How to Catch a (Rock) Star (The Dead Hour #1) (7 page)

‘Give a proper Dead Hour welcome to my partner in crime for this next song, Lillie Harris!’

Kate pushed her onto the stage and she walked towards Jed, concentrating on his face and steadfastly ignoring the crowd, whose cheers and screams had faltered somewhat as they realised they had no idea who this mystery guest was.

‘Lil is our new discovery. We’re real proud to have found some new talent here in the UK and can’t wait for you all to love her as much as we do,’ Jed said as Johnny set Lillie up with his microphone stand.

She stared out into the almost darkness, her heart beating double time as she concentrated on staying on her feet. The screams got louder as Eddie started playing the intro to ‘Fell In Love With A Girl’. Jed put an arm around Lillie’s shoulders, whispering reassurances as she put her hands to the mike and took a deep breath, choosing a light to focus on.

‘I’m okay,’ she told herself, ‘I can do this. It’s just a few lines, just over two minutes.’ Lillie made a wobbly smile at Jed and began to sing, faltering at first but growing in confidence as the song went on. The crowd went silent as the words floated over their heads, Jed’s strong voice a perfect backdrop for Lillie’s lilting tones. As they finished, the audience erupted into wolf whistles and cheers, screaming for more. Lillie was both elated and relieved, and her legs were shaking so much, she didn’t know if she would make it off stage.

‘I told you guys you were getting a treat, wasn’t she fucking awesome?’ Jed screamed at the crowd, who shouted and whistled back.

Jed and Lillie turned to each other just as Johnny came up and planted a big kiss on her cheek.

‘Well done Lil, you nailed it. They loved you!’

Lillie grinned at him, feeling her eyes tear up. She felt a little overwhelmed, the adrenalin leaving her body now it was all over.

Jed thanked the audience for being a great crowd and the band left the stage to rapturous applause and screaming, Lillie following on unsteady legs.

‘Oh my God, that was amazing!’ Lillie exclaimed. ‘Terrifying but amazing.’

Jed lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around him, giving him a big kiss as he spun her around in celebration.

‘How long are you going to make them wait for an encore?’ she said to Jed, smiling at the sound of the crowd shouting for more, their feet stomping the floor.

‘We need to celebrate you first, where’s some beers?’ Jed said, looking around him.

Steve held up a case of beers and Kate passed them around. Jed held his high, welcoming Lillie as an honorary member of the band, as everyone clinked bottles and cheered ‘Lillie!’, who rolled her eyes in embarrassment.

‘Where’s Eddie?’ Kate said, waving her bottle. Lillie looked at Jed, who started to make a big thing of getting back onstage for the encore, kissing her quickly before heading off.

Lillie turned to Kate who immediately jumped on her, hugging her close.

‘You guys look so good together. Honestly, going to that club was fate. You’re gonna be a huge rock star!’ she said excitedly.

‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ Lillie said, frowning. ‘My parents are going to freak out and, by the look of it, Eddie’s not quite as okay about it as Johnny and Chris.’

‘Rubbish,’ Kate said. ‘He probably just needed the loo or something. Anyway, that’s just one person. Who cares as long as you and Jed are happy, right?’ she continued.

Lillie didn’t like the dreamy look in Kate’s eyes.

‘I mean, this could be the start of your life, right here. In a couple of years you won’t even remember me and you’ll be this hugely famous and successful rock chick, adored and looked up to by millions of teenagers who want to be you.’ Kate paused, looking off into space.

Lillie couldn’t wait to hear what she had planned for her next.

‘Of course, you’ll have your own band or maybe be a solo artist. You and Jed will have houses all over the world and be a totally glamorous couple. You’ll be like the rock version of Brangelina, they’ll call you guys Lilome or Jedlie, no that sounds…’ she trailed off as she caught Lillie’s expression.

