The Heartbreakers (5 page)

“Caught me off guard,” Oliver said, finishing the sentence.

“Yeah,” I said a little breathlessly. “Exactly.”

We both stared at each other, and a moment passed between us that I couldn’t unravel. Oliver stood unmoving, with the exception of his bangs that stirred in the wind. His face was blank, but there was something busy and full about his eyes, and it made me want to take a step closer to see if those deep blues could tell me what he was thinking.

He cleared his throat, which made me acutely aware of how loud my heart was beating, and I lowered my gaze to my feet. The temperature outside had dropped with the sun, and the breeze cooled my hot skin but did nothing to settle the nerves swirling inside me.

“So,” Oliver said, his voice scratchy. “Are you really not a fan?”

His question made me cringe. “Oliver,” I responded, “I was being spiteful, which was totally ridiculous because you didn’t do anything to me.”

“But you still don’t like us, right?”

“Sorry,” I said as I fiddled with my camera, “but not really. My sister absolutely loves you guys though, and she would probably die of embarrassment if she ever found out how awful I was.”

Oliver was quiet as he listened to my answer, and I found the way he stared straight at me with his lips pressed together rather unnerving. He looked like a different person when he smiled, much less intimidating, and I suddenly wanted to see his dimples as his lips curled up.

I couldn’t stand his silence any longer. “I completely understand if you hate my guts,” I said in a rush. “To be honest, I came out here to yell at you, but then I realized you deserved an apology, so again, I’m sorry. I guess I’ll leave you alone now.”

As I turned to leave, I felt his fingers brush my shoulder. “Wait,” he said. His touch made me jump, and he quickly retracted his hand and stared down at it like he was just as surprised by his actions as me. Too unsettled to say anything, I wrapped my arms around myself and waited for him to speak.

He looked back up at me and sucked in a breath. “Can we start over?” he asked. It was the last thing I expected him to say, and I gaped as he stuck his hand out. “I’m Oliver Perry, lead singer for the Heartbreakers.”

I hesitated but then slowly slipped my hand into his. “Stella Samuel, amateur photographer.” His hand engulfed mine, skin rougher than I expected, but I liked the way my fingers felt against his.

“Well, Stella, amateur photographer, it’s nice to meet you.” He blinded me with that face-changing smile I had been thinking about moments ago. It was contagious and I found myself smiling back.

“Nice to meet you too.”

“So,” he said, rolling onto the balls of his feet. “You mentioned that your sister wanted an autograph?”

“Um, yeah.” I brushed my fingers against my throat when my voice jumped. “It’s a surprise for her birthday.”

“I’m sure the guys would agree that we’d be happy to provide you with one.”

“Really?” I asked, a tentative grin slowly blooming on my face. “You’d do that?” Even after what happened? Maybe Oliver wasn’t the jerk I’d imagined in my head.

He nodded. “Sure thing. Let’s head back in and I’ll find a pen.”

Our walk back to the living room felt longer than the drive from Minnesota to Chicago. Oliver and I had come to a truce, but at the same time, we could never go back to being the people who met at Starbucks—just a regular guy and a girl. I couldn’t forget who he was, the lead singer of the Heartbreakers, and that put me on edge. My body was hyperaware of exactly where Oliver was as he walked next to me, and I made sure to keep my arms clamped to my sides so we wouldn’t brush up against each other again. Even so, the hairs on my arms were prickling.

When the narrow hall finally opened to the massive living room, I let out my breath and put some distance between us. During my absence, Drew had managed to make quick friends with the rest of the Heartbreakers, and he was in the midst of an intense game of
Call
of
Duty
with JJ.

“I swear to God, this guy is cheating,” JJ said as he died on-screen. “He’s like a freaking ninja, popping up all over the place and slaughtering me.”

The round ended soon after, and Drew tossed the controller aside and flexed his arms like his physical strength actually had something to do with his gaming skills. “That’s right,” he said, a smirk on his face. “From now on, you can call me the Slayer.”

