Page 95 of Stuck Behind Her

“Oh my God. Aurora’s going to be so happy!” Mom exclaims. I nod again, still looking at the screen. She really is. The streaming goes quiet again, Val raising her microphone once more.

“And for the second winner, I never thought they’d be a choice, but they proved me wrong. Regardless of their position and class, I’m hoping everyone accepts them and understands my choice, and that no one hates me for this.” She hesitates for a second. Like she’s deciding whether to say that next name or not.

“Elias Miller.”

I need to get out of the car. I need to go inside the hall. They’re probably waiting for me; I shouldn’t waste their time. Val probably has a million things to do. Yet I don’t have the energy to get up. I can’t get up. I can’t see her. She’s not Violet now, it’ll be like she’s a whole different person. Like nothing happened. Except it did.

She must’ve picked me before the kiss. It’s why she hesitated to say my name. She doesn’t want me to go, she just doesn’t have a choice. I shouldn’t go. I should reject the offer. It would be better. Aurora will have fun with or without me there, she loves Val. I’d only cause problems to the trip.

Finally, I put my hand on the handle and open the car door. I take a deep breath, then slip out of the passenger seat of the car. The door closes after me, and I stare at the entrance of the hall. Just act normal. She doesn’t know that you know. Another deep breath, and I walk toward the door.

When I get there, the door is opened by someone else. He stands there, wearing a black-and-white suit. “Welcome. Val is waiting for you, follow me,” he says, turning around and walkingforward. I follow after him until we get to another door. Aurora is standing there, waiting. She almost jumps when she sees me.

“Elias, you’re here. Why did you take so long? I went in then came out and you still weren’t here,” she exclaims, and I can hear the excitement in her voice. Even standing up straight and still, her words are rushed. She’s more than excited.

“Sorry, my arm just was just bothering me. I had to take some pills and let the pain calm down,” I tell her. She smiles, then takes my arm and starts leading me to another room inside. “Aurora, wait!” I call, making her stop and turn around.

She looks at me, waiting for my words. “Aurora, what if I don’t go?” I ask her. Her expression changes, confusion taking over.

“Why wouldn’t you go?” she asks. I can’t just tell her I don’t want to. She’s happy, I don’t want to change that because of my problems.

“I don’t know her, and going would probably cause her a lot of problems with the media. Plus, my dad wouldn’t let me go easily, you know what he thinks.” I draw out the excuses. There’s a spark of sadness in her eyes when I finish.

“Come on. You’ll know more soon. You know most of her songs, and you’ll meet her more. You’ll see why I love her so much. And Roland won’t say no, not in front of the public.” She calls out every one of my lies. “Come on. We’ll have fun. Please.” She pleads with her eyes.

I let out a sigh. I can’t ruin this for her. She has been waiting for a moment like this ever since Val became a singer. My problems are my own, not hers. “Okay, I’ll go,” I agree.

The grin returns to her face, and she drags me while she runs to the room. I follow her, trying not to trip at her speed.

We get to the door, and I spot Val sitting down on the table further inside the room. She looks up when we get there, jumping off the table and immediately putting up a smile on herface. The second I see her, a shot of pain hits my heart. On TV, there was distance. Now, she’s in front of me.

She’s still wearing the same outfit she had on when she made the announcement. She still looks the same. Beautiful. Distant.

I drop my head after noticing how long I was staring. “He’s here. I got him to get out of the car,” Aurora tells her.

“Great. Hey Elias,” she greets. I raise my eyes, attempting not to look rude.

“Hey. Thanks, for the win, I guess.”

“You won the contest, so it’s more of a thank yourself. But you're welcome.” She smiles, but even I can see it’s forced. She turns around, lowering her head. “Well, come in. You don’t need to stand at the door.” She gestures her arm inside. Aurora and I enter the room.

Val looks at Aurora before starting to talk. “So, for starters, we’re depart on Sunday. That way, you have time to pack and get ready. We return on January 10, in the middle of the day. All costs are on me; however, you can take your own money if you want to buy any extra souvenirs or anything,” she explains. She doesn’t switch to look at me, only at Aurora. She’s avoiding me.

“Also, you guys each get to take a guest. Now, if you do have any guest choices, I have slots ready. If not, I have a small suggestion,” she continues. Both of us shake our heads, and she takes a small glance at me before turning back. Another shot at my heart.

“Okay,” Val continues. “So, as I said, this is a suggestion, and you can decline. But, I have someone who has wanted to join me on tour since forever, and I haven’t been able to take them for security reasons. But, since I’m taking guests with me this time, it would be easier to hide them from the media. They are at your sister’s age as well and if you take Elaina,” she says to Aurora, “I wanted to ask if you could take this person as your other guest. Don’t worry, you would take Elaina and Elias would takemy guest. They would just be named as your guest though, I’ll take care of them. We will have security with us most times, so everything is safe, and both my manager and his wife are going for extra precautions. I’d just need a signed waiver for anyone under eighteen.” Val glances at me and I see trepidation in her eyes.

Someone Elaina’s age, who wants to go with her, but can’t for security reasons. I’m sure she’s talking about Ellie. Why else would she ask for Elaina as well?

“I mean, I’d probably have to ask my mom and Elaina, but I don’t think it will be a problem as long as I go with her, and there’s security, as you said,” Aurora answers. Val smiles, then waits for me to answer.

It still hurts. Damn it, it feels like hell and heaven at the same time. Looking into her eyes. At her lips. Ones I once kissed.

“Uh, of course. I-I wouldn’t mind,” I stammer. She nods her head, her eyes looking down.

“Well, that’s everything. I’ll put the names in, and if there are any changes, I can fix them before we travel. I just need your email so I can send the details, and we’re set,” she concludes, handing Aurora a clipboard with a piece of paper on it, as well as a pen. Aurora writes down her email and number, before handing it to me.

She doesn’t need my number. She already has it. This is just to keep the secret going. She doesn’t know I know. I write my number and email address down, then hand it back to her. She takes it, placing it back on the table.

---