It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Nick had instructed Tory to keep us apart on purpose. He wouldn't want anyone catching on to the fact that Kellan and Sienna weren't really an item. And that's what the world firmly believed after Kellan's L.A. radio interview. Combined with the photo of their momentary lip lock, the general consensus was that Kellan was "doing" Sienna; the gossip sites were smoldering with completely fake details of their hot relationship.
The buzz around them was so intense, I could almost feel the vibration in the air everywhere we went. Luckily, Sienna parted ways with the D-Bags after Los Angeles, so no more fuel was being added to the fire, but Kellan was still asked about her at every interview. Every time she came up, Kellan dodged the question as best he could. A week into the promo tour, the are-you-or-aren't-you question was so predictable, that Kellan and I started laughing about it when we did get a chance to be alone. It was all we could do at that point. Roll with it, or roll over.
Leaving the last interview for the day, Kellan laid his head back on the headrest of the rented SUV we were traveling in. "I'm so tired," he murmured. We were halfway through the tour, making our way up the east coast.
Resting my head on his shoulder, I grunted some sort of agreement. Endless shuffling around was surprisingly wearisome. I just wanted a hot bath, a good book, and a long nap . . . all with my very comfortable Kellan-pillow, of course.
Everyone else in the car was exhausted too. Matt and Evan were quiet as mice as they sat behind us, Griffin was sitting by the driver, snoring from what I could tell. Eyes closed, I halfheartedly listened to the radio. When a familiar song came on, I quietly started singing along. When I realized what I was singing, my eyes shot open and I stared at Kellan in shock. He looked over at me with a furrowed brow. "What . . . ?"
His voice trailed off as he heard it too. It was his voice coming through the speakers. Kellan twisted to the driver, leaning forward on the seat. "Hey, man, can you turn that up?"
The driver turned the knob and Kellan's voice boomed throughout the car. I squealed into my hands as I bounced on my seat. Matt and Evan started freaking out in the backseat. Griffin snorted awake, heard his bass line playing, and instantly joined in the ruckus we were making. I couldn't even hear the song anymore over everyone laughing and hollering.
Tory had told us that the D-Bags' song with Sienna was in heavy rotation all over the country, but we'd been so busy flying here and there and everywhere, that we hadn't heard it on the radio before. There was something surreal about hearing Kellan's voice coming through the speakers.
I turned to Kellan. "You're on the radio!"
Wide-eyed, he shook his head. "I know! What the hell?"
Tossing my arms around him, I squeezed him as tightly as I could. He was doing it. He really was doing it. And I couldn't have been happier. Seconds later, everyone was on their cell phones, calling someone to let them hear the tail end of the song. I was sure most everyone but us had already heard the song on the radio before-I knew my mom, Jenny, and Anna had, since they'd called me squealing about it afterwards-but this was the boys' first moment, and they wanted to share it. Matt called Rachel, Evan called Jenny, and Griffin called my sister. Kellan called his dad, and I . . . called Denny.
"Hey, Kiera," he answered, his accent warm. "You at a party or something?"
Plugging an ear so I could hear him, I shouted into the phone, "Can you hear the song on the radio?" I held the phone up to the front of the car, then pulled it back to my ear. "It's Kellan's song! He's on the freaking radio!"
I started laughing and could just make out Denny saying, "Yeah! I've heard it. They're playing it nonstop here."
As the song ended, the driver turned the radio back down. Cell phone conversations quieted to soft chuckles and exclamations of wonder. Kellan clasped my thigh as he talked to his family. I could see the glow in his eye, and could just imagine his father telling him how proud he was . . . and how amazing those words probably felt to Kellan, since he'd never heard a parent say them.
Now that I could hear better, Denny's words struck me loud and clear. "I saw the latest pictures running around. You, uh, okay with it?"
Wondering if Denny knew the public perception of Kellan and Sienna was unfounded, I told him, "They're not together, you know. The gossip sites are wrong."
Denny sighed, and I could easily picture him running a hand through his chunky, dark hair. "Yeah, that's what Jenny says too, but, uh, she's . . . in the minority. Most of the people I've talked to think Kellan and Sienna are hooking up. Sorry."
I frowned at this news. "Why would I still be with him if he was with Sienna?"
Denny hesitated, clearly not wanting to answer. Eventually, he did, though. "Kellan's . . . on the fast-track to becoming rich and famous . . . a celebrity. They assume you put up with it because of his status."
I scoffed. "That's not me. I don't care about any of that. If anything, it just makes everything harder!"
"I know, Kiera," he said soothingly. "That's why I don't really buy the rumors. Because I know you, and I know you wouldn't put up with him cheating on you." As guilt flooded me, he added, "We're a lot alike in that way."
Everyone else was finished with their conversations while I sat with my mouth open, not sure what I was supposed to say. In the end, I simply told him, "Yeah, I know." After a moment of silence, I added, "I have to go, but I'll call you later, okay?"
"Okay. Tell Kellan congratulations for me."
"I will."
Kellan was staring at me when I ended the call. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he said, "Gavin hadn't heard it yet." He let out a deep laugh. "I think he was just as excited as me. Hailey too." He wiggled his fìnger in his ear, like it was ringing.
Smiling, I held up my phone. "Denny says congratulations. He heard it the other day."
Kellan was all smiles, so I didn't mention the rest of the conversation I'd had with Denny. I'd tell him later. For right now, I wanted him to enjoy his moment in the sun. He deserved it.
