Life Starts Now

That night, they did not sleep together. Skye decided that they should take it slow. So he went to his hotel room with Neil. Skye went to her apartment with Lexi, who could not stop talking. It was funny for Skye to hear her little sister talking about Neil as a «boyfriend». Skye knew something was up between them. Even if she did not let her talk about Neil or Adam, she knew Lexi was keeping in touch with him, and she knew, as her older sister, that it was more than just friendship. They were bond because of their love for Skye and Adam, which made them closer than ever.

When Skye woke up the next day, Lexi was snoring loudly next to her. She got out of bed slowly, trying not to wake her up. She walked to the kitchen and started some coffee. She heard a little buzz; she literally ran to her cellphone by the living room window. This buzz meant that she received a text message. She knew it was him. She sat on the couch before looking at the message.

Woke up without u next 2 me. I miss u. Love. Adam

Skye smiled. Suddenly, she remembered all those messages he used to send at the beginning. It wasn’t until the fifth or sixth time that they got closer. It was in New York. She went with Lexi for the first time. He had sent her some VIP passes so they watched the show from the side of the stage. They all went to the bar after. Skye presented her sister to the guys and left her with Neil before going out with Adam for a few minutes. They walked on the streets for a few minutes and then, she felt his hand in hers. She looked down at their crossed fingers and smiled.

«I need to show you something» he said, walking toward to the hotel lobby.

I followed him, excited. We entered the hotel, took the elevator to the highest level. She did not say a word during the ride. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her heart was racing as she was figuring out what was going on. The doors opened up and they walked together to the last door in the hallway. He took his magnetic card, slid it into the little crack and the door opened. The room was huge. The light green walls made the place comfortable. There was a living room with an enormous white couch. The wide open space was amazing. Adam reached for her hand and pulled her towards the bed. He brought her closer to him and put both his hands on her waist.

«I wanted some quiet time with you» he said with a smile.
«Quiet time? What for? » she asked, throwing her arms around his neck.
«I like you. And you seem to like me too. »

She smiled at him. It was the first time that she could clearly see that his eyes were a very deep shade of blue. That close to him, she faced a reality she did not expect; he was beautiful. That thought scared her. She never thought of him as such. She never expected to be this close to him, to feel like she could be part of a rock star’s life. She was about to take a step back when she felt his lips on hers. She was surprise, but it felt strangely good. She kissed him back. Butterflies were flying in her stomach. It felt so amazing to kiss him. She felt his tongue on her lips. And she flipped. She broke the kiss and took a few steps back, bringing her hand to her lips.

«It was too soon right? » he asked, worried she would run away.
«No, no… I mean, yes… Well no! GOD! » she mumbled, trying to make sense with everything going on in her head.
«What’s wrong Skye? »

She put her face in her hands and sight. Nothing was wrong because it was meant to be. They got closer since the last time, texting regularly and talking on the phone almost every day. But she never expected that to happen. She liked him as a friend but never thought of him as a boyfriend, or anything close to it.

«Adam, I… I’m with Andrew. You know that. » she said, looking straight into his blue eyes.
«Yeah… And I’m with Naomi. But you know that there is something special between us. »
«Yeah, it’s called friendship. » she said, raising her voice a little.
«Friendship? I care too much about you to just be your friend. » he said.
«Adam, please. Let’s just be rational. You have Naomi, I have Andrew. We do care about each other but a relationship between us is crazy. I don’t want to be the one breaking your couple. Maybe when we will both be single, but for now, I think we must keep it that way. » she simply replied to him.

Adam exhaled loudly and closed his eyes. He knew she was right. He just thought it would be natural for them to hook up.

«Did I screw up? » he said shyly.
«No. We’re good. Friends? » she asked, raising her hand for him to shake it.
«Best friends» he said shaking her little hand.

She laughed and hugged him. He kissed her hair gently. For now, he had to get used to them being just friends. He could do that. He loved Naomi, but there was something special with Skye.

They got back to the bar, watching over Lexi and Neil. They were talking to each other with those little stars in their eyes. Adam ordered a beer and a bloody cesar for her. He reached for his pocket and threw a little pill into his mouth before drinking. Skye looked at him with concern. She did not like to see him take pills like this. She knew the feeling, she did it with him a few times, but she knew it was a problem with him. But she was not ready to confront him with this.

This memory made her shiver. Adam had had a problem with medicine for a few years when she met him. She waited a few months before talking to him about her concern. She shook her head to get back to the present. She took her phone and text him back.

Be patient, rock star. I’m not an easy girl. Love, Skye.

She hit send and ran to the shower.

He received her text message and smiled. She was what he always wanted in a girl; confident, a little cocky, cute, fun and ready to be there for him. Naomi was kind of the opposite; she always needed to be sure he wasn’t cheating, she called him too many times, and she was serious and looking forward to her career. But she did care about him, and he did care about her a lot. They were together for a long time and leaving her had not been an easy thing; with the pregnancy and then the abortion, he thought it was too much for her to handle. After thinking this through, he decided he could not lie to her anymore; he had to tell her everything about Skye.

He heard a knock on his door and walked to it. Neil was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed on his chest.

