Chapter Twenty
Jonathan
I can’t stop pacing back and forth in the living room. Five steps one way, turn. Five steps back. Again and again. I can’t sit still, can’t focus on anything. A peek through the curtains reveals the growing mob of photographers and reporters on the sidewalk.
My phone’s been blowing up with notifications, phone calls, voicemails, and texts from friends. Once Gabby’s here I’m turning it off for a while. She’s the only reason I’ve had it on this whole time.
Ben said he’d get her and bring her home. Since he’s my roommate and friend, he’s been getting calls too. They haven’t figured out who Gabby is yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
My heart rate picks up as I imagine the circus her life is going to turn into for the next few weeks until this all blows over. I want to protect her from all of this. This isn’t what she signed up for. I’ve been little more than a nobody for the last few years, an occasional interest segment when I’m spotted hanging with an old friend who’s still in the spotlight when I go home to visit. No one cares much about the three boys from Brash anymore.
Which is fine with me.
The buzz of my phone against the coffee table yanks my attention out of my thoughts. But it’s not Gabby. Or Ben. It’s my mom. Again.
“Hey, Mom. Did something change since we talked last?”
We’ve been on the phone on and off most of the morning. First, I called her to let her know about the growing paparazzi situation and ask for her security references. She said she’d take care of it, then called me back to let me know I’d be hearing from Blaine, the head of the private security company we used before.
I could tell she wanted to say more, but both of those conversations had been brief since I still needed to talk to Blaine, then the Dean of Students, and figure out how to get Gabby here without everyone seeing her.
She clears her throat. “No. Everything’s the same. Well, except for your growing popularity.”
“Yeah.” My answer comes out more of a growl than I intended.
“I take it this wasn’t planned?”
“What? Are you kidding me?”
Her voice is conciliatory, placating. “Now, Jonathan. I know you didn’t like fame much as a teenager, but with time and space it’s possible for you to change your mind. I know you’ve still been writing songs, and it always bugged you that you never got to use them with Brash. You’re almost done with your degree. Now would be a logical time for you to start trying to grow a fan base and draw on your fame from before.”
“Mom. No. This isn’t—“ I shake my head, gripping my hair in my fist. “No. I didn’t want this. Especially not like this.”
“I watched the video. You sound good. More mature than you used to. I can see why people are sharing your video all over the place. It’s good. And your new songs …”
When she trails off, I hold my breath, waiting for her to finish. “Yeah?” I prompt when she doesn’t. Mom was always our biggest supporter and our harshest critic. She never said anything unless we asked, but when we wanted an honest opinion, we knew she would give it to us. The full, unvarnished truth. What was out of tune. Where our balance was off. And when we locked things together so perfectly it became magic. She’d been trained as an opera singer, but suffered from vocal nodes in grad school and never made it as the diva she should’ve been.
“Wow,” is her answer. “Jonathan, I’ve never heard you sing like that. It’s rough, but in a way that’s appealing. Your lyrics are on point, and your melodies and chord progressions have gotten more complex than the ones you used to use.”
I clear my throat, relieved and pleased at her praise. “Yeah. Gabby’s been helping me with that. The harmonies and chords especially.”
She gives a thoughtful hum and pauses, and I wait, knowing what’s coming next. “How serious are things with this girl?” I’ve told her about Gabby already. With how much time we spend together, she’s bound to come up, but I haven’t filled my mom in on how much Gabby really means to me. Hell, I haven’t even told Gabby yet.
“Um, I’m not sure. I like her a lot. But we haven’t talked about the future, if that’s what you’re asking.” Because neither of us have brought it up, not because I haven’t thought about it. But I’m starting to think about what’ll happen once it’s summer. Or next year. How we can make things work after I’m done with school.
“She’s young,” my mom says.
“I know.”
“Just …”
“I’ve only known her for less than two months, Mom. You don’t need to worry about wedding invitations yet,” I chide with a wry edge to my voice.
“Yet?”
I chuckle, but don’t say anything else. Yet is right. It’s too soon to go there right now. But in a few months? Who knows?
“The big question now, though, is what are you going to do with this refresh of your fame?”
My brows knit together. “What do you mean? Hire security for Gabby and me at least, maybe Ben if they hassle him more, and wait for it to all blow over. “
“Are you sure that’s what you really want? Because Harry called earlier. He saw the video too. He wants to talk to you.”
I grind my teeth together before answering. “I don’t want to talk to Harry.” Harry was our manager before. My parents did most of the work, but Harry was the one with the contacts. He charged a shitload of money just for putting us in contact with a few people, like the Disney deal that fell through. Harry was a bastard. I don’t think that’s changed.
“Well, just think about it.”
“Harry’s an asshole, Mom. Thinking about it isn’t going to change that fact.”
She laughs. “You’re right.” Pause. “Still. Even if you don’t want to talk to Harry. There are lots of managers out there. You might find someone that you can work with better than Harry. If any of them contact you, it might be worth hearing them out. You’re an adult now. And it’s just you. You’re in a position of power, especially since this is something you’re willing to walk away from. Managers and labels will be salivating after you with the attention you’re getting right now. You could capitalize on it and set yourself up for life. Maybe give your younger brother a chance at something again, too.”
“Mom—“
“I know. I’m just saying. It’s something to think about. I’d hate for you to let this all blow over, then look back on it later and realize it was a missed opportunity. You might not get this chance again.”
Taking a deep breath, I consider her words. I’m sure some of the voicemails on my phone are managers hoping to land me. If there aren’t any yet, there probably will be by tomorrow. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
The sound of the back door opening pulls me into the kitchen in time to see Ben and Gabby slip inside.
