AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stared at the phone in my hand and said, “It’s weird. I’ve been chasing this dream for such a long time, but now that it seems to finally be coming true, I feel totally unprepared.”
“I don’t think anyone’s ever prepared for fame. I know I wasn’t.” Harper gestured at the phone and said, “Go ahead, make the call. I’ll give you some privacy. Come find me when you’re done, okay?”
I nodded, and he left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Then I took a deep breath and dialed Blake Brooks’ number.
Maybe forty minutes later, I put my phone on the nightstand and went to find Harper. It turned out he was sitting at the top of the stairs, leaning against the railing, and he asked, “What did he say?”
“He’s very interested in working with me, and he wants me on the next plane to Nashville. One of his clients is headlining Bridgestone Arena tomorrow night and they already have two opening acts, but he wants me to be the third. That’s the biggest venue in Nashville. After that, he wants to book a few gigs around town while I record an album. Then he wants to get me out on the road touring as soon as possible. He says his motto is ‘strike while the iron is hot,’ so the next few months are probably going to be pretty crazy if I agree to this.”
“You haven’t agreed yet?”
“I told him I’d get back to him with an answer within the hour. The most time-sensitive thing is that concert tomorrow night, so he’s waiting to hear from me.”
As I sat down beside him, he said, “You have to say yes. This is what you always wanted.”
“Yeah. It is.” Both of us were quiet for a few moments, and then I said, “You and I are just getting started, though.”
“I know. I’d go with you if I could, and I’ll definitely join you as soon as I can. Once this promotion tour is over in a few weeks, I think I have a couple of days off before I have to be in Canada for a film festival. From there, I’m expected at that charity event in London. But after that—”
“Your schedule’s busy for the next three months, and then you’ll probably start gearing up for your next film.”
“We can make a long distance relationship work,” he said. “Every time there’s a break in my schedule, I’ll come join you in Nashville, or on the road.”
“You’re already exhausted. Flying back and forth between all your other commitments would wear you out.”
“I’ll gladly do it for you.” I leaned against him, and he wrapped his arms around me. After a few moments, he said, “I knew those videos would launch your career. It just never occurred to me they’d take you clear across the country.”
“I don’t have to go.”
“Yes, you do. You’ve been working toward this since you were a kid, and this is finally the culmination of all that effort.”
He was right, but I still tried to come up with an excuse to stay. “If I try to make that concert tomorrow night, I’ll miss your birthday.”
“We were just going to spend it running to a series of interviews and the premiere.”
I searched his eyes and asked, “Do you really think this is the right call?”
“I do, and we’ll make it work. People manage long-distance relationships all the time.”
I exhaled slowly, and after a few moments, I stood up and said, “Okay, I guess I’ll call Brooks and let him know I’ll be there in time for the concert.”
I really felt like I had to do this, that I owed it to myself after all those years spent trying to get my musical career off the ground. But why did it feel like I was losing everything, instead of making my dreams come true?
The next morning, I found myself on the tarmac at LAX, staring out the window of a 747 while a dull ache expanded to fill my chest. There were several planes ahead of this one in line to take off, so we were just sitting there, waiting.
As I slumped in my seat, I thought about the night before, and the way Harper and I had held each other and promised nothing would change once I moved to Nashville. But of course it would. Texts, calls, and video chats weren’t the same as spending our days and nights together. They were no substitute for kissing him, or hugging him, or reaching over any time I wanted to and taking his hand in mine.
On top of that, the proposed schedule Blake Brooks’ assistant had sent me was just as busy as Harper’s. Between my boyfriend’s endless commitments and mine, along with the time difference, we’d barely be able to manage a quick call here and there, let alone the long, nightly video chats we’d promised each other.
