I smile. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
Patti rolls her neck in a circle and touches her left breast. Her face scrunches up and she grabs her abdomen. “Oh man. Hold on. No way!”
She darts off to the bathroom and closes the door. I turn off the water and follow her.
“YES! Thank GOD!” The toilet flushes and the door flies open. “I got my period!” She hugs me tightly and we jump up and down together, laughing.
“Why are we so happy?” I ask as I jump with her.
“Because I’m not pregnant after all!”
“What?” I shuffle back a step or two, placing my hand over my heart. “You thought you were going to have a baby?”
“Yeah. What a relief!”
Patti practically dances over to the couch and plops down. She grabs the remote and turns on the TV.
I’m still standing by the bathroom door. I can’t believe how nonchalant she is about all this. “Do you… I mean… does your husband know?”
Patti cackles loudly and glances at me over her shoulder. “Husband? No, girl. I’m not married. Heck, I don’t even have a boyfriend.”
Taking a deep breath, I walk around the red chair and sit down next to her on the couch. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Shit. Are you okay? Your face is all contorted like this.” She scrunches her nose and bites her lip.
I don’t know what to say.
Patti turns off the TV and situates her body so she’s looking at me. “This is serious for you, isn’t it? I guess where you’re from, girls don’t really worry about pregnancy unless they’re married and then it’s a happy thing.”
“I would never judge you.”
Patti waves the air. “It’s fine. You can judge me. Sometimes I do dumb things. We both had a little too much to drink after the bar closed and one thing led to another. It was a few months ago. My periods have always been wonky. Sometimes I skip months. But we were so drunk, we didn’t use protection, so I was a little worried. But it’s all good. I’m flowing like a river.”
“Was he worried too?”
“You know what’s sad? I don’t even think he remembers. But it was his birthday and after we closed up the bar, we all did shots in the kitchen. I’ve never seen him so wasted before. We did it in his car, then I walked home and he slept in it.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal.
“So he works at the bar?”
She smiles. “Ha! Are you fishing, Blaire?” She leans in and whispers like it’s a secret. “Let’s just say he’s gorgeous, you talked to him last night, and drinks were involved.” She winks and my heart drops in my stomach.
She doesn’t need to say another word. I know exactly who she means. I don’t know why I feel so sad. It’s not like there was even a chance. Gosh, I just left the convent. What’s wrong with me? How could I think a single look from a guy could change my life? Maybe God brought me here to show me that my daddy was right all along. Evil shows up in all sorts of places, in all kinds of people. Temptation is your first clue it’s there.
I should have known. How could he not remember having sex with her? Does it mean nothing to anyone? I think back to what he said―It happens all the time. Was I so wrong to let my heart hope just a little? Yes. Yes, I was. At least now, I know. Lucian Kane will never, ever be the guy for me. Maybe this is a sign I need to go back to the convent. I cringe when I consider the thought. The truth is, I don’t know what is best for me anymore. I need some time to search my heart.
In the meantime, should I avoid him or confront him on what he did to Patti? After a few minutes, I make up my mind. When I see him again, I’m going to tell him straight out what I think of him.
Then, like the simple turning of a page, I consider something else. What if I don’t see him again? What if last night was a one-time thing and he doesn’t come back? Was that my only night with a rock star? I’m not sure which thought has me more upset.
Like Jesus, it seems the devil has a beard too. I just never expected to like him so much. This may look like Heaven, but it feels like Hell. What am I going to do now?
To be continued….
Dawn L. Chiletz currently resides in Illinois with her two boys and three dogs. Dawn writes what she’s feeling. Sometimes that means she’ll write a romantic reality TV story with a mystery, and other times it’s a psychological thriller or a romantic comedy. With ten currently published stories, there’s a little something for everyone. When Dawn isn’t writing or working her full time job, you can most likely find her driving her kids somewhere or mindlessly watching Instagram and TikTok videos.
Converted will be a full length book. For more information on the story including the release date and links to purchase the book, please sign up here.
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Love...with a twist
A Black Hearts Still Beat Short Story
If someone had told me two months ago, that I’d be at a party for one of the hottest rock bands in the world, I would have laughed in their face and said, ‘good one’.
But here I was, Phoebe Halstead, twenty-one-year-old intern at Razorsharp Records—AKA a lackey for Black Hearts Still Beat, the band everyone was talking about.
And tonight, we were celebrating Damon Donnelly’s birthday. Damon was the guitarist; then there was Rafe Hunter, bass guitarist; Hudson Ryker, drummer and self-professed sex god; and Rafe’s brother, Levi. He was the lead vocalist. He was also, if you listened to the media, a recovering addict with issues so deep he was the perfect front man for a rock band who thrived on scandal and chaos.
“SURPRISE!” Someone hit the lights, and everyone cheered at Damon’s arrival.
“Holy shit.” Hudson let out a low whistle as he took in the suite.
He wasn’t wrong. Eva Walker, the country singer touring with the band and Rafe’s girlfriend, had gone all out. Decorations littered the suite. There was a makeshift bar, snacks, and a… piñata. I didn’t know what that was about, but everyone seemed to love it. There was even a DJ set up in the corner of the room.
I watched as Eva and Letty Panem, my mentor at the label, greeted the guys, and a strange sensation washed over me.
For the most part, the band and Eva had welcomed me with open arms. I’d joined the tour late, after the previous assistant was fired. Hudson liked to give me shit, but he did it with everyone. I was slowly learning it was his defense mechanism, his way of keeping people at arm’s length. Not Eva though. She had clearly won over the hearts of all four members of Black Hearts, and she accepted me without question.
But I wasn’t in their inner circle, not yet.
And given my visceral reaction to the dark and brooding Black Hearts front man, it was probably for the best.