Overdue - A Rockstar Romance

Chapter 21 - Elliott

I stared at the phone, shaking my head in disbelief. She had played me, but that overly innocent tone left me no room to turn things around.

I was a little impressed really. Either she was a fantastic actress, or she had got really good a dodging guys. Somehow, I suspected it was the latter. She had been totally overwhelmed when I was singing to her, not that that was an uncommon reaction from girl's I sang to. But I felt she was more scared by her own reaction to me than mine to her.

This fact both please and dismayed me slightly. I wasn't in the habit of seducing innocents, in fact I wasn't really in the habit of seducing anyone. A perk of fame meant I was often the one being chased and it had become too easy to just let them.

I hadn't really worked to win over a girl since school and it showed. The old me would have turned the conversation back on her and invited a guy for Cara so it was a double date. Stupid! Why didn't I think of that before offering to invite Victoria?

Now it was going to be awkward, like we had older sisters as chaperones.

Oh she had played me well but I loved a challenge. She was different and I could tell she was worth it even if I didn't know where it would lead, I would only regret it if I didn't try.

I grinned, this game was on and she was going regret thinking she could play with the big guns.

"You ok?" Erik's head popped round the door, his eyes searching my face quickly, "You spoke to her then?"

"Yeah, I'm seeing her tonight." I told him proudly. No need to share the bump in the road she had created. I would win her over yet.

"Awesome. Now if you could stop moping around we have a full afternoon of press." He threw me a crumpled sheet of paper with a list of names and times.

"Wasn't moping." I shot back as I joined him walking back through to the living room of the flat we shared.

It wasn't like we couldn't afford places of our own but it just made practicing and band stuff so much easier when we were together.

"Oh she won't talk to me." Erik faked a dramatically emotional voice, "I just need to speak to her."

"Dickhead." I laughed, pushing him.

He stumbled but recovered quickly, diving back at me. I tried to side step but was too slow and we both crashed to the floor. He was ruffling my hair and calling me a knuckle head as I fought back with tickles.

"Boys!" Victoria's exasperated voice broke through our play fight and my head popped up to look at her from the rather uncomfortable position it had become stuck in under Erik's arm.

"What part of get ready to leave was confusing?"

"Oh no. She's broken out the mum voice, now you're done for." Chris lounged against the kitchen door frame.

Victoria was only a couple of years older than us, but she had learnt quickly that although 'boys will be boys' she could usually use that voice to get us back under control.

Her cheeks flushed, "It's not a mum voice. It's a manager voice." She responded, turning her attentions back to us. "Now you pair, try for once to behave like the adults you apparently are. The bus is already here, and we need to get moving."

She flapped her hands, rounding us up like sheep and steering us towards the door.

Erik clapped his hand on my back as we moved clambered onto the bus, "I'm glad you're working things out man. I know things have been tough the last year."

I gave him a smile, "It hasn't been easy, and I couldn't have done it without you."

"Urgh, who took my band mates and replaced them with a pair of soppy girls." Chris laughed from his position on one of the sofa seats.

"Happened ages ago, you were just too busy kissing the make-up girl to notice." Kyle said without looking up from the book he had buried his nose in.

Chris tried to splutter indignantly but we all burst out laughing and he gave in and laughed too. "She was kind of hot though." He said by way of explanation.

"Anything with tits is hot to you." Victoria rolled her eyes and then turned to close the tour bus door.

"I take offence to that. I'm very particular about the tits I like." Chris replied in mock outrage but Victoria ignored him.

"Ok, so first interview is in twenty minutes. I want best behaviour." She turned to me, "Have you and Phoebe worked out a statement?"

Shit. I knew I had forgotten something.

"So, you managed to organise a date but not discuss a label or what you were going to tell people?" Erik snorted.

I resisted the urge to push him again. There was no way I was starting that play fight again. He always won anyway.

"It didn't come up." I shrugged.

"You are supposed to be the rockstar. You know how the press are. The longer you take to decide this, the more they will latch onto it." Victoria scolded.

I could hear the message she didn't say. My drama was going to overshadow this tour if I wasn't careful.

"I'll sort it." I promised.

"You've got twenty minutes." She reminded.

"And I said I'd sort it." I told her, retrieving my phone from my pocket.

How did I even start this conversation?

Hey, I have a quick question.

I pressed send. It was generic enough to not freak her out so I could get a response.

Yes?

The reply came through almost immediately and I took a deep breath before typing my response.

We need to talk about what we are going to tell the press.

Her reply came through almost immediately.

The truth.

Alright smart ass, I rolled my eyes.

And what is the truth?

The seat jolted as the coach started moving and I was thrown into the little table in front of me. I leaned onto it in an effort to style out the movement. But Erik's laugh confirmed it hadn't quite worked. I stuck my tongue out at him ready to give him a piece of my mind when the vibration of my phone dragged my attention back to it.

That we met by accident and I ended up in your music video. We aren't together but we are friends, I dunno. You're the rockstar what would you call it.

I smiled, imagining her face as she typed that.

I'd call it early stages of dating, but we can call it friendship if you want.

Her response was instantaneous.

DO NOT TELL THEM WE ARE DATING. She was so easy to wind up and a second text came through quickly. I'M SERIOUS!!

No need to shout love. I'll say just friends.

As much as I wished it was something more, she wasn't ready for that. She wasn't ready for the reaction of the press, the fans. A part of me feared she would never be.