For Now (Forever Book 1) (5 page)

Elaina

              A few minutes before 6:00, Jackson, Karen and I are sitting in the kitchen talking about what we think it will be like backstage.

              “I’m going to miss you so much,” Karen says, “but I want you to have the time of your life. Just remember you can come home if you don’t like it.”

              “I’m going to miss you guys too. I can’t remember the last time we were apart for any length of time.”

              Just as I was getting ready to suggest that we head downstairs, there is a knock on the door. I answer the door and there is a man in a black suit.

              “Evening Miss Roberts, I’ll be driving you to the concert tonight.” He looks down at my luggage. “Is this everything ma’am?” he asks as he starts to pick it up.

              “Yes, but we can get it,” I protest.
              “I don’t mind at all ma’am, this is my job.”

              Okay, I think I just might be able to get used to this. I wonder if there will be this kind of service everywhere. We make our way down the stairs and Karen and I help Jackson, it’s hard to manage these stairs with the crutches. When we walk outside, we see a huge limo at the curb in front of our building.

              “This can’t be for just me,” I say with astonishment. I was expecting a town car.

              “Nothing but the best for Mr. Kinick’s girlfriend.” he says as he puts the luggage in the trunk. “Before I forget, here’s the pass for tonight’s show.”

              “Wow, this is the coolest thing that has ever happened,” Jackson shouts. “I can’t believe that you get to meet Line 9.”

              “I’ll see what I can do about getting you backstage at a concert soon,” I tell him. Tears are starting to form in my eyes, I hug him. “I’m going to miss you so much. I’ll email you every day and tell you any cool things that I see.”

              I turn to look at Karen with tears in my eyes. “I love you so much.”

              “I love you too, Sweets. You better call every day or I’ll come find you and drag your butt home.” She pulls me in for a tight hug.

              “Yes, I’ll call every day and let you know where I am and what I’m doing.”

              “You look a little green, are you getting nervous?” she asks with a knowing smile.

              “A little, I just don’t know what people are going to say about me,” I admit.

              “Everyone will love you; you are sweet, kind, and selfless.”

              “And if they don’t like you, then fuck ‘em,” Jackson adds.

              “Jackson!” Karen and I both yell.

              Before, Karen and I can scold him further for his language; the driver comes around and suggests that we go in order to make it on time.

              “Okay” I say and turn to hug Jackson and Karen. “Bye, love you.”

              “Bye, love you too,” they say as I get in the car.

              I look out the window of the limo as we drive away from my home, and towards the unknown. I let a few tears fall.

**********

              My nerves are getting the best of me as we pull around to the back of the stadium. I can see a few people lined up with cameras and I need to take a deep breath.
You can do this.
The door to the limo opens and I see Ryder standing outside the door reaching his hand in to me. I hesitate until I see Camden a few feet behind him near the building waiting for us. He looks amazing; he is now in a dark grey suit and a red tie. I smile at him and he smiles back encouragingly. Okay, I can do this.
              “Ellie! You look amazing.” Ryder says as he pulls me towards him. He looks into my eyes for a second, and then puts his lips to mine. Okay, this isn’t what I was expecting right away, but I guess it needs to look like we have been dating. It isn’t bad, but it feels a little awkward kissing a guy I don’t have feelings for. His kiss is rough, not the kind of kiss I would expect from a boyfriend. But it is the kind of kiss I would expect from a rock star. I can’t let him and Camden down though, so I close my eyes, wrap my arms around him, and kiss him back. I see the flashes from cameras going off and feel a little strange knowing that people are watching me make out with a stranger. It sort of feels like one of those embarrassing nightmares where you look down and realize you’re naked in class.

              After he ends the kiss, he pulls me to him like he’s hugging me and whispers in my ear. “That was amazing, but I think we might be able to do better, perhaps we can practice in my room later. You know what they say, ‘Practice makes perfect’ and I think we could be perfect.”

              “In your dreams,” I say between my teeth as I pretend to smile for the camera’s sake.

