the thing about loving you | hitaus

Chapter 2

RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT ME

           Roman Delphi, 9 years after senior year
                         
The lights shined down, blinding me.  I sang the last note, the highest I could get my voice.  I fall down at the climax of the song. The tears come down, and the curtains shut. People cheered and cried. I sighed, smiling happily. I get some help coming up and I finally got to my dressing room, the last show of the year until Fall had ended. My back hurts, and my legs were tired. Even though I'm in pain, I smile. I would give up the world just to act.
The heels slipped off my feet with ease. I stand up, about to take off my shirt, but a pair of arms wrap around my waist, giggling. I turn my head to look, smiling when I see a very happy James. 
"You were great out there, babe." I laugh, kissing his cheek.
"I know," I replied. He rolls his eyes with no ill ineent.  I turn around completely, looking James in face. He had electric blue eyes that I loved to stare at and a charming smile that left me weak at the knees.  His hair was blacker than midnight.  I kiss his lips. He makes a small noise out of shock before putting his whole body into the kiss. I pull away when someone knocked on the door.
Jame follows behind me, arms securely warped around my waist. He rests his head on my shoulder.  It's one of the girls from security. I don't remember her name exactly. She looks like Janus, so I try their name.
"Janus, right?" I ask her, she shakes her head, lips forming into a thin line.
'No Sir. That's my brother." She responds. My face turns red. 
"Oh, that's right. He has a sister" James looks at me questioning. I turn to face him. "I knew Janus, we were best friends in high school." James smiles sweetly before we both look at Janus's sister again.
"What can I do to help you?"  I ask her.
"Someone is here to see you." She says, before hurrying off. I shrug, getting a pair of black comfortable tennis shoes on.  My boyfriend follows me down to the foyer.  My heart drops when I see who it is.
"No." I say through laughter. This isn't happening. Remus is there soaked from the rain, crying. Janus is there with him, rubbing his back comfortably. Behind him? Fucking Patton and Logan. I try so hard to forget, but here they are. Disturbing my new life.
James looks at the crowd confused. "We aren't taking any autographs at the moment, but if you guys know Roman, then I'm sure we can make an expectation?" He looks at me, asking me. I shake my furiously, glaring at him.     
I shoo James off and he stomps away, acting like a child. I cross my arms, a safe distance away from everyone. "Remus," I state, no emotion behind my voice.  Remus countries to sob, I look away.   
'I broke up with my long-term boyfriend," He starts. My eyes widen in shock and my head whips around instantly. "He's in the car waiting to take me back home to get my stuff and then I'm on the streets."
I take Remus in my arms immediately, "Where's your car?" I ask. At first, he doesn't reply, shaking his head violently.  "Remus." I barked, he shook in my arms, and I hugged him tighter. He gets out of the embrace and brings me to the car. It's still pouring down rain out there, but whatever made Remus break up with Virgil had to be bad. They were dating for nine years.
Virgil looks at me and I look at him.  Just like every time I see him, my heart stops. I shake my head to clear my thoughts. Now is not the time to think about the past.
"Get out of the car," I demand him, and he does. He stands outside the car, cameras start to flash, but I flip them off.   I slap him across the face. He flinches but doesn't say a word. More cameras show up, a news van pulls up right by Remus's car. By this point, my hair is soaked, and sticking to my face. My makeup from the show is also coming off. I still refuse to go inside.
"Roman! Roman Prince, Sir, please!" Someone yells coming out of the news van. Before I could even blink, there was a microphone and camera in my face.  I shield my eyes from the camera with my hand.
"Can I help you? I'm busy." I seethed through clenched teeth. The newswoman nods eagerly.  Virgil rolls his eyes from behind, rubbing his face slightly at where I slapped it.
The woman smiles, "Yes sir. I just have a few questions." I nod her on to continue, tapping my foot on the ground impatiently.  "I and the rest of the world are wondering why you slapped Virgil Storm?" She asked excitedly, the microphone shaking in her hand. 
I smirk, cracking knuckles. "It's simple, He fucked with my brother, I fuck with him." A few journalists gasp, and I make sure to give them a blinding smile for the cover. I turn my head just enough for them to get a view of the old hickey that looks like a bruise on my neck. I can see the headline now. 'Virgil Storm and Roman Prince get into another fight? How will their fans and friends react? Read now in an exclusive interview with Roman Prince himself!'
