It took five seconds to call Stephanie and tell her what happened and another five for her to call Ryan. By the time I got to my room, pulled the suitcase on top of the bed, and booted the computer to book a flight home, there was a knock on the door. What I didn’t expect was Tyler to come to my room and ask me to stay, actually apologizing for Cassie’s behavior. I accepted it although I knew he didn’t have to do it, but I also made my request. I didn’t think he would go for it, but he did.
Now here I am in the back of the shuttle bus on our way to the red carpet premiere. “It’s hot as balls,” Autumn says from beside me, bringing her hand up and fanning herself with it. “Black pants with hundred thousand degrees of humidity is no bueno,” she says, and I look at her. She is wearing black pants and a light pink silk shirt with a black bow around her neck to close the collar. “I heard what happened with Cassie,” she whispers, and I look around to see if anyone is listening. The guys are on their phones, the three blondes are all touching up their makeup, and Kendall is FaceTiming her kids who just woke up.
“Yeah,” I say, not adding more fuel to the fire. “It is what it is.”
She shakes her head and then the shuttle stops. We all get out, making our way down the red carpet to our designated spots. I walk to my chair and sit down while my camera guy sets up. I look up and see that the fans have already lined up across the street, and a steel barrier has been brought in to keep them out. Police are lined up to make sure the crowd doesn’t get out of hand. I grab the earpiece and put it in my ear, then pick up the mic. “Testing. One, two, three.”
“I hear you loud and clear,” my camera guy says, and I just nod at him, smiling.
“Thank you . . .” I wait for him to tell me his name.
“Mike,” he says gruffly. “I’m going for a smoke before this shit gets crazy.” I nod, then get up and smooth down my skirt. Today was not a good day to wear long sleeves. I look down at my white long-sleeved dress that is tight until it passes my butt and then it flares out a touch. The sleeves are tight to the elbow and then flare out with a single black stripe around the hem. It’s classy; the peek of cleavage from the dip in the front is the only hint of sexy, and I’m wearing my sky-high open-toe black leather shoes that tie around the ankle. I see Mike coming back, and I look at him. “The circus has arrived,” he says, and I just nod at him while he gets the camera on his shoulder and starts filming me. “Move over to the right,” he says. The next hour is nuts with special guests, pop stars, a couple of the co-stars, and then I hear a roar of screams.
“I guess the star of the show just got here,” I say to Mike, and he just nods.
“The eagle has arrived.” I hear in my earpiece, and I think I roll my eyes because Mike laughs at me. I look up at the television screen that they have in the corner. Tyler steps out of the car with a huge smile on his face, and one of his hands goes up to wave as he walks across the street. He spends a good thirty minutes making his way down the line of fans. Taking pictures with them, signing stuff, smiling, laughing, and shaking hands, he gives them everything. Then he finally comes across the street to walk down the red carpet, stopping for the cameras that are set up behind us. He walks down the red carpet, stopping every couple of feet to turn to look at the camera. His hand in his pocket shows off the vest of his gray three-piece suit. His hair and his smile are perfect, and his eyes perfection.
He looks ahead, then turns to look at Jonathan, joking with him and tossing his head back to laugh. I stand here just watching the way he owns this; the way he was born for this. He comes down the carpet, smiling the whole time, and the flashes go off like crazy. He looks at the crowd, and then his eyes find me, and he just stares as if I’m the only one here. What the hell? His eyes light up a tad, and his smile is a bit brighter, but then he turns, and the shield comes back up.
He finally makes his way into the theater, and then we all stand around, packing up. “Here you are,” Yamina says, handing me the white sheet. “You are invited to the dinner tonight after the movie screening, but if you don’t want to go, there is a shuttle that will take you straight back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we leave the hotel at nine a.m., so make sure to be there on time. So if you go out and party tonight, just remember you have to be ready to go tomorrow.”
I nod and take the white paper, folding it and putting it in my gold purse while she walks away to meet Yolanda. I hand the microphone back to Mike. “It was a pleasure working with you,” I tell him, and he just nods at me as he grabs the mic.
“You were easy on the eyes,” he says, blinking at me. “I’ll have the footage sent to your paper for them to put online.”
“Thank you so much.” I smile, grabbing my bag and walking down the red carpet. The fans haven’t moved; not one of them has left. I walk to the left where I see Jonathan, Autumn, and Kendall. “One down, nine to go,” I say, and they all smile and laugh.
“That is one way to look at it,” Kendall says. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m more than happy to take these shoes off and call it a night.”
Autumn agrees. “I think Yolanda said the shuttle would take us back to the hotel.”
“Where is everyone else?” I ask. Looking around, I spot Peter and Jim.
“We have to go in the theater, and there is a secret exit,” Autumn says, and I follow them down the red carpet. Most of the photographers are gone to upload all their photos. A couple linger while they go through the pictures on their camera. The takedown crew is already tearing things down. I walk inside, looking around as my heel catches on something, and I feel myself falling. I think I screech, but I’m caught before I know what is going on. It happens so fast. One second, I’m looking at the red carpet coming closer, and the next, I’m wrapped up in two strong arms. I don’t see anything except gray.
“Oh my gosh,” someone says, and then I’m put on my feet. Tyler’s arm is still wrapped around my waist while I get my balance. “Are you okay?” I look at Yamina, seeing her there with a white face. Autumn, Kendall, and Jonathan all look a little shocked.
Looking at Tyler now. “I was almost red carpet roadkill,” I say, laughing nervously. My hands are still shaking a little as I try to hold my purse, realizing that Tyler hasn’t moved his hand from around my waist.
“Are you okay?” Jonathan comes to my side, and I’m sudden squeezed tighter to Tyler.
“Yeah.” I wave my hand in the air. “I’m fine, but my ego, that is going to be bruised. Thankfully, the cameras weren’t rolling, and the pictures weren’t snapping.” I look at Tyler now and smile at him. “Thank you for not making me eat my teeth.” I wink at him, and he laughs.
“The shuttle is ready,” Yamina says. “It’s right through that door.”
I nod at her as she rushes off, and the other three walk ahead. “That was so embarrassing,” I say, hiding my face in my hands. “Oh my God, can you imagine the headlines?” I say, turning my head into his shoulder.
“I don’t suppose this is repayment for that favor that I owe you,” he says with a smirk on his face. I glare up at him, but it doesn’t last long before his smirk turns into a huge grin and then a laugh. The easiness of the whole thing—as if it’s just the two of us and not the hundreds of people right outside the door. I turn and laugh into his shoulder, his body shaking now from his own laughter.