“Right on, I owe you big time Easton. Thanks a million!” I was stoked. Now, to find clothes.
“What was that all about?” Chase asked after he ended the call.
“I needed Easton’s help setting up a dinner date for me and Ely on Saturday night. I’m clueless when it comes to that shit and with him becoming a chef, I didn’t want to take him to some dive he’d end up getting food poisoning from,” I told them.
“True dat,” Seltzer agreed.
“Alright guys, on to the next puke bucket,” Chase said, ushering us out of this one. I’d probably need to buy new Converse after this, given the fact that I had to keep peeling the rubber soles off the floors. These places made a dollar movie theater look spotless.
“Dude, is this gum?” David asked, his leg midair with a steady stream trailing from his shoe to the ground. “Who does this kind of shit?” With no other option, he scraped the bottom of his shoe along the corner of the wall to get off as much as he could.
“Let’s get out of here before we end up requiring a series of shots to combat whatever plague exists in here,” I said, absolutely mortified. This place was the worst one so far. The manager didn’t even bat an eye let alone look our way as we left the facility.
By the time we got through all five of them, we were lucky none of us had added to the retch that the previous tenants left behind. It was like they were raised by animals. Hell, I know animals who were more considerate than these yahoos.
“I need a long, hot, shower to wash the stench away,” I said to the group as we exited the last building.
“I don’t even know what to tell Easton. Am I the only one who can’t see us in any of these spaces?” Chase asked.
“No, there’s got to be something better,” I replied, hoping beyond hope, those words would ring true. “Seltzer, can you drop me off at my mom’s please? I feel like Venom, the black retch is morphing with my skin.”
Evidently, Mom and Easton had been talking because come Wednesday, she was a chatter box about him. I’m glad they hit it off, I always felt like Mom kept herself way too secluded. Between the two of them, they set me up with an appointment with a local tailor. That event was a bit, uncomfortable at first. Standing there in front of my mom in nothing more than boxers while some random guy took measurements. In the end, it was more than worth it, and I ended up purchasing a couple of dress outfits from him that he assured me he’d have ready to pick up by Friday afternoon. From there we went to lunch. After that, things changed, and I was not prepared for the direction they took.
We weren’t inside the mall for more than ten minutes before fans were coming out of the woodwork. “Rhone,” and “over here, Rhone,” was shouted from every direction. Security converged, winding their way through the dense crowd to get to us.
“Mr. Horne, Mrs. Horne,” one said. His badge read John Miller, Director of Security.
“How do you know our names?” Mom asked him.
“I’m no stranger to rock music, I’ve been following your son’s career. But that’s neither here nor there, your safety is our concern. Would you like us to escort you to your car or contact the stores you’re interested in perusing to ask if they’ll close while you shop in peace?”
“Honestly, I think its best if we leave. I don’t want my mother to be harassed,” I told them.
“Not a problem, Mr. Horne,” he spoke into his earpiece, alerting the others on his team of our plans. “Okay, which entrance did you come in through?”
“The one by the food court.” We headed back that way, flanked by mall security.
When we arrived back at Mom’s car, John told us next time we wish to shop to call the mall management office and they’d arrange for a private opening for us. While I appreciated their efforts, I think I’d move to more online shopping or private shops. What a mess. I didn’t know whether to start signing the shit that was being shoved in our faces or throw Mom over my shoulder and haul ass out. We were thankful security stepped in as quickly as they did.
“You okay to drive?” I asked Mom once we were on the road.
“My hands are shaking, but I’m okay. This is your life now love, are you sure you’re ready for it?” she asked.
“Not much of a choice. Music and scrubbing toilets are all I know how to do, and I’d prefer not to do the latter again.” I released, a sad, maniacal laugh. “Without the fans, we wouldn’t have the money we do. I need to warn the guys though.” I shot off an FYI text to them and also to Easton knowing without a doubt that multiple uploads would be happening to social media sights. Too many phones were aimed our way as we made a break for it.
We knew Rocktoberfest would be the turning point for us, and we got what we wanted out of it — just didn’t expect it to hit this hard or this fast. After I finished ordering the rest of what I was looking for online, thank fuck for Prime shipping, I popped over to our social media channels. Shit was blowing up. Could’ve done without the shots of our faces looking like crazed lunatics fleeing the scene of a crime. That was enough for me. I slammed my laptop closed and did my best to ignore it. Ugh. It was one thing for me to be in the middle of this, this was the life I chose. Mom being caught in the crossfire was what fueled the anger I was battling. Thank fuck Easton was handling this. If I had to reply to some of the shit being said we’d surely lose fans.
“What?” I said, answering my phone without looking at the caller ID.
“Am I in trouble for something?” Ely asked.
“Oh shit, sorry babe. Just a fucked-up day,” I replied.
“Does that have anything to do with you and your mom being plastered all over the internet?”
I growled. “Yes. So much for mother and son date day.”
“I love that. Not only do you have a name for it but that you have that relationship with your mom,” Ely said. Now I felt like a total ass for reacting the way I had.
“We were shopping so I could get something other than torn jeans and ancient concert tees to wear on our date,” I told him. “We got that much at least, but I needed a few more things so after lunch we hit the mall. I never anticipated being ambushed.”
“I just got back from doing the same thing, luckily without drawing a crowd.”
“Babe, once word that we’re dating gets out it’s gonna happen. Are you prepared for that?” I hated to ask, having this happen to Ely was inevitable and he needed to realize it was only a matter of time before he found himself in the same predicament.
“We’ll cross that crowd when we get to it. At least now I know to keep an eye out for it,” Ely replied.
Between now and Saturday, Ely’s schedule was booked solid with no time to fit me in. I totally understood and knew there would come a day when mine would be the same, but still, I missed him like mad. What I wasn’t prepared for was the angelic, modelesque fashion model version of Ely I picked up on Saturday night.
“Ely,” I growled when he answered the door. “You take my breath away.”
That without a doubt, was the reaction I was hoping for after spending an insane amount of time strategically layering the correct amount of make-up. Too much, I look like an oompa loompa. Too little and I look like Casper. It’s a fine line. My face flushed at Rhone’s response when he first saw me. He’d previously mentioned liking me with and without make-up and today was important. I needed to exude confidence and when I was dolled up, I felt more like me. Pretty. Desirable. The nude lace cami and matching manties bikini briefs I had on underneath only added to the goal I wished to achieve. Walking with my head held high, filled with a pride I rarely felt. Knowing I was turning heads, in a good way. With Rhone I was free to be me and he had no idea what that did for my psyche. Never did I think I’d find a man who’d accept me for who I am.