Brooklyn & Beale (21 page)

“Yeah,” she croaked, trying to blink back tears. She pressed the towel to her nose and pulled in a shaky breath. “Damn, that hurt.”

“Chloe.” Reid stepped in front of her, his expression twisted with horror as he looked at her blood-covered hands. “Oh my God. What happened?”

“Elbow,” Chloe whispered.

“Chloe, I’m so sorry,” Greer said, stepping beside Reid.

“Where the fuck were you?” Reid spat, his eyes blazing as he turned his anger on Greer. “You were supposed to meet her at the side door. None of this would have happened if you’d done what you said you were going to do.”

“I went to the side door,” Greer shot back, his voice rising. “She wasn’t there. I realized there were two, but by the time I got over there, she was already at the bar.”

“It’s not Greer’s fault,” Chloe mumbled.

“The fuck it isn’t.” Reid shook his head in disgust and gently wrapped his arm around Chloe’s waist. “Come on,” he whispered, all traces of anger gone as he pulled her against his side. “Let’s get you back to the hotel.”

Chloe looked at Greer as Reid guided her out of the bar. She wanted to let him know she wasn’t angry. This wasn’t his fault. However, Greer wasn’t looking at her; his angry gaze was fixed on Reid.

In the cab, Reid kept his arm around Chloe, her body pressed against his side. He moved his hand over her arm in a soothing manner, occasionally leaning forward to look at her and ask if she was okay. Chloe hated the way her heart raced when their eyes met. How her skin tingled and heated from his touch.

When the cab came to a stop in front of the hotel, Reid paid the driver and stepped out of the car. Chloe slid across the seat, her eyes widening when Reid took her hand and helped her out. As soon as she stepped onto the sidewalk, Reid wrapped his arm around her once more and led her into the hotel. Through the lobby, in the elevator, and down the hall to her room, he never let go.

Once inside, he grabbed the empty ice bucket. “I’m going to grab some ice. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” Chloe moved into the bathroom and dropped the towel from her face. The sight of dried blood covering the lower half of her face made her wince. The pain had lessened, but her nose was still a little swollen and red. It wasn’t broken, but she expected to use a lot more concealer than usual over the next several days.

She looked down at her body and grimaced. She was a complete mess. Unlacing her boots, she tossed them out into the bedroom and grabbed a washcloth. Steam rose from the sink as she held the cloth under the warm water. When she looked into the mirror, she froze. Reid stood in the doorway, a bucket of ice in his hand. Their eyes locked in the reflection as he walked to her side and set the bucket on the counter. The intensity of his gaze caused a shiver to run up her back and her breath to still. He’d never looked at her like that before, but she wanted him to do it again and again.

Without a word, he pulled the washcloth from her grasp and lifted it to her face. With gentle motions, he wiped away the blood. Chloe’s chest ached, her lungs burning from the breath she refused to take. She was afraid to move, afraid of breaking the spell they’d fallen under. Reid dropped the cloth on the counter and cradled her jaw with both hands. He turned her head ever so slightly from side to side, inspecting every inch of her face. She felt exposed, vulnerable.

“I’m so sorry about what happened,” he whispered.

Chloe wrapped her fingers around Reid’s wrists and smiled. “It wasn’t your fault. That guy was completely wasted.”

“Doesn’t make me any less sorry.” He stared at her in silence. A sense of loss swelled inside Chloe as she waited for their connection to break, for the moment he would drop his hands and step away. Chloe shuddered when, instead of letting go, he swept his thumb across her cheek. “Thank you for the song tonight. No one’s ever done anything like that for me.”

Chloe smiled and her shoulders relaxed. “Well, I knew buying a gift was pointless. You already have everything you want, and if you don’t, I’m sure you’d have no problem getting it.”

An emotion Chloe couldn’t decipher, yet caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach, flickered across Reid’s face before vanishing as quickly as it appeared. “You know the saying—you can’t always get what you want.”

Chloe hummed and swayed slightly. “But if you try—”

“I might get what I need,” Reid murmured, his voice low, his eyes filled with conflicts Chloe didn’t dare to try to decipher.

“I want that for you more than anything. I hope you know that. It’s why I did what I did for you tonight.”

Reid blinked, his confusion clear. “What?”