‘It was one song, Kate. I’m not going to get my hopes up. Plus, my parents aren’t exactly going to be thrilled if I tell them I’m going around the world with a rock band I’ve only known for a week,’ she retorted.

‘You’re twenty four years old, Lil. Who cares what your parents think? You’ve done loads of stuff they wouldn’t have approved of, what’s one more thing?’ Kate said.

‘Why don’t we just enjoy the end of the gig and we’ll talk about it later
if
there’s anything to talk about,’ Lillie said, turning to the stage to watch the last couple of songs, determined to enjoy the sexy spectacle of Jed performing.

Kate didn’t know what it was like to have parents who thought creativity should be restricted to hobbies; Lillie’s mum’s epic failure as a singer had seen to that. And, yes, she was twenty four but she still felt like she needed her parents’ approval. She stifled a sigh, and wished for the millionth time that she didn’t care about what people thought so much.

As the band came off stage for the final time, Steve came forwards to pull Jed to one side before he could reach Lillie. Chris whisked Kate away immediately, and Lillie was left to watch the rather intense conversation going on between Steve and Jed, trying to interpret their facial expressions and hand gestures. She gave up just as Jed turned away from Steve and walked towards her. She couldn’t read the expression on his face but he looked serious as he took her hand. They walked down to one of the small dressing rooms in silence, and Jed closed the door behind them, finally turning to look at her.

‘So, here’s the deal. Steve thought you were great and the crowd obviously liked you,’ he paused and Lillie smiled, though her heart was hammering inside her chest. ‘But he doesn’t think the label would pay you to come on tour with us. A couple of songs wouldn’t warrant any money. Plus, he’s worried about me and you and whether this is something that will last.’

Lillie stopped smiling as her heart faltered and she realised how much she really wanted this.

‘I told him that I wasn’t worried about that at all, and that I honestly think we could be something really special and real, but - ’ Jed shrugged his shoulders.

Lillie was getting impatient for him to tell her the bad news.

‘Anyway, if the record company agrees and you can learn four or five songs in the next two weeks or so, Steve thinks he can get you on tour with us on a very low budget, expenses basis only. No salary as such, but - ’

Lillie interrupted his speech by flinging herself at him and pressing her lips to his. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he staggered back against the door, returning her kiss twice as hard. Breaking away, he looked at her and asked if this meant she would come on tour. She laughed, and nodded and he kissed her hard before releasing her.

‘Let’s go tell the others!’ he said, opening the door and running down the hall, pulling her behind him.

They burst into the main dressing room, all excited smiles as Jed announced that Lillie was going to be going on tour with them. Johnny was the first to reach Lillie, picking her up and swinging her around.

‘Fucking A!’ he shouted. ‘Oh man, this is gonna be so much fun. A girl on tour. Maybe we’ll eat some proper meals now…’ he laughed as Lillie hit him in the arm.

‘Yeah, this is great, Lil. Well done,’ Chris said, giving her a hug. ‘You did great onstage and I think you’ll fit in real well with the band.’

Lillie thanked him and let herself be drawn into a long hug with Kate who was actually crying for goodness sake. She couldn’t help noticing that Eddie was nowhere to be seen.

CHAPTER TEN

Jed woke up to find himself sprawled diagonally across the bed, empty mattress surrouding him. He looked around in confusion, smiling as he saw Lil sat at the desk, her back to him, all that beautiful dark hair spilling down her back. Slowly, he got out of bed, trying not to make any noise as he crept towards her. He kissed her shoulder and she jumped, covering the piece of paper in front of her. He frowned and snatched it from underneath her hands.

‘Jed, don’t – ‘

He held up a hand as he stared at the two columns, at least three times more lines of writing in one column. His eyes flickered to the headings. Three times as many cons as pros.

‘So,’ he said, ‘does this mean you’re not coming with me?’ He was surprised at how steady his voice was. She didn’t say anything. He held the paper out to her and she moved towards him. He lowered his arm and moved back. ‘Say something!’ he screamed at her in his head. Hurt flashed across her face.

