Page 90 of Ravaged From Fate

“Holy shit,” Bishop remarks when I reach the end of the story.

“Yeah,” I reply. “Holy shit.”

There’s Axel, of course. A famous bad boy whose guard was completely let down by the imminent birth of his child and thus was a nervous wreck through the labor, constantly checking up on his fiancée every few minutes. He was in and out all the time, giving us all regular updates. He didn’t dare stay away from Maddie too long.

His sister, Chloe, was comforting him the entire time along with her husband, Bishop. They both were calm and dutiful, making sure Axel and Maddie were all taken care of. They were even so accommodating towards me despite being a surprising new stranger. Chloe made sure I was okay. As we waited, we chatted about our lives. The boys and Chloe growing up in Crystal River. Me being a nurse in East Springs. It was quickly reinforced to me that, despite the people around me being some of the most famous people on the planet, they were still down-to-earth small town guys. Just a group of boys doing what they love. I really grew to like Chloe in those three hours we waited together. She really went above and beyond to welcome me into this strange little loving family of misfits.

“You’re going to fit in just fine here,” she whispers to me at one point when there’s no chance anyone can overhear us.

“You think?” I ask her.

“I know,” she replies. “I’ve been noticing the way Caspian looks at you…”

“Yeah, it’s pretty hard not to notice,” I snigger.

Chloe turns to Bishop. He’s been talking with my boy a row down from us in the waiting room. “You know that Caspian took a bullet for Elsa, right?”

“Yep.”

“I’m expecting you to take a bullet for me when the time comes.”

“What? When the time comes? Is that a threat? Are you anticipating a bullet to come your way any time soon?”

“I’m just saying,” Chloe continues with a smirk, flicking back her black hair and giving me a cheeky wink. “If you truly love me, then you would take a bullet for me. Just like Caspian did for Elsa.”

“You’re crazy, woman.”

“Yeah, crazy for falling for a boy like you. A boy who wouldn’t take a bullet for me.”

“I’ll take a Nerf gun bullet for you,” Bishop replies. “Is that enough?”

“How about you get me a coffee first, and then we’ll discuss what type of bullets you will be able to take for me?”

Both Chloe and I laugh together. The boys look on with despair.

And then there’s Drake Sharpe, the lead singer and most hot-headed of the group. And, with Axel around, that’s really saying something. The most famous Ravaged member, the most typically good-looking, the most pure rockstar of the bunch.

Those bright blue eyes of his that can melt your heart… that thick wavy brown hair that’s always so perfect…

Up close, I can see why girls fall so desperately in love with his casual charm and handsome features, but of course, Caspian is forever my boy.

Talking to him, I can see Drake is a very independent and stubborn character. If there were to be any trouble brewing inside Ravaged, it would be from him. Not even Axel and his too-cool-for-school vibes are as rebellious as this man sitting next to me.

I’ve read up on Drake on the internet before I came. He clearly doesn’t care for girls; there’s never been one he’s made a priority over the music. And it is all about the music for him. Everything is for his career and his image. Out of everyone in Ravaged, he’s the one who wants to be most remembered. Girls are just a vassal for his momentary pleasure and not a pursuit worth spending time and effort on. He’s a guy full of burning desire for his craft and his legacy, nothing else.

I don’t spend long talking to Drake. He seems aloof from the rest of the band, let alone with me. I watch Caspian’s reaction to him. Judging by my man’s disposition towards Ravaged’s lead singer, I can guess that something’s definitely changed with Drake since the last time Caspian saw him.

He does speak up one time though, just before Maddie delivers her baby.

“So I guess I better ask the question that’s on everyone’s lips,” Drake announces bluntly. He glares at Caspian. “Why did you go?”

Caspian bows his head. He pauses for a long time, clearly debating in his head whether to let his bandmates in. He’s a man who’s not accustomed to sharing his thoughts, but he does so for us.

He tells everyone what he told me about his aggression. About his mother. About his fears of hurting the people he cares about most.

The band interject numerous times, trying to reassure him that he would never do them harm, but Caspian continues. He says how he’s so ashamed that he got the band mixed up with Harold and the bad press because of his stupid actions. His words, not mine.

“But then I met Elsa,” he says softly, turning to me. I see the faint impression of tears in his eyes. The most stoic man I’ve ever met is crying for me. “Elsa changed me.”