Chapter Twenty-Five
Silas
I woke up the next morning with Riley still in my arms. I’d slept well that night, and when I saw her next to me, I immediately ran my fingers over her body. I felt her stir beside me and moved my fingers until they were inside her. She didn’t turn around, but her legs opened for me, and I heard a slight moan escape her. I squeezed her breast with my other hand and circled inside her until she shivered against me. She turned around and smiled at me.
“That was a nice way to wake up,” she said.
“I didn’t want you to forget me,” I said gently. I made it sound like I was joking, but I wasn’t. I had a sudden fear that she would forget about me when I was gone. I dreaded the thought of her lying in this bed with another man, doing what she was doing with me.
“How could I forget you, Silas? Anyway, you’re coming back. You’re just going to make yourself famous for a little while.”
I chuckled. “Any idea what the time is? I want to lie here a bit longer with you.”
She looked toward the clock on the bedside table. “It’s eight.”
“Good. That gives me at least another half hour with you. Then I’ll get up and make us some breakfast.”
We lay there for the next half an hour, not saying much to one another. She turned to face me and every now and again we’d kiss and hold each other. She decided to return the favor to me by crawling under the covers and putting me in her mouth. Afterwards, I looked at the time and laughed.
“Hmm, how about we grab something to eat at the airport?” I said. I was already pushing it for time, and the last thing I wanted to do was miss my flight.
She smiled sadly. “Oops, didn’t realize the time. So much for bunkering in for just half an hour.”
“That’s okay. This was much better than food.”
We got out of bed, showered, and got ready. I had already packed the day before, so there was nothing much else to do except make our way to the airport. Riley drove, and I spent most of my time looking out the window. This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling of sadness that had come over me. I didn’t want to leave her.
“Why don’t you come with me?” I said as she parked the car.
“Come with you?”
“Yeah,” I said as the idea formulated properly in my mind. “I mean, I know I probably should’ve asked you this before we go to the airport, but you could always join me in a few days when you’re ready.”
“But . . . my job.”
“You hate your job,” I said.
She laughed. “I do. But it’s still a job. I need the money. Oh, Silas, I wish I could. But I can’t leave that house. And I’m not renting it out to strangers. I love that place. I want to do something with it and make my grandmother proud. I was thinking about it a lot the other day. I haven’t told anyone about my relationship with my parents in a long time. Talking about it with you really got me thinking. Maybe my grandmother knew how they treated me. Maybe this was her way of saying that she had always wanted to be close to me. I don’t know. I just get a sense that I would’ve gotten along with her. I can’t leave her house.”
I sighed. “Of course. It was a big thing to ask. Anyway, I’m going to be back soon. I’m just being overly dramatic. I will send you money for my room at the start of each month. I’m hoping I won’t be gone longer than two or three at the most.”
She smiled. “I hope so. Otherwise, you’re just going to have to fly me over.”
“Yeah, I’ll say that I simply cannot sing without you.”
We made our way inside, and I kissed her goodbye. As I walked away, I realized that neither of us had yet addressed what our relationship status was. I still had no idea whether or not we were a couple or just two people that got along very well. We’d had a wonderful date together, an incredible night, and an even better morning, but despite this, I was still frustrated that we hadn’t fully committed to one another yet. I liked this girl so much, and as I turned to wave at her, I promised myself that I would be back to claim her as my own.
I thought about her the whole trip. Then I reminded myself why I was going and I felt the excitement build up inside me. Garren was there waiting for me when I arrived, which surprised me. I thought he would send Annie to come and get me. It was nice that he had made the effort to come and see me himself. He waved me over.
“Silas! You made it! Good to see you. And thanks again for coming on such short notice.”
“Thanks for inviting me. I still can’t believe I’m here.”
“You better believe it. I’m sure Annie told you that I like to get things moving quick? I don’t see the point in messing about. Got to strike while the iron is hot, I always say. And the iron is certainly hot right now. I’m going to take you to the apartment I set up for you, and we can go over the contract and get you to sign a few things. Then tomorrow we start.”
“Oh wow, you really do move fast. We start tomorrow? That’s great.”
He grinned. “Get ready for your entire life to change, Silas. I have big plans for you.”
