Page 57 of Wild Fixation
We don’t get through breakfast before I have to be his bodyguard again, however. Official or not, it’s clear what my responsibilities are when I spot a paparazzo outside the diner.
“God, they never give up, do they?” Jacob says. “How do they even know?”
“Could be because of my car,” I say. “Could be the wait staff. Could be a lucky guess. It’s hard to disappear these days.”
Jacob doesn’t look pleased, and I’m not thrilled either, but this is his life. All we can do is manage it.
“It’ll be okay,” I say. “There’s only one, and I’m with you. They won’t get more than a couple photos.”
“And me with a food baby after that meal, ugh!” Jacob says. He sobers. “I’m glad you’re with me. Thank you for putting up with all this.”
He says it as though he’s reluctantly dragging me along, as though he’s not the most stunning human being I’ve ever met. I kiss him right there in the diner, not caring about the paparazzo in the window or the wait staff or anyone else on the fucking planet.
“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” I say.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jacob
SETH SQUEEZES MY SHOULDER while we wait backstage. As the rest of my band emerges one-by-one to waves of screams, Seth leaves that steadying hand on me. Once Shawn goes and I’m alone behind the curtain to the side of the stage, I turn, rising on my tiptoes to steal a quick kiss.
Seth lets me. When I fall back down to flat feet, he’s smiling at me.
“Ready for this?” he says.
“I think so,” I say.
We’ve practiced with Emmett, going over every single version of the questions we expect I’ll field today. Emmett even threw in some curveballs, a few of them completely outrageous. All that drilling should leave me ready for anything, but it’s one thing to do this in a conference room at the management company’s headquarters and another to do it live in front of an audience and a bunch of cameras.
“Areyouready?” I say.
“I don’t have to do anything but stand here,” Seth says.
That’s true, for now, but the second we leave this studio, everything is going to be different. It helps knowing I have my entire band on my side, and that they’re completely supportive of me and Seth, but this is the first time we’re doing this and it kinda feels like jumping into the ocean in the middle of winter. I don’t know what’s lurking in the depths of this interview, but I know Seth and my band are here to throw me a life preserver if I flail. “Things are about to get interesting,” I say with a nervous laugh.
“Yeah,” Seth says, “but thing are always interesting with you. If they ever get boring, I’ll know something’s wrong.”
I chuckle, genuinely this time, and Seth bends down to kiss the laughter off my lips. Then my name is booming through the studio, and I have no choice but to leave him and dunk myself into those icy waters. The audience is screaming before I emerge from behind the curtain. I steel myself and slap on a smile, waving as the lights blind me. When my eyes clear, I find a buzzing crowd on the verge of leaping out of their seats. I hurry across the stage, passing in front of the desk the show’s host sits at, and take my place on a couch. I sit wedged between the edge of the couch and Shawn, who gives me a tiny, sympathetic nod as I settle in.
“Thanks for being here,” the host says.
She’s a crisp woman in a loud, fun shirt instead of a suit. I think she used to be a comedian before transitioning into talk television. Honestly, it puts me a little more at ease. Her warmth comes across as genuine when she greets each of us and invites the crowd to applaud and scream again.
“Folks, we are so lucky to have Baptism Emperor with us today,” the host says. “In just a little bit, they’ve promised to perform one of their new songs. You’re hearing it here before you hear it anywhere else. But first, guys, let’s have a chat. Wait. Why are you all looking at me like I’m your mother suddenly? I’m notthatold.”
The crowd laughs. So do I. It’s not the best joke, certainly, but I think everyone is eager to break the tension.
“It’s not you, it’s us,” I say.
“Now where have I heard that before?”
I put up my hands. “Sorry, sorry, that’s not what I meant. It’s been a whirlwind, you know? This time last year, some of us worked in grocery stores and record shops. This has been … a lot.”
“I bet it has,” the host says. “They really scooped you guys out of nowhere. What has it been like getting that famous that fast?”
“Weird,” Shawn says.
“Crazy,” I add. “We’re doing what we’ve been doing for years, but suddenly it’s like the whole world is watching us do it.”