‘Jed, I just had to reason it out in my head. This is a really big thing for me to do.’ He stepped towards her again and opened his mouth to say something but she carried on. ‘If it doesn’t work out, then where does that leave me? In a foreign country with no money and no friends. I just need to consider it properly.’ She looked at him pleadingly. ‘You get that, don’t you?’

She closed the gap and took the list from him. ‘I like you so much it scares me. It sometimes feel like I’ve known you forever, but the truth is that I’ve only really known you for a few days. And I’ve got to be realistic about it. What if things don’t work out?’

Jed put his hands to her face; he knew what she meant. This was all moving very fast, but he felt like it was so right. He pushed the small feeling of guilt aside.

‘But what if things
do
work out? What if you don’t come and we never see each other again? Won’t you always wonder what might have happened if only we’d been brave enough to give it a go?’ He searched her eyes for some sign that she was relenting. ‘I want you to come with me. If things don’t go how I think they will, I’ll cover your airfare home, and I promise that I will do my best not to ever make you feel uncomfortable. Please, Lil. Give us a chance. Give me a chance.’

He stared at her, silently urging her to agree. What the hell was she thinking about? His heart was beating too hard as he waited for her decision.

‘Lil? Please say something. Even if it’s no,’ he said quietly, running his thumb under her jaw. He felt her shiver in response, and then she nodded as tears spilled onto her cheeks. He closed his eyes in relief and kissed her gently. Jesus. He wiped away her tears with his thumbs and kissed her again before hugging her tight against him.

‘I’m so glad you said yes, Lil, because I think I’m falling for you,’ he whispered to the top of her head. She stiffened and tried to move away from him but he held her close.

‘Don’t say anything,’ he whispered. ‘Just be here with me a minute.’

She relaxed back into his embrace and he felt her heart rapidly thumping against his chest, her arms encircling him. Finally, he pulled back to look at her. She raised her eyes to his, and he noticed they were bloodshot.

‘Come here,’ he said, leading her over to the bed. He lay down, pulling her with him. He felt nervous, even though he’d already said what he probably shouldn’t have. He stared at the ceiling for a long while, feeling Lillie’s gaze on his face.

‘I’ve never felt this way before. I want to spend all my time with you. Every second. And,’ he paused, ‘I feel happy. Really happy. For the first time in, well, seems like forever.’ He finally turned to look at her. ‘I’ve suffered from depression for years. Had a bunch of therapy and God knows how much Prozac. But none of that helped as much as being with you has.’

He fell silent and looked at the ceiling again. Maybe he shouldn’t have said all that. If she was unsure about not coming on tour before, then he bet she was full on against the idea now. Nobody wanted to be cooped up with a miserable, manic depressive for months on end. Shit. She was so still. And really fucking quiet. Well, he may as well tell her everything now. He psyched himself up with a deep breath and started to speak at the same time as Lillie. They both laughed shakily, and he gestured at her to go first.

‘I’ve never been depressed,’ she said, her grey eyes serious as she looked at him. ‘But I do know what you mean about being really happy these last couple of days.’

Jed smiled and she smiled back, her cheeks now a delicate pink. When she spoke again, she moved her gaze from his eyes to just left of his face.

‘It scares me though, because I put my trust in someone before and it turned out he was married. And his wife had just had a baby.’ She stopped and took a deep breath. ‘She came to my house and screamed at me on the doorstep. I had no idea. No idea at all. I felt sick and dirty and, well, you can imagine. I haven’t been with anyone since him. Until you.’

She stretched up to kiss him and he gathered her to him, holding her too tight as he kissed her back. He forced all his thoughts to the back of his mind and held her until she moved gently out of his embrace.

‘Anyway, we’re supposed to be happy today, not thinking about past hurts,’ she said, staring into his eyes with a sad smile on her face. ‘So, what were you going to say?’ she added, burrowing her head into his chest.

