Lynne

Chapter 18

 My parents didn't have much to bring with them in the first place, but they had reduced all of their belongings into only a few suitcases. Almost everything else they had donated, sold, or were in the process of shipping to their new home. Point being, we didn't have much to unpack, and Ia and I quickly found ourselves with a lot of free time on our hands. Grandma was a sweet as always, offering to take us around town to her favorite restaurants, but Mom and Dad didn't want her to leave the house in her state. She was still having trouble walking correctly, and it was painful to see.

So, to my parents delight, we were able to roam the ocean-side city at our own free will for hours at a time.

The Vocals texted me to check up on me, specifically Gumi and Luka, who constantly asked for pictures and updates. There were plenty of opportunities for fun pictures throughout the city. Ia was happy to pose with some statues to photograph for the others. We got more than our fair share of weird looks. And also, for the first time, our fair share of fans. I was surprised at how many people recognized me, frantically reaching into their purses, backpacks, pockets, looking for anything for me to sign.

"Where are my fans?" Ia asked after one such wave ended.

"Oh, whatever." My hands were covered in sharpie marks.

"Where to next?"

"Hm," I put the marker back in my bag, and rested my hands on my hips. "We did everything we wanted to do already, basically," I thought aloud. "Wanna go to the beach again?"

We were halfway done with our trip already, and I was ready to be back home. The beach was cool and all, but I missed my bed. I missed my guitar, and I missed my living room.

Len's living room, you mean. I frowned.

"Not really," Ia looked around the street. "There are just so many people."

"Yeah." What else was there to do in this town?

"Let's just walk until we find something," she suggested.

As much as I loved seeing my fans, I really hoped they would leave us alone on our little friend-date. That was unlikely to happen when we spent our entire day walking around a city of celebrity-hungry people. But, Ia insisted, so we did.

"There are so many hot guys here," Ia fawned, her eyes following a group of guys traveling down the sidewalk across the street from us.

My eyes were drawn to the buildings that towered over us. "Yeah," I said mindlessly. We were deep in the heart of this city, witnessing it at its peak hours. Cars honked, people walked briskly through the crowds, somewhere a dog was barking. It had been entertaining for the first few days. Now, I wanted nothing more than to hide in my apartment.

Len's apartment.

"Dude," Ia grabbed at my sleeve. "It would be so easy for you to get a dude in California."

I tore my gaze from the buildings to shoot her an amused look. "We can't just go buy them at the pet store, Ia."

"You basically can."

"What does that mean?"

"You're famous! You could, like, do anything."

I shook my head, still grinning at her droning. "Not really. I just sing."

"I bet you could walk into that Starbucks," she pointed across the street. "And get a free drink."

"I'm not trying."

"I bet you could get both of us free drinks."

Before I could respond, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I stared blankly at the screen.