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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My grip on the steering wheel tightened. Although my eyes remained glued to the dense traffic on the highway, my mind wandered to the events of the morning - the ones I would rather forget.
I managed to keep my temper in check, but the meeting with Wyatt rattled me to my core. I expected another low blow from him. I knew he had no consideration for other people and their feelings. Wyatt saw our band as a bunch of good-looking guys who helped him make a fortune. Nothing was new, and yet, I couldn't get rid of the bitter aftertaste of his words.
Letting Wyatt make business-related decisions was one thing. This, on the other hand, was different. I kept my private life under wraps, reluctant to let rumors and false claims stain it. My relationship with Ava was personal. I cared about her and didn't want to disrespect her and what we started to feel by saying I was single and available in an interview everyone could read.
The day, gray and cold, mirrored my mood. I glanced around and saw no changes - cars streamed on every lane of the highway, not letting me maneuver much.
I'd been driving for almost two hours. It was time for a new route.
I drove off the highway as soon as I had a chance and ventured onto an unfamiliar country road. Pitted with ruts, it could have used some maintenance. I slowed down the vehicle, unwilling to wreck the tires. My car was the only one on the old, cracked asphalt. Around me, bare trees rustled in the wind. The place where I ended up was, indeed, remote.
Minutes passed, but the scenery remained the same - the trees and the few birds perched on the spindly, leafless branches. I slowed down at a crossroads, debating my next move. Not knowing where to go, I turned right, and the road narrowed.
I parked my Audi and opted for taking a walk to see my surroundings. I needed to clear my head and get rid of the image of Wyatt and his signature, condescending smirk.
With my hands shoved in the pockets of my coat, I left the road and strolled down the winding dirt trail. I struggled to remember when I took a walk like this one in a place that didn't have buildings towering over me.
My grandparents had an estate in a picturesque area on the coast. Brian and I built a cabin there. It was our little sanctuary, a place where we went to relax when we needed an escape. It'd been a while since I saw Ben and Evelyn O'Brien in person. I called them whenever I could, but it wasn't as good as visiting.
The quiet around me was almost too much to take. It made the thoughts in my head too loud and too uncomfortable. Once again, I focused way too much on what was on my mind and too little on the beauty surrounding me.
Perhaps that was the reason why I was almost shocked to see the contours of a house in the distance. Quickening my step, I moved in the direction of a two-story construction.
I ended up standing next to it in no time. My eyes roamed the facade. The paint was rusted, but other than that, the house seemed to be in good condition. I circled it, trying to see if anyone did live there. The front door was closed, but not the back one. It was cracked open, letting me catch a glimpse of the interior. In spite of knowing that I shouldn't, I walked in.
