Rock Star Billionaire

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The Friday after Zayden ended it with his wife, I was hanging out with Nick and Stacey in our living room, when I got a phone call from my mom.

“Hi mom,” I answered, surprised. “Isn’t it a little late for you to be calling? You are always in bed by ten. Is everything okay?”

Mom giggled nervously, suggesting that she must be a little tipsy. “Everything is okay, dear. Or I think so. I don’t know. The last two months, my hospital bills had been paid by this day but it hasn’t gone through yet this time, and I wanted to check to see if everything is okay on your end.”

Shit. I felt my face grow hot with frustration. The month was not over yet, technically. But perhaps this meant – it could mean – had Zayden decided our contract was over after all and he wouldn’t be making any more payments?

“Mom, I have to tell you something,” I said, resigned. “Please listen very carefully and don’t get upset with me.”

“Why would I get upset with you?” she asked sounding surprised that I would even suggest such a thing. “You have been wonderful, Aria, helping me with my hospital bills like this! I only hope I get the opportunity to do something great for you in return someday.”

“You have mom, you did that little thing where you, you know, raised me?” I tried to sound cheerful but my insides were at war. How was I going to explain it to her? The contract was not exactly something she would approve of; it would sound, no matter how I put it, like I was selling myself. She would not be able to handle that. I had to come up with a better story. “Listen, mom,” I started again. “I may have lied to you a little bit, but it was so you didn’t feel uncomfortable about those payments. My loan never exactly got through.”

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until she spoke, “What do you mean your loan never got through? You have been making

payments! I have the receipt!”

“That wasn’t me,” I said sulkily, as Stacey threw me a pillow for comfort.

“What? I don’t understand. Of course it was you!”

“It wasn’t. I mean it was. It’s complicated. My loan got denied so my – uh – boyfriend, who has a lot of money, offered to lend me the money, which I am to pay him back after finding a job.”

“Boyfriend?” She sounded shocked. “You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend, Aria! Since when do we hide things from each other? It’s not, oh god, it’s not that awful boy who broke your heart last year, is it?”

“No mom, it’s someone else, and we hadn’t really figured out what we were for the longest time so I never felt like talking about it.”

“So the guy was willing to give you sixty thousand dollars before even putting a name on your relationship? I don’t get it, Aria. I hope you haven’t been doing anything illegal. I’m not worth the trouble.”

“No, mom, no no! Nothing illegal, I promise. Like I said, it is very complicated. But I haven’t done anything you wouldn’t approve of mom,” I said crossing my fingers.

“I don’t know, Aria. You didn’t even tell me about this guy, and he has been paying all this money.” Her voice was shaking slightly.

“I will be paying him back, I promise!” I said honestly. “But I think for now the payments will have to stop because, uh, we broke up.”

“Aww, honey! Are you all right? Maybe I should come over and spend a few days with you.”

I thought about that for a second and realized it was a horrible idea. If she came here it would be easier for her to find out exactly what the deal between me and Zayden was.

“Don’t be silly, mom.” I tried to sound as cheerful as possible. “We were not even dating for too long. He was a good boyfriend but he began to get controlling and that pissed me off so I ended it. I am not even upset about it! Worried about your hospital bills, sure, but not upset. And I will find another way to continue your payments. You trust me don’t you?”

“Of course I trust you! But I feel like I am putting way too much pressure on you with all this money business. You are twenty years old; how can I expect you to come up with forty thousand more dollars just like that? Especially if your loan got denied. Oh, those rascals! You actually work at the bank and they would still deny you.”

“It’s okay, mom, it really is. We will figure something out, you know I will. Please don’t worry about this for now. It’s late, go to bed, I will call you soon and we will make a plan. Everything is going to be alright.”

“As long as you are okay, honey,” she said, sounding apologetic. “I am so sorry about all this.”

“Don’t be! I am fine and if I can’t even help out my mom when she needs me, what’s the point of anything?” I asked brightly. “Goodnight, mom. Sleep well. You are going to be okay. We are going to be okay.”

“Goodnight, baby. I love you.”

“I love you too,” I whispered and hung up, feeling extremely anxious.

Even though I had told her I would figure it out, I had no idea what I was going to do. There were only a couple of days left until the month was over, and if Zayden really had decided to back down, I hadn’t the slightest idea how I was going to get us out of this pickle.

“What is going on?” Stacey, who had been silently listening to my whole conversation finally spoke.