31. Hello, Goodbye…

Days Later

LA, California

At LAX

“I love you. We’re going to call each other and stay in touch as often as possible ok?” I whisper, leaning down to kiss her softly. I cup her face with my palms, my fingertips grazing over her cheeks lightly.

“Ok…” Lilah replies, clutching her carryon luggage.

“You should tell the guys bye.” I voice softly, reluctantly allowing her to pull away from me so she can tell the others goodbye as I look on silently.

I sigh, my blues traveling around the busy airport, not caring who sees us at this point. I was determined to at least see Lilah off this time. There was nothing Rachel and Trace could do to stop me or convince me otherwise. In fact, I was so persistent on the matter that my bodyguard Mike had to come along with us. Not only that, but we got the airport to temporarily block off a small section so I could say my goodbyes to Lilah and not be disturbed. I don’t like throwing around my status for perks but, it’s for a good reason and as soon as I leave, everything will be back to normal.

Right, so, I have Mike, Rachel and Trace here with me who are telling Lilah their goodbyes. I asked my mom to come along but she declined and instead wished Lilah a safe trip back at home. I’m not sure how I feel about that but I’m not going to think about it now. I’m going to avoid having any kind of talk with my mom for as long as possible.

We also have a handful of paparazzi close to the entrance of the airport trying to get in. But I don’t care about any of that and neither does Lilah since she’s been tearing nonstop the moment we got here.

This is it. We had a great time in Cali together minus a few upsets. This experience definitely gave me a sneak peek into what life could possibly be like with Lilah around. But, she’s going back on a plane to Boston today and with summer almost over, the next time we meet will be back at Higher Heights. I’m excited and terrified at the idea. I’m not sure how going back to that place for another semester is going to be. I know things won’t be the same, but at the same time, I can’t determine if they’ll be better or worse. I don’t want her to go, I really don’t. But, it’s only fair that she gets to go back home and enjoy the remainder of her summer with her family who left a few days ago.

Ask for me, well, I’ll be here, in LA living my life, catching up on work I’ve been neglecting or pushing back. I have the clothing line with Trace, a few studio sessions, some appearances to do and the golf tournament for the Shriner’s benefit to deal with.

The funny thing in all of this is, I was so caught up in the change my life took that I forgot about the real reason why I ended up at Higher Heights in the first place; but the public hasn’t. The media and my fans haven’t. My manager hasn’t. I’m only saying this because I got a call from my manager Johnny Wright yesterday reminding me that this whole boarding school experience would soon be over. That’s well and good, but, it was only a matter of time before my real life conflicted with the one I built at that school.

It’s not that I have two separate lives but…the idea of having cameras follow me around was never part of the agreement. Yet, I found out yesterday that there are going to be cameras present for my last semester at that school. It’s not a reality show by any means, but, Johnny insisted that it would be good for the segment they were going to put together with the same talk show I was on that landed me into this craziness.

‘We only need a few shots of you doing the school thing.’ He said. ‘Academics and sports, the cameras won’t be there forever...just the first few weeks and then on graduation. Think about how good this will be for publicity and your image Justin.’ He said. He better believe I’ll be holding him to his word. I get that it’s good for my career or whatever since I haven’t been pushing to release a new album. But, I’m not so keen on the idea. Plus, I haven’t told Lilah about it, about what Johnny said. ‘I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into with this girl Justin. It’s harder when they haven’t experienced or can’t relate to this lifestyle.’ Johnny told me. I understood what he meant. But, I hated hearing him say it. It’s harder because Lilah isn’t a Hollywood starlet and already a part of Hollywood. She’s a normal girl; she’s no celebrity. And I get that. I actually love that she’s not tainted by the lifestyle.  

I’m not sure how I’m going to tell her about those cameras. It’s one thing being outside of Higher Heights. But, bringing cameras into that school will only prove to the public that Lilah and I are…well, a couple. I’m not going to avoid her just because cameras are going to be around. If anything, this might be the best way to break the news to the public and my fans. Still, I think I’m going to wait on the telling her part. I think she deserves to enjoy the rest of her summer with as little worry as possible…

“I’m going to miss you guys so much.” Lilah voices, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I stand in place, stuffing my hands into my jeans pockets as I eye her, a light smile tugging at the corners of my lips as I think about how cute she looks with her hairdo. Raven hair really looks amazing on her. It gives her an edge. And, it's sexy. I think I’m going to request that she keeps her hair that color.

