, completely dressed in jeans and a white long sleeve dress shirt. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows showing off his muscular arms and his tattoo of a snake wrapping around a Celtic cross on his forearm. A tattered baseball hat thrown on backwards covers his hair. He looks casual, and absolutely beautiful. I’m normally not a morning person. I need a cup of coffee – or two – before I can function at all in the morning, but seeing Zack like this wakes me up instantly. I blush slightly when he smiles down at me. I must look like a complete wreck compared to him.

“Get ready.”

Huh?

“I’m taking you out today. I’ve got a full day planned and we need to get moving.” His smile is so infectious, I can’t help but return it, even though I feel a bit dazed by his command.

“What?” Maybe I still need my morning coffee after all. “What time is it?”

“It’s about nine. But I want to take you around the city, and I have some things planned for later, so we’re on a time schedule.”

I feign frustration and sigh deeply.

“Let me get my coffee first.” I walk past him into the kitchen and I notice no one else is awake yet. “Where is everyone?”

Zack leans up against the doorway into my room, watching me in the kitchen. “Still sleeping. They didn’t get back until early this morning.”

I take a sip of my coffee and instantly feel better as the warmth hits my throat. I raise one eyebrow. “Want to tell me what we’re doing today?”

“Nope.”

I laugh when he doesn’t even crack a smile. “Give me at least a hint. At the bare minimum, tell me what I should wear.”

He pushes off the doorframe and walks past me through the kitchen into the living room. He plops down on a couch and turns the television on. He answers without even looking at me.

“Dress casual. Oh, and something purple.” A devilish grin appears.

“Purple?” I ask, confused and worried. He doesn’t even bother looking at me.

“Yup.”

I sigh in exasperation and go get ready.

***

“Will you tell me where we’re going now?” I ask once we’re settled into the back of a large SUV he rented for the day. Darren is driving him again. I am silently pleased that I had packed my elbow length dark purple top. Paired with a pair of dark skinny jeans and brown riding boots, I look casual, but still nice like Zack. I took some extra time on my make-up and hair and hope I don’t look too plain sitting next to him; but then I remember the appreciative look he gave me when I walked out of my room earlier. He thought I looked good and that’s all that matters.

“I thought we’d go do some shopping on Michigan Avenue and head out for a late lunch somewhere.” I don’t ask anything else, but my intuition tells me he has something else planned besides just shopping and food.

It takes us twenty minutes before Darren stops on Michigan Avenue. I have never been to Chicago, and even though I never said anything to Zack, I am thrilled he thought to bring me here. We spend almost an hour walking through at least dozen stores. I haven’t bought anything yet, and it’s when we’re leaving the last store, that Zack finally asks me why.

I shrug. I don’t know why. I am having a great afternoon, talking to Zack and just looking at all the high-end fashion stores that it hasn’t even occurred to me yet to buy anything.

“If you don’t buy something soon, I’m going to buy something for you. Like, in there.” I gasp when I see him pointing at Louis Vuitton. There is no way I am going to let him spend that much money on me. Besides, I have enough money and don’t need him wasting his on me.

“I’m not letting you buy me something – especially a Vuitton bag. That’s insane, Zack.” He doesn’t care.

“Then pick something else.”

I sigh, knowing he’ll keep pushing and the last thing I want to do today is leave with a two thousand dollar bag I didn’t pay for and don’t need.

“I’m more of a shoe girl.” He glances up the street, checking out the stores. “But you’re not spending any money on me.”

“Why not? I have lots of it.” He says this so easily. He’s not bragging; it’s just a fact. He probably has more money than he knows what to do with.

I walk away towards one of the department stores at the corner. I want a pair of grey ankle boots for winter, anyway. I might as well pick them up now.

“So do I.” I say it more to myself than him, but he hears me anyway. At his questioning look, I explain briefly because I figure he’s wondering how a family photographer can have ‘lots’ of money. “I was given a huge settlement from the car crash; plus a life insurance policy payout on Mark.”

