Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(149)
Kellan laughed at Griffin’s antics as he waited for me by the car. When we were together, he held my hand and pulled me over to the fans. I was hesitant to go for several different reasons: one, this was his job, not mine, and it felt intrusive to be included in it; and two, I didn’t want to get attacked before I’d even had the chance to say my peace.
The fans didn’t know how to react to my presence. They were so excited to be near Kellan that they were hollering, crying, and shaking. But somehow they still managed to give me dirty looks. I hoped none of them were brave enough to say anything to me with Kellan a foot away from them. He would most definitely lose his temper if that happened.
Kellan let go of my hand to sign a few autographs. I held my ground and watched Kellan with a prideful smile on my face. He really was so great at it. He made a point of saying hello and making eye contact with every person who handed him something. He was warm and open. He joked with them, and even made remarks that were just on the edge of being suggestive. Surprisingly, that didn’t bother me in the slightest. I understood why he crooked a grin and told a tiny strawberry blond girl that he “was thrilled to see her too.” He wasn’t saying it in the hopes of hooking up with her later, he was saying it for her. He was giving her a memory that she could hold on to, making her day. The mild flirting was actually sort of sweet.
Only one person had the guts to ask him about me. Proudly wearing her Kell-Sex shirt, the frowning fan jerked her thumb at me. “Why is she here with you?” Somehow she made the word “she” sound profane.
Kellan kept his expression as neutral as possible. I didn’t think he was going to respond, but in a calm voice, he told her, “She’s my wife. She goes where I go.”
With that, he grabbed my hand and walked away. The sound of a handful of people gasping simultaneously was the last thing I heard before we darted inside the building. He’d never called me that in public before. Kellan smiled at me once we were in the lobby. “It felt really good to say that.”
My heart plummeting now that we were even closer to disclosing our private life, I grumbled, “Just think how good it will feel to say it to millions of people in a few minutes.”
Seeing my nerves, Kellan wrapped his arm around me. “It’s not millions.” He pursed his lips. “I’m pretty sure it’s not millions.”
Discretely breaking us apart, Tory checked us in with security, then led us to the elevators. When we were all squished into the car, the intimidating blonde focused on Kellan and me.
Glancing at where we were holding hands, she told us, “You’re primarily here to perform a song or two for them, but I’ve allowed them five minutes at the beginning of your set to ask you questions. Remember to keep the interview focused on the tour and your album. I’ve informed them not to ask you about your personal life, or anything about Sienna or the photo of Kiera, but they will probably try to sneak in a comment or two.” Her cool gaze slid my way. “You should probably stay in the hallway during the interview, so as to not provoke inappropriate questions.”
Face calm and composed, Kellan simply smiled. Taking that as an affirmative response, Tory twisted to face the elevator doors. Behind her back, Kellan flashed me a devilish smile, one that clearly said, Hell if I’m doing any of that. My heart surged with anxious adrenaline. God, I hoped I didn’t pass out.
When we got to the studio, I could see that the light was on—they were live. I felt nauseated but gave Kellan a confident smile. We could do this. I could do this. An intern for the radio station let us in. Looking confident and intimidating, Tory walked through first. Her hawklike eyes took in everything around her, but I was pretty sure she wasn’t going to see this coming.
A tall, middle-aged man standing behind a confusing board of switches and buttons smiled into the microphone when he saw our group entering. “The D-Bags have just arrived at the studio. Good to see you again, guys.”
Kellan reached over and shook the man’s hand. We’d been here before, during our whirlwind promo tour, and I instantly remembered something about this studio that I had forgotten about. They had web cameras set up in every corner of the room. Not only was the world going to hear our confession, they were going to see it too.
Indicating a group of chairs set up for the band, the DJ told us, “Have a seat.”
As Matt, Evan, and Griffin sat down, Kellan turned to a grizzly looking DJ behind a laptop. “Can we get an extra chair?” He indicated me with his head.
The man looked confused, then surprised, like he recognized me. Hopping up, he told Kellan, “Sure, no problem.”
As a chair was set up for me beside Kellan’s, I risked a glance at Tory. She was glowering; she hadn’t wanted me in the room. She wasn’t putting a stop to it yet, but she might when we started speaking.
An attractive brunette behind another laptop beamed at the boys. “It’s so nice to have you back. How have you been?” Her eyes focused on Kellan first, locked on me, shifted to the rest of the boys, then locked back on me. I could feel the curiosity emanating from her.
As headphones were set up on the guys, a microphone was handed to Kellan. He wasted no time in starting the conversation that I was both dreading and looking forward to. “Not so great, actually.”
All of the DJs’ eyes lit up as they stared at Kellan. People generally did not speak the truth when asked that question. It truly was just a nicety to smooth the path before the real questions were introduced. The woman flicked her gaze between Kellan and me, like she knew everything that had been going on with Kellan—in the gossip-verse, at least. By the eager expression on her face, it was clear that seeing me in the studio at Kellan’s side, but not being able to say anything about it, had been driving her crazy; she was hoping for some answers. And she wasn’t going to be disappointed.