Virgil scoffs at my response and how I'm presenting myself to the press. Secretly, we both know he's going to do the same just for the attention. That's what it takes to be a celebrity and I live for it. The drama, the faking, the attention, everything about it.
"Really? Protecting your friends and family huh? Is that what you were doing when you left there to rot like spoiled milk?" Virgil snapped at me. "Or! Or even better!" He flashed the crowd a crazed smile and wink. "When you left your brother there all alone because you were jealous?"
I gasped in offense. I was not jealous, just hurt. The crowd gasps with me, and the microphone goes straight to Virgil. He grabs it as fast as he can. Smiling cynically at me. The press eats up every word that Virgil says. I tried desperately to get their attention, but nothing worked.
I go behind an alley and pull out my phone to call James. "I need you to go outside now." James doesn't respond. I would think it's because he needs to think, but I don't think he has enough brain cells to think.
"What's in it for me?" He asked, I almost laughed at how dense he is. It's almost cute in a way.
"Money and attention," I responded, I could hear the smirk in his voice. I go back to the car, the press is still there, hanging on to Virgil like he's the last drop of water. The crowd has gotten bigger and there are more news vans.  James is down here within seconds arms around my waist, pressing kisses to my neck. His shirt hung loosely, with very few red wine stains on it. There's even my ionic shade of red lipstick on his collar. He wore his nice black pants that were tight in all the best places.
I smirk. He knows just how to get a crowd wilded up. "I almost feel underdressed with you, babe," I comment, and James laughs from deep in his chest. The press heads turn around at the mention of babe. The lights flash, I put my head in James' neck. Leftover lipstick marks on his neck.
Virgil laughs at the game I'm playing. I give him my best innocent smile. The press hurriedly tries to take pictures. I pretend to act camera shy by hiding my whole body in James. My head in his chest, arms tightly secured around his waist.
"I like you better like that undressed." He teased, hot breath against my ear. It was loud enough for the press to hear but quiet enough to make it seem like it wasn't meant to be heard.
The press puts the microphones in James' face but I turn myself completely around, grabbing James' hand. I open the passenger seat to Remus's car, and he gets in with a kiss on my cheek. I sit in the driver's seat, the keys still in there. I roll the window down, Virgil is yelling angrily about me stealing the car. He's rich enough to buy a new one and it was Remus's first.
I ignore Virgil instead. I favor the press instead. I give them a wink and an insincere smile. James laughs like never before as I roll up the windows. I start the car and drive away. Blue and green lights fill the night sky. I laugh along with James. Sometimes when I hate life and how I'm always being watched, I remember times like this and fall in love with my lifestyle all over again.
"We make a good team." James offhandedly mentions.
I roll my eyes but nod. We do, but only because we both want something out of it. I need the press, he wants my money. The occasional sex is nice but if that's all I wanted, I would not go to him.
James doesn't say anything just stares at me, I look at him from the corner of my eye. I sigh. Right. Money. I pull a 100-dollar bill from my wallet. I pass it to him. He doesn't say anything but he takes the money. He turns up the radio.
"Pop sensation, Virgil Storm, new song exile, came out 2 hours ago. It features his recent ex-fiancee, Remus Duke, twin brother to Broadway star and singer artist of hit pop song, Don't blame me." The man on the radio says excitedly. I sneer and turn down the radio.
"Many believe it is about their recent breakup, and when interviewed about it, Remus Duke said there just wasn't a connection. How heartbreaking." I switch channels. James gives me an annoyed look, but I pretend not to see it. I look behind us, I don't see any press left at the theater, so I turn back to go get Remus. Not so after we arrive back at the theater. Virgil is gone, probably driving in one of his nice cars. Remus is outside of the foyer waiting with Janus and his husbands.
"Get out of the car. I'll see you sometime this week for an interview about the show," I tell James, he nods, and walks out. Remus gets into the front seat; while the others get in the back.
"What happened out there? Virgil came into the foyer calling someone about a car." Remus informs me, and I laugh. I can see Patton's glare through the mirror.
"I stole your car back and made a huge thing with the press. Be on the lookout for my name in the news." Remus sighs when I finally told him what happened. He always hates it when I do something stupid and crazy just for the press money. Patton laughs from the backseat.
I glare at him through the rearview mirror. Everybody in the car takes a collective groan.
