Page 271 of Fame & Chaos

Headline Act.

Holy shit…

Adrenaline surges through me as I grab my bag, climb out of the car, and jog up the stairs. The moment I step inside the jet, every head turns towards me.

“I’m here,” I announce, slightly out of breath. “Everyone can stop panicking now.”

Laughter rolls through the cabin while I drop into the seat beside Chad just as Rob boards behind me. Perfect. I wasn’t the last one.

“About bloody time,” Chad says. “You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.”

I grin, absent-mindedly brushing my fingers across my lips again. “Yeah… I sort of overslept.”

Chad snorts. “Bullshit.”

“It’s true.”

“No, it isn’t.”

He points towards Rob as our agent walks past. “He was out looking for you.”

I wince. “Okay, maybe I didn’t oversleep.”

“I knew it.”

Chad leans back in his seat, folding his arms. “So tell me something…” I look across at him. “Are you actually committed to this band?”

I stare at him. “What?”

“If not, we’d rather know now.”

I laugh. “Shut up.”

“I’m serious.” He grins.

“You’ve been acting like a lovesick idiot for months.”

I roll my eyes. “I was… occupied.”

“Oh, we know.” He nods knowingly. “Mysterious girlfriend.”

I freeze. “What?”

He laughs. “Come on, Caleb. We all know you’re seeing someone.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “You do?”

“You’ve only ever looked this disgustingly happy when you’re in love.”

I can’t help smiling. “No.”

He points at me. “You’re impossible. None of us knows who she is, but you’ve kept her hidden for over a year.”

I shrug. “She likes her privacy.”

“So introduce us.”

“I can’t.”