Page 78 of Leah

I mean, why else would I hearvoices?

But as the minutes passed, I became distinctly aware that these voices were not a figment of my dream-state.

I was really hearing them.

Disoriented, I opened my eyes. I was curled in Carter’s arms, and he was still out, his chest moving evenly beneath my head. It took me a while to keep my eyes open for longer than five seconds. Then, sitting up slowly, I rubbed my face and glimpsed around the room, trying to make sense of things.

Where could I have heard voices?

The television was off, there was no radio in the room, and my phone was dead.

I couldn’t hear distinct words, but it was the sound of excitement that had my eyes turning to the windows. Immediately, my heart stopped cold in its tracks at the shadowsmoving on the other side. In the cracks between the blinds, I saw heads—multiple heads—and I gasped, terrified.

“Carter!” I yelled, the panic in my voice unmistakeable.

He stirred, his hand moving out to grab mine. “Hey, baby—”

“Carter, wake up! There are people outside the room!”

His eyes shot open, and he sat up quickly. “What?”

I gestured to the window, and he turned. The second he saw the shadows and heard the voices, his entire body tensed up. A stark look of anger took over his features, making him dangerously scary.

“Get changed,” he huffed out.

I slipped out of bed, the sheets wrapped tightly around me as I hurried into the bathroom, grabbing at my clothes along the way. I felt panicked.

How long had they been out there?

The second I was inside, I threw my shirt and shorts on. The clothes smelled bad, and they were still damp as hell. I felt disgusting, and I looked even worse than I expected.

My hair was in every direction, my eyes had dark circles beneath them, and my face was pale. I splashed water on my face just as the bathroom door opened and Carter stepped in, slamming it shut behind us.

“Fucking can’t believe this shit,” he growled out, slipping into just his jeans. It occurred to me then he’d walked naked to the bathroom, and I dreaded to think how many eyes had seen him.

“Did you have a look?” I asked him.

“Yeah,” he answered, crossing his arms as he leaned his back against the sink. “People everywhere. Paparazzi and fans, mostly. A couple dozen.”

“A couple dozen? Jesus Christ, Carter!” I ran my hands through my hair, unable to process any of this. “What’s goingto happen? They won’t break the door down or anything, will they?”

“No, but we need a car ready to pick us up. We can’t be here any longer or else that crowd is going to get bigger, and then who knows what’ll happen?”

“My phone’s dead.”

“That’s alright. I’ve got mine.” He noticed the look on my face and rested a hand to my shoulder, reassuring me. “Hey, baby, it’s okay. I promise. This will all be over.”

I wasn’t sure about that.

If anything, it had just begun.

He then pulled the phone out of his pocket and dialled a number. I knew it was Rome he was calling. He put the phone to his ear. “Hey, it’s me.”

I sat down on the lid of the toilet, wrapping a weak arm around my stomach as Carter explained the situation.

I felt sick.

Oh, my God, the thought of cameras in my face almost had me keeling over. This was Carter’s world, and now it had collided into mine. I hoped to God they wouldn’t pry. I didn’t need my life torn to pieces by a bunch of fucking life-suckers intent on making a buck through their stalking.

---