“Oh, poppycock.Those guys areincrediblyfamous, and the lead singer wouldnotbe wasting his time in my room chatting with me, that’s for sure. Nice try, buddy.” I pat his leg this time with a chuckle.
“Okay, well, how about this? Why don’t you come to our final concert at Wembley tomorrow? Well, technically, it’s tonight. You can be my guest of honor if you like. That can be your first act ofspontaneity,” he says, squeezing my knee.
I smile. “It’s a deal. Tonight. Concert. Right.” Daddy willnotapprove. Actually, he’ll lose his mind, but if Joseph is right and I am boring and dull, then maybe this little bit of uninhibited me will break the mold.
Oh, who am I kidding? I am not made for something like this.This is not how I was groomed. Let’s face it, privilege and following the rules of being a good girl are all I know.
I am out of my depth.
“Great! I’ll pick you up at seven,” Colt says and stands to leave.
With that movement, I panic again and grab his hand. “Do you have to go?” He swallows roughly and gnaws on his lip. “Could you stay? Keep me company until I fall asleep? Then you can leave if you want. It’s just… I haven’t stopped crying since I arrived at the hotel, and then you came in, and I haven’t cried since. For some reason, you’re helping me,” I say. He grips my hand a little tighter, sending a shiver up my spine. “Please?”
“Sure, but only till you fall asleep.”
I nod and stand, walking with him hand in hand to the king-sized bed. He hesitates for a second after I lie down, but eventually lies beside me.
“So, I get why you’re here, but if your relationship with your boyfriend wasthat great, shouldn’t you be out fighting for it or some shit?” he asks, breaking the silence.
I shake my head. “I guess I’m more upset that I’ve always lived a certain way. I’ve been raised believing I’m supposed to marry into social status and end up a socialite like my mummy, and that can’t happen now that Joseph has ended things. I suppose I’m mourning the loss of the life I was raised to have, and now I feel like I don’t belong anywhere. I have nothing to show for myself,” I admit.
“Well, to me, it sounds like you’re not so upset by the loss of Joseph but by the loss of the life you were meant to have?”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Daddy always taught me that being socially accepted and marrying into money and status was thesingle most importantthing I could do for our family. I guess I’m a failure at everything.”
“Nah, you just need to burst out of the social bubble your father has placed you in and live a little. You’re only young once, and it sounds like you haven’t truly lived. You’ve been stifled,” he says.
Nodding, I bite my bottom lip. I know he’s right. “Can I be honest with you?” He nods once. “I don’t know how to do anything for myself. I’ve always had everything handed to me on a silver platter. I don’t know how to be different from who I am?” I admit, and Colt exhales heavily.
“Well, for starters, I’m gonna break you out of that mold. It’s sad that someone like you hasn’t experienced anything beyond social luncheons and high-society living. There’s a whole world out there waiting for you. You need to take steps for a chance to live life a little differently. The world isn’t that scary. Plus, thereare normal people out there, not just high-class pompous gits. There arerealpeople—”
“People like you?” I interrupt.
He chuckles. “Yeah, people like me, but others too. Maybe make this a new start for you? Maybe you can begin to break out of the cocoon you’re trapped in and begin living in the real world,” he says.
Exhaling, I know he’s making sense. I’m not an idiot. That there are other people out there, it’s just that I’ve never met any of them.
Until now.
“So what type of person are you then?” I ask curiously.
He chuckles and rolls on his side, facing me. “Me? Well, I’m just your normal guy. One who’s living it up as best he can. My childhood was real fucking different from yours. My dad didn’t care about us that much. My family was poor, and my dad wasn’t a good role model. Let’s just say I’m glad I don’t take after him,” Colt tells me with a slight frown.
I can’t imagine being poor. That may sound shallow, but being wealthy has so many perks that I’m unsure how I would cope without money or status.
“So, where did you grow up?” I ask.
“Croydon. My mum still lives in our childhood home. I try to visit her as often as possible, but it’s hard with the band and all,” he says, and I nod.
“Do you like playing music?”
He smiles brightly, his eyes sparkling in such a way that it makes my panties wet instantly, which then has me clenching my thighs together. Even in my drunken state, I know this man is gorgeous.
“I don’t like music. Ilivefor it. Not a day goes by when music isn’t a part of me. I was born to be a musician,” he replies, smiling so big it reaches his eyes.
I can’t help but smile along with him. “It’s a real passion, then?”
“No, it’s not a passion. It is a part of me. I swear my molecules are music notes. Music flows through my veins, and I live and breathe it. It’s hard to explain, but in my twenty-eight years, I know I couldn’t live without it.”
