Authors: Andrew Hess
#1 Fan (9 page)
The loud vibration from the nightstand woke Evan around eight in the morning. The name on the phone read; Mr. Waters. It wasn’t common to hear from him, especially that early in the morning unless it was highly important. Seeing the brown haired beauty resting comfortably on his chest made it nearly impossible for him to move, not like he wanted to. He was content with lying there, watching her sleep in his arms. He ignored the vibration, deciding he would call Mr. Waters back in an hour or two. Evan’s arm clung to Sara’s shoulder, wanting desperately to enjoy her for as long as he could, but his agent had other plans.
The phone continued its incessant buzzing until Evan decided to slip away. Seeing how it was done on TV and movies, he hugged his body to Sara’s while rolling her onto her back. He slid his left arm out, freeing himself to answer the phone during Waters’ third attempt at calling. He pulled on a pair of pants and snuck out of the bedroom.
“Hello,” Evan said in an angry whisper.
Christopher Waters’ voice shouted into the phone, “What the hell took you so long?” He paused as if waiting for an answer, but cut Evan off before he could say a word. “I need you to get down to my office A.S.A.P. I’ve got big news to share.”
Remembering the last time Mr. Waters broke some big news to him, Evan was eager to know what his agent had in store. “I’m kind of in Jersey right now.”
“What? Why are you in Jersey? Never mind; I don’t want to know. Whatever you’re doing there, stop and get down here now.”
Evan looked down at his phone. Mr. Waters already hung up before he could respond. Standing in the silent hallway, Evan was left with his thoughts. Curiosity settled in, making him wonder what the big news could possibly be. The door creaked open as he returned to the bedroom. Sara slept soundly with her arm caressing the spot where Evan slept ten minutes earlier. He sat on the edge of the bed, weighing the options of going back to the city early on a Monday morning, or pushing the meeting back a few more hours, extending the best weekend of his life.
A pair of eyes fluttered open as Sara rolled onto her back. Evan inched closer, placing his hand on the side of her face. His lips grazed her jawline, working their way down toward her chin.
“Someone’s up early,” she moaned. She let her fingers play with his hair, begging for him to claim her again. There was nothing he wanted more than to stay with her, but another call was imminent.
“I can’t,” he said as their lips touched.
“What-what’s wrong?” Evan read her face. It was the look of rejection, and that was the last thing he wanted her to feel.
“Sorry, I want to stay, but I got a call from my agent.” He told her about the call and the urgency in his agent’s voice. He told her about the last time Mr. Waters woke him with big news.
“It’s okay,” Sara finally said reassuringly, despite the sadness cracking through her voice. “I know how important your writing career is. If you need to go, then…”
“Trust me; I’d rather stay here with you all day, but we both know I can’t miss this meeting.” He looked down at his phone. “And you have to be at work in a couple of hours.” Evan watched her roll her eyes. He knew what would happen if he decided to stay. She would call out of work. He would blow off his meeting with Mr. Waters. They’d spend another blissful day together, and both would find themselves in hot water with their boss. “Come on; we should get up.”
They held hands while sitting up in the bed. “I hate that our weekend is over.” Sara’s eyes were filled with sincerity.
“I’ll call you after my meeting. I’ll fill you in the details.” He sat on the edge of the bed again, pulling his shoes and socks on. He could feel Sara’s tender kiss across his back. “Keep that up and I’ll never leave.”
“Maybe I don’t want you to leave.”
“If I don’t, I might blow a big opportunity.” The dismissal felt like cold water being dumped on their heads. Sara abruptly stopped and rolled onto her back with her head facing away from Evan. He leaned back, tilting her head towards his face. “I’m coming back for you.” An innocent kiss on the top of her head was the last fleeting moment of their weekend. The real world beckoned them, and it was time to answer the call.
The train ride from Jersey to Manhattan was unbearable. It wasn’t like Evan’s ride from Long Island. There were more people crammed into each train car than Evan was used to, providing very little room to move around. It didn’t take long before his thoughts drifted to Sara. Leaving her in that bed was one of the hardest things he could do. Being without her felt like being punched in the stomach repeatedly. The moment the pain surfaced, Evan imagined their future. They were together, walking along the beach, hand in hand, with smiles on their faces. Sara was dressed in a white dress, and he was in a black suit with the pants rolled up to his calves. Picturing her as his wife was a fantasy he wanted to make a reality, but that would have to wait until his meeting with Christopher Waters.
Evan raced through New York to his agent’s office. Sweat trickled down his body, soaking his navy blue t-shirt. The elevator doors opened, revealing Christopher Waters standing next to his secretary’s desk in front of the large floor to ceiling windows. A low buzz allowed Evan to enter through the glass door.
