Page 49 of Hard Rock Temptation
“There’s something you need to see,” he said, brandishing his phone. “I emailed it to you both.”
Kay left my lap reluctantly to sit beside me once again while I subtly adjusted myself. We both pulled out our phones and opened our email.
Chris had sent us a news article. It was only the link, but the title was in the URL.
The Real Reason Behind This Young Female Drummer’s Success: Close Source Reveals Forbidden Romance with Bandmate
My fingers clutched my phone as rage immediately filled my chest.
Fuck.
TWENTY-ONE
KAYLEE
Ishould have known it was coming. It was only a matter of time before someone found out, before someone leaked us to the press. I had just hoped it would happen much later, when my relationship with Micah was more solid.
“Those fucking bastards,” Micah bit out.
His hand was shaking as he gripped his phone tight. His knuckles were turning white even as his cheeks flushed red with anger. I took his hand in both of mine and eased his fingers loose.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “It was bound to happen.”
“It’s not okay,” Micah snapped. I knew he wasn’t snapping at me. He got up from the sofa and began pacing. “You don’t even have to read the article to know what they’re implying. The ‘real reason’ behind your success? A ‘romance with a bandmate’? They might as well outright say you slept your way to the top.”
Micah was practically shouting now. I stayed sitting on the sofa as he ranted.
“Who the hell would say something like this, anyway?” he continued. “My mom and the band are the only ones that know. The only places we’ve been out together in public are Everly’s store and the studio. We haven’t done any shows since getting together. Our only public appearance was?—”
Micah stopped short. A murderous cloud flickered in his eyes.
“That podcast,” he growled. “That producer. It must have been him, that bastard.”
“We don’t know for sure.” I put my phone back in my pocket and leaned back against the sofa cushions. I let my toes tap out a simple rhythm on the floor, a soothing beat. “And even if it was him, what good does it do, getting upset now? Our secret is already out.”
“Why aren’tyouupset?” Micah replied, giving me a searching look. “They’re saying awful shit about you.”
“Yes, they are,” I replied archly. “They have before, and they will again. This isn’t exactly a surprise, Micah. I knew it was coming.”
He stared at me, taken aback. “How?”
“Remember when I said I was willing to risk the consequences to be with you?” I spread my hands. “This is one of them. People are going to talk trash. It happens. That’s celebrity culture.”
Micah’s anger seemed to bleed out of him, his cheeks turning back to their regular shade of pink, not a seething red, but it was replaced by a pained furrow of his brow.
“How often does this kind of shit happen?” he asked.
“Maybe once every few months, not that often,” I explained. “It happens to everyone, Micah. The media gets a juicy tidbit andbends the truth to make it fit whatever story they want to sell. The only difference is, they’ve targeted you, so now you’re paying attention.”
“Shit.” His furrowed brow only deepened as a weary expression crossed his face. “I’ve been an oblivious asshole, haven’t I?”
“You’ve always tuned out anything that isn’t about the music,” I said, partly agreeing. “It’s not a bad thing to ignore trash media.”
“But I never realized how it affected anyone else,” he pointed out. “I never realized how it affected you.”
“The first few times it happened, I got really angry,” I admitted. “I even ranted to you about it. Don’t you remember when someone made that website counting down the days until I turned eighteen?”
Micah’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. I remember wanting to bury that asshole six feet under.”