“Oh girl, you know we’ll miss you too. But we’ll be seeing you during the semester so no worries. You know that we must come to visit you guys.” Rachel speaks up and Lilah nods, her grey-browns locked onto my blues.

“Right. Well, no need to prolong this.” She perks up, wiping at her eyes.

In that moment, we hear the announcement to board for Lilah’s flight over the airport's intercom system.

I chuckle a bit when she quickly rushes up to us and gives us all quick hugs before she takes a few steps back.

“I love you guys! I’ll see you soon! Bye!” Lilah waves farewell and Rachel, Trace and Mike wave goodbye to her.

I remain in my spot, keeping my hands in my pockets, but I give her a light nod as we all stand silently, watching her depart. I watch closely as she fixes her charm bracelet before she pulls out her boarding pass to hand to the flight agent at her gate.

She turns to look at us one last time before she disappears down the walkway towards the plane that’s going to whisk her back to her home.

And now that she’s gone, I release a sigh before turning on my heels to leave.

“Hey Justin, wait up! Aren’t you going to wait to see Delilah’s plane takeoff?” Rachel inquires, catching up to me.

I shake my head, signaling a 'no.' Why should I? It’s bad enough that I feel like some emotional female on the verge of tears.

“Cat got your tongue J?” Trace teases me, nudging me lightly and I shrug. “You know, you could have told Delilah bye that last time.”

“I already told her goodbye.” I state softly. “Now, I’m waiting for when we meet again so I can say hello.” I add in and I hear Rachel gushing next to me.

“Oh my god Justin! That’s so sweet!” She coos. Sometimes, Rachel is a sucker for love and all the mushy stuff.

“Corny is more like it.” Trace chortles and I shake my head at them.

“Uh huh.” I laugh, but my laughs die out when we finally make it to the exit of the airport.

Mike quickly moves in, shielding me from the endless flashes and screams that ensue. Rachel and Trace easily lead the way for us to get by. Fucking paparazzi I tell you. Sometimes, I’m totally cool with them and other times, like now when I only want to be left alone, they really know how to piss me off.

“Justin! Justin!”

“Justin we think it’s great that you came to tell your girlfriend goodbye!”

“Justin, is Delilah the reason you visited Boston some time ago? That is where she’s from right?”

“What can we expect from you and miss Marshall once you get back to school?”

“Will you be taking her to any events you have coming up like your Shriner’s benefit?”

“Justin, what does Delilah think of Jessica? Or better yet, what does Jessica think of Delilah?”

My pace falters at the mention of Jessica and Delilah. Why can’t they get off this shit? Why do they keep comparing these two women who are so very different? Why the fuck are these assholes so persistent in implying that I’m involved with both women at the same time?

Mike notices my hesitancy and his eyes widen slightly in warning. “Justin don’t do it.” He voices sternly, but I ignore him, whipping around to face the photographer who voiced that last question. I can hear Rachel and Trace calling out to me for us to simply leave, but I ignore them too.

“You guys have it wrong. Jessica and I aren’t together anymore. We’ve agreed to go our separate ways.” I state simply, getting ready to leave, but the guy’s next statement surprises me.

“Really Justin? Because that’s not how Miss Biel put it.”

My eyes narrow as I clench my fists tightly. Goddamn it I want to hit the prick and wipe the smugness off his face.

“Justin…come on let’s go.” Mike demands, pulling me along with him.

With one last glance around, I cave and allow Mike to lead us away from the madness and back to the vehicle we came in so we can head home.

This isn’t over. I need to know what that jerk meant. And, there’s only one way I’m going to find out what’s going on…

*****

I stomp into my home, still pissed off from that paparazzi encounter we had at the airport earlier. They couldn’t just leave us alone. They couldn’t simply let me miss Lilah in peace. Oh no, the fuckers saw an opportunity to grill me and they took it. Yes, maybe answering them wasn’t the best decision but shit, I was only setting them straight.

Then the asshole made that comment about Jessica which has me wondering what bullshit she’s been feeding them behind my back. Or maybe she hasn't said anything to the paps because she usually doesn't speak to them. Maybe she's been telling other people shit about us. You know what? Fuck it. I’ll call her and tell her we need to talk. It’s simple. If she’s confused about any of the shit I told her which clearly stated we were through, then I’ll tell her again. I'll make sure I'm super clear this time around.

“Justin sweetie? Is that you?”

