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“You’re running from something,” he said after the silence passed.
“And you can determine that just from looking at me?” I responded then got on my feet.
“The Leah I remember wouldn’t have given up music unless it was something serious. You’re either running from something or someone, and you think returning to your old life is the way to save yourself.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” I answered in a stern tone as I faced him again and wagged a finger at him. “You don’t know a thing.”
“If I’m wrong, why are you getting angry? You know I’m right, Leah. You’re running from something, and it’s not going to solve anything.”
Tommy rose to his feet, and he stared hard at me even when I didn’t flinch. I stormed out of the kitchen without another word to him and spent the rest of my day locked up in the bedroom upstairs.
When Danielle called that night, I took the call and sat up on the bed to talk to her.
“Hey Danny,” I said in a low voice, but she sounded so relieved to hear from me. “I’m sorry,” I apologized for avoiding her calls. “I just have a lot going on here right now.”
“You don’t have to worry about anything,” Danny said to console me, and I could tell she had been worried about me. “I was worried when you didn’t take my calls and I feared he had found you.”
Her use of the word ‘he’ sent a shot of pain right through my chest. I knew whom she was referring to, and even though I tried my best not to think of him, I still remembered sometimes and dreamt of that night—the night I couldn’t remember.
That night I was at the wheel of my Mercedes and all I could remember was feeling the sweet, fiery trickle of vodka that burned my chest. I had partied hard, and I remembered Trevor, my ex, was screaming at me to slow down. We were both drunk, but I was driving that night and when the crash happened, I was in control.
That accident had cost the life of an innocent man, and it was all my fault.It should have been me.I could never go back to Nashville now or get caught here in Lakewood hiding out because I would go straight to jail.
I couldn’t let Tommy know that I wasn’t the sweetheart he thought I was. If anything, I wanted him to keep believing me as the Leah he once knew. I didn’t want him to ever find out about how I lived in Nashville. I knew deep down inside my present life couldn’t last forever.
Back in Nashville, Danielle was there for me the entire time, and she was the only reason I was able to pull myself together. That night was ingrained in my head forever, I could never forget it.
I gave up on my music, the only thing I had ever truly loved because it had put my mind at rest and forgotten about my life as a whole. It was a part of me. I allowed the fame to go to my head, and I lived as if nothing else mattered. That wasn’t me. I didn’t want to be that girl anymore, so I had to give it up.
Now all that was left was to find something else to do with the rest of my life and stay clear of Nashville and my ex-boyfriend. I just had to give it more time.
Tommy
Ihadn’tseenLeahsince the brief argument in the kitchen the previous day.Perhaps I pushed her too hard?
I sensed there was something she was hiding, and I just couldn’t put a finger on it. Leah had been passionate about music since she was a little girl, so why would she give that up at a time when she was about to make it big, bigger than ever? She had the chance to go international and travel the world, singing.
The European tour was a huge shift in her career, and I couldn’t just watch her throw that all away while the rest of her band prepared for the tour.What’s going on?
I couldn’t help but worry for her even though she didn’t want that. I was in the living room, still thinking. How can I gain her trust? I need to get her to open up. At that moment, she descended the stairs and headed for the front door.
“Leah,” I called and sprang to my feet. She paused at the door, looked back at me, then waited for me to say more. “Where are you going?”
“Do you want to keep tabs on me now?” she answered almost immediately, and I didn’t miss the frown on her face.
“That’s not why I’m asking,” I clarified. “I’m asking because I want to take you to dinner. I want to apologize for yesterday. I was nosy and it’s not my concern so I shouldn’t have pestered you. I’m sorry.”
It took some seconds before she sighed and walked up to him. “I’m the one who’s sorry,” she said and touched my arm. “You’re only looking out for me, and I got upset for nothing. I’m sorry.”
“So, dinner?” I asked and she nodded. “We can stroll to this fancy place that sells amazing Chinese meals. I only recently discovered it and it’s just a few blocks away.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
We arrived at the dinner in a few minutes and took a seat outside. It was a cool evening, and the night’s air had a chilly bite to it. On nights like this, I liked to stare at the stars and admire their vibrance.
Leah tried to tame the strands of her hair as the wind blew over her, and without thinking, I reached out to tuck some strands behind her ears. I could see her grin even in the dim light, and every other sound around us faded for me. It softened into a genuine smile and that warmed my heart too.
“You know, coming back to Lakewood was a very spontaneous decision,” she said to me after our order for Chinese noodles arrived. I remembered Leah and Danielle always liked to have Chinese noodles as take-outs, so watching her eat with so much gusto was not new to me. “I think it was the only decision for me because I missed being in town.”