«So? » he asked.
«So nothing happened. We talked and decided to take our time. » he replied.
«Duh… That sucks. »
«No it doesn’t. I just got out of a relationship, we just reunited. I hurt her, it’s only normal that we go a little slow at first, rebuilding what we once were. »
«Yeah, you’re probably right. By the way, we have to be at the airport by 5 tonight. »
«We’re leaving today? » Adam asked, suddenly worried.
«Show tomorrow in Texas. » Neil replied.

Adam got mad faster than ever. He turned to the wall and hit it hard with his fist to make the anger come out. Neil watched him curse as he walked all around the place. The drummer knew that it would be hard for him to leave because of everything that happened in a short period of time.

«I can’t go. » Adam finally said, stopping in the middle of the room.
«You have to. »
«No. »
«Adam, I know it’s hard! Listen, I’m in the same kind of trouble here. I have to leave Lexi behind. But there are phones, Skype and all sorts of ways to keep in touch. », Neil added.
«If I leave, she’s going to forget me again. »
«Dude, stop that! You act like you’re addicted to her! »
«I am! » Adam yelled at him. «I don’t want to spend another day away from her. I waited way too long to let it slip away. »
«You are going to call her, tell her, and we are leaving this afternoon. » Neil said before leaving the place.

Adam clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, trying to regain some kind of calm. He had to find a way to tell her.

Skye got out of the shower, only to find Lexi making some waffles in the kitchen. Her sister was still in her pajamas, hair pulled up into a loose bun. She seemed tired, but still, she had a huge smile on her face.

«Good morning early bird! » Lexi said, looking at her sister with a grin.
«Good morning chef! Sleep well? » Skye asked.
«Your bed is like heaven! » she said, stretching her arms in the air. «Did you hear the news? »
«What news? » Skye asked, intrigued.
«Oh… maybe I should keep my mouth shut sometimes… » she answered, biting her lower lip.

Skye got worried and walked to her sister. She took a waffle and ate one bite, trying not to make up
stories in her head.

«You started, so now juts finish it. » Skye said, seriously.
«I think you should call Adam… » Lexi said, avoiding her sister’s eyes.

Skye tried to stay calm and finished her waffle. She took her phone and dialed his phone number. After a few tones, she caught the voicemail. She hung up and sighed.

«Lex, you got me worried. So please, just say it already! »

Lexi took the waffle out of the plate and ate a huge piece of it.

«Adm n de bnd r livng tnite… » she mumbled, the mouth full of waffles.
«Ah come on! Shallow and talk clearly! » she said, angrily.
«Adam and the band are leaving tonight. Tour is not over yet. » Lexi said as fast as she can.

Skye stayed silent for a moment. She knew that trying to have a relationship with Adam would mean that he had to leave for shows. It was the first time that she got worried knowing he was leaving. Before this day, they kind of had a thing together, not ever calling it a relationship. The saw each other from time to time, getting to know each other, having fun and getting closer. Even if it felt like they were together at that time, she was never scared to let him go. He was leaving and she would go back to Andrew, his real boyfriend. She never cheated on him, well, she did not have sex with Adam while she was with Andrew, but she did kiss him a few times. It was the first time she ever thought of everything that came with dating a rock star. He might meet another crazy fan like her and start doing the same thing he did with her, he might forget her… Or worst. He might feel so bad because he’s leaving her behind, he would go back to his bad habits.

«Skye, are you okay? » Lexi questioned her, seeing her sister looking absent.
«I’m… euh… I’m fine. » Skye answered, shaking her head. «Are you okay with Neil leaving like that? »
«Well… I’m used to it by now. We’ve known each other for almost two years. We got closer fast so I guess I always thought of him as a boyfriend even if we weren’t together. So I’m good. We will keep in touch like we always do. » Lexi said as she sit on the couch.
«Maybe you’re right. » she simply added.

Skye kept looking ahead of her, not focussing on anything. She kept seeing the worst it could happen. When she finally decided it was time to stay in the present, she went to the bathroom to dry her hair.
Lexi left a few minutes later, leaving her sister with her own thoughts. It was awkward for her to feel like this; to feel like her relationship with Adam was in jeopardy because of his job. She knew it would be hard to be with him; after all, she was a nurse living her own dream of working with children, it was impossible to even think of quitting this job to follow him. The longer she thought about it, the worst she felt. What if this whole story was wrong? What if it would only bring pain to them both?

She heard a shy knock on the door. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and went to the door. Behind it stood Adam, hands in his pockets, looking at his feet. She stopped breathing for a second, not expecting him to come here. He finally looked up at her and forced a smile on his face. She knew just by the way he looked that he was worried too. She was not the only one to care about them.
She took a step back to let him in. He entered and walked to the kitchen, waiting for her to come. She simply walked to him and hugged him gently. He put his hands on her lower back and kissed her neck.

«We’ll be okay Adam. » she whispered in his ear. «We will make it through. »

Adam felt tears in his eyes and tried to avoid crying. Now that he had her, he did not want to leave. If it was only about him, he would move in with her in the next second. But he had a contract, a tour to finish, a band to be with. He gently put his lips to her head.

«Will you wait for me? » he asked, kissing her forehead.
«I've waited years. I can wait a few more weeks. » she said, reaching for his lips.