Cal Jackson's new life as a rockstar fails to account for one thing: the existence of the girl he loves.
*****
"What are you thinking about?" she asks.
"A song," I say. "A new song."
I stare at the ocean as I sing the song that I wrote, something th...
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A party.
A fucking birthday party. In New York.
My life as a worldwide singer requires me to travel a lot. It feels not long ago that I'd just been back in LA after my last concert in Toronto last month, but now, I'm already in New York for promotion events.
Dean, aka my manager, knows it so damn well that I hate my birthday. I hate it being celebrated, but in the end, he still threw this party for me for obvious reasons such as socializing.
I sit on a stool at my bar with a bottle of beer in my hand, watching as people from the music industry and entertainment world chilling out in my penthouse. Some of them dance to the music. Some others settle on the couches -- mostly talking about business and collaborations. The rest are extremely loud, playing games and jumping into the pool overlooking Manhattan.
While deep thumping music echoes in my ear, my eyes narrow at nothing in particular.
I've never thought that I would become a superstar. That I would own a penthouse this huge in Manhattan, aside from my house in LA. That I would have millions of fans all over the world.
Things have moved at the speed of light ever since Adam found me two years ago. It still seems surreal that money now falls on my lap every second I breathe, and that I have everything in my hands.
Sure, I've worked my ass off to reach this point. I've worked hard. But the most important factor for all of this is obvious.
Luck.
I'm fucking lucky that a random, anonymous person has uploaded a video of me singing in the park on Youtube, which reached millions of views overnight, catching Adam's attention. Then I signed a contract with Astalis Records and had the chance to collaborate with Cassie Castillo, one of the most famous celebrities that have walked on this earth. Then I won the award for Best New Artist.
Everything happened unexpectedly, and now, here I am, at the top of the world.
Loud voices echo around me as the party goes on. These people are having the best time of their lives, but I feel nothing. I can't feel anything. Just numb. Empty.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Gina brushes her fingers against my cheek, tilting my head so that she can face me. Her big green eyes stare at me curiously.
She's smoking hot, the kind of dark-haired bombshell that can make every man's eyes in the room land on her the moment she steps inside. With that look and her talent in acting, it's no wonder that she has become a famous new actress.
"You seem to be in a deep thought." She licks her lips, inviting me to ruin her red lipgloss that she has applied perfectly. She leans closer to me so that I can get a good view of her low cleavage that her halter top fails to cover.
