Jesus talk’. I had eventually pulled myself out of my slump, but I’d always thought of Em as the one that got away. I’d thought about getting in touch with her over the years, but I didn’t want to interfere or ruin anything that she may have had going. I didn’t even know that she would want to hear my explanation of why I had broken up with her that night. The time had come for me to try and move forward and get on with my life. So I did.
Women had pretty much been a constant fixture in my life since I moved to LA. None of them were ever any more than sex and a good time. I’d used them as much as they used me, but I never took things further with any of them because emotionally I was lifeless inside. I’d known only one girl who could open that side of me and I’d lost her. A year ago I met Valerie at a Down Glory Road CD release party. The record label CEO, Andre Campbell, introduced me to her. She was gorgeous and was being shot in one of their music videos. We connected and started seeing each other. We had a pretty simple relationship in that Val made most of the decisions and I went with the flow. She became a convenience for me. I realize that made me sound like an asshole, but I knew I was using her as much as she was using me. She came with me to all the press release parties and mingled with the big wigs, and I had a companion to pass the time and relieve my sexual tension. I could take that girl any way I wanted and she complied. But we never had a deeper connection than that. Lately she’d been getting pretty clingy. Marriage had come up during a conversation a few days before the reunion, and it took me completely by surprise. I hadn’t even had a clue that she viewed our relationship like that. I’d only looked at one girl as ‘the one’ and it certainly wasn’t Val. She’d walked out that night but like always, she came back and we’d resumed our usual routine of sex, parties, and fake companionship. As long as she knew marriage was never going to be an option for us—as far as I was concerned—the charade could continue.
I sat down on a couch that was pushed up against a deep-red wall. Recording studios tended to be dark inside. Equipment and computers lined the walls and a glass window looked into a room with microphones, headphones, and some musical instruments. Kyler walked in with a Starbucks cup in one hand and skateboard in another. He was always riding on that thing, or his bike.
He sat down next to me on the couch. “What’s the plan for today?”
“DGR are coming in at ten to take a listen to that new song we wrote last week, and we have a meeting at noon with Andre. He has an up-and-coming artist he wants us to meet and possibly work with.” I grabbed the cup of coffee out of his hand.
“Cool.” He got a notebook out of his backpack to jot some things down. “So I found out something that might interest you.”
Taking a sip of the coffee I looked at him, urging him on. “Okay.”
“I emailed Harper this morning. I’m heading back home in a couple months for a week to do some house hunting and she’s going to be my realtor. Well, technically she doesn’t know she’s going to be my realtor yet, but I’m plan on taking her out to dinner and asking nicely.”
I grinned, “Yeah? You know how to do that?”
He frowned, “I will for her. It’s not always about getting in their pants.”
I laughed. “I’m not so sure what makes her so different, but look out for that one. She’s got some claws.”
“Eh, I can handle her.” He was still looking at me and I got the feeling there was more.
“Well, besides being happy for you for living closer to your parents, what part of the conversation would interest me?”
“She told me something about Em that you might want to know.”
Now he had my full attention. “What did she say?”
“Have you been talking to Em on the phone?”
“Not really. I’ve text her a few times and I’ve tried speaking to her but she’s always dodging my calls. Why? What’s the deal man? Quit beating around