“Oh hey!” Xander called when he saw us. “You guys didn’t kill each other.”

“Surprise, surprise,” JJ added. “We thought we’d need to recruit a new lead singer. Drew, you any good?”

“Hey!” Oliver said. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That Stella was totally going to kick your ass,” JJ responded. “Obviously.”

Oliver crossed his arms and snorted. “You think I couldn’t hold my own against her?” I shot him a look and he added, “What? You’re like six inches shorter than me.”

“Doesn’t matter,” JJ said, shaking his head. “She had fire in her eyes, man. You don’t mess with a woman when she’s angry like that.”

“Jeez, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Just saying.”

“Well, if you’re done knocking me, I thought you guys would like to know that I promised Stella an autograph for her sister.”

“Okay,” Xander said, bobbing his head enthusiastically. “Anything in particular you want us to sign?”

“Yeah, hold on.” I took off my backpack, dug out the CD, poster, and shirt, and handed everything to Oliver. “Our sister’s name is Cara. With a
C
.” I watched as he spread everything out on a nearby table, and the boys gathered around and took turns scribbling their names.

“So how old is your sister?” JJ asked as he pulled the poster toward himself. He pressed the tip of the pen beneath his own image and produced two looping
J
s.

“Seventeen turning eighteen.”

Oliver’s eyebrows squished together as if my answer didn’t make sense. “Well, how old are you then?”

“Seventeen turning eighteen,” I said, smiling, and Oliver’s frown deepened.

“We’re triplets,” Drew clarified.

“Bull,” JJ said, straightening up so he could look at my brother clearly. “You have to be at least twenty.”

Drew, who had heard the same thing many times before, had a knowing grin on his face. “Seventeen. I swear.”

“Which one of you is the oldest?” Xander asked.

“Me,” I said, biting back a grin. Drew coughed to cover up his laugh. The three of us always referred to the question as the stupid way of being asked which of us popped out of our mom first.
Like, hello? Do you not know the definition of triplets? It means we’re the same age.
But for some reason, people always wanted to know.

From there, the typical round of triplet-based questions ensued until JJ asked, “So why didn’t your sister come?”

I watched as Drew’s smile dissolved and he tucked his hands neatly into his lap. “She’s sick at the moment.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Xander said.

Everyone got quiet, and I was afraid the Heartbreakers had picked up on our mood swing.

“Well, it’s getting late. We should probably get going,” Drew said, and he stood up from the couch. “We really appreciate the autographs, especially after everything.” From my brother’s tone, “everything” meant the way I’d treated the band.

“Wait, what? You can’t leave yet,” JJ said, his head jerking sharply toward Drew. “I still have to beat you in a round of
CoD
.”

This brought a smile back to my brother’s face, but he turned to me, seeking permission. I peeked at Oliver. His sharp eyes were on me, and when we made eye contact, I quickly looked back at Drew and nodded.

“I suppose I have time to crush you again,” Drew said, reaching for the controller.

JJ leaped over the back of the couch and took a spot next to him. “Not this time, ninja man. You’re going down.”

• • •

“I’m bored,” JJ whined. He was sprawled upside down in one of the armchairs and waving a pair of drumsticks around like a band conductor. Blood rushed to his face as he hung in the seat, his shaved head almost touching the carpet. “Someone entertain me,” he demanded with a flick of the wooden sticks. After losing to my brother three times in a row, JJ had given up.

“There might be a coloring book in the kitchen,” Xander suggested cheekily. He grabbed JJ’s legs and flipped them over his friend’s head. With a crash, JJ crumpled to the floor. I let out a laugh, and even Alec, who still had his headphones in, cracked a smile. Drew and Oliver were too wrapped up in a battle to even notice.

