After his meteoric rise to superstardom, Jim O'Brien is no longer a small-town boy who plays in bars and dreams of success. His handsome face is plastered on the covers of celebrity gossip magazines, and his voice alone is enough to make girls swoon...
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The darkest hour can be lightened up By someone's eyes Peering into your heart.
***
This night was going to be one of those rare occasions when I could relax and enjoy the company of my people, far from fake smiles and empty flattery. Usually, my only escape was the solitude of my brand new, semi-furnished condo from the windows of which I could see skyscrapers and the sea - two things I still found fascinating, no matter how familiar they'd become.
Kennedy and his girl, Ellie, would have dinner with me in a restaurant downtown. I'd announce the date of my first arena show in my city - on Ellie's birthday in a few days - and the two of them would be thrilled for me because they knew the real Jim O'Brien, the small-town guy who lived and breathed music, and whose love for it was only dimmed by his love for his family and friends.
None of that happened.
It was close to ten p.m., the temperatures dropped, making the roads slippery and the pavements icy, and I was washing the blood off my friend's hands in the white-tiled hospital bathroom.
I shoved my shaky hands under the faucet and let the lukewarm water cascade over them. Then, I pressed my wet palms to my face and rubbed it, ordering myself to get my shit together.
Aiden needed me. The love of his life never made it to the fancy diner where we'd been waiting for her. Ellie had been stabbed on the dark street, and now, the doctors were trying to save her. I was in charge of helping my friend.
I splashed some cold water on Kennedy's face. Still out of it, Aiden was staring at his reflection in the mirror. I wished I could allow him to have a moment to collect himself, but Ellie's family must have arrived already, and we had to face them.
"Let's go, Aiden." I dried my hands with a paper towel and gripped the handle, ready to leave the restroom.
"Give me a minute."
Aiden pressed his forehead to the cold tiles and stilled. His breaths were irregular and shaky at first, but it changed in a while.
"I'm ready," he said, and I nodded, placing my hand on Kennedy's shoulder, gently nudging him forward as I opened the bathroom door.
The sight of two worried, pale-faced people greeted us as soon as we stepped into the waiting area outside the ER.
They were Ellie's adoptive mom, Louise, and Thierry, Louise's boyfriend and a chef whom I knew quite well.
To an extent, a gig in Thierry's bistro jump-started my career, making my band, Rebellious Hearts, reach fame and superstardom in record time.
Louise stared at Kennedy. Aiden and his girl lived together in Paris and got engaged, and Ellie's mother had yet to learn about that.