“Evan, my god, are you all right,” Waters asked.
Evan hunched over gasping for air. “I-got here-as fast-as I could.”
“You didn’t have to kill yourself to get here.” He checked his watch and looked back at his secretary. “Get us some water and maybe a towel for him.” He tapped Evan on the shoulder. “Follow me to my office. We have a lot to discuss.” Evan stumbled down the hall to the massive office, plopping down in one of the plush leather seats. “Get up,” Waters shouted. “We don’t want your sweat seeping into the leather.
Evan did as commanded. His head shook from side to side, wondering where he should sit. The options were limited, very limited. The temptation to sprawl out on the floor was becoming a strong possibility, until Mr. Waters’ secretary entered the office with a bottle of water and a towel. Evan graciously accepted both and guzzled down the water.
“So, what was this big news you were going on about,” Evan asked.
Mr. Waters paced in front of him. Eyes walking up and down Evan’s body as if he were seizing him up. “I got the numbers in from last weekend’s book signings. I have to say, they were better than we expected. In fact, the publisher wants us to help set up more book signings along the east coast to see if we can increase sales and build up a bigger following.”
This was great news
. Evan maintained his composure despite wanting to do cartwheels around the room in celebration. “Great, tell me what weekends you need me and I’ll get work to schedule during the week instead.”
Waters shook his head disapprovingly. “I’m sorry Evan. That won’t be good enough.” The look on Evan’s face expressed a need for further explanation. “If we book this tour, you’ll be on the road every day.”
“For how long?”
“A month…maybe two or three depending on the success.”
“What about my job? I can’t take off that much time without them firing me. I don’t have that kind of vacation time.”
“I’m sorry Evan.” Waters leaned against his desk with his arms folded across his chest. “You need to decide which is more important; your job or your literary career.”
This was the moment Evan dreamed about. It was his chance to achieve his dream of being a known author. There was already a small following in New York, thanks to his friends and very few family members. Jersey proved he was a somebody outside the circle of friends that supported him. This was his chance to take the east coast by storm.
Evan took a deep breath, the longest minute of his life, and exhaled his response. “What do I have to do?”
“For starters, the publisher and I thought it would be best to bring in a publicist to help out. She’s in charge while you’re on tour.”
“When does the tour start?”
The door to the office opened unexpectedly. “The tour starts when I say it does,” a woman said.
Evan turned his head to see her. Her shoulder length golden brown locks framed the side of her bronzed skin. Evan’s eyes traveled down her body stopping momentarily on her chest, watching the woman’s breasts rise and fall from the black corset that was shielded by the matching sport coat. Her black dress pants clung to her shapely body, containing the thirty-five inch legs. The black heels exposed her feet, leaving little to the imagination except for a silver studded leather piece that draped over her toes leading up to her ankles.
“Ms. Stone,” Mr. Waters exclaimed. “You’re here early. I wasn’t expecting you for another half hour.”
“Traffic was favorable and I was able to find parking easily.” Her hands rested on her hips as she studied Evan from the doorway. “Is this the author I’ll be working with?”
“Oh forgive me,” Waters said in a sarcastic tone. “Evan, this is Audrey Stone, your new publicist. Ms. Stone, I’d like to introduce you to Evan Taylor, our author who has taken the New York Metro area by storm.”
Evan held out his hand, but it hung in the air waiting to be accepted. Ms. Stone dismissed the gesture and walked slowly towards him. Her eyes never deviated from Evan’s face or body. The clicks of her heels against the floor matched the loud thumps of Evan’s heart until she stood in front of him.
“Let’s see what we’re working with.” Her hand gripped Evan’s jawline directing his gaze into her eyes. “Not bad, the scruff can work. How long will it take you to grow a full beard?”
“Two weeks.”
“That should give us a little bit of time.” Audrey stepped back before circling Evan’s body. “Shirt off!” Her command caught Evan off guard. “Is there a problem?”
Evan looked to his agent for help. Mr. Waters merely nodded in agreement. “Do as she said,” he instructed.
Evan took off the sweat soaked t-shirt, dangling it from his hand. Audrey circled him one more time. Her icy cold hands smoothed over his back, sending chills throughout his body. Her fingers moved to his front, caressing his chest. Her blood red lips and predatory eyes caused him to stumble backwards.
“That body will need work.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you need to work out, bulk up, and put some meat on those bones.” She turned away from him and approached Mr. Waters’ desk. “It’s a proven fact, more women read than men. They’re looking for something to stand out and make them pick up a book by either having a hot hunky guy on the cover or one they can fantasize about.”