It’s guilt money, really. I was awarded several million dollars in a private settlement when I promised I wouldn’t sue the driver who hit Mark and Andrew. I didn’t want to take it, even though they could easily afford it. Everyone convinced me to take it saying the scandal would go away more quickly if I didn’t press charges. I hate having the money. The life insurance from Mark alone ensures I am taken care of financially. I only took it because I was sick and tired of seeing my name and my family’s faces spread across the evening news when the media wouldn’t drop the story. I wasn’t even planning on pressing charges. However, once word was leaked how much I settled for, there was a whole other group of stories running about me accepting a pay-off. On one hand they were right, but I certainly wasn’t the mourning gold-digger like I was painted. I was so thankful when the story died down two months after the accident and they finally left me alone to mourn in peace and quiet.

I don’t want to talk about it anymore so I just grab his hand and pull him towards the department store. After an hour of trying on shoes and walking around the shoe department, I find exactly what I’m looking for and we leave the store with my new boots in hand.

“I’m exhausted,” I say when we reach the street again. It’s been so long since I spent hours walking through stores and trying on so many pairs of shoes, I forgot how tiring it can be.

“Ready for lunch?”

“Yes. Did you have something in mind?” I look to him to see if he’s going to reveal his secret, but he doesn’t. Instead he just types out a message on his phone and puts it away.

“Darren will be here in a few minutes. I thought we could just do something casual – normal – like burgers and a beer?”

“That sounds perfect.” It does. I like it that Zack doesn’t seem like he’s trying to impress me with his celebrity status or money – well, besides the offer for the bag, anyway. I’m sure we could walk into any five-star restaurant in the city and he’d be seated immediately, probably with a table in a private room.

***

We pull up to a ProSports Bar. I love it. When he said burger and beer, a part of me was thinking we’d go somewhere slightly nicer, but I like being at a normal restaurant; a place I would go to for beer and a game of pool with Mia and Mark. It’s totally me, and I get the sense it’s also who Zack really is…beneath the celebrity, he’s a regular guy. He’s showing me his ‘normal’ side, and I like it; a lot.

I can’t stop laughing over our burger and tap beer.

“What is so funny?”

I look around the restaurant and smile. It’s a late afternoon; too early for dinner, and the restaurant is pretty empty. It sort of reminds me of the night we met when Jack’s Bar was so slow. I can’t believe I only met him four nights ago.

“I’m just…in awe I guess. Four nights ago I didn’t even know you, and now I’m in Chicago, watching your concert from backstage, and travelling by tour bus. It’s a bit strange.”

“Overwhelming?”

“A bit, yeah. But I’m having fun, too.” I don’t feel the least bit guilty for admitting it either. It’s quite a stretch for me and I’m suddenly proud of myself for agreeing to be with him, and for not letting Ethan spoil it last night.

Zack notices my frown when I think of Ethan, but I don’t want to talk about it. Instead, I point out some pool tables in the back.

I point with my fork to the table. “You want to play?”

Zack’s eyebrows raise a bit. “You know how?”

I just smile. “I’m okay.”

We finish our meals quickly and go grab a table.

“Do you want to break?” I ask once he’s racked the balls on the pool table.

“By all means, ladies first.” Zack waves me forward and picks out his own cue stick. I lean over the table, steady my cue stick, and shoot. The cue ball hits the racked balls dead center, but not hard enough to make any shots. The five-ball rolls to the back corner pocket and sits right on the edge.

“Your turn.”

Zack easily knocks the five-ball in and claims solids. We continue taking turns and I’m impressed. He is really good. I miss several times, and eventually lose when he sinks the eight-ball leaving three of my remaining stripes on the table.

“I thought you said you were pretty good.” I bite my lip to keep from laughing when he raises one side of his lips, along with an eyebrow in a challenging smirk.

“I must be rusty.” I shrug my shoulders like it’s no big deal. “How about we play again; best two out of three. Fifty dollars says I win.”

“I don’t know. After seeing you play, it’s going to be like taking candy from a baby.” I roll my eyes, re-rack the balls and let Zack break the next game. He makes a solid and a stripe in on the break, and claims the solids.

“So, Zack Walters, tell me something. What’s it really like being you?”

He looks at me. “Well, not to be arrogant, but I think I’m pretty awesome.” He leans his hip up against the table and crosses his arms. “But what are you asking specifically?”

I bank the cue ball off one of his, sending it further away from a pocket, and straight into mine, drilling the ten ball into the pocket at the far end of the table. When I look back up at him, I can tell he’s impressed.

