Page 128 of Dirty Rock

“I’m coming straight to you with this because you’re shit at lying and this is the only way to get the truth.” He sighed again. “I can’t believe I’m having to ask this question, but… are you fucking Julia?”

My eyes shot up to Julia’s, and I couldn’t think of a single lie that could get us out of this.

“Rhett…?” Dicky pushed.

“I… I mean… No?” I made it sound like a question. “At least not right now.” I winced.

“JesusChrist!” The sound of Dicky’s fist slamming against a desk was unmistakable.

“Rhett!” Julia mouthed, her brows pinching together. “What the hell?”

I shrugged at her and mouthed a weak, “Sorry,” in response. Even though I wasn’t. Not at all. I didn’t care who knew anymore. I wanted everyone to see what we had.

“Dicky, listen—” Julia started, her concentration dropping down to the phone.

“No!” Dicky shouted, cutting her off. “The lead singer, Julia?Really?Of all the people for you to choose to crawl into bed with.”

“Hey, wait a minute—” I tried.

“And you, you little piss ant, can suckmydick before you even dare to think I’m interested in what you have to say. I expect you to fuck up. It’s a daily occurrence. But to drag Jules down with you? This isn’t a game, you moron, this is the band’s future! And that future involves—”

“Julia! That future…myfuture involves Julia.”

“Not on my watch,” Dicky growled. “Whatever’s gone on between you two, it’s over. It’ll be over by the time the rest of the guys next stand in front of you. It’ll stay over until the day I’m six feet underground. Do you understand?”

“That’s not going to work for me,” I told him with all the conviction in my heart as I took him off speaker and pressed the phone to my ear.

“If you know what’s good for you, Rhett, you’ll stop this right now.”

“I do know what’s good for me, and it’s her. You’ve seen me spiral these last few months, boss, and you’ve been okay with that. You’ve watched me slip into a dark headspace, use drugs as an escape, drink my own body weight in whiskey, and you’ve been happy to let me slide away with several strangers just to get laid, and none of that has bothered you. But this? Me being happy. Me turning to a mirror and seeing a reflection that no longer repulses me… that bothers you? It’s fucked up. All of it.”

Julia looked up at me with sad eyes and an obviously heavy heart. I imagined Bobby Hart standing beside that beat-up, old car and seeing the same face staring back at him, only younger. I imagined how different things would have been if he turned and walked away. Would it have been an easier life for Jules without the music, the secrecy, the road, and all that came with it? Would it have been better if she’d have been picked up by a regular guy from a normal family with a simple job?

It may have been safer, sure, but it would have been a hell of a lot more boring, and my girl deserved a life of epic colours.

“Ask me to give up anything else, Dicky, and I’ll do it. The booze, the drugs, smart mouth, attitude, and my need to constantly mock the media… fine. No problem. I’ll give it all up and play ball the way you want me to. But if you ask me to give up Jules.” I sighed. “I can’t do that for any of you, man. Not you. Not the boys.”

Julia’s cheeks flushed, and I had no idea how she remained so calm while someone was trying to come between us. All I wanted to do was tear down walls, set shit on fire, and roar to the world that nothing could stop this thing we’d started.

“I love her, Dicky, and not just in some mushy, bullshit way. I mean, I am as high as a fucking kite in love with her. And she loves me, too. There’s nothing more to say. You either handle it, or you don’t.”

I ended the call and threw the phone on the bed as I blew all the air out of my cheeks.

Jules held the bedsheet to her chest and stared down at the phone as though it was going to blow up in both our faces.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” she whispered. Her eyes eventually rose to meet mine. “Before you, every love I’ve ever had has been unbearable or disposable, but I have a feeling you’re not going anywhere soon, are you?” She smirked shyly.

With a shake of my head and a smile on my face, I held out my hand and beckoned her to me. I wasn’t going anywhere, and the sooner everyone, including Jules, realised that, the better it would be.

We spent some time talking to each other after that until her phone pulled her attention away from me, forcing her to scroll through email after endless email. The two of us were leaning back against the headboard when I heard her sigh, and she flipped her phone around for me to take a look at.

“Well, I guess that answers the question of how Dicky found out about us.”

There, right in front of me, was a picture of Julia and I kissing at the after-party, with JJ Jones’s face in the bottom corner of the selfie. The attention-seeking little princess had uploaded it to her Instagram account with the caption:When it’s obvious a certain someone is the favourite of the band. Got a whole lot of love for this after-party and all its secrets.

My top lip curled as I stared at it. “Good to know she isn’t too butthurt about being rejected,” I said sarcastically.

“She was pretty upset.”

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