“Mom, I gotta go. I’m going to turn my phone off for a while, but I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay. I love you, Jonathan.”
“Love you too, Mom. Later.” Hanging up, I pocket my phone and pull Gabby into my arms. Everything feels better with her here.
She wraps her arms around me and gives me a squeeze. “Hey. Ben drove me past the front. This is crazy.”
“No one ambushed you at school?”
She shakes her head, her hair swishing around with the movement. “No. No one. I made sure to check for weird crowds before Ben came and got me. Thanks for sending him, by the way.”
“Of course.” I turn my attention to Ben, who’s still standing in the kitchen with his jacket on and keys in hand. “Thanks, man. I owe you.”
“Whatever. You’d do the same in some alternate universe where the situation was reversed.”
I smile. “True. Did they get pictures of you guys?”
A wide grin splits Ben’s face. “Nope. I parked two blocks away, and we came through the neighbors’ yards. I know you want to keep Gabby out of the press as much as you can for as long as you can.”
“Yeah. Have they been bothering you?”
He shakes his head. “Only a few phone calls from reporters so far. The photographers that were here when I left earlier snapped some photos, but no one followed me to school. They haven’t given up on you yet. But I’m gonna go hang out at Beth’s and avoid the craziness here. Let me know when you get them to clear off.”
I laugh. “Yeah, that might take a while. Sorry, man.”
Shrugging, he grins. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you asked for this. Have you figured out who posted the video?”
“No.” My jaw clenches. “I didn’t recognize the username, and my hacking skills aren’t up to figuring that out.”
Ben laughs. “I might have some friends who can find out if you want.”
My mouth opens to accept his offer, but with a look at the troubled expression on Gabby’s face, I change my mind. “No. I’ll keep that in mind if I decide I want to know, but at this point, it wouldn’t do any good. It’s out there. We can’t stuff it back in.”
“Okay. Let me know if you change your mind. It might be nice to know who to avoid once this all blows over.” He nods at Gabby. “It was fun trespassing with you. I’ll catch you both later.”
Once he’s gone, I tighten my arms around Gabby and give her a kiss. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Yeah? I’m still confused about why this was necessary. I mean, I get why you’re holing up here, but why can’t I go to class today?”
Leading her by the hand into the living room, I sit on the couch and pull her down to snuggle against me. “Because they’ll get bored with waiting for me. And the ones who work for a magazine or paper have people figuring out who you are. Once they do, half those people will leave to stalk you at school. They’re shameless. They don’t care how hard they make your life or mine. All they want is a picture and quote for their story.”
She looks up at me, her brows pulled together. “Yeah. Well, I mean, that’s their job, right?”
I snort. “Yeah. Except they’ll take anything and everything and twist it to however sells the most magazines or gets the most clicks on their website. They don’t care if it’s true or not. So they’ll take the most unflattering pictures of you, or get your classmates to say terrible things about you, or something. It’s better if you’re here where they can’t get to you.”
“So, what? We’re just going to camp out in your house and hope they eventually go away? How long will that take?”
I sigh. “I’m sorry, Gabby. I really am. I didn’t expect this to happen.”
“Whatever. You told me you were worried about something like this the other night.”
Shrugging, I tilt my head back and forth. “Sort of. I mean, I figured if someone leaked pictures or a video of me then it’d make it to certain entertainment news places. But I didn’t expect this much of a reaction. And for them to already be bugging Ben. Who knows who else they’re calling? Who else they’ll be stalking, hoping for a picture or a statement?”
Her gaze is steady on mine. “You never answered my question. How long is this going to last?”
“I don’t know.” I want to tell her that it shouldn’t take more than a few weeks for some other story to become more important and for all this to blow over, to become a memory we can laugh about in a few months or a year. Assuming we’re still together then. But the conversation with my mom is still fresh in my mind. The lure of the stage, of performing again, and my own music this time, is strong. Yeah, this part sucks. But there’s so much more to it than this.
Do I tell Gabby what I’m thinking?
Or will that scare her off even more?
Instead I pull her into my lap, kissing her. “I’ve contacted our old security firm. And I’m meeting with the Dean of Students tomorrow to make a plan for all of us who’ll be most affected—you, me, Ben, maybe Beth. We’ll have to see how aggressive they get.”
She nods, her arms draped around my shoulders. “Okay. So I should be able to get to classes again in a day or two?”
“Yeah. That seems reasonable. But you might need to avoid the campus center and the cafeteria.”
Rolling her eyes, she clutches her chest in dramatic fashion. “Oh, the horror. No cafeteria food for a few days? How will I ever survive?”
I grin. “I know. It’s a major sacrifice. Can you give that up for me?”
Pulling herself closer again, she kisses my nose. “For you? Yeah.”
Her eyes are intent on mine, and the way she says that sounds like she’s talking about more than giving up the cafeteria, which we both know is no sacrifice.
I clear my throat. “I want you to stay here until things calm down.”
She opens her mouth, and I know she’s going to object. I can get her to stay one night, maybe two nights a week in addition to the weekend. But every night? I’m basically asking her to move in.
“Don’t say no,” I add before she can say anything. “Just think about it. I know it’s a lot, but things are only going to get crazier before they get better.” Especially if I start talking to managers and decide to take this somewhere. Then this’ll become life as we know it, and not a crazy blip on the radar.
But she nods. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Now, I’m sure I can think of a few fun ways for us to pass our unexpected day off.”
She gives me a wicked grin, turning so she straddles me and sinking into the kiss. I’ve never been more grateful to have Ben spend time with his girlfriend than I am right now.