I pull back from Caleb’s kiss and I’m completely breathless as I look into his eyes. They’re full of love and devotion and I swear nothing in them has changed from the last time I saw them.

“Caleb, I—”

“Indi, I tried to let you go. I wanted to see you happy. I wanted you to have a normal life. I had no idea you would be here today, and I’m sorry I punched your boy…Mick, but I can’t stand the thought of you with anyone else. I tried to move on. I tried to date, but I just ended up in tears over you. I love you so fucking much, Indi. Please, I need you. I just needed some normality today, I just wanted a coffee something normal and seeing you here is a sign. I heard your song on the radio as I left to come here. Indi, I need to tell you everything, please give me the chance to explain. Give me that much?” he asks and I realise the entire coffee shop is watching us as I stand here locked in his arms. My body’s pressed against his while Mick is on the floor being held down by Staked security. I swallow a lump in my throat taking a step back from Caleb trying to gain some reality back into my shattered brain.

“Caleb, you can’t just come in here and kiss me,” I say and he exhales and nods.

“Sorry. And sorry Mick for punching you. Jealousy is a bitch,” Caleb says and Mick stands up and opens his eyes wide like he just realises who he’s talking to.

“Indica, is your ex the lead singer from Staked?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I say and he furrows his brows and shakes his head.

“Shit,” he murmurs.

I swallow hard as I watch Mick’s face fall like he realises he can’t compete. “But I love you. You said you loved me too—”

“Wait you love him?” Caleb interrupts.

“No, it’s not like that—”

“You don’t love me?” Mick asks sounding hurt.

I look between him and Caleb, who now both look miserable.

“Mick, it’s not that I don’t love you—”

“So you do?” they both ask and I swallow hard and shake my head.

“No, I’m sorry, Mick. I tried. I tried desperately hard to love you. I wanted to. You’ve been so perfect and wonderful and just what I needed—”

“What, so I was only there to fill the gap?” he asks as his face falls and Caleb’s brightens slightly.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so horrible. I was trying to get over him. I thought I was—”

“So you’re not? Over me I mean?” Caleb asks and I look at him and take a deep breath as I look into his eyes and see nothing but love and adoration flowing right back at me.

“I don’t think I could ever be over you,” I reply and he smiles widely and pulls me to him embracing me tightly.

“I’ve missed you so much, my sweet Indi.”

His tight, strong arms encase me giving me the feeling that I’m alive again. I feel like I’m buzzing with energy, something I haven’t felt for so long. I’d forgotten what it felt like. I feel like I’m safe, I feel like I’m warm…I feel like I’m home.

“Indica, you expect me to be okay with this?” Mick asks and I pull away from Caleb not wanting to show too much affection toward him in front of Mick for the sake of his feelings.

“Don’t call her that, she hates it,” Caleb says.

I turn back toward him and scowl and he furrows his brows and backs off.

“I’m very sorry, Mick. I know this is terrible and I’m sorry this happened here. I honestly had no idea Caleb would come in here, or that if he did that I would fall back into his arms so easily. I honestly never thought that I’d be able to function being near him again, but now that he’s here everything feels right. I’m sorry, I’m hurting you. I’m sorry, I’m doing this to you. I’m sorry, I led you on. I’m sorry, I told you I loved you when I didn’t feel it. I’m sorry, for it all,” I say and step up to him taking his hands in mine. “I’m extremely sorry, Mick. I know no matter how many times I say the word it will not make up for what I’ve done to you,” I say and he huffs pulling his hands from mine forcefully.

“Well, it’s a bit late for that isn’t it? You broke my heart, Indica. I fucking loved you. Please get out of my shop, and take your rock stars with you,” he says turning away from me while rubbing his bruised jaw. The other guests in the shop are watching on as I turn back to face Caleb. Aston walks over to the redhead and cuddles into her.

That’s new, she certainly isn’t Annie!

“I’m sorry about, Mick,” Caleb says as the people in the shop start to go back about their business.

I shrug. “It wasn’t serious. Plus, I kinda had my heart set on someone else,” I say and Caleb smiles.

“Anyone I know?”

I smile and lean in wrapping my arms around his waist. “Nah, just some rock star,” I say and he smiles wide and leans down kissing my lips tenderly.

“There’s so much I need to tell you,” he murmurs against my lips.

“If you’ll have me back, I’d like you to tell me everything. I’m sick of taking flight every time something doesn’t go my way. I'm tired of being stubborn, but more than anything I've had enough of running from you when I should be running to you. It’s difficult being with you, but it’s so much harder not being with you, Caleb. I don’t think I can do it anymore.”

