Page 8 of Derailed
“You got somewhere else you’d rather be?” The words grate through hislips.
I stuff my phone back inside my purse, and shake my head. “No. Just checking the time. You sure it’s okay I tagalong?”
He drops one hand from the steering wheel and threads our fingers together over the center console. “I want you with me.” At the next stoplight he lifts our hands to his lips and presses a kiss to the back of my fingers. “My good luckcharm.”
Coy turns on the radio and we don’t speak the rest of the ride. It’s LA, and even though technically, rush hour should have long passed, we roll along in bumper-to-bumper traffic until we near the exit for the studio. Coy’s nerves return the closer we get, and his fingers tap out an anxious beat against the rubber coated steering wheel while I helpnavigate.
The studio, Off Track Records, comes into view and we both let loose an exhale of relief. Hell, we’re even early. Coy finds a parking spot in the back and I turn to face him after unbuckling my seat belt. “You’ve got this, baby. They’ll loveyou.”
“I couldn’t do this without you. You know that, right?” His brow dips as he closes the space between us to kiss my lips. “I needyou.”
I need him, too. I don’t allow myself to think about the woman I was before he found me. Before he saved me. As much as he needs me, I need him even more. He’s my very reason for being alive. “You’ve gotthis.”
He nods and opens his door, and I meet him at the front of the vehicle. We walk side by side around the building and through the front. A waiting room full of music memorabilia and awards greets us, much the same as every other studio I’ve been inside, and while Coy checks in with the striking young woman working reception, I find a seat in the far corner so I can blend in andhide.
I’m good at both, and it’s my go-to when a situation is overwhelming. I don’t want to do anything that could ruin this opportunity for Coy. Even small talk seems too great a challenge. I’d probably make a lame joke to the wrong person and they’d get the assumption Coy isn’t cool or worldly enough to take on such a hugerole.
There’s a table to my right that holds all of the latest issues of music magazines, including a few centered on celebrity gossip, my guilty pleasure. My fingers itch to pick one up. I know they’re full of crap and rumors that probably aren’t true, but there’s something about having that little window into the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Probably the little girl in me who to this day loves a good fairy tale. Coy’s utter disdain for that kind of reading forces me to pick up an issue ofSound On Soundinstead and pretend to care about the latest in music recording technology while I people watch from behind thepages.
Coy’s greeted by a few older gentlemen whose outfits screamexecutive, and when they immediately invite him back, I take that as a good sign. I also pick up the issue ofPeopleand hide it inside my current magazine so I won’t get caught. The waiting room is quiet, but for the music piped through the speakers overhead, and I’m quickly forgotten by the receptionist who goes back to answering phones and Snapchatting on hercell.
My attention is drawn by the pages of trendy clothing, beauty hacks, and who’s dating whom when the front door bursts open with a rambunctious crew. I recognize them immediately—Trent, Sean, and Austin—and even though Coy’s here to audition for Three Ugly Guys, I’m stunned and starstruck at the sight. Maybe because I didn’t expect them to waltz in the front door. Surely, there’s a special entrance for famous rockstars.
“Hey, Lizzy!” Trent says to thereceptionist.
She sets down her cell and perks up on her chair, pressing her breasts forward and together so the band gets a good look at her perfect cleavage on their walk to the hallway. “Bedo’s already back with your first applicant of theday.”
“How’s he look? Good fit?” Austin says, and I realize they’re inquiring afterCoy.
I sink a little further into the back of my chair to observe theirreactions.
“Sexy. Has the right vibe. Confident,too.”
“He’s not better looking than I am though?” Austin teases her and she laughs, a deep throaty sound that’s both provocative anddemure.
“You worried, big shot?” She winks and I wish I could come off that polished. Comfortable andconfident.
“Never.” He slaps Trent on the back. “Not with these motherfucking uglyshitheads.”
“Who you calling ugly?” Sean chuckles and tips his chin up to shake his face. It gives me a better view of his strong jawline. He’s as stunning as the tabloid photographers capture him to be, but I’ve never seen his smile before. It seems to come easily, and lights up his face with a trace of mischief. His eyes drift over the waiting area and catch mestaring.
Crap. I should look away, dip down in my seat and hide beneath the magazine I’m holding, but I’m sort of arrested by his eyes on me. Famous eyes I never expected would notice a girl like me hiding in thecorner.
“The facts are the facts. I get more ass than everyone. Just saying,” Austinboasts.
Sean continues our stare down, but his response is to his friend. “That’s ’cause you can’t keep your dick on aleash.”
His words send a little thrill, leaving me one part uncomfortable, and another totally glued to the hazel hued orbs that meet me with interest. The corner of his lips lift just the slightest, as though we’re sharing a secretjoke.
“Hey, not my problem our front man is whipped.” Austin speaks up again, using his hand to crack a pretendwhip.
“We better get back. Bedo’s already panicked.” Trent pipes up, and he claps both Austin and Sean on the shoulders, pushing them both ahead of him toward the hallway. “He’s gonna hire us a fucking babysitter, I kid younot!”
Sean cranes his head, not releasing my eyes from his scrutiny until he’s all the way around the corner. I swear he winks before he’s out of sight, but I must imagine that part. He wouldn’t be winking at me. Couldn’t be. In fact, I probably inflated the entire encounter to more than it was. He was probably wondering who the freak was staring at him from the corner. His smile probably had more to do with him laughing at me than any sort of secret. I shake my head and go back to my magazines, unwilling to check the time again. I’m not sure how I’ll make it to work on time, but I surmise the longer Coy’s in the back, the greater chance he has for getting this gig, and that’s better than my career as an assistant washing hair at asalon.
And how pathetic am I? At my boyfriend’s biggest audition, and having a weird staring contest with the bassist for his new band. It felt like a connection, but that’s stupid. All in my head. That thing, whatever it was, with Sean Willis, wasn’t more than a curious look. I can’t gawk at the talent. If Coy gets this gig, he’s one of them, and just like that it hits me. He won’t have any reason to keep someone like me around. Especially if I act like a starstruckidiot.
Flipping the pages toIn StyleandPeople,I go back to examining the finer details of the rich and famous, this time hunting for clues on how to appear more refined and polished than the woman I am. I’m good at blending in and I can be useful. I’ll just have to work extra hard to prove my place in Coy’s life. I can dothis.
I can’t imagine a life without him. Or going back tobefore.
Yeah, I’vegotto do this. Coy can’t ever leave me, so I’ll be the best damn girlfriend in the wholeworld.