Chapter 12: Video Lovin'
Two weeks into the promo tour, we flew back to L.A so the guys could shoot the "Regretfully" music video with Sienna. There was a feeling of melancholy in the air when Kellan and I returned to our room at the record label's house. And it wasn't just because we were dead tired. We'd been so busy promoting the album that the video had happily slipped our minds, but now it was all we could think about. Neither one of us was excited about it. Kellan had to pretend to make love to another woman. And I had to watch it, so that my mind didn't blow it up into some crazed, passionate porno. I'd always heard that filming love scenes was antiseptic and clinical. I hoped that was true.
On the morning of the shoot, I tried to alleviate the tension by waking up before Kellan and surprising him with a heart-pounding lovemaking session, but the reason behind the attack was all too obvious for both of us, and the intimate moment was laced with a fine layer of desperation.
Kellan was quiet on the ride to the studios. The rest of the guys were a bundle of energy and ceaselessly chatted about how excited they were to have an official video being produced. I was torn on the matter, both excited and full of dread.
The limo that Sienna had arranged for us took us right into a movie studio lot. Huge, long rectangular buildings were stretched as far as the eye could see. Each building had a number on it, and as the driver slowly made his way through the maze, I couldn't help but wonder what masterpieces were being filmed all around me. Just the thought plastered a huge grin on my face that made Kellan chuckle. That made my smile even wider; being amused by me was far better than being sullen.
We stopped at a building labeled B7. The driver let us out and pointed over to where we should go. It was unnecessary, since Sienna was standing in the doorway, waving at us with a glowing smile that could probably light up a small city. Dressed in a white tank top and skinny jeans that must have been molded onto her body they were so tight, Sienna looked flawless. Did she come in looking like that, or had she already been to hair and makeup?
Her long black locks sparkled in the sunshine as she approached us. Tossing her arms around Kellan, she kissed each one of his cheeks in greeting. "So good to see you all again," she cooed.
Holding his hand out for me, Kellan gave her a polite nod. Not at all bothered that Kellan and I were physically connected, Sienna looped her arm around his elbow and pulled him into the building. People in headphones were everywhere. There was so much activity that I instantly felt out of place just by standing still. I felt like I should be doing something, I just had no idea what it was.
As the boys gawked at the production before them, Sienna started showing us around. There were multiple sets inside the studio building, but we'd only be using a few of them. Really, we'd mostly be using two. There was a set that was dressed up like a stage. That one filled me with warmth and comfort-there were few things on this earth more natural than Kellan on a stage. The stage set would be used for filming the band all together. Their scenes would be small snippets that would be tucked around the heart of the video. And the heart of the video centered around set number two-a wide room with a huge bed as the main focal point. Seeing that set made my stomach churn in unpleasant ways.
Giving me a concerned glance, Kellan squeezed my hand harder. As Sienna sat on the bed, giggling in a coquettish way, I began to be filled with doubt that I could watch this. Just seeing her sitting on the mattress made me want to lose my stomach. But it wasn't real, and I could handle it. I'd handled much worse already.
Just as Kellan was about to say something to me, we were approached from behind. Dressed in his trademark impeccable suit, Nick strode into the room with a tall man with hair longer than my sister's. Pulled back into a neat ponytail, the blond locks almost reached his backside. Nick gave Sienna a snake oil smile, holding his arms wide open. "Sienna, baby, you look fantastic."
She melted under his praise, leaping off of the bed to give him a kiss on the cheek in greeting. "As do you, Nicholas."
Wrapping an arm around his pop star prodigy, Nick turned to Kellan. "Good to see you, Kellan." He lifted an eyebrow; the look oozed triumph, like he'd known all along that Kellan would agree to this.
Jaw tight, Kellan nodded. Ignoring the heat in Kellan's gaze, Nick indicated Ponytail Man. "Boys, this is Diedrich Kraus, visionary genius." He indicated the D-Bags. "Diedrich, this is Kellan, Matt, Evan, and Griffin." He squeezed Sienna's waist. "And you already know Sienna."
Trying to ignore the fact that I was completely skipped over in the introductions, I watched Diedrich smile at Sienna and then address Kellan. Reaching out for his hand, he spoke in a thick accent that I couldn't quite place. Swedish, maybe? "It is very excellent to meet you." Clasping both of his hands around Kellan's, he exclaimed, "The camera is going to love you! You and Miss Sexton are going to sizzle every piece of equipment in this place."
He was laughing to himself when a man in a clipboard came up to the group and announced that everyone needed to get to wardrobe, hair, and makeup. Sienna sauntered off in one direction while the boys were ushered a different way. Kellan kissed my cheek, telling me that he'd be back in a minute. I couldn't help but wonder just what his wardrobe would consist of. Hopefully he'd at least get to keep his underwear on.
While I wondered what to do with myself, Diedrich was called away and only Nick and I remained. Blue eyes hard, he turned to me and asked, "Are you going to be a problem?"
Lifting my chin, I tried to be as confident as possible. It was challenging, but I managed to pull off a firm, "No."
Nick gave me a lopsided grin. "Good. Because I'll have your ass tossed out of here if you mess with this production." Leaning in, he whispered, "And I'm pretty sure I could toss you all the way back to Seattle if I needed to. Just something for you to keep in mind, in case you find any of this . . . distasteful." Seeming like he didn't have a care in the world, Nick suddenly smacked his hands together. "Now, let's do this!"