I cringe slightly when I hear my mother’s voice coming from the kitchen area.

“Yeah ma! We’re back!” I call out, ambling into the living room and plopping down on my couch. Trace and Rachel follow behind me silently.

Mike dropped us off and headed home so it’s just the three of us, and my mom now.

I’m not in the mood to do much today. I think I’m perfectly content with staying home and missing Lilah’s presence for the day.

Rachel and Trace haven’t said much because they know I’m upset but that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for their company.

“I’ll see if a game is on.” Trace speaks up, grabbing the remote and hitting the power button.

“And please skip over any media celebrity shit you come across.” I tell him and he nods slowly.

“It looks like things are getting worse with the paparazzi Justin.” Trace adds in and I groan.

“Trace is right Justin. You need to do something about it.” Rachel interjects.

“What would you all suggest I do huh?” I snap at them.

“Delilah can’t handle this Justin. She’s not used to this life. They haven’t started dissecting her yet. They’re still trying to get the facts straight because you all haven’t exactly gone public with your relationship. Though, that comment you made at the airport might shed some light on the situation. What are you going to do when the media starts digging up any and everything they can find out about her life to put her on a chopping block? Trust me, Delilah won’t be able to deal. I mean, you should have seen the horror on her face when we got cornered by the paps the day of her birthday, when we were leaving the mall…” Trace drifts off when my head snaps in his direction.

“What? You all got approached by the paparazzi on her birthday?” I ask in disbelief.

“Shit. I’m sorry man. I wasn’t supposed to tell you; she was. I thought she maybe did. I don’t know. Don’t tell her anything Justin. Let her tell you first.”

I glare at Trace, feeling a little hurt that Lilah would ask him to keep something like this from me. And he fucking went along with it.

“And you didn’t think I deserved to know those fucks were harassing my girl?” I inquire again. Before Trace can respond I cut him off. “You know T, it’s one thing for them to bug us when we’re together or even when I’m alone. But to come at Lilah when she’s by herself? Yes you were there. But I’m sure they were focused on her. What does that tell you?”

“I don’t know Justin. That they’ll try to get to her no matter what?” Trace shrugs and I nod as dread washes over me.

“That tells us that Lilah stands a chance of getting harassed by those jerks at any time…even at her home. Meaning, she doesn’t have to be around us. She could be out, alone, and those fucks would still bother her. They’d treat her like any other celebrity they could cash in on. That’s great...that’s fucking perfect.” I hiss, shaking my head sadly.

I never thought that far. I never expected the public to take such an interest in her so quickly. But I guess that’s partly our fault. We didn’t give them much to go on. They’re letting their curiosity drive them. This is bad. I have to find a way to fix this without giving Lilah a reason to panic. But first thing’s first…

I pull out my cell phone and quickly scroll through my contacts looking for Jessica’s number. I used to know her other number by heart, but she recently got a new line so…

“Guys? I’m getting an early start on dinner for everyone. Is there anything in particular you all want me to make?”

I pause at the sound of my mom’s voice. Slowly, I turn around in my seat to see her standing at the entrance of the living room with an apron tied loosely around her waist.

“Uh, no mom. Make whatever.” I shrug and Rachel quickly stands to approach her.

“I’ll help!” Rachel says enthusiastically and mom smiles before she focuses back on me.

“Justin, baby, when you get a chance, I think we need to have a talk. Did you all see Delilah off?”

“We did.” Trace responds and I nod, getting up to excuse myself so I can call Jess, but my mom stops me again.

“Justin…” She voices and I sigh, staring at her.

“Whatever you’re going to say mom, can it wait please? We’ll have that talk.” I lie. I don’t want to talk if she’s only going to lecture me about Lilah which I’m sure she is. “But, I really need to give Jess a call right now.” I point out and her eyes light up at the mention of Jessica. Seriously? I’m going to pretend like I didn’t see her ‘happy’ reaction.

“Oh that’s perfect. I was thinking of inviting her over for dinner as well. But after what happened the night of Delilah’s birthday, I wanted to ask you first…” She drifts and I look at Rachel and Trace who are silent, awaiting my response.

I scratch at my chin lightly in thought as I hit the call button on my cell phone and begin making my way to another part of the house. “I’ll tell Jess mom.” I simply state before leaving.

I’m not up for having Jessica over but, maybe I could use the time wisely and talk to her about what’s been going on in person. I’m sick and tired of all this shit and I intend on putting an end to it one way or the other.

