Page 57 of The Roadie
Running to the door, she smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. In her excitement, she flung open the door with so much enthusiasm that it banged off the interior wall and made a mark. “Oh, shit.” She laughed and made a mental note to get a doorstop. Footsteps in the hallway made her forget about the sheetrock completely, and she darted out of the apartment to greet him. He was just getting off the elevator. They locked eyes, smiles bursting from their lips, and both ran toward each other just like in the movies. He lifted her off the floor and kissed her so hard her teeth hurt, and his beard brushed roughly against her cheeks with a beautiful burn.
Once he set her down on her feet, he held onto her shoulders and stepped back to rake his eyes over her from head to toe. “Were you this beautiful last week? Did you do something different?”
She laughed a little. “No.”
He shook his head in wonder. “You look more beautiful every time I see you. I don’t know how that’s possible, but it is.” He traced his fingers along the perimeter of her face and down the length of her hair. “I hate being away from you. It breaks my heart a little more every day.” He stared at her for a moment without saying anything, but clearly holding back something. “Let’s go inside so we can talk.”
She swallowed the rock in her throat, unsure of what he wanted to say. But she had something to say, as well. It had been on her mind a lot these past few weeks. She hadn’t talked about it with anyone, not even Audra, but she was ready to share it with Brett.
They quietly returned to the apartment with their arms around each other. Once inside, she shut the door and they sat next to one another on the couch, hand in hand.
“I want to tell you something,” she blurted out.
“I want to tell you something too.”
They were silent for a few seconds, then they both spoke at the same time.
“I’m moving to California.”
“I’m moving to New York.”
“What?”
“What?”
They stared at one another, mouths gaping open in disbelief.
“Did you just say you were moving to New York?”
“Did you just say you were moving to California?”
A shocked laugh burst from Kira’s throat, and she covered Brett’s lips with her fingers. “Stop talking at the same time as me. I know I keep saying that I’m a New York girl. I know I have a lot of commitments here. All of my family is here. But I don’t want you to give up everything for me.” She shook her head, afraid that his plan to move to New York was a spur-of-the-moment decision and he would later regret it. “It’s not fair.”
“It’s not fair that you move to California,” he reasoned. “Your whole life is here. Your job. Your father. Your sister and your nephew. You have the entire Immortal Angel family here. You have more to give up. I don’t want you to do that for me. It’s too much. All I have is my brother and my friends.”
“Just because I have more ties doesn’t mean your life is less important. I know how much you love California. Do you really want to trade the sunshine and palm trees for the hustle and bustle of New York City? With the humidity? And the cold? And the snow? And the traffic? It’s not fair to you, either.”
He smiled. “We got traffic in California too. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I’m willing to give everything up so we can be together full time. Like I said before, I’m going to cut back on my tours with Bulletproof. And when I do go with them, maybe you can come with me, like we did with Immortal Angel. I love you, Kira, and I need to see you more than just on weekends.”
Her eyes filled with tears. He was willing to leave everything behind for her. She couldn’t let him do it. He’d never be happy in New York. There was nothing for him here. Except her. At least she would have new opportunities in California. Plus the sun and sand. She was actually looking forward to getting away from the slush and ice and freezing cold wind chill. There were parks in California. And mountains and nature. And the big city. She could acclimate more easily. “No. I can’t let you leave the leisurely relaxed ambience and perfect weather of the West Coast only to be thrust into the fast-paced, go-go-go, non-stop New York lifestyle. People in California are nice. We’re cranky here. You’re not used to that.”
He smiled at her last statement. “I can be cranky.”
“It means so much to me that you’re willing to move here, but I don’t think we’re any closer to agreeing on what to do.”
He took her hands and stared down at them for a long time. When he looked up, he had a pensive look on his face, as if ready to make some profound statement. Nerves crept up her spine and left her throat dry as she waited for him to speak.
He stared at her hands again, still folded in his, as he collected his thoughts. After a long moment, he said, tentatively, “I have a crazy idea. What if we lived half the year in New York and half the year in California? It’s a compromise.”
It didn’t sound crazy at all. Itwasa compromise, as he said. One that sounded like it could work. “I could easily split time between Falcon Records’ New York and L.A. offices,” she said, excitedly. “I could go with you on tour with Bulletproof. I travel all the time anyway.” She jumped to her feet and pulled Brett up with her. “This could work! I’m so excited! We’re going to live together! I want to scream it off the balcony.” She threw her arms above her head. “I have to tell my sister!”
“Not yet.” He caught her by the wrist and stopped her from flying out of the apartment door. “Let’s take a walk in the park first.”
“A walk in the park?”
He nodded. “I haven’t seen you in a week. I want some quality time along with my girl first. Is it OK if we wait to tell your sister? You don’t mind, do you?”
Her chest filled with love and her legs felt wobbly at the sentiment in his words. “Of course not. I want to spend time alone with you too.”