‘Another time,’ Jed said. ‘Let’s have a shower, talk about our plans for the day,’ and he pulled her off the bed and into the bathroom, determined to make her forget all about her ex-boyfriend.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

‘Thank you so much for driving me back, Kate,’ Lillie said. ‘It means we get to spend a bit more time together and you can give me all the goss on you and Chris now that none of the boys are about,’ she turned to look at Kate, who smiled broadly.

‘It’s no problem,’ she replied. ‘Besides, I need to go to the flat and pick up some clothes too.’

‘What for?’ Lillie said. She knew Kate had brought enough clothes for a few days when they had decided to both go to Gloucester.

‘Well, I wanted to tell you yesterday but you were so busy, I didn’t have a chance.’

Lillie bit her lip and frowned. She had been a bit of a shitty friend to Kate in the last couple of days. Jed and learning songs had pretty much consumed all her waking moments.

‘Kate, I’m so sorry. I’m a bad friend – ‘

‘No, you’re not!’ Kate laughed. ‘You need to practice the songs and you want to spend time with Jed. I get it and it’s totally cool.’ She paused and glanced at Lillie. ‘I’ve been spending a lot of time with Chris.’

Lillie squealed and clapped her hands.

‘That’s great! So… tell me all about it,’ she said, settling back into her seat, feet resting on the dashboard.

‘Well, we’ve, you know - ’ Lillie nodded and smiled at Kate’s coyness. ‘Anyway, I spoke to Mum and asked her if I could have some time off from the gallery, and she said I could so –’

‘Tell me you’re coming with us on the rest of the tour!’ Lillie demanded, swinging her legs down and twisting to face Kate.

‘Well, not the whole tour but at least a couple of weeks,’ Kate confirmed.

‘I would hug you so hard if you weren’t driving!’ Lillie said. ‘That is so freaking cool! Yay!’ She sat back and thought for a bit, remembering something Jed had said about Chris not wanting to be tied down to anyone whilst the band were on tour. ‘So, Chris is okay with it then?’

Kate nodded. ‘He was the one that brought it up actually. He said it would be “cool to have some more time together”, so…’

‘Oh, Kate! I can’t tell you how glad I am. It’s about time you were with someone like Chris and, honestly, I was dreading being alone with five boys for months on end. Plus, I don’t think Eddie likes me. I’m not sure Jed even asked the rest of the band if me joining the tour would be okay.’

‘He did,’ Kate said. ‘They all agreed on it. Chris said Johnny was completely on board with it, and Eddie didn’t seem bothered one way or the other. As long as he has some pot and gets to play guitar, he doesn’t care what happens apparently.’

‘Oh, well that’s a relief. I guess he’s just the quiet one then.’

‘More like he’s stoned all the time,’ Kate laughed. ‘He doesn’t have the energy to talk to anyone. They all like you, Lil. Don’t get your paranoid head on, okay?’

Lillie nodded and lapsed into silence. She didn’t want to get into a discussion about her tendency to always expect things to go wrong in her life.

‘Oh my God!’ Kate shouted, turning up the radio. ‘It’s them! It’s the band - listen,’ she instructed Lillie as she began to sing along.

Lillie smiled and sang with her. She still couldn’t believe she was going to go on tour with a proper band, with a band manager and everything. It was like a rock ‘n’ roll fairytale. Apart from the cheap hotels, the tiny mini bus, all the lugging equipment around by themselves and the teensy beer-and-sweat smelling dressing rooms at the small venues they were playing.

She sang louder to drown out the negative thoughts and pictured Jed, prowling the stage, wide green eyes glowing with passion and excitement. She was very lucky to be realising her dream, and even luckier to be doing it with Jed.

She wasn’t going to screw this up with her paranoia and mistrust. She’d put her life on hold for long enough. Now it was time for her to forget the past and look toward the future. Her future with Jed and the band.