I also need to find a way to get my mom to soften up to the idea of Lilah. I don’t think Lilah is the problem because I can tell my mom likes her for the most part. I think it’s the whole boarding school thing and the fact that my mom doesn’t know much about what’s been going on with me this year. Maybe we do need to have a chat.

“Hello Justin?”

Jessica’s voice comes floating through the line and I sigh heavily as I walk towards my pool, heading in the direction of the lake on my estate.

“Hey Jess.” I voice softly.

“Hi!” She says in surprise. “Wow, um, I haven’t transferred any of my contacts to this new phone yet, but I recognized your number. How have you been?” She asks and I groan.

“Lilah went back home today but I’m fine…” I mutter.

“Oh. I see. So…”

“Jess, I need to talk to you.” I jump right to the point.

“Justin whatever it is…”

“No.” I cut her off. “You need to come over. We’re doing this in person.”

“Oh so now  that your little girlfriend is away you want me around?” She snaps and I sigh in annoyance as I stroll along the small path to the lake where I can be alone to clear my mind.

“Come on Jess. It’s nothing like that.” I state.

“Then what is it?” She asks softly.

“No, we’re not doing this on the phone. Come over, around eight.”

“Justin, I’m not going to…”

“At eight Jess.” I interrupt her. “Oh and my mom invited you over for dinner. So, I’ll see you later…”

Before she can protest I end the call, stuffing my phone in my jeans pocket as I reach the lake and move over to take a seat on one of the benches.

I’m not worried. I know Jessica will show up. And when she does, I think I’m going to have a word with her about us going public with our breakup.

If I’m going to let Lilah into this life, there has to be no strings attached and no doubt in anyone’s mind that she’s the only woman for me. Because I swear, the next person who tries to sabotage our relationship, they’ll fucking regret it.

*****

Hours Later

Boston, MA

“Oh my god.  I can’t believe I’m back home. I know I wasn’t gone that long but it’s good to be back home. I missed everyone.” I say contently, my mood lifting when Marco turns the vehicle into our street.

Even if I spent most of my flight thinking about Justin and how much I’m missing him already, I’m happy to finally be back in my neck of the woods. This I can deal with. I can handle home. Plus, where we live is a simple neighborhood without all the glitz of Hollywood. I loved Cali and I know I only got all of the good things it had to offer because of Justin, Rachel and Trace, but there’s no place like home.

“We missed you too Lili and it was nice coming out for your birthday.” Marco admits and I nod, bouncing in my seat when our driveway comes into view.

“It was fun having you all out for my birthday.” I reply. That and my mom literally went nuts when Justin brought her into William Rast headquarters some odd days ago. It was hysterical and amazing because I got to see that side of Justin in action. He’s a true businessman; that much is clear. Even Trace was awesome when he took over part of the tour to show us around. We had fun that day.

And now, as Marco pulls up into our driveway and parks the ride, I can’t help the excitement that engulfs me as I undo my seatbelt and quickly exit, heading straight for the front door to greet my parents.

“Lili!” Marco calls out to me and I stop, turning around to look at him as he opens the trunk and proceeds to pull out my luggage.  “I’ve been holding off telling you something that you need to know before you step foot inside.”

“What is it Marco?” I ask impatiently.

He hauls my luggage behind him, taking a deep breath before he speaks. “Ethan’s here.” He drawls out and I gasp, my eyes widening.

What the hell did my brother just say? He can’t be serious.

“What do you mean Ethan’s here?” Maybe I heard wrong.

“He’s here, inside, with mom, dad and Ryan…”

That’s as far as Marco gets before I bust through the front door of my home in haste.

I quicken my pace towards the living room where I hear voices as my heartbeat increases. Slight worry and panic starts setting in as I round the corner and my orbs settle on my mother, father, Ryan and yes, Ethan. Ethan’s in my living room and my parents aren’t trying to kill him. Marco doesn’t look pissed off and I think my heart is on the verge of exploding inside my chest.

“Ethan…” I wheeze, taking in deep calm breaths.

The sound of my voice startles everyone since they were deep in conversation. Ethan turns to face me, standing in the process.

My grey-browns take in the sight of him in dark jeans, a dark t-shirt with a cap on his head and a light smile on his face. My stomach twists into knots as my mind starts going haywire. Why is he here? Why is he here in Boston when he should be in New York? Why in the world does everyone seem ok with him being here? Oh my god…

“Why are you here?” I blurt out, shaking my head in displeasure. “You shouldn’t be here.” I voice frantically.