“I love you, Indi. I can assure you that never stopped. I only stopped trying because I thought you were better off without me. But if you’ve been as unhappy as I’ve been then maybe the heartache when we’re together is worth it. I prefer it to the misery of being apart?”

“I don’t want to be without you, Caleb, not for another second,” I say. “I don’t even care about Sasha.”

“That’s one crazy story I need to tell you about, but over dinner?”

“I’d love that,” I say then he leans down kissing my lips softly.

“I hate to break up this reunion, but I just heard someone say they’re gonna start videoing this, so we better get out of here,” the girl with Aston says.

I break away from Caleb and nod. “Thanks,” I reply because I don’t want to be in the tabloids again. Caleb grabs my hand and we all walk out of the coffee shop briskly. Once we get to the curb, I look back into to the shop to see Mick looking out the window and watching me intently. I feel really appalling, but it was never going to end well for poor Mick. And I do feel terribly guilty for my part in hurting him.

“Hey,” Caleb says placing his thumb under my chin and forcing me to look at him. “Don’t feel bad, he helped true love find its way back together. If it weren't for him working here, we wouldn’t have run into each other today. This was meant to be, Indi. You’re the one who believes in omens, remember?”

“Yeah, this was meant to happen this way,” I say and he smiles as Aston walks up to us.

“Caleb, what do you want to do?” Aston asks and he looks at me raising an eyebrow.

“I brought my car,” I say and he nods and smiles.

“Okay well, wanna take me back to my place?” he asks and I smile and nod.

“Sure,” I reply and Aston smiles and slaps Caleb on the back.

“Good to see you, Indi,” he says. I smile at him and at the redhead he’s with.

“You too, Aston, and thanks hon for the video thing,” I call out.

“Name’s Amber, and you’re welcome,” she says.

“Oh Aston,” I call out and he looks at me. “Glad you’ve found happiness again.”

His smile falters slightly as he wraps his arm around Amber and nods and then they walk off toward his car.

“Not sure if he’s happy with Amber or not, but at least he’s trying to move on. Which is more than what I could do,” Caleb says and I bite my bottom lip.

“I’m sorry I ran without listening. It’s just we made a pact. Hearing and seeing you with her, it broke me all over again.”

“I know, trust me, just seeing Sasha put me on high alert. I was thinking of you the whole time. She set me up, Indi, right from the beginning. But let’s go back to my place, I’ll make us something to eat and I’ll tell you all about it.”

I nod wanting to know more now, but I don’t really wish to discuss something so emotional on the sidewalk in London. So I take his hand and lead him toward my car.

“I’ve missed this,” he says and I look up at him raising an eyebrow. “Holding your hand,” he answers my unspoken question.

“I’ve missed you,” I say and as we reach my car he stops and pulls me to him.

“This isn’t a dream, right?” he asks nuzzling into my neck.

I giggle and relish in his touch. “No, this better not be. Because if it is, and I wake up back to my beige blah-dom life without you in it, I don’t think I could take another day.”

He pulls back and looks me in the eyes. “I love you so much,” he says.

I lick my bottom lip inadvertently and smile at him as those are the words I’ve heard for the last month, but from the wrong man. And boy have I needed to hear them from Caleb.

He leans down kissing me again, this time roughly forcing my lips to part so his tongue can dance with mine as he takes what was his all along. And I am his, I always have been. Right from the first day I met him in school, to the day I take my last dying breath.

I will belong to Caleb McCormack-Slade.

 

***

 

I drove us back to Caleb’s house and it looks exactly the same, he still had my toothbrush which I found creepy, but oddly comforting at the same time. He sat me down and we talked for hours about Sasha and everything she did. He told me all about how she set him up the first time he called her, that he only called her to talk, and she framed him to look like they’d slept together. Then about the crazy stalking and everything else. Including the night I broke it off when I heard her on the phone which I thought was in his hotel room. Turns out was actually in the hotel hallway. Then he told me about how he strangled her, and how his Dad paid her off to cover it up. I cried so hard when he said that. I was scared, not of him but for him. I could never be scared of him, he was driven to it. I don’t condone it, of course not, but he lost me because of her, twice, and he took his rage out on her in the worst possible way. I’m just glad he stopped before he actually killed her, and I’m glad she was scared enough to stay away from him. Well, hopefully anyway.