Chloe mimicked his expression. “Inspiration,” she said, the word sounding like a question. “I want you to get your words back.” Chloe’s eyes widened before she diverted her gaze to the floor. Embarrassment heated her skin and she shifted her body away from Reid. “God, I feel really stupid right now. I had them bring you to the club because I’d hoped playing ‘The Weight’ would work like playing Creedence did. But saying it out loud made me realize how completely absurd it sounds.”

Reid halted her retreat and shook his head in mock disapproval. “What kind of Jedi trainer are you? Second-guessing yourself is a rookie mistake. Always go with your gut.”

Chloe laughed softly, her eyes reflecting the relief coursing through her body. “I never thought I’d see the day when you used my obsession with all things
Star Wars
against me. Maybe your training is complete.”

Reid smiled and slid his hands from her face to her shoulders and down her arms. “I have much to learn, Master.”

Before Chloe could reply, there was a knock at the door. The bubble Reid and Chloe had formed around themselves burst as Reid dropped his hands and stepped back. Chloe shifted her weight and looked over Reid’s shoulder toward the door.

“I better get that.”

Reid nodded and moved to the side. Chloe walked past him, the backs of their hands brushing against each other. His footsteps echoed behind her as she made her way to the door and opened it. Greer, Inky, and Drew stood in the hallway, their faces pinched with concern.

“Chloe, are you okay?” Inky asked, stepping into the room and wrapping Chloe in a hug.

Chloe nodded and waved for the others to come in. She cut her eyes to Reid, whose gaze darted from Chloe to Greer.

“Reid?” When he looked at her, his expression was devoid of emotion.

“I’m going to head to my room if you’re okay. I need to call Jess before it gets too late.”

Dejected, Chloe dropped her eyes. “Okay. Thanks for everything you did tonight. I’m sorry I ruined your birthday.”

A look of sadness crossed Reid’s face as he grabbed Chloe’s arm and gently pulled her into the hall. He looked back into the room, then turned his full attention to her. “You didn’t ruin my birthday. What you did was actually the best present I’ve ever gotten.” He pulled her against his chest and dropped a kiss to the crown of her head. “You inspire me,” he whispered before taking several steps back. “Good night, Chloe.”

Her eyes were dazed and her mouth hung slightly ajar as she lifted her hand and waved. “Good night, Reid,” she whispered before turning and heading back inside her hotel room where she would have to pretend that everything in her life hadn’t been turned on its axis in a matter of hours.

The music was too loud for the late hour. Chloe didn’t care. They had one more show and then she was going to New York to pack all her things to move to Los Angeles. Drink in hand, she danced around the room, her long blond and purple hair flying behind her. Images blurred behind her closed lids: the places she’d traveled, the faces she’d seen. But no matter how hard she tried, hazel eyes, light brown hair, and a strong jaw overshadowed everything. It took no effort at all to smell the rich, woodsy scent of his skin, to feel his smooth, yet callused fingers glide along the curve of her jaw. God, she wanted to feel it again. She wanted to press her nose to his chest and inhale the musk of his cologne. It was wrong. She knew it was wrong. He wasn’t hers. But, oh, how she wished he could be, that he didn’t have a girlfriend he loved, and that when he looked at her, he felt as she did.

“I’m so stupid,” she whispered into the empty room. Releasing a heavy breath, she moved to the dresser and pulled out her thigh-high rainbow-striped socks. They were completely ridiculous, but she loved them nonetheless. Sliding them up her legs, she grabbed her off the shoulder sweater and slipped it over her tank top, the bottom hanging just above the hem of her cotton shorts. Moving to the bed, she grabbed her notebook and dropped to the floor. Taking a sip from her beer, she flipped to the newest page and smoothed her hand across the paper.

You shouldn’t be here, you don’t belong

I don’t wanna write this kind of song.

Let me be, can’t you see

Don’t point your damn arrow at me.

Let me be, can’t you see

He and I aren’t meant to be

Chloe’s eyes shimmered as she read the lyrics. Her chest ached. Shame and regret weighed heavily on her shoulders. She’d done this to herself. Grabbing the pencil from her bedside table, she flipped the eraser to the paper when a soft knock caused her to startle. With furrowed brows, she dropped the notebook and pencil and stood.

“Who is it?” she asked, her heart inexplicably beating faster.

“Chloe? It’s Reid. I know it’s late, but can I come in?”

“Shit,” Chloe whispered, her eyes falling shut, her jaw tightening. Pulling in a cleansing breath, she opened the door and stepped to the side. “Is everything okay?”