“Delilah, hunny calm down.” My mother says gently but I ignore her. I ignore them all, including Ryan and Marco who just strolled in with my luggage in tow. The only person I’m focused on right now is Ethan.

When he looks at me apprehensively I huff in aggravation, folding my arms across my chest. Am I missing something? This is not happening!

“Why are you here Ethan?!” I shout this time and he flinches due to my harsh tone.

“Hello Delilah.” He voices lowly, his tone cautious. “You look good.” He nods, giving me a coy smile and I frown, biting the inside of my cheek to keep my cool.

“Don’t 'hello Delilah' me! Why are you here?”

“Ok, ok, relax.” He states, raising his hands in defeat. “Do you remember when I called you some time back?”

How could I forget? I had to endure Justin’s unpleasant attitude for the rest of the night after that call. Yes, I figured out Ethan calling was the reason for Justin switching into a bad mood on me that night.

“Yes and?” We spoke; he told me what he had to, I replied and the conversation was over. There’s no need for him to be here now.

“Well, I did what I said I would do. I spoke to my dad. I told him this feud he had with Mr. Marshall had to end. I pushed and pushed until I got him to pull back on the statement he was going to release in regards to his ‘so called’ experiences with your parents real estate business. You don’t have to worry. Their business is safe.” Ethan assures me and I scowl deeply, glaring at him.

“That still doesn’t explain your presence.” I snap rudely.

“Right well, I figured, since my dad has too much pride to do this himself, it was only fair that I came here to apologize to the family in person on behalf of my dad and myself and to let you all know how deeply sorry I am. Look, Delilah, I know you still hate me, and you have every right to. But, I had an interesting summer and I took some time to put things into perspective. This bad blood between our families has gone on long enough and it’s time someone put an end to it. It’s affecting all of our lives. Plus, it was Ryan’s idea I did this in person and not on the phone. I came when I was told you’d be coming back today. Don’t worry, I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m staying in one of the hotels on the other side of town. I just needed to come here and at least make my peace so even if you couldn’t forgive me, maybe your parents could start to.”

Ethan ends his explanation with a light shrug before he breaks eye contact with me, bowing his head slightly. Now I’m super curious with what Ryan was trying to tell me or not tell me at my birthday party.

This has to be a joke though. Ethan must think I’m really stupid. If he thinks that sucking up his pride long enough to come out here to spit his bullshit to us will make everything ok, then he’s a lot dumber than he looks. He may have my family fooled since they don’t seem to be angry with him right now but I’m not stupid. He’s maybe doing this to throw me for a loop and to get me to let my guard down. But, I’m not buying it.

After a moment of silence, I finally speak up. “I don’t believe you. There’s stuff you’re not telling us.”

“Delilah!” My mother scolds me and I glare at her. “Ethan’s done a brave thing. He may not be on our favorite persons list, but he’s trying. You should acknowledge that. He’s never done this before.” She points out and I roll my eyes.

How gullible can my parents be? Well, my mom anyways. Judging by the look on my dad’s face and the fact that he’s quiet, I’d say he’s not pleased with Ethan being here either. I know he’s not simply going to believe anything Ethan has to say off the bat, even if Mr. Landing is a much bigger jerk than his son.

“Exactly mom! So why now? Why after all this time? I’m not buying it. You’re up to something Ethan. Or, this has something to do with Justin.” I spit and I note how Ethan winces at the mention of Justin.

“No.” He swallows harshly. “I’m simply trying to do the right thing...”

“Ok then. Well in that case, your apology is on file. We’ll contact you after it finishes processing. No promises though.” I say curtly before turning away from everyone to head upstairs to my room. “You should maybe leave now Ethan. You’ve overstayed your welcome.” As I head towards the stairs, I pause to look at my family, ignoring Ethan this time.  “Oh and thanks for the great welcome home greeting everyone!” I mutter sarcastically. “It’s ok, I’m still happy to be back home.” I voice gently this time, shaking my head woefully as I climb the stairs by twos.

You know what? I’m over summer break. I can’t wait to get back to Higher Heights to start my last semester. Even though Ethan’s going to be there I don’t care because Justin will be there also and I’ll get to see him again and we’ll be together.

Having Justin there for my last semester at that school will be enough for me to look forward to finally leaving that place, hopefully, on a high note.