Page 44 of Lexi Lets Go

“What’s this?” he asked as he came down the stairs.

She was drying off the last plate and slipping in into the cupboard when she looked to see Liam holding a large poster board. He flipped it around and Lexi’s heart almost stopped. It was her dream board. The last one she had ever made.

“Where did you find that?” she asked.

“It was on the floor next to your closet,” he said as he set her bag on the floor and gazed at the posterboard.

“It must have fallen out when I was getting out my bag. It’s a dream board I made when I was fifteen. My mom and I would make one every year on New Year’s Day before she died. That was the last one I ever made.”

Looking at this was surreal; she hadn’t seen it in a long time. She couldn’t even really remember the person who had made this. There was a corner with big NYU letters and a picture of a Rolling Stone cover. She had wanted to be a music journalist, well she had wanted to be an MTV V-jay, but this seemed more real to her teenage self. The rest were places she wanted to travel. The Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, The Pyramids, and, of course, her fifteen-year-old Twi-heart self had included Forks, Washington in hopes of meeting Robert Pattinson. There was even a picture of Robert Pattinson eating sushi. Did she add that for him or the sushi? She had never had either one of them come to think of it.

“Wow, I haven’t thought about this in years,” she took a deep breath. This was not something she could deal with right now. She was feeling a little off balance from the last couple days, and something like this could easily pull her down. “Well, I’m all finished up. Let’s get out of here.”

“Have you ever done any of these things?” he asked, his eyes still taking in the board.

“I haven’t had the chance,” she said, trying to make light of the situation because this was not a road she could go down right now.

“Not even sushi with Robert Pattinson?”

“Sadly, no sushi or Robert Pattinson.”

“Well, they’re both delightful,” he said, smiling back at her.

“Good to know. Let’s get going.”

He picked up her bag and they headed out the door.

Chapter18

Lexi

The ride to the city had been far different from her previous experiences, which had required a school bus. This time, it was in a sleek black car with tinted windows and a separating panel that Liam had taken full advantage of. Having an orgasm while barreling down the highway courtesy of Liam’s talented fingers was definitely different, but she assumed she was in for lots of new things over the next day and a half.

When his car had pulled into a below ground parking deck she kept her eyes peeled. After they got out she stood by the trunk to get her bag out. Liam took her hand and reminded her that someone would bring the bags up. He walked right into the elevator, pushed in the code, and they rode up to the penthouse.

When the elevators opened she took in the space. It was huge. One side of the room had floor to ceiling windows with an amazing view of the city. Everything was sleek and modern, but still had touches of Liam Sheffield scattered around. There was a rainbow throw blanket on the sleek leather sofa, and a framed picture on the wall that she assumed was his family.

"So this is it. When I'm not touring, or recording an album, this is where I stay," Liam said as they entered. “The whole top floor is mine. Plus a couple guest suites and apartments for my team.”

"Wow, this is amazing,” she said. “So your manager’s here?"

He nodded. "Well, she might not be here, but if she’s in the city, she stays here."

"She's probably got that NDA already, just itching for me to sign it," she said, joking with him.

"Well, I’ll have to tell her to add in a clause about all the stuff I told you willingly. Her head would explode if she knew I told you about the elevator video. I think that whole fiasco is why I was 'persuaded' to hire her. She’s the daughter of one of the lawyers from my label. He was the one that got the video killed, and I think this might be their way of keeping an eye on me, like I’m some sort of deviant who goes around giving everyone blow jobs in an elevator. Which even if I was, who fucking cares? The label fucking cares I guess."

There was an edge in his voice she hadn't heard yet. Maybe he enjoyed their time in Mystic Falls as much as she had and this was an unwelcome return to his reality. Maybe he would regret bringing her here. Walking over to him, she slipped her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. He slid his arms around her and held her tightly and kissed her temple and sighed.

"Come on, let me show you around."

He led her around the space. There was a huge kitchen, media room, and a small personal recording studio. "Now this is the room I spend most of my time in," he said as he came to a door in a long hallway.

Lexi was preparing herself for his bedroom, tingles of excitement filled her. She was about to see the room 'where the magic happens' as the saying goes. But when he opened the door, it wasn't what she was expecting. This was his music room. There were guitars on the wall, a giant piano in the middle of the room, an overstuffed comfy couch and chair, and a bookcase filled with books. On the other side of the room was a giant cork board, tacked up were pictures of his family and friends, and letters. So many letters.

Upon closer investigation, she saw they were fan letters. Letters thanking him for giving them the space and the words to be who they truly are. For giving them the courage to dress how they wanted to dress. For being able to finally come out to their parents. For his music that got them through dark times and changed their lives. This was what he was talking about. This was why he gave so much of himself away that there were only scraps left for himself.

Seeing these letters and this room clicked something into place for her. She had felt like she knew him in a way that didn't make sense. She had felt like she understood him, but she couldn't be sure. But after seeing this room, she didn't doubt that anymore. She knew him. And knowing him kind of broke her heart. She wanted to protect him. Help him to save more than these little pieces of himself. He deserved more than little pieces of himself.

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