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“And we’ve already gone through the big fight and separation,” I add, recalling how our story started.
“And my clothes are already mostly in your house.”
“You have a whole bathroom cabinet for your makeup and toiletries,” I add with a smile.
“We can work from home after dinner sprawled on the couch instead of staying at the office late,” she counters.
“And I have a four-poster bed. Remember, I have that too,” I wink at her.
She bursts out laughing and kisses me again. “Especially that.”
“So it’s a yes?” Hope shines through my voice.
“It’s a yes,” she nods before placing her lips on mine.
The happiness that expands in my chest is so massive that when I hear a deafening noise behind me, my reaction is to growl, literally, at whoever dares to disturb us. The guy who walks by looks at me with terrified eyes.
“I have to go and kill someone. I’ll call the concierge and ask them to leave you a key in case I don’t come back tonight because they arrested me for murder.”
She chuckles as she lets me go handle the problems that come with preparing for these kinds of events. I’m so happy about the turning point my life has taken, though, that I’m not hit by the usual nervousness these parties cause me. It’s like I’m looking at my life from a different perspective, and I like it much better than the one I had before.
***
The launch of the four albums goes exactly how I wanted it to. The club is set up to perfection, including the two screens with Manhattan in the background, and the most influential people in the industry gathered in this room to congratulate the band for their success. Even more than all of that, it’s the smile plastered on the Jailbirds’ faces that warms my heart. I watch them laugh and joke with some of the guests, and all I can feel is my heart pumping furiously into my chest for their success.
The first time I met them was like getting punched in the stomach. I knew immediately that they would become the greatest band of this generation, but the story of where they came from won me over completely, and I decided I would do anything to see them become the greatest rock stars in the world.
Growing up near my father, I saw an endless line of celebrities who earned their place in Hollywood because they were children, cousins, relatives, or friends of some celebrity. Not that they didn’t live up to their role, but they had opportunities most people only dreamed of, served to them on a silver platter. When I met the Jailbirds, I saw their wounds still open and bleeding, the continuous battle they fought every day to survive without going back to being criminals. I read in their eyes the desperation that made them cling to an opportunity to change their lives.
Tonight is the moment of redemption I’ve been waiting for. The success they’ve pursued with such fierce determination is finally coming into view now with the complete independence they’ve gained. Tonight couldn’t be less than perfect. I wouldn’t have accepted it. They deserve everything life gives them. They’ve already paid their dues for years, and now there’s nothing left to do but enjoy their success.
“It’s wonderful what you’ve done for Damian and the others,” Lilly says.
I turn to her. She’s wrapped in a silver dress that seems to illuminate her. She’s come a long way from that young woman wrapped in sweatshirts two sizes too big for her.
“They deserve it. They fought tooth and nail to get here. It’s the least I could do.”
Lilly studies me for a few moments. “So why aren’t you happy? I can tell something is upsetting you.”
I shift my gaze from Lilly to the Jailbirds to the rest of the Red Velvet Curtains. It’s with the second band that I failed. They got caught in the crossfire of a battle that didn’t concern them and became the only victims of this war. I’ll never forgive myself for this. With the Jailbirds in the beginning my sin was inexperience; it was my arrogance that sank the others. I lost my mind, and that’s not allowed in my job.
“Evan, look at me.”
I set my eyes on Lilly, and shame rises from my chest.
“It’s not your fault, okay? You couldn’t do anything about it,” she tries to convince me.
I shake my head and lower my gaze, unable to deal with her sweet eyes, her compassion toward me. “I made a mess. There’s no getting around it. I let my feelings take over and cloud my judgment. It’s an unforgivable mistake, and if I’d been with any other company, I would have already been fired.”
Her hand rests on my arm, and I die a little inside with shame. She shouldn’t be comforting me. She should be angry and ignoring me like her bandmates. Their coldness toward me freezes my blood every time I’m around them. There’s no open hostility, especially in public, but there’s also no friendship that once bound us.
“When we were faced with the decision to support the Jailbirds’ choice to leave the record company, we were aware that the consequences would be unpleasant. We took it all into account, and we made an informed choice. It’s not your fault that we were in the middle. You have to understand that. I don’t want you to think it’s your fault,” she insists firmly.
“Protecting you was my job. I was supposed to shield you from the crap that was flying your way and I didn’t do it. Instead, I made it worse. It is my fault, no matter how hard you try to make me feel better.” I smile, and her reaction leaves me breathless.
She hugs me so tightly that I choke, trying to breathe. For a moment, I’m stunned, but then I reciprocate the gesture. I feel a weight lifting from my chest. Knowing that Lilly is still with me, that she feels the need to tell me she hasn’t abandoned me, calms many of the concerns I still can’t silence. I look up at my friends and find Damian and Luke staring at me with slight smiles.
“Are you stealing my boyfriend?” Emily reaches us smiling, and Lilly sticks out her tongue.
