Chapter Nine
“You want to sweep this under the rug?” Zeke folded his arms over his chest when Jared finally clued him in on his plan. He didn't say a thing about knowing it from Ariel, because that would open a whole new can of worms. He tasted her on his lips hours after the kiss, and damn it, there wasn't a thing he could do about it until at least the show was over.
Jared, he could handle later, when nothing else kept him from pursuing Ariel.
“Ariel's fine with it, so what's the big deal? Jake's off the show, Ariel is okay, and life goes on.”
Jared's attitude pissed him off. “What if I don't sign?”
His friend paled. “Why the hell would you do that?”
Deep breaths before I pummel my so-called friend. Zeke cleared his throat. “Doesn't feel right to me.”
“Because you have a thing for her? Would you feel this way if it had been any of the other female singers?” Jared tossed back, shooting to his feet to look Zeke square in the eye.
His hesitation, even for a few seconds, told his friend exactly what he needed to know.
“She's out of your league,” Jared muttered.
“Or is she? You just don't want me around her. Why? You know damn well I'm not the man I was when we were performing together.”
“No?” Jared challenged.
“I'm trying, man.”
“I'm glad you're trying, don't get me wrong, but not with my family friend. Ariel's had enough drama and heartache.”
“Yeah? Maybe she's tired of her best friend's cousin getting involved in her life!” Zeke yelled.
“Did she tell you that?”
“Hasn't she told you that?”
“What do you want with her, Zeke? What could you possibly want with Ariel?”
“I want to get to know her. I'm drawn to her, and yes, I know there's not a damn thing I can do about it while we're both part of Sing It!, but who's to stop me after it's all said and done?”
“Me,” Jared growled, edging closer.
“Why? Because you think-”
“Because I know what you'll end up doing. You'll get your fill. She'll be eye candy on your arm until A.) You dump her because you can't stay with one woman too long, or B.) You'll get her hooked on the shit that made up our lifestyle, neither of which I want to see happen to her.”
Zeke's pulse points throbbed. “What makes you better than me? We lived the same life. You're clean. I'm clean. You haven't dated in over a year, and I'm guessing by your attitude, maybe you haven't even gotten any. But I'm working on the same thing, and I'm going to be the one to bring someone down? Why?”
“Because it was my fucking slip up that caused Lucy's position, okay? I don't know if we can ever change! It's too easy to give in to temptation. So no, I'm not any better than you! I'm far worse off!” Jared slammed his fist on the table, both of them full of anger and now surprise at the admission. Jared must not have wanted to talk about it. His face was red and sweaty, and he trembled.
Zeke took a moment to regroup. Jared's words hung over them like a low beam ready to fall on both their heads.
“It's never an easy climb out of hell, man,” he finally managed.
“No, it's not.”
“I had a relapse recently myself.”
“Is your cousin in a coma because of it?” Jared snapped.
“No.”
Running a hand through his hair, Jared heaved a sigh. “Lucy met a guy through me. He saw her once when he scored me some stuff. I didn't know until her accident that she'd been seeing him. He was high as a fucking kite when he crashed the car with her in it, and she hasn't woken up since.”
Zeke blinked. Not the story he expected. “By the way you spoke, I thought you were the one who directly caused her accident.”
“I did! If I hadn't slipped up, she never would have met him.”
“Jared, man...” He was at a loss for words. “First off, I'm sorry. I see your conscience is eating you alive. Let me say this. Even if you hadn't slipped up, Lucy could have met someone else who could have done the same thing and wound up in the same situation. You have no control over what everyone else does. You gotta learn to let it go.” He moved to his friend's side. “I'll sign the papers, all right? And you know even if we aren't performing together any more, you can come talk to me. I'd like to think we're still good friends.”
“It's hard to face you guys sometimes. I was the one who forced you to fix your shit. That meeting was intense.”
“Yeah, and with good reason. We were on the path to death with all that drinking, smoking, and partying. I love having a clearer head.”
“Sure gives you better lyrics.” Jared smiled.
“Yeah. They make a little more sense now.” Zeke chuckled.
“What about the string of women?”
“I'm not saying I wanna settle down, get married, and have 2.5 kids, but I'm not saying I don't want to look for someone who could be good for me, either.”
The two continued to talk as Zeke signed the papers, but the subject of Ariel didn't come up again.
*****
“I'll be singing a duet with Zeke Sketcher tonight, Luce. Can you believe that? He's so different. I thought he was more of a womanizer. Maybe it's what they want us to believe, but he's so not that way! He's sexy and funny and makes my stomach go in knots. He gave me some advice the other day, and it helped. I miss you. You should be here with me. You're the real star here.” She clicked off the recorder, overcome with emotion.
Later, she'd tell Lucy all about the other things going on with Zeke: the forbidden feel to their mutual attraction, their kiss, and the way he made her feel. Things that were better left unsaid at the moment.
All week after that smoking kiss, it became hard to work with him. At least the other rehearsals weren't private, but it didn't stop the tempting looks shared between them. Zeke made sure not to single her out and draw any extra attention to what was going on between them, and despite her lack of concentration when he was around, Ariel felt confident about her performances.
An hour and a half of wardrobe, makeup, and last minute conversations about the live set up, and they were ready to go. Tonight, she'd be singing a song solo, then later would be pairing up with Zeke. Both made her super nervous.
“You look hot! What song are you singing tonight?” Lila approached her during the pre-show chaos.
“Don't Stop the Music by Rhianna. Is this too much?” Ariel glanced down at her outfit, a sexy number that frankly left her feeling uncomfortable.
“I'd be all up over you if I were into that kind of thing.” Lila winked. “Go with the flow. You're gorgeous, and the song is sure to be a crowd pleaser.”
Definitely not a tune to show off her newfound stage presence the way Without You did, but her duet with Zeke would cover that aspect, though they weren't being judged based on the duets. Those were more for fun, used as filler on the show now that there'd been several eliminations.
“Thanks. It'll be fun, no matter what happens. Hey, how do you guys learn your numbers so fast? I mean, don't you have to set up a routine and all that?”
“A lot of practice. We all work so many hours outside of rehearsals. You can't see it, but there are some dark circles under my eyes. Gotta love makeup and wardrobe for fixing that pesky little issue.” Lila chuckled. “Anyway, it's time for vocal warm ups. I just wanted to say good luck!”
The familiar music began, signaling the start of the show. Ariel avoided looking at Zeke as much as possible. She couldn't handle it tonight. Not the way she looked. She wasn't anywhere near comfortable. At least when she sang with him later, she'd be in a different outfit.
Until her time came to sing, Ariel watched all the other performances with Zeke's words from the other day in her mind. Each and every one of these singers and groups had something she didn't.
Confidence. Determination.
She was here for the wrong reasons. What happened if she won, or got close? Hell, what happened if someone decided to sign her to a label if she ended up disqualified tonight?
Right now was not the best time to be having this mini crisis revelation. Not when she had to take the stage soon and give her best performance, not once- but twice tonight.