"What's so funny, Patton?" I ask him. He rolls his eyes, looking back at me in the rearview mirror.
"You and Virgil are a lot more alike than you two think." Logan and Janus both elbow Patton for saying that. Remus turns to look at him in shock. I put the car in park. We aren't far from Remus and Virgil's shared home.
"We are nothing alike, He may be an asshole, but I'm an even bigger asshole." I snap. Logan laughs.
"That is one thing I can agree with. You are both the biggest assholes I know." He says, catching my attention.
"And I thought you were an idiot," I remark, Logan stops laughing. The people in the backseat cringe.
"I have a Harvard degree, Roman." Logan makes a point to tell me. My face turns red. Everybody in the car laughs at me and my stupidity.
    "Oh," I mumble, starting the car again. The radio turns on. The guy is still talking about Remus and Virgil's new song and speculating the theories behind it. I turn him down, just enough to be heard.
"I didn't even think to ask, but why did you break up with Virgil?" I finally ask. I really should have asked before going all crazy on Virgil, but he probably deserved it. Remus is a kind-hearted soul, he would never hurt someone like that without a good reason.
Remus doesn't meet my eyes, and I stare at him, waiting. "That's the thing.." He starts, finally looking me in the eye. I  have no idea why he is acting like this. He has no reason to be so worried.
"I broke up with him because he's famous," Remus mumbles quickly, covering his eyes. My eyes widen and I gasp out of shock.
"So wait, let me make this clear, You broke up with The Virgil August," I start just to get interrupted.
"Virgil Storm," Remus corrects me. I roll my eyes.
"You broke up with The Virgil Storm, who was your fiance for two years because he's famous?" I inquire. Remus thinks about it before he nods.
"Yeah, that sounds about right." He answers, I sigh. We finally arrive at Remus's old mansion. There are thousands of other cars here, most of them probably the news and paparazzi. Remus leaves the car to go get his stuff from the house. For once, I started to feel bad for Virgil. I couldn't imagine how heartbroken he must be. 
I look around the parking lot, noticing the white car that had the red words "Brother stealer" on it. I laugh, remembering the time I put that on there. Good times. Janus follows my line of sight. He laughs too.
The car was old and rusting, I don't remember how many years it's been. Maybe nine or ten. It was around the time I was still talking to Janus every day. Remus and Virgil announced their dating just a few weeks prior. I got the genius idea to spray paint his nice, expensive car his grandma got him.
Janus helped me by getting the red spray paint and I did the actual words. Virgil caught us doing it, but he wasn't mad. He laughed along with us, I smile at the memory. I try my best to pretend I don't like Virgil, but some of our time together makes the butterflies flutter and my lips curl into a smile.
Remus gets in the car, and I drive us back to the theater to get my things. I see James in my room, but I don't even blink. I grab the notes for the album I'm working on and my clothes. I leave to go out the door, but James stops me.
"Roman, How much longer do I need to pretend to be your boyfriend? I much prefer to just be fuck buddy." I laugh at his terminology, but I end up smiling sadly.
"When the press is done so am I," I answer his question and leave the room. I get into the car and drive us to the hotel. An hour or so we arrive at the hotel I'm staying at until hopefully later this week.
I check-in and bring my crew to my room. Said Room had a king and twin-sized bed with a nice brown couch. It was small, but it worked for me and any guests I have over. "This is it. I know it's small, but It'll do for a night or so." I informed. Janus and his husbands look at me in shock.
"This is small to you? Roman this is the size of a whole bottom floor house." Janus yells. I look at her, slightly confused.
"As I said, small," I repeat, Janus just stays there blinking. "Remus, you can have the twin and then Janus, Logan, and Patton can have the king since they probably want to share a bed."
I go over to the couch, puffing up the pillow and the small blanket I keep on the couch. Remus looks over at me and laughs. "Why are you sleeping on the couch?" he asks. I look over at him, annoyed.
"I am not sleeping on that twin bed with you. I did that the first 5 years of life, never again." I scoff. They all laugh, personally I don't find it amusing. Remus farts in his sleep and it smells.
"Then I'll sleep on the couch and you can sleep on the twin," Remus suggests. I roll my eyes, that sounds stupid.
"No. You're the guest, you get the bed. End of story." Remus tries to argue with me, but I ignore it. The lights turn off, and I fall asleep into peaceful dreams of me and my future husband.