“It’s not funny,” JJ complained as he sat back up and rubbed his head. He threw a punch at Xander, who ducked out of the way with a smirk. Giving up, JJ scowled in the direction of the TV. “Seriously, they’ve been at this forever.”

“I agree,” I added. As much as I loved watching Drew kick everyone’s butt, it was getting a little redundant. Besides, how long were we actually going to hang out with the Heartbreakers? Drew had made another attempt to leave when JJ quit, but Oliver quickly took his place. The band seemed almost desperate for some type of outside interaction.

“Well, what do you guys want to do?” Xander asked as he sat back down on the couch.

JJ thought for a moment before turning to me with a grin. “Strip poker?” he suggested.

I raised an eyebrow. “You want to play a game where, besides yourself, four guys might potentially end up stripping? Isn’t that a little—”

JJ cut me off before I could finish. “Okay, let me rephrase that. Us guys will play regular poker, and you can play it strip style.”

At the mention of strip poker, Drew spoke up. “I have no interest in seeing my sister naked. That’s gross.”

“Yeah, totally not happening,” I agreed and crossed my arms over my chest protectively.

“Aww, come on,” Oliver complained. At first I thought he was upset about my response to JJ’s poker proposal, and my face turned red. But then I noticed that Drew had beaten him again, and the fact that I’d thought Oliver was talking about me made me blush even more.

“Naked Twister?” JJ asked.

I threw my hands up in the air. “How is that any better?”

“JJ, Stella obviously wants to do something a little more mature. Get your pervy head out of the gutter,” Xander said.

“Fine, I can be more mature. Would the lady care for a stimulating round of Twister in the nude?”

“
JJ
!
” Xander and I both shouted.

“Fine, fine,” he said with a scowl. He leaned back against the armchair, deep in thought. Suddenly a slow smirk made its way over his face. “Guys, I have the best idea!”

“Why do I have the feeling that it’s going to be terrible?” I asked Xander.

“Because it probably will be.”

JJ didn’t seem to hear. He was bouncing up and down on the seat in excitement. “Aren’t you going to ask me what my idea is?”

“Depends,” Xander said. “Is it something ten-year-olds would do?”

Ignoring Xander, JJ continued. “Okay, how about this?” he said as he leaned forward in the chair. “We’re going to toilet paper the hotel lobby.” It was silent for a moment. JJ stared at us, eager for a response.

“Um, that sounds fun and all,” I started with a frown, “but I’d rather not get kicked out of the hotel.”

JJ waved his hand dismissively in the air. “Don’t worry, Stella. If you’re with us, you won’t get in trouble,” he assured me.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, JJ,” Xander said, shaking his head. “Do you really want to waste all of our toilet paper? You had that chili dog for lunch.”

“Oh, gross,” I said and moved to the other side of the couch, hopefully upwind from JJ. “Way too much information.”

“I don’t see you guys coming up with any bright ideas,” he snapped back.

“There’s the pool,” Alec said, and I jumped in my seat. It was the first time I’d heard him speak, and his voice was both deep and quiet. I had completely forgotten he was there.

“Yeah,” Xander said, nodding his head in agreement. “We could go swimming.”

“Skinny-dipping?” JJ threw out.

“No, JJ,” we all said at once.

“Figures,” he huffed, “but I guess that will work.” He grumbled to himself for a little longer, even though we could all tell he liked the idea.

I looked down at my watch. “I hate to be the party pooper, but isn’t the pool closed by now?”

“Yup,” JJ said happily. “Nobody to bother us.” He wiggled his eyebrows in my direction.

I ignored him and turned to Xander. “So we’re just going to sneak in?”

“Come on, Stella. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Um, hiding under the couch hoping not to get arrested,” I told him.

They both laughed. “Touché, but you won’t get arrested. There are perks to being in a band. We have a key.”

“Well then,” I said, turning back to JJ and Xander. “Looks like we’re going swimming.”