She waited as Reid remained unmoving in the hall. His eyes raked over her body, leaving her feeling self-conscious and breathless. “Reid?”

He blinked and cleared his throat before walking into the room. Chloe watched as he looked around, his posture stiff, his hands shoved inside his pockets.

“Are you okay?” she asked again, his behavior making her uneasy.

Reid spun around and shrugged, his expression contrite. “Yeah,” he croaked, his voice raspy. They stared at each other in awkward silence before Reid gripped the back of his neck. “I heard your music.”

“Shit! I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

“No. I couldn’t sleep. I figured since I was up, and you were up, that we could keep each other company for a while. If that’s okay,” he rushed to add, causing Chloe to smile.

“Yeah, it’s okay. I’m just having a drink and dancing around the room. You know, the usual.” Chloe moved to grab her beer from the table and tipped it in Reid’s direction before taking a long pull. “You want one?”

“Sure.” Reid moved to the small table in the corner and eased into the chair while Chloe pulled a beer from the fridge. She used the opportunity to draw in a deep breath and clear her mind. When she turned to face him, all traces of her internal struggle were gone.

“One more show,” Chloe sighed, falling into the chair across from Reid.

Reid nodded, his eyes downcast. “One more show.”

“Calm down there, killer. Your excitement is a little over the top.” Chloe held her hands in front of her as though she was warding off his onslaught of enthusiasm.

Reid laughed, a flicker of life dancing in his eyes. He leaned back in the chair and took a swig from his beer, his smile still in place. “I see the late hour hasn’t affected your ability to put me in my place.”

With a dismissive wave, Chloe scrunched her face. “It will never be too late for me to put you in your place. I live for these moments.”

“I bet you do,” he murmured, his eyes narrowed with playful suspicion. “So have you worked out the details of what you plan to do during your two-week break?”

“The first thing I’m going to do is cook my own food. I know that probably sounds silly to you, but I want to eat something that doesn’t feel like takeout.”

“That doesn’t sound silly. I know exactly what you mean. No matter how many meals are catered in, it still feels like eating out every single day.”

“It does,” Chloe agreed, her mind shifting to her apartment in Brooklyn. Well, what was soon to be her old apartment in Brooklyn. Apparently, Reid’s train of thought had moved to the same topic.

“Are you still planning on packing up all your things while you’re there?”

“Yeah. I know it’s a lot to do, but I don’t see the point in waiting. My landlord found someone to take over my lease. If I move now, I can avoid paying six months of rent for a place I’m not living in.”

“Do you have help?”

“I do. Anders is promoting a movie in New York next week, so Josie is tagging along. She’s going to help me box everything up and arrange for it to be delivered to her place in LA.”

“Wow, that’s awesome. I was worried about you doing all that by yourself.”

Chloe shrugged. “I have friends in Brooklyn who would have helped. Although, they probably would have spent the entire time trying to convince me not to move.”

Chloe didn’t miss the way Reid’s jaw tightened. “Well, I’m glad you won’t have to resort to their help.”

Chloe laughed. “You’re probably right. What about you? What are your plans?” Chloe’s grip tightened around the glass bottle in her hands. She wanted to kick herself for asking a question she already knew the answer to.

Reid shifted and took another sip from his beer. “Memphis,” was all he said. No further explanation was necessary.

“How’s the writing coming?” Chloe asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Hit and miss,” Reid answered with a humorless chuckle. “I’ve written some, but every word is a struggle. I just can’t seem to find my rhythm for more than a second.”

Chloe reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Maybe Memphis will do you good. Give you a chance to breathe. Maybe you can visit some of the places you wrote about.”

Reid shrugged and downed the rest of his beer. “I’ll take another one if you have any.”

Chloe grimaced. “Sorry, that was my last one.”

“I have a few in my room. Are you up for another round?”

“Sure. Go grab ’em. I’ll be right here.”

As soon as the door clicked behind him, Chloe dropped her head in her hands and groaned. He was doing everything in his power to make her hate herself and he didn’t even know it.

“Rainbow socks,” Reid muttered as he pulled a six-pack of beers from his fridge. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He shouldn’t go back. He should call it a night and crawl into bed, but he wasn’t going to do that. The truth was, the idea of going two full weeks without seeing Chloe was more difficult than he wanted to admit. Had she not agreed to move to LA, he wasn’t sure what he would have done. That knowledge alone was the only thing keeping him from following her to New York.

