What The Heart Remembers - The Heart #2 (Complete)

Chapter 17 - Part 1

Adonis

The night of the awards had arrived. There had been a buzz of excitement from the start of the day. We managed to get in a practice in mid morning and we were ready. This was what I lived for. The lights, the screams and the music.

I was just about to grab my leather jacket my phone started to ring. I had just spoken to Lacey so I knew it wouldn't be her. It was Trisha.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Sorry," she said. "I'm not feeling well and I wanted to asked you a favour."

"Sure," I said. She sounded awful.

"I can't go to the awards tonight and I don't my sister, Katie, to miss it ..." She paused for a moment. "Would you mind taking her for me?"

Trisha did a lot of stuff for us so when she asked me for a favour I didn't hesitate.

"Sure," I assured her. "We'll take her."

"Thank you," she said, sounding relieved.

It wasn't a big deal. Between the three of us we could keep an eye on her and make sure she enjoyed herself.

"She'll be a little starstruck," she warned me again but I shrugged it off. We could handle it. Besides she was Trisha's sister.

**********

Early evening Katie joined us in the limo to take us to the event. I took a deep breath before we walked the red carpet. While I sometimes enjoyed the interaction with reporters I loathed it when they asked personal questions I'd rather not answer.

It shouldn't have surprised me when I got cornered by an aggressive reporter. She flashed me a devious smile as she bombarded me with questions about Lacey. I watched as my bandmates and Katie stopped at the next reporter.

"Has your friend recovered from her surgery?" Was the first question she threw at me.

"Yes, she's fine now." But I knew it wasn't going to end there. I kept my features relaxed.

"There are rumours that she's more than a friend."

I stiffened but tried to keep my facial expression casual. If she suspected I was uncomfortable with the question she would keep at it. I wasn't ready for the world to find out about Lacey. This side of my life wasn't easy to handle and I wanted to give her time to adjust before she was thrown into magazines and gossip mags.

I smiled, my signature dimpled one as I shook my head.

"No, she's only a close family friend."

"Really?" The reporter persisted but I wasn't going to give her the answer we both knew was the truth.

"She's the little sister of my best friend. Nothing more." I shrugged my broad shoulders.

"You two seemed much closer than that." She wasn't giving up.

I shook my head. "I'm unattached. There is no special girl."

"But what about your heartfelt speech at the concert a few nights ago."

Damn! I'd forgotten about that.

I smiled casually as my mind grasped at a way to explain it away. "It was a infatuation," I replied. "It didn't last long."

"What about the girl who arrived with you guys tonight?" she asked, she held the mic to me.

I could tell her she was just a friend but it suited me to give her the impression that she could be more to me. It would keep her off the subject of Lacey. I just smiled and shook my head.

The reporter let the subject go and asked me a few other questions about our tour and the awards we were nominated for.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the interview was over. But I wasn't getting off that easy. There were a couple of more reporters determined to dig deeper to find out what my connection to Lacey was but I was more determined to protect her. I wanted to have time with her, just the two of us, without the world watching our every step.

I smiled to myself when I thought about her now. No longer was there a tinge of sadness of everything that could have been, because I had it now. I had everything I had ever wanted.

But not matter how happy I was I couldn't shake that slight feeling that because everything was going so well something was going to happen to ruin it. We had over come too much to allow anything to stand in our way. I shoved the unsettling feeling away determined not to allow it to ruin my night.

I watched Katie as she struck up a conversation with Link. She held nervously onto her wine glass taking a few sips. Her fingers white as they tightened around the glass. Her eyes were fixed on my bandmate as he told her a joke. She laughed nervously and took a sip of her wine.

I kept an eye on Katie and she was enjoying herself. For the first time in a long while I felt like my old self. Not the guy that was constantly worrying, or stuck in a state of limbo. That night I performed on stage with my bandmates, we were totally in sync and I forgotten about everything other than the feeling I lived for when I sang in front of a massive audience.

To top the evening off we won a two awards. By the time we left we'd had a few drinks. Katie stumbled slightly and I caught her by the elbow before she face planted on the ground.

"I think you had too much wine," I told her putting my arm around her waist to steady her.

"I forgot to eat," she mumbled as I steered her behind the rest of the group into the waiting limo. Link hung back and waited for us to catch up.

Once we were seated in the limo she gripped my hand.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled drunkenly, as her eyes tried to focus on me.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," I told her. She was wasted and in not state to drink anymore. The only place she was going was back to her hotel.

Even though the guys wanted to go out clubbing I made them stop by the hotel first. I lifted Katie out of the limo. Her body was heavy and uncooperative.

"You need help?" Link offered.

I gripped her around the waist securing her to my side.

"I'll put her to bed and then meet you guys at the club."

Link studied me for a moment. And I thought he might argue with me but he nodded closing the limo door. I helped Katie to her room which was next to Trisha's room. It wasn't easy trying to fish her key for her room out of her purse while trying to hold her up.

Once I got her in the room I lifted her off her feet and put her on the bed. I took of her shoes.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked. I wanted to leave but she was so drunk I hesitated.

"I need.."

I frowned as I stepped closer to the bed.

"What do you need?" I asked.

Her eyes were glazed over as she looked up to me. She looked paler.

"I need..."

She tried to sit up. I helped her. She got to her feet and leaned toward the bathroom. Her hands clamped over her mouth and I realised what she needed. I lifted her swiftly and she made it to the toilet in time to throw up. I held her hair while she threw up again and again.

There was no way I could leave her in the state she was so I stayed with her. After a while she stopped being sick and I wiped her face with a damp cloth.

"I'm so sorry," she kept mumbling and I assured her it was okay. I hadn't planned on baby sitting someone for the night but I couldn't just leave and Trisha was in not state to watch over her sister.

Once I got her in her bed she went to sleep. Deciding it was best to sleep on the sofa I kicked my shoes and made myself comfortable. I got my phone out and contemplated calling Lacey but she was probably sleeping. I decided to call her in the morning.