Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

"Jordan!" Dawn called from the living room. "They're here!"

"Just a second!" I dabbed on some clear lipgloss, grabbed my purse and my cell, and hurried out of the spare bedroom.

Matt, Zacky, and the girl who had been in the dressing room the night of Brian's and my fight were waiting with Dawn.

"Hi!" I greeted, smiling brightly.

"Hey, baby doll." Matt brushed a kiss across my cheek. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," I said, though we all knew I was lying. It had only been two weeks since that night in Long Beach. I still cried myself to sleep almost every night. But I was trying to spare Matt's feelings. It had been his idea for us to go out for dinner tonight. He wanted me to feel better, even if only a little.

I turned away from Matt's slight frown. "Hey, Zack."

"Hey, J." Zacky gestured to the other girl. "This is my girlfriend, Avery."

I offered Avery my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

She took my extended hand and we shook. She was really pretty. Her hair was raven-black with an electric blue streak in the front. She had hazel eyes, a flawless tan, and a slender, lithe body. Her wrists were adorned with several rainbow bracelets.

"So," Matt said. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yep," Dawn replied, and the five of us strolled out of the apartment.

We reached the parking lot and piled into Matt's Escalade. During the drive to the restaurant where we were having dinner, I got the chance to talk to Avery. Her last name was Freeman, she was twenty-two-years-old, and she was originally from Chicago. She'd moved to California to study dance. A recent graduate, she'd had a few jobs in theater productions and been a backup dancer for various musical acts.

Listening to her talk and watching how animated she was, I found myself strongly reminded of Jimmy. Thinking about Jimmy sent a pang through my heart. I missed him so much. I was so used to having him around during the big events in my life, and losing Brian certainly fell into that category.

The restaurant Matt had chosen wasn't in Huntington Beach. He'd obviously picked a place that held no memories for me.

We filed inside and Matt made a beeline for the back corner. I was used to this--every since the guys had become famous, they'd been more likely to claim a table that would put them out of sight. It wasn't until I was almost to the table that I realized someone was already seated there.

Jimmy.

I stopped short and Avery bumped into me. "Sorry," we both apologized at the same time. She continued to the table with the others, but I couldn't move. Jimmy had looked up and our gazes were locked. I could read his hurt, anger, confusion, betrayal...

"Bathroom," I muttered to Dawn. I practically ran across the restaurant, to the short hallway that led to the public restrooms.

I slumped against the wall, next to the counter that housed the sinks. I didn't really want to deal with this right now, despite the fact that I did owe Jimmy an apology.

The sound of the door opening drew my attention. Jimmy stepped into the room. His eyes flicked to the row of stalls, taking in that they were all empty. We were alone.

Jimmy leaned against the door, arms crossed over his chest. "You won't answer my calls, and I knew you wouldn't let me in the apartment. So, with a little creative thinking, I devised this plan."

I arched an eyebrow. "Cornering me in a public restroom?"

"You chose the setting. You could have run outside." He looked around. "Actually, it's kind of nice in here. You girls have it made."

I shook my head. "What do you want, Jimmy?"

"We need to talk."

"No, we don't." I studied his face. "I should have told you immediately, but the shit hit the fan." I fidgeted nervously. "Jimmy, I am so sorry for what I did. I wish I could say I didn't intentionally hurt you, but that wouldn't be completely honest. I used you, and I knew what I was doing. I knew how it would make you feel. I was hurting and I reacted in the most idiotic way possible: by hurting someone I love."

"Misery loves company," Jimmy quipped.

"I was a bitch," I said. "A stupid, heartless bitch. If I have to beg you for forgiveness every day for the rest of my life, I will."

"Wow, Jordan. That was really heartfelt. Thank you." Jimmy smiled slightly. "But it's not all your fault. I knew when you showed up at my room that it didn't mean anything. So...I'm sorry, too. For taking advantage of you. Because...if Matt hadn't interrupted, I wouldn't have stopped."

I bit my lip. "Do you think we can go back to the way things were?"

Jimmy shrugged. "I'm not sure. But we have to try. I don't want to live without you, Sunshine."

I smiled at his use of my nickname. That meant we were okay, or well on our way to being okay.

"C'mere," Jimmy urged.

I hurried forward to fill his waiting arms. Feeling better than I had in days, I followed Jimmy back to the table. A waitress appeared almost immediately to take our orders.

We chatted about nothing serious during the meal. We were finishing dessert when Zacky brought up a subject I'd been giving a lot of serious thought. "So, J...what are you going to do now? Are you going to stay in Cali?"

"I don't think so," I replied. "I'll probably move back to Alabama for a while."

"You're not going to find a job using your degree in Alabama," Jimmy stated matter-of-factly.

"I don't care," I said. "I can't stay here. I'll just stay in Alabama until things are more, um, settled, then I'll try Nashville or somewhere."

"That's so far away," Jimmy said.

Matt rolled his eyes. "That's the point, Rev."

Jimmy stared at me. "But we..." he trailed off and focused on his piece of pie.

I knew what he was thinking--we'd just made up; how were things supposed to go back to normal if I was three thousand miles away? But things would never be normal again regardless. Not with Brian out of my life.

"I have to do this," I said softly. "I was happier than I'd ever been here, and now that I've lost everything, I don't want to live in a place that will remind me daily of all I no longer have."

Dawn reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. "We understand. And we'll be there for you no matter what."

*****

I wrestled the zipper on my suitcase the last few inches and stepped back. Four suitcases and an overnight bag held my life in their depths. Or at least the things I'd gone back to the house for. A lump forming in my throat, I turned my back on the sight. I wouldn't cry again. Not yet.

I breathed deeply for a few seconds, until I was sure no tears would reach the surface, then strode out of my room. I went to the kitchen and began perusing the contents of the freezer. A knock at the door interrupted my search for a snack.

"Just a minute!" I called, checking the clock on the microwave. Eleven fifteen. Matt was early. My flight wasn't leaving until one. He'd been volunteered to drive me to the airport because Dawn was working today.

I walked down the hall and pulled open the door. A gasp escaped me. "Brian! What are you doing here?"

He pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head. "Zack told me you're going back to Alabama."

"What business is that of yours?"

"You're just going to turn your back on the life we've made here?"

I laughed mirthlessly. "Is there something wrong with you? What part of it's over do you not understand? You cheated on me. Multiple times. I could have forgiven you for one mistake, but you set up a fucking trend. What did you think was going to happen?"

"I thought we'd take a break and cool off, then discuss it like two calm, rational adults."

"Discuss what? Your infidelities?"

"That's really it? You're not even going to give me the chance to explain?"

I nodded. "I don't know anything that can save this relationship, Bri. It hurts every time I think about what you did, and I know I would never trust you again."

"Okay." Brian looked at me. There was pain in his expression and seeing it there pissed me off. He was the one who had caused all this. What right did he have to be upset?

"I love you, Jordan," he said. "And I'm sorry."

"I don't want to hear it."

"I wish you would just listen and let me explain--"

"I said I don't want to hear it. There's no explanation you can give me that's good enough."

He sighed. We both looked up as Matt approached. Matt's hazel eyes narrowed at the sight of Brian.

I stepped aside to let Matt into the apartment, then turned back to Brian. "Bye," I murmured.

"Bye," he echoed glumly.

I shut the door and went to help Matt with my luggage.