              “I think you just might be featured in a lot of my dreams over the next couple of months,” he whispers into my ear as he grabs my hand and leads me toward the back door. “I have to get ready for the show, but if you follow Camden, he can introduce you to the rest of the band.”

              After we are through the doors, Ryder heads off to his dressing room to change and get ready. Camden comes over.

              “That was a good show you put on back there with Ryder.” He almost sounds a little pissed.

              “I just don’t want to let you down. You’re doing so much to make this easier on me. I need to play my part well. I was a little shocked when he kissed me, could you tell?”

              “No, it looked very natural,” he says as he eyes me.

              “It didn’t feel natural. Could you tell that I was scolding him at one point?” I ask him.

              “No,” he laughs, “Ryder Kinick is not used to being scolded, unless it’s by my mom. I would’ve loved to have been closer to hear that. What did he do?”

              “He asked me to join him in his room later tonight,” I whisper as I blush a little.

              “He what? I told him to be on his best behavior tonight. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.”             

              “No, it is fine, I handled it,” I say softly.

              As we are walking around backstage, I try to take everything in. There is so much going on backstage, I feel like I’m going to be in someone’s way. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to any of the other shows, so I try to take everything in while Camden seems to study me.

              We get to a door and Camden knocks. “I better go in first,” he says, “just in case.” He peeks behind the door, and then opens it wider. Three guys are sitting in there, drinking beers. I was really expecting groupies or something to be with the band. I guess they are being good tonight.

              “You must be the good little girl, Ellie that Ryder told us about” says a tall, blond guy with very piercing green eyes. “I’m Eric, I play guitar. If you get lonely on the road, just let me know. I’ve been told that I’m pretty good company.” I just stare at him, not sure how to respond.

              Just as Camden starts to say something, I think to tell him off, one of the other guys walks towards me. This guy could be Eric’s twin; they look alike except for this guy’s dark hair. “Ignore my brother,” he says. “He can be very inappropriate at times, but the douche bag is harmless. I’m Alex, I play the bass.” Eric calls Alex an asshole and throws his empty beer can at him, but Alex ducks. Their easy banter makes me smile.

              “Guys, watch the language please, there is a lady here,” says the big, tattooed, muscular guy who sitting on the loveseat. Honestly, the look of this guy is somewhat intimidating. I instinctively take a step closer to Camden. “Hey, I’m Caleb, I‘m the drummer,” he says.

              I was feeling a little off after meeting the guys, so I was glad when Camden spoke up to make introductions. “Guys, this is Elaina.”

              I give a small wave and say, “You all can call me Ellie. Nice you meet you.”

              Before they can reply a man opens the door and tell them they need to get to the stage. Camden and I follow behind them.

              “Here, I set a chair for you to watch from here,” says Camden. He really does think of everything, he must be really good at his job, or just really thoughtful.

              The band starts playing and I’m surprised to find that I know a few of the songs. Camden sits next to me working on his phone, but every so often, I catch him watching me.

              After the show, Ryder walks up to me and pulls me to him; we’re still near the side of the stage, so a few of the fans have an unobstructed view of us. He pulls me against his sweat-soaked body and kisses me again. This time it is more hurried and forceful. He is still hyped-up from the show. After the kiss, I see a few of the fans snapping pictures.

              “You can always count on fans on social media to spread gossip,” he says, whispering in my ear. I try to play along and smile for the cameras as if he just said the most romantic thing in the world. I’m getting kind of good at this.

              As soon as we walk away from the stage, he lets go of me and asks Camden to show me to the bus.

              Camden and I exit through a door backstage and he shows me to a tour bus. When we step on, I look around; the inside is amazing. There are granite floors and counter tops, dark cherry cabinets and tan, leather couches. This is so different from the apartment.
              “The guys won’t be back for a while,” Camden says pulling my attention from the huge flat screen television attached to some sort of game system. “They usually have a few drinks after the show.”

Camden

              I watch Elaina, trying to figure out how she is dealing with everything. I can’t believe the asshole Ryder is trying to hit on her already. I know that I’ll be having a talk with him later. However, she did seem to handle him well.

