Bad Romance(BOOK 2)

Chapter 5- The Fire Is Still Burning

If you cannot swallow your pride you're not thirsty enough for her love...

He had nothing to do that morning, but to wake up next to another warm, unknown body next to him. He had lost count so far...what was this girl's name? Jenna, Jemma, Ginny? Who cared? He knew he didn't.

It was the last leg of the European tour and Jared had built up a habit over the last few months of inviting young women in his hotel room, just for the fun of it. He went in full Into the Wild mode as soon as they got on the road. After all, he had nothing to lose anymore. He already lost what he loved the most a long, long time ago...and it was all his mistake.

A mistake no one ever forgave him for. They stopped talking about it eventually, but the looks on everyone's faces were as clear as day. And now, when Marianne sent him a new video of Anka at the Meteor Awards, he felt his world break and sink into a million pieces.

He thought he had forgotten all about her. He thought he had burnt every bridge and closed every path when it came to her, but now she was there more than ever. He had probably watched her acceptance speech a million times already and still he couldn't get bored by it. Poor Marianne spent half her time on the internet searching for every news or photo that came up of her.

He also wanted to hurt himself more and more so he searched all her interviews, all her videos and he was religiously watching 'Empire' every single night. Just in case her character ever made an appearance again. Everyone was under the impression that he lost it, and they weren't that far from the truth to be honest.

"We need to get ready to hit the road again. There was a delay in our flight, so, Marianne managed to book an earlier one. Who's that?", asked Shannon as he went inside Jared's room and saw the sleeping, naked girl wrapped under the ruffled sheets.

"Shhhh. Don't fucking wake her up!", whispered Jared, visibly irritated he was caught.

"Doesn't matter now Romeo, get your bags, we're leaving in fifteen minutes."

"They're already packed. I'm coming.", mumbled Jared while putting on his sunglasses and hoodie.

The two brothers walked in silence down the hotel corridor. Jared broke the tense silence between the two.

"Did you get to talk to Anka ever since she started making it big in the business?", asked Jared sheepishly.

"I haven't and I don't think she wants to talk to me. Not after what you did to her. And after what I did to her too. And I don't blame her, to be honest. What was the reason behind your mad ways Jay? You still haven't told me that after all this time."

"I got cold feet. She told me a couple of nights before the wedding what her friend Danny said about me. And I got scared. And now the fucker is touring with her and spending time with her."

Jared did get cold feet. The mere realization that he wasn't good enough pained him. And she only deserved what was best. Not an idiot like him.

"That was your reason? Haven't you learned by now that people will talk anyway? And did she believe what her friend said about you?", asked Shannon exasperated that he finally got an answer to the question that has burnt all of them in the last months.

"No...but I didn't want to be the one to prove them right."

Shannon stopped and looked straight at Jared. Clearly he had lost it. It was one of the most bullshit reasons he had ever heard. For a second there he thought him and Jared were in back in high school again and Jared was the geek in love with the most popular girl in the world.