• • •

“Why exactly are we ditching your bodyguard?” I whispered to Oliver as we stepped off the elevator and onto the fifth floor. This late at night, only one man was actively guarding the band, and the boys had come up with a plan to sneak away from him that involved me retrieving a swimsuit from my room. Somehow I ended up with Oliver as my escort.

He smiled at me like a little boy. “Because it’s fun. Besides, do you really want him standing at the edge of the pool watching us swim?”

“No,” I said and shook my head. “Not overly.”

“Yeah, didn’t think so.”

As we rounded the corner toward my room, I glanced back at Oliver’s bodyguard. He was still standing in the elevator, hands folded in front of him as he waited for us to “grab my suit,” the one I had never packed. When we were out of his sight, Oliver picked up the pace and rushed right past my room.

“Wait. I want to grab a T-shirt for a cover-up,” I told him.

“Not enough time,” he told me as he shook his head. “Once we’re gone for too long, he’ll come looking for us. Then the guys will be able to sneak out.”

“What am I supposed to wear in the pool?” All the guys had their own swimsuits, and JJ had offered to loan Drew one of his extras.

“Your underwear,” he said like it was no big deal.

“I am not swimming in my bra and underwear. Did you hear JJ before? Your friend is a total perv.”

“What’s the difference between a swimsuit and underwear? They look exactly the same.”

“The difference is that one is acceptable to wear in public and the other isn’t.”

“You’re not going to be in public. It’s just us guys.”

“Yeah, just you guys that I met like four hours ago.”

“If you’re so uncomfortable, just leave your camisole on. But I don’t understand why you’re being so self-conscious. You look great.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but then I realized the compliment he’d paid me.

“Come on,” Oliver said, completely unaware of how flustered he’d made me. “If we don’t hurry, he’s going to find us.”

Oliver pushed open the door to the stairwell, and we started taking the steps two at a time. I kept looking over my shoulder, afraid that his bodyguard was going to burst into the stairwell and attack me. Maybe he’d even accuse me of kidnapping Oliver. I could see the headline in my head: “Teenage Girl Abducts the Heartbreakers’ Lead Vocalist!” As absurd as it sounded, I was starting to get nervous.

“Are you sure we won’t get in trouble?” I asked Oliver.

Before he could answer, two girls opened the door to the fourth-floor landing just above us. They glanced down as Oliver tried to pull his hoodie up over his head, and suddenly I understood why he insisted on wearing a sweatshirt in such hot weather. But it was too late—the girls did a double take when they realized who he was.

Oliver looked up at them, and I noticed his hesitation, but then he grinned at me and grabbed my hand. “Come on.”

We flew down the steps before the girls had a chance to shout out his name. By the time we reached the first floor, I was breathless. Not because I was out of shape, but because something about being with Oliver as he was being chased was surprisingly exhilarating. I could hear feet pounding down the stairs and a chant of “Oliver! Wait up!” but we didn’t stop.

Pushing open the door, Oliver poked his head out into the hallway to make sure the coast was clear before tugging me after him. We raced down the empty hall, and I realized we were going in the wrong direction. The pool was on the other side of the hotel.

“Hey, where are we going?” I asked. “I thought we were meeting the guys at the pool.”

“We’re making a pit stop,” he whispered to me as we crept down the hall. His eyes were scoping out possible fan girls, his body pressed up against the wall as if that might hide him. Oliver squeezed my hand as we continued to tiptoe down the hall, and I realized that our fingers were still intertwined.

I slowly looked down at our hands, not sure of what to do. A nagging thought ran through my head.
Don’t get too close! After tonight, you’re never going to see him again.
But it was hard to pull away. The tingles that were shooting up my arm felt too good to let go of, and Oliver didn’t seem to mind.

“Bond, James Bond,” he muttered to himself. With his free hand he was pretending to hold a gun as he peered around the corner.
Screw
it
, I thought and smiled. I was going to enjoy tonight and worry about my heart later. “All clear,” he muttered again.