Learn to Fly (43 page)

***

Lenny’s time
wasn’t an official recording because it wasn’t an
official race. But that didn’t matter, it still made headlines
the next morning. Well, that and her now public relationship with
Luke Casey.

Suddenly, it seemed,
the crowds realized that rock stars were among them and the guys were
inundated with autograph and picture requests. Lenny was proud of
the guys. They never expected special treatment or attention but
when it happened they always handled it with class. Giving each fan
eye contact and listening to them gush. Especially Luke, he could
make whoever he was talking to feel like that was the most important
conversation he was going to have all day.

The entire next day
was busy for all of them. Lenny had two interviews to do and a few
more stops at X Fest for the sponsors. And the guys were the newest
attraction. Cody and Shane kept out of the ruckus as much as
possible. Lenny felt a little bit bad for embarrassing Cody the
night before but Cody had asked for it. Right?

During both of her
interviews Lenny was asked about her and Luke’s relationship
and she just smiled as a reply. That wasn’t the public’s
business. Her feelings for Luke were definitely growing but he
deserved to hear those words from her firsthand, not from a sound
bite.

The sponsors went
gaga over her performance the night before and started to throw more
deals at her. Lenny deferred them to Patrick, choosing to make those
kinds of business decisions when the tour was finished. She didn’t
want to overbook herself again. She was feeling more in control of
her life than she had in a long time. It seemed that the downward
spiral she had feared had leveled out into smooth riding.

As more of the
X-Games events wrapped up that night, Lenny snuggled close to Luke in
the Athlete's Lounge at the Inn. The Lounge was nearly vacant, just
a few people here and there. It was a nice place to relax since
media and civilians weren’t allowed.

Lenny was happy. Not
ecstatically or anything. Just regular, normal. Happy. She liked
having Luke with her for her important life stuff. She wanted him to
stay forever.

“
I
don’t have any obligations tomorrow.” Lenny said
quietly, her fingers making a trail across the top of his strong
hands.

“
Mm-hm.”
Luke mumbled in her soft hair, his eyes closed.

“
We
could leave tomorrow if you want.” Lenny added.

“
Where
do you wanna go?” Luke was only half-listening to her.

Lenny didn’t
know. She didn’t have a plan. She just had an impulse, a
feeling, and acted on it. All she knew is she wanted to be with
Luke, on another adventure.

“
Just
somewhere with you.” Was all she could think of to answer.

“
I’ll
go anywhere with you.” Luke said slowly his voice rough with an
emotion Lenny couldn't define.

***

Luke didn't have a
word for what he felt in her presence. He had known for a while now
that Lenny was the one. His one. The one he wanted to be tangled up
with forever. She was his exception. And he dared to hope he could
be hers.

It had been a long
time since Duke had considered getting drunk. Years, in fact. But
as he watched the coverage of Lenny flying high at the X Games, he
thought about it.

He sighed and
clicked off the TV. It wasn’t the fact that she was back, the
center of a whirling media frenzy. It wasn’t that she had just
made his niece look like a chump. It was that kiss she had shared
with the rock star. Duke didn’t realize how much seeing
something like that could hurt.

He checked the clock
on the wall, it was too early for bed and too late to go back out.
He shoved himself into a standing position and made his way to the
front door. Maybe a drive in the mountains would help clear his
head.

***

Being back on the
tour was different for Lenny than it had been a few months ago. She
couldn’t run errands anymore because the anonymity was gone.
Not only did the press know her name but they kept plastering her
face all over everything.

Carl was not
pleased. He hadn’t said anything to her but she knew by the
look he’d given her when they arrived in London that he was
pissed.

“
At
least I’m not cross-eyed in this one.” Lenny observed
the cover of a paper tabloid they were passing around backstage at
the venue. They didn't chill on the buses like before because they
were rentals for the overseas tour and Carl was afraid they’d
trash them. So during their down time they hung out backstage or in
the hotel suite.

“
I
didn’t think the last one was too bad, I mean, besides the face
you were making.” Mike joked dryly as Lenny passed him the
magazine.

“
I’m
sorry about that.” Luke wouldn’t stop apologizing. Lenny
had told him that she was fine with it, it's not like she'd never
been famous before. These were just different circumstances, the
same rules applied. The media would hound you and try to find a
reason to hate you and then move on when someone prettier or crazier
came along.

“
Don’t
worry so much.” She waved it off. “Really, it’s
not that big of a deal. I don't forget important things, like
underwear, when I leave the house. I’m pretty boring, they’ll
move on eventually.”

“
Ten
minutes,” Carl stuck his head in the dressing room.

The guys gathered
themselves and headed for the stage area. Luke kissed Lenny lightly
on the lips before leaving. She planned on waiting until they got
situated before making her way through the crowd and joining Greg in
the sound booth.

She was getting
ready to exit the dressing room when Carl stopped her. She reversed
her trajectory as his imposing presence demanded to have a
conversation. He shut the door behind him. He crossed his arms over
his chest and let out what Lenny could only assume was a snort.