“And you want them to fantasize about me?”
“We want to give them plenty of reasons to come to your book signings. We want to pack them into the stores, colleges and malls by any means necessary.”
Evan wanted to question Ms. Stone’s tactics, but the look on Mr. Waters’ face told him to listen to her. A heavy sigh escaped him. “When do we start?”
“First thing tomorrow morning.”
The phone rang as Sara stepped out of the shower. Droplets of water slid down her leg, dampening the carpet of her bedroom. Evan’s name popped up along with a picture of him reading a book in a library. For a moment, she considered ignoring the call as a form of punishment for leaving her to meet with his agent. She remembered his eagerness to find out the “big news” and told her he would call when the meeting was over.
She wiped her hand on a towel before picking up the phone. Her finger pressed the green circle, answering the call just before it was getting ready to send it to voicemail. “Hey Evan,” she answered in a sweet tone.
The loud background noise and wind whipping against the phone indicated he was walking around outside. “Hey, I just got out of the meeting. I’m glad I went to his office. I…” A single horn blared loudly, preventing Sara from hearing Evan. They waited until the nuisance ended.
“What the hell was that?”
“Some asshole that was in a hurry.”
The sounds of cars whizzing by ceased, allowing Sara to hear Evan better. “What was the meeting about?”
“My agent said that the signings in Jersey went so well, they’re sending me on a book signing tour up and down the east coast.”
“You’re-you’re going on a book tour?”
“Yeah, isn’t that great?”
“Um yeah, that’s awesome. How long are you gonna be gone for?”
“They didn’t give me a set time frame, but said it would be at least a month to three months.”
Sara wanted to be happy for him, but didn’t know if she could fake it. They just started to know each other and had too much distance between them already. Three months without seeing him and having hundreds to thousands of miles between them, would put a strain on their relationship. There was no telling how his day was going, who he was hanging out with, or if he decided to sleep around while on the road.
“Three months is a long time.” The sound in her voice reflected the uneasiness she felt about the tour.
“What’s the matter?”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“The tour? Hell yeah! I’ve always wanted to be on tour. I’ll hit a bunch of states, get some food, check out the sights, and…”
“I mean us. I mean do you still want to be with me?”
“Yeah, of course. Why would you think…” Sara let the thought sink into Evan’s head. “You think something’s going to happen when I’m on tour.”
“It did when you came to Jersey. Who’s to say that some groupie doesn’t throw herself at you while you’re on the road?”
“Because I don’t want a meaningless hook-up. I want you.”
“I know, but we’re just starting out.”
“So do you want me to cancel the tour?”
“No, of course not. I know what this means to you, and I’d never ask you to give up something like that for me.”
“Well, I’m not giving you up either.”
“I can’t sit at home wondering where you are and who you’re with.”
“I don’t wanna do that to you, but I don’t wanna lose you either.”
The tears broke through the wall Sara built within her. She knew this was the end. There was no way she would allow him to give up part of his dream.
“Evan…good luck with your book tour.” Sara hung up the phone and buried her head in the pillow. She believed those were her final words to Evan. He would move on from her after a week on tour. Meanwhile, she would still be home in Jersey thinking about him.
After hours of ignoring the constant vibration from her phone, Sara woke in her bed wearing nothing but her towel. She pulled her phone closer, checking the time through blurred vision. “Shit, I slept through my shift.”
Sara slid off the bed to search for her work clothes, but a loud pounding on the door put an end to that. She wasn’t expecting company, and no one knew where she was. There was another loud knock, almost sounding like someone was using their fist or a heavy object to smash the door with.
Her heartbeat slowed as terror wormed its way through her. She clutched the towel around her body while inching towards the door. The incessant knocking continued until Sara’s hand reached the doorknob. A slight twist allowed her to peer through the crack. All she saw was shimmering blond hair.
“Julie?” The woman turned around to face Sara. “You scared the shit out of me. What the hell are you doing here?”
Julie pushed the door open and flung her arms around Sara. “It’s about time you answered. I’ve been calling and texting you for the last hour. Any longer, and I was gonna call the National Guard to send out a search party.”
“I’m fine. I’ve been here all day. Whatever it is, make it quick. I’m late for work.”
“Yeah I know. They called me a little while ago since I’m your contact person. I told them you had the flu.” Sara’s sullen eyes glanced at Julie before falling back on the bed in relief. “Based on how you look, I’d say I wasn’t far from the truth.” Julie pushed the pillows aside and sat down beside Sara. “You mind telling me the real reason you look like death?”
“Evan spent the weekend.”
