AngelicaI panickedAnyone would panic after that scene.In bed together.Comfortable.Sexy.Hot.Sweating.I gripped the front of my baseball cap and tugged it harder onto my head as the Uber pulled up to set.Had someone said "Hey Ang you look a bit hot, need something?" I would probably ask for a cold slap to the face. This wasn't... real. He was helping me because he had no choice.There was a nothing there.There never would be again.No matter how treacherous my legs were as they wrapped around his body like they belonged together - like we still fit.But Will had changed.Everything about him was different, from the way he carried himself to the way his language had shifted from this playboy to some psycho adult who should have five kids and a mortgage.Tremors wracked my body, maybe I was getting sick, maybe it was him. It wasn't the type of physical response that happens after trying to get clean. A sick metallic taste filled my mouth.I needed a minute.One
WillI couldn't look away from her.And I'd bet my entire fortune that nobody else on set could either. The sheer agony on her face was reason enough to be transfixed, but what followed was such raw, gut-wrenching emotion that it hurt to breathe, and it only got worse as she fell against the sand.I flinched and dug my fingers into my palms, ready to spring into action to save her from the stares - from the world.It went against every fiber of my being to watch her hurt in that way, to see the real Angelica - the one I had fallen for - expose herself to all of these strangers - the world - to the very people who stoned her when she came clean about who she really was.When she came clean about our breakup.The drugs.Everything.She didn't owe them shit.She didn't owe me either.And yet she was giving us everything.My heart of stone began to beat in those few minutes when I fought with the desire to catch every last one of those tears with my lips and promise they'd nev
AngelicaThe restaurant was closed off to everyone but the cast and crew, I was thankful for the break - and the food.Zane: Hey man, you got your own trailer too? Sweet, I bet it's kick ass, hey side note, does it have mallows? Cuz I can provide the goods. Should we have a trailer party?I glanced down at Will's phone and smiled, a girl could get used to Zane's quirky sense of humor. In a lot of ways he reminded me of Demetri.It had been a hellish day on set.And to thank Will for not suing him, or beating the shit out of him when he strongly suggested Will act in the movie, Jay was taking everyone out to dinner.I wasn't holding out hope that someone wouldn't leave with a black eye or missing tooth, that's just how it was between everyone.Nat was there with Ella. Alec was in the corner cooing in her face like, like a dad. It was the most surreal thing I'd ever seen, rock star Alec Daniels, holding a baby girl's hand and ignoring the rest of the world as if it didn't ex
Will"Jay!" I waved my script in his face. "Dude, why is everything blank after my name? Am I just standing there or what?" I yawned and gave my head a shake. After last night's dinner, I was emotionally and physically spent, not only was I trying to corral all my clients via keeping in touch with email, but I still had conference calls with tour managers for Zane, not to mention butt loads of amounts of all the other shit that I had to take care of for AD2 and their new merchandising ventures.Add yet there I was.On set.In Hell.And apparently with a blank script.Ang and I had shared two words since carpooling to set that morning. I said hello, she said, it's early.Okay so that was three.Wordlessly, I'd made coffee.She'd poured us our cups, adding sugar to mine.We were a pair.Both of us on lockdown since we'd sung together, since I'd jumped in after her in the freaking ocean.Since I'd agreed to not only be on set but be in the movie for reasons I still couldn't
Angelica"I can't do this anymore." I hung my head and rested it in my hands. Gem grabbed some light lip-gloss and forced me to sit up so she could spread it across my lips. "It's too hard, it feels too real." I choked back a sob and closed my eyes while Gem finished up."This is based on true events, right?" Gem asked.I opened one eye. "Yes.""But you never had that conversation in the last scene with Will?"I squirmed, "We had something similar, a few years ago, back when..." I didn't say it. I didn't want to. "Back when things were bad."She nodded and dropped the gloss back onto the table then put her hands on her hips. "It feels real because it was your life, it is your life, and your past is suddenly now in your life." She reached for my hands.For some insane reason I let her take them. She squeezed. And tears welled behind my stupid eyes again."You're reliving your past through different eyes." She spoke slowly. "Realizing things that maybe you've never thought abou
WillShe'd run off set. Taken an Uber back to the house. And hadn't spoken to anyone all day.I knew she was in her room because of the lack of door and suddenly felt like an even bigger ass because she couldn't suffer in privacy.And what made matters worse was I was thankful that she wasn't locked in the bathroom because I couldn't do it again, I couldn't barge in on her and see her doing drugs."What the hell are you doing?" I roared while Ang stumbled toward me, slinking her dress up so she showed so much thigh I almost saw her underwear. "Ang! What are you doing?" She rubbed her eyes and shrugged, "I was tired, all right? So I snorted some coke, it's no big deal, plus we can drink more."I steadied her on her feet. "Ang it is a big deal, drugs are a big deal, who gave you this shit?""Problem?" Andrew came up to the door, "The guys want to get the party started, looking good Ang." I hated their relationship, loathed it actually.She gave me a guilty look."Give us a mi
