Page 41 of I Knew You Were Trouble

I swallow my drink and look him in the eye.

He knows I hate it when he’s right.

I’m back in my room rewatching Cal’s interview when I hear a knock at the door. I check the spy hole. It’s Meredith.

‘Hey,’ I say with a smile, opening the door wide. ‘How’d the concert go?’

She follows me inside. ‘Awesome. The crowd were chanting for more Gangnam, so the boys performed it again at the end. You would know that already if you looked at social media.’

I wave my hand dismissively. ‘I was working. Listen, who do you think I should target next? For an interview?’

‘Maybe J.B.? I don’t know. I came to say I heard back from Bianca Lawson’s publicist.’

I stiffen, my eyes widening. ‘That was quick. And?’

Meredith gets out her phone, reading from an email. ‘And I quote… “Ms. Lawson would rather die than have to speak about Caleb Whitlock ever again.”’

Chapter Twelve

Sydney, Australia

‘G’day, and a very warm welcome to the one and only… it’s Rebel Heart!’

There follows a chorus of whooping and applause. Two local DJs – Sheri and Chet, both in their forties – host Sydney and New South Wales’ biggest breakfast show. Across from me inside the radio station studio, Duncan has the full tripod set up. I’m using the handheld camera, so I’m able to move around a little, but I’m under strict instructions not to make any kind of noise. The boys sit in a semicircle, each near a microphone, with headphones on.

The excitement is palpable, and not simply inside the studio. Girls have the band’s hotel surrounded. Outside the radio station, crowds had eagerly anticipated their arrival at seven o’clock in the morning, shrieking as the boys emerged from two different cars. I’d been sure to take a lot of the footage, including that of Bodhi looking stressed out of his mind.

‘Or should we say,’ Sheri says with a grin, ‘Cal, welcome home, mate.’

More applause ensues.

‘Aw, cheers, mate, you have no idea how good it feels to be hanging with some Sydneysiders.’ Cal grins, swinging in his chair.

‘And you guys are gonna be headed out towards Bronte, right?’ asks Chet.

‘Yeah, that’s right, we’re playing Bronte on the Beach tomorrow and then two sold-out concerts at the arena,’ Cal confirms.

‘And will you be playing the new single live?’

‘You betcha, mate.’

‘You’re gonna hear it here first, ladies and gentleman. Can we do a countdown check, Sheri?’

‘I think I can ask one of the boys to do it. Uhh, can I have a volunteer, boys? Oh, thank you, Aidan.’

Aidan takes a breath. He sounds oh-so-British. ‘Countdown to our new single… “Shame About My Face”… three minutes and thirty-two seconds.’

I watch him. He’s smiling. He wears jeans and a black shirt, open at the collar. When he’s not in a bad mood, he conducts himself with such ease.

‘That’s right,’ Sheri continues, ‘that’s the countdown to Rebel Heart’s new release. I amsoooopsyched about this one; I know our listeners are too. So, boys, can I ask… obviously everybody knowsmostof the story, but can we have a quick recap on how this song came about?’

‘That depends if you want Cal’s view or not,’ Miller pipes up.

‘If we let Cal talk about it, we might be here all day,’ J.B. adds.

‘You really need the simplified version,’ Ravi laughs.

‘Do we need to tape Cal’s mouth shut at this point?’ Sheri asks.

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