              I can’t help but wonder why she agreed to this. I get the impression that she needs the money; she doesn’t seem like the type to go on tour with rock stars to earn money for clothes or jewelry. I want to know more, but don’t want to pry. Growing up, my dad was a manager to huge bands, so we always had money. It seems that Elaina had a much different upbringing than me.

              She is sitting on the couch across from me. “What are you thinking about?” I ask her.

              “Just thinking about tomorrow and what the papers are going to say about me,” she sighs.

              “It is easier if you don’t think about it.” I tell her. “You did well today, there will just be pictures on some websites and magazines and articles speculating about the mystery girl.”

              “Thanks for helping me today and getting me all that stuff,” she says. I just shrug. “No, I mean it, that wasn’t something that you had to do, I know that Ryder is keeping you in charge of me, but going out of your way to do things like that for me really isn’t part of the agreement. I was really worried when I agreed to do this, but after spending this afternoon with you, I feel very comfortable with you around. I really think…”

              Before she can finish her sentence, the door opens and Ryder strides in and sits down right next to her on the couch.
Bastard.
“So, ready to head back to my room?” he asks.

              “Ryder, you need to stop, you told her that you wouldn’t flirt or make inappropriate comments.” I’m seeing red, I’m not sure what has gotten into me, I never care when he talks to other girls like this. I think it’s just that she is so different from the girls that are usually hanging around. “Is that lipstick on your neck?” I shout.

              He wipes his hand on his neck and pulls it back to check. “You know how the girls act after a show, I can’t help it if they’re excited to meet me,” he says with a wink at Elaina.

              “Not the best way to start this tour out.” I stand and scowl at him.

              “It is getting late. Can you show me to my bed?” Elaina asks looking at me as she yawns. I think she is just trying to break the tension that is now in the room.

              “Yeah, I’ll show you the way,” I tell her taking my eyes off Ryder.

              I walk her back to a small hallway that has six bunk beds. “I did try to get him to let you have the bedroom.” I cringe imagining all of the things that she will hear sleeping out here with the guys.

              “This is fine,” she whispers.

              “I guess, I’ll leave you to get ready for bed,” I tell her. “I hope you sleep well, we’ll probably already be on the road when you wake up. Good night.”

              “Night Cam. Thanks for everything that you did today.” she says as she reaches into her bag for something to change into. For some reason, I have a feeling that this tour is going to be better than any of the others.

Elaina

              When I wake, it’s bright and I feel like my bed is moving. I look around trying to figure out what time it is and why I‘m sleeping in a box. Tour bus. Everything from the previous day comes back to me. I look at my phone to see what time it is. It’s 9:30 already and I have fifty-three new text messages. That is much higher than normal. I start to flip through them and find that most of them are from old classmates telling me they saw me in the paper, but I do have one from Amy and one from Karen.

             
Amy: Omg, I just saw your photos with Ryder, they were pretty hott. Great job Ellie
.

              Karen: Photos are out and you look great. Remember to send shirtless photos of Ryder. Love and miss you Sweets.

              Okay, I guess I should be an adult and face my fears. I need to check out these photos. Better yet, maybe I need coffee first. Yes, definitely coffee first.

              When I hop down from my bunk, I pass the other bunks and hear loud snoring. How did I sleep with all this noise?  I should have asked Camden for ear plugs.

              I sneak into the bathroom to get dressed and try to tame my crazy hair by braiding it, before going to get some caffeine. After I’m done, I walk down the hallway towards the kitchen area and Camden is sitting at the table with his laptop, typing away. Does this guy ever stop to rest?

              “Hey,” I say.

              “Hey, how are you doing this morning? Did you sleep well?” he asks looking up at me.

              “I’m good. Yes, I slept well, I never sleep this late. What are you doing up working already? You had a long day yesterday too.”

              “I’m answering emails. People are asking about the pretty mystery woman Ryder was with last night,” he answers with a smile.

              “I heard, I only had fifty-one new text messages from acquaintances this morning saying they saw my picture.”

              “I should have warned you that a lot of people would try to be your new best friend now. None of the sites have your name yet, but it won’t be long before that is out there too. How are you handling it?” he asks while studying my face like he actually cares and isn’t asking just to be nice, like most people.