We made our way straight to the apartment. Garren never stopped talking the entire way. He told me about all his other clients had what he had done for him. I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to try and sell me on his skills. I was hooked already. Anyway, he was the only one that had been willing to give me a try, so I felt like my life was completely in his hands. But I liked that he was so excited. It made me feel good about myself and what I had to offer him.
It wasn’t just an apartment that he had set me up with, but also a car. They were all temporary, but I was still so overwhelmed by it all. I had expected to catch the bus every day, and I had been more than happy with that arrangement. The apartment was big, and very spacious considering I was going to be staying there alone. He took me for a tour of the place, telling me about all the other celebrities that had stayed there before they had gotten big. A portrait of each and every one of them lined the walls, and I smiled at the thought that perhaps one day my own face would be smiling at the end.
“So, what do you think, Silas? Is this good enough?”
“Are you kidding me? This is beyond incredible. What a great place,” I said as I looked around in surprise. I still couldn’t believe where I was.
“Good. I’m glad you like it. Like I said, many familiar faces have been here. It has a good energy don’t you think?”
“Yeah, it really does. I love it. Thank you for doing all of this.”
“No problem at all. So, I’ll come and get you tomorrow so that I can show you where the studio is. It’s pretty close but it will be easier if I show you the first time. You can meet Annie too. She’s dying to meet you. And then I’ll run through how it’s all going to work. I have a lot of ideas for you. Once we’re all set up, I’m also going to see if I can get you some interviews. I always like getting interviews for my clients before they actually become well-known. It’s great footage for the media to use at a later stage too. People love to see a before and after of their idols.”
Their idols? I was going to be someone’s idol? Was this really happening?
I started laughing. “I’m in shock.”
“Soon enough, this will all feel normal to you. You’ll see. I went ahead and ordered you a pizza, one meat one and one vegetarian as I wasn’t sure what you wanted. It’s in the fridge. You just need to heat it up. Well, by me I mean Annie ordered it for you. She thinks of everything. I’m not sure what I would do without her. Now, do you have everything you need? Or is there anything I can get for you?”
“Pizza? That’s amazing. Thank you. That’s very nice of you. I have everything I need. This is great.”
“Great, then let’s talk business. I have a few things I want to go over with you today before we get started tomorrow. This is the boring stuff.”
“I’ve been waiting for this boring stuff for a very long time,” I said. “Let’s do it.”
We sat down and went over the contract details. There was a lot of paperwork and a lot that I didn’t understand, but he went through it all with me as slowly as possible and asked me to sign various forms. It was only once he left and I flopped down onto the sofa that I realized I had just signed my first deal. I wanted to jump and down with excitement. I wanted to share my joy with someone. I picked up the phone and called Riley. There was nobody I wanted to talk to more than her.
“I was hoping to hear from you tonight,” she said, and I smiled at the sound of her gentle voice. I pictured her sitting on the sofa in her pajamas with her feet up. “So, what’s it like being a star?”
I chuckled and looked around my new home for the next while. “It’s not bad at all. I have officially signed the contract.”
She squealed. “So, it’s really happening! I’m so excited for you.”
“I’m excited for me too. I wish you were here, though. There’s a bottle of champagne here for me, and it sort of feels wrong to open it up without you.”
“Why don’t you keep it until I have a bottle here too? We can drink and talk all night.”
I smiled. “I like that idea. I’ll keep it. Let me know when you’re in the mood to get giggly.”
“I do not get giggly when I drink champagne!” she declared and then immediately started laughing.
“You’re giggling now! Are you drinking champagne without me?”
“Never! I just giggle at the mere thought of it. That’s how powerful the stuff is.”
“It’s nice talking to you again,” I said. Even though I had seen her only a few hours ago, I missed her. I wanted to celebrate with her.
We continued talking for the next hour until I heard her yawn.
“I’m keeping you up,” I said.
“No, you’re not. I’ve loved talking to you.”
“I’m tired too. We’re going to start recording tomorrow already; can you believe it?”
“You are? That’s quick.”
“Yeah, this Garren guy doesn’t mess around. I’m going to have something to eat, and then climb into bed.”
“You’re not going out to party?” she asked.
I laughed. “Party? No way. I’m going to bed.”
“Thanks for calling me, Silas. This house feels so big without you. Miss you.”
“I miss you too, Riley.” I put the phone down and sighed. I couldn’t believe that I missed her so much already. Hopefully, these next few months were going to go by quickly.