Page 91 of Love on Tour
“Chrissy? What’s wrong? Are you still there?”
She heard Austin yelling and put the phone on speaker. “Yes, yes, I’m here. Can I talk to you later? I’m a bit busy.”
“Whatcha busy doing?”
Her tone took on a hint of frustration. “Austin, I’ll call you back. I just got home and have to be back at the office within the hour. I just want to have a cup of tea and relax for a few.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure. Talk later.”
She hung up the phone, her chest tightening again. She knew she needed to let go of her stress, but getting angry with Austin wouldn’t help. It wasn’t his fault. Her relationship with Austin was precious and she didn’t want to risk it by telling him aboutRick. She didn’t want to upset him by telling him about receiving another note from her hater, either. She slammed her hands on the kitchen counter and yelled at the walls. “Argh! What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong. I need you to freaking cut one of my songs so I can keep my job and Rick can stop putting fucking pressure on me to save the company. I need you to stop talking about me on the radio so I don’t come home to threatening letters from your stalkers. I need my life to just get back to the way it used to be. Boring but easy. I’m okay being boring. I liiiikke being boring.”
She stood for a minute, leaning against the sink, letting her breathing return to normal. As a creature of habit who found solace in her routine, she reached into the cabinet for a mug, grabbed a tea bag, poured some water over it, and popped it in the microwave. Two minutes later, she added some cream and sugar and took it to her living room. She sat on the couch, putting her feet up on the glass coffee table. It had been her grandmother’s, and she felt safe when she was touching it. She imagined her grandmother had done the same thing, many times, maybe even when she was happy to be home, relaxing. But Christine couldn’t relax. Not with Rick’s reminder that the company’s success was resting on her shoulders and another note from her stalker. She closed her eyes, sipped her tea, and tried to find her happy place.
A knock on the door startled her. A shriek escaped her lips. Nobody ever showed up to Christine’s apartment unannounced. Her stalker?
She walked to the door and looked out the peephole. “Austin?”
She had barely cracked the door when he barged in.
“What the fuck, Christine? Why didn’t you tell me?” His face was red, his eyes narrow, his lips pursed. She’d never seen him mad at her.
“Tell you what?”
“That you needed me to cut your song to save your fucking job. Seriously?”
“Oh shit. My phone didn’t hang up, did it?” She looked at her phone and saw it was still connected. She hitDISCONNECTtwice and it hung up.
“Nope. And you got another note from your stalker. What the hell? We were on the phone and you couldn’t have just told me all this?”
“Austin, I’d never pressure you to cut a song that wasn’t the right one for you. You know me better than that.” She sat on the couch and pointed to a nearby chair. He walked over to it and plopped down.
“But you could have told me. I’d do you that favor. Every song you bring me is great.”
“But I wanted you to choose it because it’s what you wanted to cut. Not because you wanted to help me.”
Austin ran his hands through his hair. “I was calling to tell you I’d made a decision. I’m not just cutting one of yours—I’m doing both of them. And they will be my next two singles.”
Christine slumped back. Relief mingled with anxiety. How did she know he was telling the truth? He could just be saying that after he’d heard what she said.
“I know that look, Chrissy girl. I can show you an email I sent my producer and record label two hours ago telling them what I was cutting and how I wanted them to be singles.”
“Two hours? You waited two hours to tell me?” She sat up and slammed her arms down.
“Damn, woman. Does anything make you happy or are you just pissed at me for anything right now?”
She laughed. And then laughed more. Then she couldn’t stop laughing. Then she started crying.
“What the hell is happening right now?” Austin said, walking over to sit down beside her. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him.
“I’ve been carrying this stress about the company for so long.I didn’t want to tell you, and at the same time, you’re the only one who can help me.” She looked up at him, knowing her eyes and nose looked red and her face was a wreck. She looked away.
“Chrissy, I need you to trust me. If they weren’t the right songs, I’d have been honest with you. We could have figured out another solution together. There are album cuts, digital releases, and other ways to help. But theyarethe best songs.” He tilted her head up so she was looking at him. “You need to trust me, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Now let me see this letter. This shit has got to stop.”
“I feel so vulnerable. Whoever it is could get to me at any time.”