Julie smiled, picturing what kind of weekend Sara must’ve had. “Did you guys starve yourselves from all the sex?”
Sara backhanded Julie’s arm. “Be serious for a minute.” Picking up her clothes from the floor, Sara dressed in a pair of yoga pants and an over-sized t-shirt. “We had an amazing time, until this morning.”
Julie’s smirk disappeared. She inched closer, grabbing Sara’s hand knowing she needed comfort. “What happened?”
“Evan had a meeting with his agent today. He found out he’s going on a book tour to promote and sign copies of his book.”
“That’s no reason to be upset. If anything, that’s more reason to celebrate.” She grabbed Sara’s hand trying to help her off the bed.
“I’m happy for him; I really am.”
“But…”
“But he’s going on a three-month book tour up and down the east coast.” Sara did her best to fight back the tears again. “I can’t sit here for three months wondering if he’s cheating on me or not.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know. That’s why I ended things with him this morning.”
“You did what?”
“I ended things with him. Wasn’t that what you were about to say?”
“Hell no,” Julie replied. “I was going to say you need to let him go on tour and trust that he only wants you.”
Sara wiped her eyes. “That’s not what I expected to hear from you. You’re usually Miss forget him, let’s go out and drink.”
“Yeah, usually I am. But this guy is different. He doesn’t seem like he’s a douche like the other guys you dated. He actually makes you happy. I saw it in your eyes the night you met him at the bar.”
“Then why’d you give me shit for going out with him?”
“Because I wanted to make sure you were going after him because you really liked him, not because you thought it would be cool to bang an author.”
“You know I don’t do that kind of thing.”
“I know, but you’re like my little sister. I need to look out for you.”
Sara blotted her eyes with her hands. “How can I trust him not to hurt me? He’ll be gone for three months.”
“How much do you like this guy?”
“A lot.”
“Then trust him.”
“But we already broke up.”
“So what? Tell him you freaked out and didn’t mean it.”
“I can’t do that. I’ll look like a crazy person.”
“Then tell him that your incredibly smart, incredibly good looking best friend talked some sense into you.” Sara laughed at her friend’s joke. It felt good to laugh after crying her eyes out all morning. “Come on; just call him already.”
Sara picked up her phone and found she had received half a dozen missed calls from Evan since she hung up with him earlier that day. She clicked on the phone icon. It rang several times before launching into his voicemail.
Sara’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “He didn’t pick up.”
“I’m sure he was either on a train, or at work, or didn’t hear his phone. If you don’t hear back from him, try him again later.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do in the meantime?”
Julie had a mischievous grin on her face. “You know; happy hour starts in a couple of hours. We could catch a movie and then hit up the bar.”
Sara silently stared at the phone, hoping Evan would call her back. After a few minutes, she looked up at Julie with a puddle of tears building in her eyes. She wiped them away and jumped off the bed. “Sure, let’s go.”
Sara slipped on a pair of jeans and a black tank top, meeting Julie at the top of the stairs. They left together with Julie taking the wheel and Sara sitting “shotgun.” The car lurched forward, but Sara paid little attention to her friend. Her eyes were focused on her phone. She toyed around with the idea of calling Evan again, but wondered if it would make her look too desperate. Instead, she decided to send a quick text, hoping he would message her back.
S
: Hey, sorry about this morning.
Evan’s reply came quicker than Sara hoped.
E
: Okay.
S:
No, I mean it. I freaked out and overreacted.
The replies stopped immediately. Each minute that passed caused Sara’s heart to slow. It was becoming more apparent Evan didn’t want anything to do with her. She started typing another message, telling Evan she didn’t mean what she said earlier, but a single chime stole her attention.
E
: Sorry, I had a customer. I get why you freaked out, but you shouldn’t have ended things.
S
: I know. I wasn’t thinking. I just…I don’t know what I’d do with you on the road for 3 months without seeing you.
E
: Let’s talk tonight when I get home.
S
: Okay. Call me.
The smiley face emojicon appeared on her screen. Seeing that face filled Sara with relief. “Change of plans,” Sara said. “We’ll go to the movie and pick up food on the way back.”
“Wait, no happy hour?”
“No.” Her rosy pink cheeks brought life back into her smile.
“What was that,” Julie asked. “Was that a-a-smile?” She turned to Sara while trying to keep her eyes on the road. “What just happened?”
“I texted Evan. I apologized for my freak out, and we’re going to talk when he gets home from work tonight.”
“Damn it; I was looking forward to happy hour.”
“You can go without me if you want.”
“And leave my girl at home alone? I don’t think so.”
“Thanks Julie. I appreciate it.”
“I’ll come up with a way you can pay me back later.”