              “It’s weird, I’m just glad I have it established who my friends are already. I want to see the pictures after I get some coffee,” I answer. 

              “Have a seat, I’ll get the coffee. I have some sites up if you want to take a look.”

              I sit down at the table and start scrolling through the site that he has up. There are a few photos of me. One of me and Ryder behind the stadium kissing, one of us talking and smiling, another of us hugging backstage and one of Camden and me walking to the bus. I decide to read the article below, hoping that they were nice to me.

             
Just a day after being arrested for assault, it appears that bad boy Ryder Kinick might have found a new love interest. While in Chicago, getting ready to kick off his new tour with his band, Line 9, Kinick was spotted with a new mystery woman. Sources say that she showed up at his concert in a limo and Kinick came to greet her before the show. The two looked very cozy. The two were also seen getting cozy backstage after the concert. Later, the beautiful, blonde mystery woman was spotted getting on his tour bus. Looks like this bad boy might just be ready to settle down. Only time will tell if Kinick is ready to change his ways and keep out of trouble.  Our sources have confirmed that the man that Kinick beat up at a bar on Saturday is now out of a coma and will be released from the hospital by the end of the week. The date of Kinick’s hearing is still pending.

              “
That wasn’t too bad; at least they called me beautiful. I wish I knew what the fans were talking about though.” I say to Camden as I scroll down to the bottom to read some of the comments left on the article.

             
“This girl isn’t Ryder’s type, I know he is just settling until we can meet and I can have his babies. - LineLover999

             
“Hope the hottie is in the band’s next music video in a bikini”- Rockgod56

              “I think this girl is amazing and gorgeous any guy would be lucky to have her.”- Amylove3045

             
I stop reading though there are several more comments. “Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have read the comments.” These fans can be intense, but I can’t help but smile at Amy’s response.

              “Don’t listen to any of those, let’s do something else,” he says as he sets my coffee in front of me, made just the way I like it. He must have been watching me yesterday morning in my kitchen. This thought gives me a small thrill until I remember; he’s probably just paying attention to me because he’s in charge of keeping me happy.

              “Like what?”

              “Do you know any travel games?” he says with a big grin that shows off his dimples.

              “Travel games? What are we ten?” I laugh. He just looks at me waiting, so I think about it. “Ok, my brother and I used to play a game, I called it “Blue Q‘s“. Yeah, I know stupid name, but I was like five when I came up with it. One person gets to ask the other one questions and they have to answer with the first thought that pops into their head and when we spot a blue car, it switches and the other gets to ask questions. I know it sounds stupid but…” I say.

              He smiles, “No, it sounds fun. Let’s play. You can start.”

              “What did you want to be when you grew up?”

              “A football player.”

              “Did you ever play football?”

              “Yes, in high school.”

              “Why did you quit?”

              “Not so fast, I see a blue truck, it is my turn. What is your favorite childhood memory?” he asks.

              “Playing football with my brother and his friends in the corn field behind our house. This was the only time he would let me play with him because he always needed one more person. He always made me be on his team because if we lost, he could blame it on me and if we won, he could rub it in his friends’ faces that they were beat by a girl.” I tear up a little thinking about Braden. “There is another blue car, my turn.” I say quickly changing the subject. “Small town or big city?”

              “I’ve lived in LA my whole life and while I love the city and all there is to do but I’ve always been curious to see what it would be like to live in a place more remote. Blue Car! You said you are from a small town, what is your favorite thing about it?”

              “I knew all my neighbors and could ride my bike around town without worrying about strangers or getting lost. At night when the stars come out, I could just lie outside and study them. I missed that most when I moved to Chicago, there are always too many lights to see the stars.”

              “That sounds nice; maybe we can do that sometime. Umm, you know you could do that when we stop for the night some time,” he says, as he sounds a little embarrassed by suggesting we should do something together.

              “That sounds perfect,” I tell him.

              We spend the rest of the morning talking and laughing. He really makes me feel at ease and he’s very funny.