AngelicaI ran away.Again.This time to the bathroom instead of my doorless room.I was too confused to keep crying.Too tired from such an emotional day to even ask what the guy meant when he said he couldn't be my friend yet needed to be my everything.And a small part of me wanted to run back into his arms and offer him all that I had and see if he'd bite. See if he'd at least be tempted.But I had nothing to offer.Except a dirty past.A shaky present.An unknown future.And guys like Will, they deserved the good girls, the ones with no demons chasing them down, the ones with no scars from needles. The ones who weren't constantly showering in an effort to clean the sins away.I started the shower.And peeled the wet clothes from my body.The bathroom door jerked open.Will stood there, shirtless. His intense gaze moved over my skin like he was caressing me with his eyes. I didn't cover up. There was no point. Because I wasn't a girl who was ashamed of the current
WillAng was even more silent than normal when she walked into the living room, her hair was a wet messy knot on the top of her head, and once again I was gifted with the girl I remembered.No makeup.An oversized T-shirt.And a pair of sweats I could have sworn I'd noticed missing from my room two nights ago when I did a load of laundry."Those mine?" I pointed at the black Under Armour sweats and waited for her to deny it.Instead, she shrugged a shoulder and said, "Maybe.""So you're stealing from me now?""Borrowing," she corrected. "If I stole them, that would mean that I left the house with them with the sole purpose of keeping them for myself." She rubbed her nose and sat cross-legged on the couch, barely hiding a yawn behind the back of her hand. "All right, we have to be on set in a few hours, so spill."I suddenly forgot everything I was going to say.And I had no idea why.I was better than this.I was an agent for God's sake. I knew the words, I was older than
Will"I can't hear you, Chicago!" Zane yelled. "I said are you ready for some Adrenaline?"The roar was deafening.We'd sold out across the US and had to move to larger arenas, it was unreal.And I'd missed it so damn much that I was having a hard time wiping the grin from my face, though part of that could be because of Ang.She agreed to sing on some of our newer tracks.And I'd coerced her by way of sex into performing a few of them with us.It was what people wanted, especially after seeing the music video from the film, and even more so, after seeing the opening scene, the raw emotion in her eyes.And knowing our story.The whole story.The whole damn thing.Word for word. Written out in our new album, for the world to see.Andrew wrote half.I wrote half.And then we traded, added things to each other's riffs, made sure the lyrics worked, and then very amicably went into the studio to record with the rest of the group.It was intense.We still barely spoke any w
AngelicaIt was midnight by the time we made it back home. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and just... exist.And then Will started taking my clothes off, and I forgot all about existing on my own, and began to think about licking my way down his body instead, or up, I wasn't picky."Mmm." I groaned when his lips slid down my neck. "That feels nice.""You feel nice," he murmured stealing another kiss. "I love you.""Say it again.""I love you."I couldn't help the sleepy smile that spread across my face at his words. Or the desire to press my palm against his chest. And when he gripped my fingers like a lifeline, unbridled passion flickered across his handsome features as the lean muscles of his stomach seemed to ripple in the moonlight. I couldn't resist the feeling of power it gave me to know... that expression was for me.He leaned down and mapped my body with his tongue, I whined when he stopped and lifted his gaze to mine, a wicked smile teased his lips."More," I
WillBy the time we made it back to set most of the chaos had died down. Andrew was back, but he was still lurking in the corner, his eyes downcast but not as lost as when he'd first gotten to Seaside.Alec and Demetri had started a bonfire down by the ocean.All of us just followed, like we knew the fire was for us, like we were in need of the calm the heat would bring.Even Andrew eventually ventured over after Jay said something.Demetri had his ever-present guitar.Alec had his.And then Zane said something like, "Oh, look what I have here.""Any other instruments we should know about?" I said casually."Don't!" Demetri waved his hands in the air. "Don't give him the perfect set up to take off his pants, not when he's finally wearing them."Zane just shrugged.I leaned back into the sand and closed my eyes for a few seconds.Everything fell silent.So I opened one eye and then another.A guitar was being held over my head."Are you going to hit me with it?" I asked