“
So
how pissed are you?” Lenny asked, her mouth ticking up on the
side.

“
I
told you that under no circumstances were you allowed to sleep with
any of them.” His voice was restrained but the veins in his
neck were pulsing at his pent up anger. He was more red than Lenny
had ever seen him and she had a fleeting thought in regards to his
heart health.

“
Is
that all your mad about?” Lenny asked cautiously.

“
That
was the deal!” Carl barked.

“
Well,
then we don’t have a problem.” Lenny said
diplomatically, softening her features in an attempt to calm him
down.

“
What?”
Carl snarled with a glare.

“
We
haven’t slept together.” Lenny stated matter of fact and
stuck her hands in her pockets.

“
What?”
Carl asked again with less roar.

“
Carl,
I’m not like other girls, you should know that by now.”
Lenny said patiently, the same tone she had used on her father many
times. “Luke and I are not having sex. We haven’t had
sex. And we aren’t planning on having sex. I have kept my
word.”

Carl did a
combination squint and grimace. He paced back toward the door and
then back to Lenny. “But you guys are…together.”

“
Yes,
Carl. We’re dating. I like him and he likes me. I realize
it’s unusual in this day in age for two people to just enjoy
one another without getting naked but that’s just how weird we
are.”

Carl almost smiled.
“How long before…?”

“
For
crying out loud, Carl!” Lenny exclaimed, “I’m not
thinking about that and if I were I wouldn’t discuss it with my
boss
.”

Carl, satisfied with
her answer, moved to leave and he looked over his shoulder. “Good
to have you back, by the way.”

Lenny shook her
head. That guy.

She resumed her trek
to the sound booth hoping she hadn't missed too much. The crowd was
on it’s feet as the band played it’s opening song. Lenny
slid into the sound booth and Greg gave her a cursory nod. She had
missed this. The energy that reverberated between the band and the
fans was breath taking.

The guys had warned
Lenny that the overseas crowds were different the ones Stateside.
They were right. They were even crazier, if that was possible. Not
an angry crazy or a dangerous crazy. It was more like their love for
the music was completely uninhibited. In a word, it was beautiful.

They
hadn’t had time to rehearse before flying into Heathrow and
only had a small sound check that afternoon. But they were
on
.
Lenny was continuously blown away by how effortless they made it all
seem.

Luke was magnetic on
stage. The women literally threw themselves at him. Harrison kept
kicking panties off the stage. Sway would sometimes grab a pair and
hang them off the neck of his bass, but that only encouraged more
throwing of undergarments. Lenny used to be amazed at the
shamelessness of the women but now it didn’t even phase her.
It also seemed to not phase Luke. He never acknowledged the
suggestive antics of his female fans.

Lenny lost herself
for a moment in the haze that was Luke Casey. She had never felt for
anyone like how she felt for him. He was strong, dependable, sexy
and all those things girls dream about in the perfect guy. But there
were many other things that Lenny knew about him now that the rest of
the world probably never would. Like, he also had this tiny scar
behind his left ear that he’d gotten when he was seventeen
while he was windsurfing with Harrison in Malibu. And he got too
emotionally invested in the contestants on reality shows. And he
sang the wrong words to popular songs to make Lenny laugh. He didn’t
pretend to have it all figured out, he was constantly striving to
make himself a better person.

Somehow, amidst the
insanity of being a hugely successful musician, he hadn’t let
the fame get to him. He was genuine and humble. In a world full of
flakes, Luke Casey was the real deal.

And for some reason
that Lenny hadn’t yet deciphered, he wanted to be with her. He
didn’t just like spending time with her, he acted like she was
a vital part of his every day existence. And she felt the same about
him. It was strange, she had never believed that Shane loved her,
no matter how many times he said it. But she knew, without question,
that Luke loved her. It was in everything he said and did, the way
he talked to her, how he touched her, leaving no room for doubt.

Lenny was afraid she
had finally done what she said she wouldn't do, she had fallen in
love with a rock star. No other explanation made sense for everything
that was going on between them. It had become even more apparent to
her at Aspen. He so willingly lent his strength to her to help her
achieve things she hadn’t done in years. Her heart hurt a
little because she knew the tour would be over soon and things would
change.

She closed her eyes
and tried to silence the scream that wanted to erupt from her lungs
every time she thought about the coming end. How could she part with
him? How could she say goodbye after they had come so far? The
logical, realistic side of Lenny told her that this was always
temporary, she should have guarded her heart better. But the
romantic, idealistic side of Lenny wanted to hope that Luke would
chase her home. They could get married and have fat babies. Maybe
they could bring the whole family on tour and Lenny could compete in
the off season. That could work, right?

Reasonable
Lenny said no. The tour would end and so would their affair. They
would go home. Lenny to the mountains where she would begin training
again for the Olympics. And Luke would go home to Boston and record
a new album and forget all about her.
That
was always the plan,
Lenny
reminded herself.
This
was supposed to be about finding your way into a new life and moving
on. Falling in love was never part of the plan.