              At about 12:00, Ryder stumbles out of the bedroom, his eyes are a little bloodshot. He must have gone back out last night after I went to bed.

              “What’s so damn funny out here? Some of us were still trying to sleep,” he mumbles.

              “Sorry,” we both say at the same time and both start to laugh again. 

              Ryder just rolls his eyes and goes over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.

              “Would you like something to eat?” I ask him while getting up and going to the kitchen. Yesterday afternoon I realized that having me on the bus might be inconvenient for the rest of the band and I don’t want to put them out, so I decided that I could do the cooking for the guys. I’m a fairly good cook, my mom taught me a lot before she died. Which is good because, Karen doesn’t know her way around the kitchen.

              “That would be amazing,” Alex says as he walks up behind me. “We never get a home cooked meal anymore.”

              “Okay, I’ll get something started,” I say as I looked in the fridge to see what I could make. Beer. That is the only thing in the fridge. Oh wait; I also see a few bottles of water.

              “Really, Cam?” I ask looking at him, “Beer and water, is the only thing you brought?”

              “None of us know how to cook and I wasn’t going to ask you to do it,” he replies with a shrug.

              “Well, I’m not going to live off beer and takeout for the next few months. Would we be able to go the store?” I ask.

              “Hey Mike,” Cam calls up to the driver, “find a grocery store and stop please.” I blush because up until that point, I hadn’t even thought about the fact that there was someone else in the room that could have heard my conversation with Cam this morning.

              “Sure thing,” Mike calls back.

              We pull into the parking lot of a grocery store in a small town in Ohio. As I go to grab my shoes and purse, I notice all the guys pulling on shoes and hats as well.

              “What are you guys doing?” I ask.

              “We are going in with you,” Ryder replies, “we want food too, especially if you are going to make it for us.”

              “I’m not going into a grocery store with a group of rock stars. Won’t it get a little crazy if your fans see you?”

              “Relax, baby, we’re good at lying low, no one is going to recognize us at a small town in the middle of nowhere.”

              “Fine, let’s go,” I concede.

              We get into the store and each member of the band grabs a cart and immediately starts filling it with junk food.  Camden grabs a cart and walks with me while I go through a mental list of things that I will need for my favorite meals to make. The band is a few aisles away and I can hear Eric and Alex arguing over the last box of Twinkies. Neither one of them want to share it.

              “Are they always like this?” I ask Camden.

              “You have no idea. I better go over there before we get kicked out; that will definitely draw attention to them.” He rolls his eyes and heads in the direction of the sound of what I think are boxes being thrown.

              I finish my shopping and make my way to the registers. I notice a guy about my age on his phone and looking at me funny.
I’m becoming paranoid.

              I’m standing in line trying to ignore him, so I watch as the young, female cashier fumbles through a transaction and hear the frustrated sigh of the old man in front of me trying to tell her what his change should be.

              “What are you doing, Ellie?” a male voice says in my ear and I jump.

              “Oh my god, Ryder, you almost gave me a heart attack. What does it look like I’m doing?”

              “It looks like you were going to pay for the food.”

              “And I always thought that you weren’t very bright. Yes, that is what people do at a grocery store. I realize that big, famous rock stars might not always do their own shopping, so they don’t understand the process. Usually after you pick out the food that you want, you get into a line to pay for these things.”

              “Ouch, and I made the mistake of thinking that you were nice. Give the cart to Cam and he will take care of it. Let’s go back to the bus.”

              “I’m not going to let him do all the work.”

              “Cam just pointed out that we’re gaining some attention.” He whispered in my ear and he glanced up at the young, female cashier. She is texting someone now and her fingers are fumbling over the buttons. Her hands are shaking. Clearly, Ryder has been recognized.

              Camden walks up behind us and takes the cart from me, the rest of the guys’ carts are behind him. “You guys better get back to the bus. I’ll pay and get Mike to help me bring everything in. The rest of the guys already left.”

              I nod at him then follow Ryder to the bus. I glance back at Cam and see the guy that was looking at me earlier with his phone up and see a flash. Great, more photos.