A Compelling Life

16. Lies

If today's events have taught me anything, it's that you should always listen to your mother. If I would have taken her wise counsel to 'never take rides from strangers,' and more importantly, her favorite piece of advice: 'when it seems too good to be true, it probably is' to heart, I wouldn't have found myself in a dark office in a million dollar villa just now, hiding from the world until I figure out a way to get the hell out of here.

How did I get myself into this mess? God, I wish I'd never stepped into that car with Erin. It's safe to say the ride over here was one of the worst moments of my life. I mean, the only possible scenario in which things could have been more screwed up, is if she had turned out to be a female serial killer. I almost wish she was; that would have justified my homicidal thoughts of wanting to throw her out of the driving car.

I replay the conversation we had over and over again in my head, as if to prove to myself that it's actually true; that Axl has been lying straight to my face this whole time.

*****************

It started off so well.... I immediately took a liking to Erin when she showed up in front of the Rainbow to pick me up. I mean, why shouldn't I? She seemed sweet, down to earth, and pretty in a non-intimidating way, with kind blue eyes, a tiny frame, and a smashing head of brown, curly hair.

So I sat down in the driver's seat next to her as we drove off, and I thanked her profusely for helping me out, still completely unsuspecting.

She waved my gratitude aside like the fucking saint she undoubtedly is. "Don't mention it! You helped me out with the address too you know, so if anything, I'd have to thank you."

"That was no trouble at all, I just read it from the invitation. You, on the other hand, offered a complete stranger a much-needed ride to Malibu. I think you win the appreciation contest here," I answered cheerfully.

A radiant smile lit up her face. "It's my pleasure, really. Like I said on the phone, the plane ride was long and boring, so I wasn't exactly thrilled to spend an hour alone in my car as well after that."

"Yeah, it's nice to have someone to chat to," I agreed. "So, what did you do in New York?"

"Did some modeling work, I shot a commercial for Jordache there. Have you ever been to New York?"

"Oh, Jordache, that's so cool. I'm a model too!" I answered, pleasantly surprised by how much we seemed to have in common. "But no, never been in New York."

"Figured you were a model too, you're beautiful!" she complimented me. "You should totally go and work in New York if you ever get the chance! God, I love that city. I've actually lived there for the past few years, and relocating back to L.A. was the hardest decision I ever had to make. But I just missed Axl too damn much."

Wait. WHAT?

"You.....moved back to L.A. .... for Axl ?" The lump forming in my throat caused my voice to come out like a high pitched squeak, but it was a question I needed to ask. Somewhere in the back of my mind, there was still a tiny glimmer of hope that I totally misinterpreted what she'd just said, that she'd turn out to be Axl sister or something - but she shattered that hope with her next words.

"Yeah, we've been dating for about a year now. We're actually thinking of moving in together now that the album's finished. It'll be hard not having him around when he's on tour, but at least he'll have a nice place to come home to when he's back in L.A."

It's funny how you think you know how you'll respond to bad news, and then you do the complete opposite when you actually receive it. I'd expected myself to cry, or scream, or, you know, kill the man-stealing whore. But I didn't do any of these things. Instead, silence washed over me. In a complete absence of ambient sound, I could see Erin's mouth moving, a loving expression on her face, probably raving on about Axl and sunshine and rainbows in their white picket fenced future home, but I didn't process any of it. I just heard a ringing in my ears, and a voice in my mind repeating the same words over and over again: He's with her. He's with her. He's with her.....