Page 2 of I Think We’re Alone Now

Elle

“Oh my God, Travis!”I squealed, lunging toward him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, the impact from catching me forcing him to take a step back. I gave him another hard squeeze, before letting go and stepping back to take him in. I couldn’t believe it was really him.

I'd had a crush on Travis Parker for as long I could remember. It had all started the day that my big brother, Bryan, invited him over to play after school when they were in the third grade. Not that I knew what a crush was then, or that it had meant the same thing when I was six. But it didn't matter—I’d been smitten with him ever since. Standing here before him now, I felt all the same things I had when I saw him then—and then some. His years in the army had served him well—his normally broad, athletic frame was now lean and muscular, and his sandy-blond hair was still in the military “high and tight,” making him look sophisticated. I felt the butterflies in my tummy already and tried to remind myself to play it cool. I was Glitter after all, not some high school girl.

“Gazelle?” he asked, looking me up and down as if he were trying to make it all make sense.

“Nobody calls me that anymore. Actually, the only people who ever called me that were you and Bryan. I’ve always hated that nickname,” I told him, trying not to cringe at the horrible moniker my brother insisted on calling me until recently.

"So what do they call you now?"

“Mr. Parker,” Linda interrupted. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes at the sound of her voice. She was a nice enough lady, and as far as record reps went she wasn’t too pushy, but leave it to her to kill this moment. “This is Glitter. Or, when not on stage, Giselle Roberts. Which, actually, it sounds like you already know.”

"Elle," I said, still staring into those soul-stealing brown eyes. Oh, how I have imagined those eyes over the years. “Everyone just calls me Elle.”

“Elle,” he repeated, as if he were trying it on for size.

“The afternoon is yours to do with as you please. Mr. Parker, your job is to keep Glitter out of harm’s way, so I trust that you will not be leaving her side for any reason. After your help outside, I imagine that this is something that you’re more than capable of. She needs to be at Hudson’s by five thirty for hair and makeup. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. The shock of seeing me seemed to have worn off, his tone in responding to Linda taking on a serious note. Turning back to me, he relaxed a bit, a smile tugging at one corner of his lips. “What would you like to do first, Elle?”

The way he said my name sent a shiver up my spine. Who knew four little letters could sound so sexy. Behave yourself. He’s your security guard and your brother’s best friend, not just some hot guy. Oh, who was I kidding? He’d always been someone who could get my motor running, and I doubted that would ever change. But I also wasn’t just some girl. I was Glitter, even out of my costume. And I needed to behave.

“Lunch? It smells like pizza in here, and it’s making me hungry.”

“We’re right behind the Sbarro, so it always smells like that in here. You get used to it. But let’s get you to the food court,” he said, gesturing with his hand toward the exit out into the mall.

Once we were out in the vestibule, I waited for him to lead the way. The mall had opened last summer, and I’d only been in this mall once before with my mother last Christmas. It had been so done up with decorations and extra vendor carts for the holidays that it seemed like a totally different place now. Walking toward the food court, I saw the area in front of Hudson’s department store where the stage was being set up for the show later this evening. Hudson’s had sponsored my tour, so in every mall we visited, the stage was placed right outside their store. Overall the tour had been a huge success, but I was ready for a break.

“Alrighty, Ga...Elle. Sorry, that’s gonna take some getting used to,” he said. “Welcome to Pine Grove Galleria food court. We have Sbarro, as you have had the pleasure of smelling for the last hour or so, plus BurgerTown, Little King, Muncheville, Cookie Counter, and of course, Orange Julius. Pick your poison, m’lady.”

“Pizza!”

“Some things don’t change, do they?” he asked, laughing. “You always could shovel down more pizza than any guy I knew.”

We grabbed our slices and managed to find an open table that was off to the side, so that we weren’t completely engulfed by the crowd.

“You’re gonna have to start explaining some things here to me, Elle,” he said after we’d settled. “You’re Glitter?”

“I’m Glitter,” I replied, with a slight shrug of my shoulders. “Did you really not know? Bryan didn’t mention it?”

“I really had no idea,” he said. My heart sank at his words. Not that I expected him to tell me he had known all along and that he’d been following my career, but part of me still had hoped that he’d had some passing interest in what I’d been up to all this time. Apparently not. “Bryan mentioned you were doing some singing thing, but he left out the teen sensation part.”

“So you just thought I was off doing Up With People or something?”

“Pretty much. How did all this happen?”

“Well, it was kinda weird actually. After high school I went to LSU. Sophomore year, there was a sorority talent show, and I thought it would be fun to perform. I didn’t really think anything of it, just got up there and belted out some Diana Ross. Turns out that a girl in another house had an uncle who was a talent scout, and he was there and liked what he heard. Next thing I knew I had a contract and an alter ego.”

“Wow.”

“Pretty much,” I agreed, taking a big gulp of my soda. I didn’t really want to talk about Glitter with Travis though. There was too much emotion wrapped up in how trapped I felt by my alter ego at times, and that was not a food court kind of conversation. Especially not with someone I hadn’t seen in six years. I wanted to hear about him. “So, you’re back! When did you come home? How long have you been working here?”

“About three months ago. I decided not to re-up, and so back to Pine Grove I came. My application is in with the police academy, and I should be hearing from them soon about a spot. This gig is just something to keep me occupied while I wait.”

“They don’t make you wear a uniform?” I asked, suddenly full of curiosity. He looked fantastic in his acid-washed jeans and plain black T-shirt, like a blond Rob Lowe, but I bet he looked even better in uniform.

“Horton likes to have at least one guy in plain clothes per shift. Everyone behaves in front of a uniform, but if they think I’m just some regular guy, then they are more likely to do whatever they were gonna do. Nefarious or not.”