Love at The Bluebird

“How did you get my number?” she asks with irritation, not even bothering to answer my question or, out of politeness, ask how I am.

“I asked Gavin for your number before he left. I was working all weekend but have today free and was hoping we could hang out.”

“Hang out?” she repeats as if she doesn’t understand what that even means.

“Yeah, hang out. Want to meet me for a movie? I haven’t been to one in a long time and thought it would be fun if we could go and get to know each other better.”

“Why would I want to get to know you better?”

“Well.” Her rudeness stumps me, and I’m momentarily left speechless. I pull myself together and use the skills I have when dealing with artists. “Don’t you think it would be nice to be friends for Gavin’s sake, especially since I’m dating him and we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other?”

“I have enough friends, Alyson, so my friendship quota is full. Not to mention, I’m not interested in being your friend. Furthermore, I would like to go on the record and say that if you hurt my cousin, I’ll blacklist you from ever working at any record label ever again.”

I snort at her threat, knowing full well she doesn’t have that kind of power. What a bitch!

“If anyone’s going to get hurt from this relationship, it will end up being me,” I respond with a cold voice. “I would never hurt or betray your cousin. I’m not Tori.” Bile rises in my throat at the thought of being compared to that woman. I understand Sosie is just trying to protect Gavin, but she needs to give people a chance before making judgement.

“Gavin’s never been the type of guy to cheat on anyone. If he wasn’t interested, you’d be gone already.” She sighs in frustration. “You barely know him. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.”

“You’re right, Sosie. I barely know him, but from what I’ve seen so far, he’s a damn fine man and I don’t plan on letting him slip away.” I drag in a breath. “So, let’s act like adults and be cordial and respectful to one another. There’s no need to be rude to me. We both have his best interests at heart.”

“I have his best interests at heart. The verdict is still out on you,” she snaps, and I gasp at her words, anger making me stand up from my couch. “Don’t call me again unless it’s an emergency.” And with that, she hangs up on me.

I stare at my phone in shock, enraged that she not only spoke to me the way she did, but she also hung up on me. I throw my phone down on the couch and scream out in frustration. Never have I had someone talk to me the way she just did. I start to pace, wondering how I should handle this situation. Should I tell Gavin, so he understands why there will be tension between the two of us?

No, I shouldn’t. I don’t want to be the cause of his relationship with Sosie to diminish. Family comes first for a lot of people, and in no way would I be the one to put him in a position where he would have to choose between me and her. Sosie seems to be the type who would pressure Gavin to make a choice between us if things got bad, and I’m not one hundred percent confident yet that he would even choose me.

I decide it isn’t worth telling him right now. All I can do is prove to Sosie that I’m here to stay and want Gavin for the right reasons.

Chapter Eleven

GAVIN

I LOOK OUT the window of the plane in eagerness, the landscape of western Tennessee twenty thousand feet below, indicating we’re almost home. Dawn is approaching, with orange, lavender, and pink starting to light the sky, the promise of a beautiful day imminent. I decided to change my flight home and was able to catch the last seat on the red eye back to Nashville. I’ve barely slept, my excitement at seeing Aly and surprising her keeping me awake.

With so much adrenaline coursing through me, I was able to work on Patty’s song and start writing another one for myself, with Aly as my muse. I haven’t shared with her yet that she’s been my inspiration while writing my next album. I’m waiting until one of the songs is fully mastered and then I’ll surprise her with it. Hopefully, she’ll love it.

I sit back and reflect on how amazing my trip to Los Angeles was. All our performances went without a hitch, and I made some new contacts that can only help me in the future. It was a successful trip out west, and hopefully I can bring Aly with me the next time I go. I look at my watch to see it’s 5:30 in the morning. I purposely kept my calendar open for today, and we should land with just enough time for me to take her out to breakfast.