Caleb and I still have a lot of issues. Trust isn’t one of them, but his fame and my anonymity is. When my identity was released to the papers and I was taunted at my own home, I’ve never gotten over what that was like, and that’s why I’ve asked Caleb to keep our relationship secret. I also asked him to make sure Aston was aware of what I wanted until I’m ready to come out about us seeing each other again. I just want to spend time with Caleb and get reacquainted, before everyone else knows about us and tries to force their opinions on us as well. Caleb wants to shout it from the rooftops that I’m his again, but I just need some more time to process. Plus, I don’t want to rub it in Mick’s face. He doesn’t need to see it every time he goes on Facebook, or the news that his ex-girlfriend is back with Staked’s lead singer the day after she left him. I just need time, and Caleb’s willing to give that to me.

It felt effortless. Talking with him seemed to flow with ease. It felt like we hadn’t been separated at all let alone for seven months. We got back into a rhythm and in sync with each other quickly, and it wasn’t long after dinner before we were back in his bed and making extraordinary love once more. We fit together perfectly and being apart always felt wrong. So why the hell did I keep doing it? This time I’m in it for the long haul, no more running, no more freaking out and fleeing when things get tough. Being without him is hard, too hard. Yes, being with him can sometimes prove difficult, but a life without him is torture and I don’t want to go through it ever again.

Third time’s a charm or three strikes you’re out as they say.

Third time is it, no more. I can’t be without him again. It would be the annihilation of us both and I won’t be responsible for that. No matter how hard this road gets, no matter how rocky or bumpy, I’m strapped in and ready for the ride. I’m in. I’m all in, and so is Caleb. This time I’m playing for keeps and no matter what the future holds for us, fan girls, groupies, paparazzi, whatever, we will be here for each other one hundred percent. Because that’s the only way we can be from now on.

 

Caleb

 

Indi and I have been back together for a year and a half and it’s been difficult to say the least keeping it a secret from everyone. She’s been adamant about not telling anyone and about keeping her anonymity intact, so much so that it’s starting to really bug me. But I respect her, so I keep quiet. Aston knows, and he’s the only one I can talk to about her. But he’s having issues of his own.

Colt had his fiftieth birthday party and Annie finally realised that Aston and Amber were together and it was a disaster. Annie admitted she still loved him basically throwing Aston into a spin. I told him if he really isn’t into Amber, then it’s not good to lead her on just to fill the Annie void, like Indi did with Mick. Aston agreed and I think he broke it off with Amber after we had a lengthy talk at the party. After that Annie disappeared, and I was miserable because I wanted to shout it from the rooftops that I was happy and seeing Indi again. Hell, she’d even moved in with me, but I can’t say anything because she’s so scared of what the press will do when they find out.

I don’t know why I can’t tell my family though? They’d be so happy for me.

Although when all the shit went down at Colt’s party with Aston and Annie, it made me realise that even if my relationship with Indi is a secret at least I have her. So I went home and made sweet love to her all night long making sure to remind her of how much I loved her.

I asked her to marry me again, and just like always she said no. I’m so used to it now that I laugh it off, but I know if I keep asking one day she will say yes. I know she’s scared, I am too. Our relationship has never been smooth sailing. But when we’re together now everything seems perfect. She just needs the courage to tell people. I get it, she’s nervous. I’m popular, and Staked is becoming famous, but hiding her from the world is not something I want to do forever. Eventually, she will have to come out into the world with me.

I hope.

All I know right now is she completes me and I’m so desperately in love with her I’ll do whatever she wants. She went back into the Emergency Department and she’s much happier there than in the orthopedics’ ward, which is great. I just hope that when she comes out about our relationship and the press hound her she can cope with it. The longer she leaves it, the worse it will be.

But for now, I need to go to Oxfordshire for some crisis meeting about Annie. I kiss Indi on her forehead as I leave her sleeping soundly in our bed. She’s so beautiful and I don’t want to wake her. I leave a note on the kitchen bench telling her I’ve gone to Oxfordshire for a crisis meeting I’ve been called to attend. I grab my phone as I walk out the door. Opening Facebook as I walk to the car, I see a photo come up of Annie. She’s half naked and lying on a lounge suite completely out of it with a pill box on the table next to her. My eyes are open wide as I take in what I’m reading.

 

Lead guitarist of Staked, Annie Slade, following in her father’s footsteps. High, and wasted on a wild night out.

 

“Fuck,” I exclaim and race to my car. Now I know what the crisis is about.

