Page 49 of Love on Tour
“I don’t care how good it is for my career. I can’t take the threats anymore. They come to my home, leave things on my car. It’s not just cyberbullying. It’s too close for comfort. I can’t hang out with him anymore.”
“I get it. I do. But geez, Christine. Are you really going to break all ties with Austin?”
“From a business perspective, no. There’s no way I can step back from Austin as a client. I need him and Hit Songs needs him. From a personal one, let’s see. Matt has a girlfriend so I’ve got a broken heart to deal with, and Austin is directly tied to it. Remember when I said that was my fear? If I mixed business and pleasure, it could get awkward? Well, here we are. My fear was real. And just to make things more fun, I get to have the fear of physical pain or death thanks to a stalker. So, yeah, I’m going to break all personal ties.”
“These are bound to be empty threats.”
“And what if they aren’t? What then? You can write on my grave, ‘but she was on a career roll.’”
“Not funny, Christine.” Julianna crossed her arms and pursed her lips.
“Do you see me laughing? Every part of my life has stress.”
“Something going on at work?” Julianna asked. “Something I should know about? I’ve gotten a couple of vibes from you and Rick. Is it all in my head?”
Christine thought about telling her what Rick had said, but they’d spoken in confidence. If he’d wanted the rest of the staff to know, he’d have told them. Since Julianna was his assistant and didn’t seem to know, Christine could only assume he wanted to keep it quiet.
“Just the normal stress of getting songs cut.”
“But you have Austin. Doesn’t that make it easier?” Julianna asked.
“Only if he actually records and releases one,” Christine said. If only she could talk about her daily concerns and the nonstop conversations she had with herself about how much to tell Austin and whether she should beg for his help or wait to see if it happened naturally.
“You know he’d choose your song if you directly asked him to,” Julianna said.
“I can’t. He’s an artist and has to choose the best song for himself. And on top of that, I need to ask him to stay clear of me. How do I say, ‘Hey, Austin, cut my song but stay away from me, please’?”
“Yeah, tough situation, for sure. I’m sorry, Christine. This sucks. It should be the best time of your life, and instead, some total bitch is ruining it for you. I wish I could find this person and put an end to it for you.”
“I know, and I love you for that.”
AFTER JULIANNA LEFT, CHRISTINEtexted Austin:Let’s take a break for a while. Maybe the haters will go away if we don’t feed them.
He texted back,That’s crazy. Screw them. You’re my friend.
Please, Austin. For me. Let’s try it my way.
Her phone went silent as she waited for a reply. Fifteen minutes became thirty, which turned into an hour. She kept checking her phone to find nothing. At the end of the day, she packed up and went home.
Two hours later, there was a knock on her door. She gave an involuntary scream, tiptoed over to the peephole, and looked out. Austin was standing on her welcome mat. She undid the three bolt locks and opened the door.
“This is stupid, Chrissy. Don’t let them win.” Austin barged in.
“It’s not a matter of winning, Austin. It’s a matter of me wanting to stay alive. What if this person is crazy and tries to hurt me? Or kill me? What then?”
“They won’t. They just want to scare you.”
“Yeah? Tell that to the people in the grave who’ve been killed by stalkers. I’m out, Austin. I need a break, and you need to give it to me.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know.” Christine went into the living room and sat in the recliner.
“No,” he said. “I disagree with this. I think we forge ahead and force them to accept our friendship.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand why you want to hang out with me so much.”
Austin sat on the couch across from her. “Why is it so hard for you to accept the fact that I like you?”