WillThe Andrew I knew was gone.His eyes were cold.Lifeless.He finally slapped Ang's hand like a high five rather than a shake and continued to glare at me."I was scared," I finally said. "Jealous and scared."Surprise flickered across his face."I'd sent her into your arms knowing you'd take care of her while I was gone while hating the bad influence you were on each other. You had this connection I didn't understand, this... thing that gripped both of you like a vise. I didn't get it, I hated it, hated you for bringing her into it almost as much as I hated that I couldn't stop it." All things I'd told Ang without reservation. "And I'd been gone so much, it made sense, she chose drugs over me, why not eventually choose my best friend? The one who was there when I wasn't?"Andrew looked away.Ang reached for my hand and squeezed."The thing is..." I dug my heels into the sand and looked out at the horizon. "You're right, I blamed everyone but me. Hated everyone for my o
AngelicaAndrew was a runner.I could tell by his stride, the easy way he inhaled through his nose, out his mouth. While I thought I was going to pass out from shortness of breath."Andrew!" I yelled.The ocean swallowed my voice.Finally, he stopped and turned.I kept running; he was a good hundred feet in front of me.And when I finally caught up, I couldn't catch my breath, my tears were mixed with sand by then, and my lungs burned."I'm disappointed." He rasped, "You still don't exercise. Isn't that part of the steps in rehab? Find a healthy..." He made mock quotes. "Outlet.""I bite," I sucked in a gulp of air, "My fingernails and," I put my hands on my knees and tried breathing in through my nose, out through my mouth. "I color.""Color." he repeated, "With crayons? Markers? Colored pencils? Watercolors-""Crayons." I blurted then collapsed onto the sand.Slowly, he lowered his massive body next to mine.We were a few feet apart.Both of us staring at the ocean.
WillI'd passed out once in my life.Dehydration.So I didn't realize what was happening when Zane was snapping his fingers in front of my face and asking how old I was."He can't count that high," Demetri muttered."So many candles." Ty shuddered.I shoved them away and moved to a sitting position then held my head in my hands rubbing my temples. "What happened?"Nobody spoke.I sucked in a breath as the events crashed over me, jarring my memory to a painful degree.That night.That. Night.I chose never to think about it.Hated giving it power.But in that moment.I did.I thought about it - really thought about it.The fight with Ang before the concert.The fight with Andrew after.Drinking just enough to be angry at the world that things weren't going my way - that my best friend wouldn't listen to me about drugs, that he'd hurt the woman I loved, and that the woman I loved was choosing drugs over me.The groupie was pretty.And it was easy.So easy to wonder
AngelicaI heard the yelling.Demetri grabbed my arm while Alec shielded me.It looked like Andrew and Will were going head-to-head.I rolled my eyes. "I got this, guys, it was bound to happen.""Yup." Zane said from behind me, "Should have just killed him.""Hey, I was ready," Alec agreed as we all slowly jogged over to the chaotic scene where Ty was trying to hold Will back.But something about the scene was.Wrong.Rather than looking pissed - Will looked.Worried.Andrew looked ready to rip Will's throat from his body.And then I heard it.The words."...it's not that I didn't care, it's because I knew exactly whose baby it was... yours"I stutter-stepped.Demetri caught my arm.I shook my head over and over again while pieces of my memory fused.I refused to think about that time in my life especially after rehab, especially after moving on.Healing."Think about it!" Andrew kept raising his voice higher, higher. "I had just gotten back to my room, you were o
WillThings were going too good.And when things went good.I panicked.As an agent, it usually meant that you were minutes from a phone call about a publicity stunt gone wrong, or an actor taking a bender, or one of your musicians trashing a hotel room.Ticket sales being down.Labels dropping musicians.Every single time I had this feeling.Something happened.It was the same feeling that woke me up that night and made me go search for Angelica. The place in my bed, the space she belonged in was empty. And I'd missed her even as dread washed over me.The same dread that followed well into the night when she was in my arms, when we rode together to set.When we shot the cameo scene with the rest of the band.And had to keep redoing it because Trevor couldn't keep a straight face half the time, and Andrew kept snorting like he was too big of a deal to do anything.Besides that, fans had caught wind of what was happening, and we had groupies lining the outside of the set.
AngelicaI didn't want him to get to me.But he did.The way he leered at me like I was naked.Even with Will standing right there.And all the shame, all the mistakes, all the touches he'd given me, things he'd whispered in my ear, the so-called brushes of his hand, kisses to my neck.My stomach lurched.It took everything in me to walk past him.To smell that same cologne floating off his skin.And all the things that came with it.Drugs.Partying.Waking up in his hotel sheets that night, knowing that I only had myself to blame, and that I may as well embrace that side of me since Will was gone, since he wasn't coming back.The trailer door jerked open.He took one look at me, scooped me up into his arms, and held me on the couch, playing with my hair while his kisses dried up my tears.His lips moved across my cheeks, my chin, his mouth was so warm, comforting, sexy, I turned into him, inhaling his shirt while he rested his chin against my head."Thank you." I pre