“What I mean is, since we’ve been here tonight. I have noticed at least a dozen women checking you out. Some have not-so-sneakily snapped pictures of you on their phones, and see the girl over there?” I point to a blonde and busty Barbie-look-a-like standing a few tables down watching us. “She has been rubbing her fingers through her hair for the last five minutes trying to get up the courage to come over here and talk to you.” Zack glances over and shrugs his shoulders when he turns back around.

“I don’t notice them anymore, I guess. At least not most of the time.” I smile when he misses his next shot. He leans against the bar-height table next to the table where our beers are sitting, folds his arms across his chest and quirks an eyebrow.

“Are you jealous?”

I roll my eyes. No; definitely not.

Maybe, a little?

Fine, I kind of am. But I’m not about to admit it.

“Hardly,” I answer.

“Too bad. I think you’d look even cuter if you were jealous.”

I place a hand on my hip and smile cheekily. “Zack Walters, are you flirting with me?” He steps closer to me so we’re almost touching and looks down at me. His smile lowers and his eyes darken just a bit. “It’s about time you figured it out.”

I stand there for who knows how long while he lifts one corner of his lips into a small, seductive, hungry grin. My body instantly warms up at the thought of him touching me; putting his hand on my hip and pulling me towards him. I don’t even know where the thought comes from but before I can think of a reasonable response that won’t leave me stuttering like a twelve year old little girl, he clears his throat, breaking whatever spell I was just under. He takes a step back and I instantly miss the closeness.

“In the beginning, it was awesome – overwhelming - but still incredible. I’m not going to lie and say the press has always been wrong. The attention at first was insane. I couldn’t leave my apartment or my mom’s house without a swarm of photographers or fans standing outside screaming for me. And, well, I’m a guy, so a lot of it was tempting.” His cheeks flush at the memory. I briefly begin to wonder what, or who, he’s remembering, but stop the train of thought before it can fully take over.

“But that can only be fun for so long, I outgrew it quickly. Faster than most, I would guess. I’m pretty much left alone now except for the occasional shot of me out shopping or to lunch. But I knew it could be like this once my first album went platinum, and I can’t hide from all of it and still do what I love. Plus, there are some benefits.”

“Like what? What’s your favorite part?”

“Private jets, never having to wait in line to go anywhere, and expensive sports cars are pretty awesome. Being able to take care of my mom and sister is definitely at the top. I love being on stage. It’s the greatest thrill, ever. I absolutely love the adrenaline rush I get when I’m up there and the fans are screaming to the music. I’m living out a dream I’ve had since I was a kid and I want to ride the wave as long as I can.” He pauses. “But the best is getting to make new friends in bars in the heart of the Midwest.”

I smile when he looks at me. He walks over to me again and stands so close our feet are practically touching. I have to lean my head back to look into his eyes. A small gasp escapes my lips when he lifts his hand and gently pushes a piece of my hair behind my ear and cups my jaw with his hand.

“By far, meeting you is one of the best things that has happened to me in a long time.”

I have no words. I am thankful it’s dark so he can’t see my cheeks turn a deep crimson shade. My entire face feels like it’s on fire. We stand there in silence for who knows how long and I wonder if he’s going to kiss me. I don’t know if I’m ready yet, so I take a small step away, turn around and take another shot.

I sink the eight ball in a side pocket.

“Game over.” I look over to him with a smug grin.

“How’d you do that?”

I had run the rest of the table while he’d been talking.

I take a sip of my beer, my eyes never leaving his. “Told you I’d warm up.”

I win the next game too. By a landslide. “Did you hustle me!?”

I can’t contain my laugh. “Mia had a pool table in her house that we played every day growing up. We were a pretty unsuspecting force when we were together. It also earned a lot of free drinks while we were in college.” I put my hand out, palm up and wiggle my fingers asking for his money. “Are you going to pay up?”

“No way. One more round, double or nothing.” I put my hands on my hips and raise my eyebrows to challenge him. “You sure you want to do this? I mean, we’re in public, and there are a lot of people here right now watching you.” I flick a glance towards the Barbie girl who is still watching him.

“Game. On.” He says in the most serious voice he can muster up. It sounds more joking than anything though since he’s still laughing at me.