He shook his head at the ridiculous thought. Following her to New York would be the worst thing he could do. He belonged in Memphis—with Jess. The moment her name popped into his head, a pang of guilt and shame seared through his chest. Not wanting to think about all of the ways he was screwing up every aspect of his life, he shoved his room key in his pocket and walked back to Chloe’s room.

Rapping his knuckles on the door, he pushed it open and stepped inside before flipping over the lock that had been used to prop open the door. Chloe was still seated at the table, one knee pulled to her chest while her other leg dangled from the chair. Wordlessly, they smiled at each other as he passed her a beer and grabbed one for himself.

“So have you decided which songs we’re doing for the awards show?”

“I’ve only changed my mind about a dozen times,” he groaned. “I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time with this one.”

“Well, let’s see if I can help.”

For the next hour, Chloe and Reid pored over his song catalog, listing pros and cons for each song. Truth be told, it was completely unnecessary. It wasn’t that Reid didn’t know which songs he wanted to play, because he did. The problem was the reason behind his song choices. Each song he chose was a song where he and Chloe played off one another and sent the crowd into a frenzy. No doubt it would make for one hell of a show, but this would be the first time they performed in front of cameras for live television. Reid worried that without the crazy lights, dry ice, and amateur recordings of fans, everyone would see what he so desperately tried to deny. That his chemistry with Chloe went far beyond the stage. The thought was terrifying.

“Mind if I use your bathroom?” Reid asked, needing a little distance.

Chloe looked around the table and laughed. “Go ahead, but make it fast. My bladder didn’t realize we’d gone through all of your beer until now.”

Reid used the facilities as quickly as possible, grinning when he found Chloe waiting outside the door. “It’s all yours.”

The door clicked behind him as he moved around the bed toward the table. He stumbled when the top of his boot hit something sticking out from under the edge of the bed. Without thinking, he stooped and retrieved what he realized was Chloe’s notebook. When he scanned the words on the page, his entire body locked. The words blurred as his vision drifted in and out of focus. The sound of his rapidly increasing heartbeat pounded in his ears as the read the words again and again. What did they mean? Were they about him? Were they about someone else? That scenario caused an entirely different set of emotions to emerge. He eased to the floor, so focused on deciphering the meaning of the lyrics that he didn’t notice Chloe had sat in front of him until she placed her hand on his arm.

“Are you okay?”

He looked at her, wide-eyed and nervous, his heart lodged in his throat. “Is this new?” he asked, his voice strained.

Chloe looked at the page, and instead of anger or embarrassment, her eyes fell shut in what seemed like resignation. “Yeah. I was just messing around earlier. You know how it is.”

“I used to,” he whispered.

Chloe pulled the notebook from his hands and placed it in her lap. She traced the curves of the letters with the tips of her fingers and sighed. “You know, it’s not a feeling you can forget—the motivation behind your words.”

Reid swallowed hard and wiped his palms against his jeans. “What’s your motivation?”

Chloe lifted one shoulder and tilted her head. “The same as anyone else, I guess. Life, and the shit it throws at you.”

“Life has thrown plenty of shit my way lately and I still can’t find the words. Is there something wrong with me?”

“Do you feel like there’s something wrong with you?”

“I feel like everything I’m feeling is wrong.”

Chloe’s brows dipped and a flash of pain crossed her features before she dropped her chin and hid behind a cascade of hair. “I know exactly how you feel.”

“Chloe,” Reid whispered, lifting his hand to tilt her chin upward. “When I was younger, the only songs I wrote were about my life. It’s what makes them so special.”

Chloe stared at him, her violet-blue eyes penetrating into every part of him. He was lost in her gaze. “If you were to write a song about me, what would you say?”

He dropped his hand and looked away. “You know I can’t write.”

“I’m not asking you to write a song. It doesn’t have to be like that. Just a sentence or two. If someone asked you to tell them about me, what would you say? That’s all it is. It’s only words, Reid.”

He took a deep breath and scrubbed his hand over his face. A memory of standing on an empty stage popped into his head. At the time, the words made no sense, but
now
 . . . He couldn’t understand how he didn’t see it all along. “She’s steel and silk,” he murmured, his pulse thundering in his ears. “Soft strands floating in the wind, a canvas of color covering her skin. She wraps me in her embrace, bathes me in her grace. She’s wrecking my world, this perfect girl . . .” The words died in his throat as he stared into Chloe’s shimmering eyes.