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“Atta boy,” Harry says. He pats my shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it.”
I say goodbye to Harry and make plans to meet Oliver for drinks tonight. Here goes nothing.
* * *
I meet Oliver at some swanky LA bar that he insists we go to because it will make us look hip. I tell him there’s no way we are competing with the new crop of Hollywood elite, but go along to humor him.
Since the band has taken a hiatus, Oliver has begun dabbling in real estate. He buys and oversees a renovation team as he flips properties. He doesn’t seem to miss touring that much, but I know he misses the attention.
I walk through the room, wishing it was acceptable to wear sunglasses indoors. The room is brighter than the street outside. Each wall is decorated in a different theme to pose and take photos. They’ve even gone as far as to set up tripods for your cell phones and ring lights, to make taking selfies and tagging the establishment a breeze.
It’s like I’ve entered a jungle and I can’t make my way out of the quicksand. But finally, I see Oliver. He’s dressed to impress and sitting at the bar, flirting with the bartender.
As I stand next to him, she does a double take. It’s been a while since anyone has seen 5 Leo Hearts out in public together. The only glimpse people have gotten of the “where are they now?” version of our stories is when the media covered Ridge’s wedding. We were all groomsmen. I was Best Man, which by the way, is a massive task if the groom is marrying Kelly. I found that out the hard way. I might as well have been a bridesmaid for the amount of times her sister, the Maid of Honor, texted me.
“Is this seat taken?” I sit down next to my bandmate.
“Jax, dude,” Oliver says. We do a one-arm hug and handshake move. “Never thought the day would come when you asked me to hang out. But here we are.”
“Yeah, yeah. Harry wants me to get out a little before touring starts.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing it,” Oliver says, taking a sip of his drink. He’s matured but still has what I think women would consider a sexy nerd vibe, thanks to his black wide-rim glasses. “The first of us to break out and go solo. I honestly thought it would be Ridge.”
“Me too. It probably would have been if he wasn’t shacked up with Kelly.” I order a drink. It’s a nice change from making my own at home.
“That’s true.” Oliver shoots the bartender a smile and her cheeks turn a rouge color. “Once she got her hooks in him, he was whipped. Now that she got him down the aisle, forget it. He’s gone the way of Mario and Jack. Wedded bliss and all that.”
“At least we actually like all their wives. What about you?” I dart my eyes to the bartender, who is now serving some young stars who look like they’re only recently licensed to drink. Pretty sure one of them is an actor on a popular teen drama. They have no clue that Oliver and I are famous. If they do, they aren’t letting on that they recognize us. We are has-beens. And I love that. Except, I need to be relevant.
“She’s hot, right?” Oliver says about the bartender. “I might get her number. But I don’t want to get tied down right now. I’m in the middle of negotiations to get this house in Beverly Hills. It’s not even a flip. I want to get it and then make a few updates and put it back on the market.”
“Look at you, trading work for women. I like this new you.”
“Hey now, look who’s talking, The King of Players. I haven’t seen you with anyone on your arm lately.”
There goes my reputation getting thrown at me again. Even from my closest friends. I know he’s slightly joking, but it still irritates me. “Nah, I’m just focused on writing songs and getting this album out. No distractions for me, either.”
“That’s awesome. I can’t wait to hear some of them.”
“The label says I still need a single,” I say.
“I’d offer to give input, but I know you want to do this totally alone.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. You’re right though, I have to do this alone. To prove that I can, ya know?” I take a sip of my drink and swallow the truth.
“I get it. You still want a career in music, so you should. Who knows if the band will ever reunite? You need to figure out how post boy band life will be for you.”
“Yours is looking pretty good, Oliver. You’re well on your way.” I raise my glass to him.
As Oliver and I talk, I start to feel more confident being out in public. This isn’t so bad after all. I just had to rip off the bandage. A few casual acquaintances spot us and come over to chat. Before I know it, a few hours pass and I’m ready to go home. I might be getting adjusted to going back out, but I haven’t done it enough to want to spend all night socializing with crowds. I want to get up and start my day early tomorrow. I’m feeling a new motivation.
Before we head out, Oliver gets the bartender’s number. I knew it. Good for him.
“Isn’t that weird? I’m leaving with a girl’s number and you’re going home alone. Things are definitely not like the old days.”
“Definitely not.” Except, I’m oddly not jealous or feeling a need to compete with him. I’m different now, and for that, I am grateful.
Tomorrow I’m one day closer to going on tour. And that means I’m either one step closer to public scrutiny or one step closer to everything I want. Hopefully the upcoming meeting with my PR team will help ease some of my worry. I wonder who will be working on my account this time. Marisol, Carlos, and Imani have all been great. But I’m not sure who will be the one assigned to come on the road to manage tour press. Whoever it is, I’ll be working closely with this person every day.