Driving to Oxfordshire as fast as possible in my new Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG, my heart races. The car is quick, so I arrive in just under an hour and twenty minutes. Lucky there were no police on the road today. I arrive at the gate of the manor as Chad pulls up behind me. We both drive through and park our cars, getting out and walking toward the door.

“Have you seen?” Chad asks.

“Yeah,” is all I can reply.

Chad shakes his head because we both know a nude photo scandal is something the band does not need. I knock on the door and Lia answers looking like she’s had no sleep.

“Hey Lia, how is she?” I ask and she tilts her head to the side not really answering my question, but giving me all the information I need with a single look. I nod and exhale as I make my way to the music room with Chad, who’s busy on his phone.

“Hey guys,” Colt says as we walk into the room. I nod and walk straight over to Annie.

“Hey Annie, how you doing?” I sit down wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to me. I want to show her I support her even though she’s fucked up yet again.

“I’m okay, just feel like a bit of a fuckhead really.”

I chuckle and nod. “Well, I won’t argue that it was a dick move, but I know you didn’t do it on purpose, and I know you wouldn’t want those photos out there. I’m sorry this has happened to you.”

“Thanks, cuz, I just wish I’d never gone out. I don’t know why I’m so stupid all the time.”

“You’re not stupid, Annie. You just make stupid decisions sometimes, but I’m pretty sure you’ve learned from this one, right?”

She nods. “Oh, shit yeah. I’m never…ever drinking again,” she says and I smile.

“Or taking drugs, I hope?”

“That goes without saying. I’m never touching anything illegal or alcoholic again. It fucks me up.”

“Good, glad to hear it, and you know if you were in trouble you could have called me?”

“I know, I think I was on my way to call you when I passed out. Just didn’t make it in time, and that’s obviously when he took the photos,” she says and I cringe remembering seeing the picture of her with her tits out.

“Hopefully, there isn’t a next time, but please remember to call me, Annie. Anytime you need me. You’re family and I love the shit out of you, okay?” I say and she laughs.

“Okay, I love you too.”

“Right, we’re just waiting for Aston and Rob to show up, and then we can start talking about how we’re going to proceed,” Colt says.

I unwrap my arm from around Annie because even though I’m supporting her in this, I’m still angry as fuck that she let this happen.

“How bad is it likely to get?” I ask.

“It could be detrimental to the success of the band, Caleb, I’m not going to lie. People don’t like drugs, let alone accompanied with a nude photo scandal. It’s going to be a sensitive subject for a long time, I’m sure. I just hope Annie knows the mess she’s gotten you all into,” Colt says and I tense up.

“I know, Dad, you don’t have to rub it in,” Annie says and Colt stands up angrily.

I tune out as Annie and Colt go at it arguing until they stop, and I turn to see Aston and Rob standing in the doorway watching them fight.

“You know what? How ‘bout you all discuss what you need to without me? I’m the reason we’re all here anyway. I’m the fuck up. So you all decide what the best course of action is. If it means I’m out of the band, so be it. Just save Staked, and I’ll leave if I have to. But I can’t be here while you all talk about how much I screwed up and how much of an awful person I am. Don’t worry, I hate myself enough for all of you,” Annie says and storms out past Aston and Rob. I exhale as Annie throws one of her hissy fits and this time in front of our agent.

Great!

“Annie!” Colt calls out, but she keeps walking. I shake my head as Aston watches her walk away. I can’t imagine what he must be thinking right now. I can only dread what I would think if that were Indi in Annie’s position. I would be mortified.

We all sit here in silence until Aston clears his throat.

“I’ll go get her,” he says and Colt looks at him and I see hesitation, but he nods, and even I think Aston is the only one who can save Annie right now. I just hope she hasn’t fucked this up for us well and truly.

Aston leaves and Rob exhales and looks over to Colt. “I think it will be okay, Colt,” he explains and I start to feel a little better. If Rob thinks Staked can come out of this okay, then I have faith he can help us. I just wish Annie would stop being so bloody stubborn and realise she needs to be with Aston. He was only with Amber to try and get over Annie, and we all knew that wouldn’t work. I just hope Aston can talk some sense into my cousin.

Rob goes and talks to Dad quietly as Ella sits in the corner by herself and Chad plays on his phone, it’s like none of us know what the hell to say or do. We’re all just waiting for Annie to come back so we can talk about how we proceed with this like adults. With Annie’s scandal coming out, I hope that my scandal doesn’t surface. That would definitely ruin Staked’s image for good.

I look up as Aston and Annie walk through the doorway holding hands. We all stop and focus on the one thing we never thought we would see again – their hands entwined.