Page 22 of Any Kind of Life
Chapter 8
Juliet stretched her body, star-fishing in the bed as the sun beamed through the windows. She had forgotten to close the blinds as she crawled into bed last night, so here she was…awake at six in the morning. Those days were supposed to be over now, but she found herself wide awake anyway. She would admit to her sleeping pattern being a little bit iffy since Paige had left—the same thing had happened last time—but it was two weeks into the tour, with another two to go.
She climbed from the bed, shrugging her robe on and fastening it as she moved into the open plan space. Coffee was the first thing she needed, then she would check to see if Paige had texted her last night after she’d fallen asleep. They’d spoken on the phone for over thirty minutes while Paige had some downtime, but Paige had plans with Soraya and the band once the gig had finished.
Paige had promised Juliet she would text her once she was safely in her hotel room, and it was a promise she hadn’t broken since she’d started touring. So long as Juliet knew she was safe, life would be okay. She tapped the screen of her phone as she passed it by, smiling when she saw Paige’s name. Juliet would make coffee, and then she would sit in the quiet while she searched for Paige’s set last night.
I really have to find time to go to one of the shows.
It was true. Juliet wanted nothing more than to be standing at the front of a crowd while people cheered for Paige. That would be the moment when this all really sunk in for her. Because yes, at times, Juliet couldn’t quite believe the life Paige had now. Maybe she could snag a ticket for tomorrow’s show. She would speak to Paige about it later.
Armed with her coffee, Juliet took her phone from the counter and moved towards her reading chair in the window. She brought up Paige’s message, noting the time it was sent. Four this morning. Jesus, Paige would barely function today if she didn’t get plenty of rest.
Back at my room. Missing your gorgeous smile. I love you, babe x
Juliet grinned at that. Paige may be heading for potential stardom, but she would never forget who she was or who she loved. She would usually respond to Paige’s night-time text, but Juliet chose not to. Not yet. If Paige heard her phone, she would wake up and call Juliet. While the thought of hearing Paige’s voice sat firmly in her mind, Juliet wanted her to rest.
Instead, she brought up a few social media accounts, one on her phone and another on her iPad. She could have waited until Paige sent her the link, but it could be midday before that happened. Juliet wanted to watch her girlfriend performing now. Only as she opened Twitter, the first image to greet her was a selfie of Paige and Soraya. It read ‘Who wants us to travel the world together?’ along the top, and it currently had over twelve thousand retweets and forty thousand likes.
Juliet frowned. Was that something Paige was considering? It didn’t feel like something Paige would do, but perhaps they’d discussed it amongst the band last night, and Juliet had yet to hear it from Paige. Juliet’s thumb hovered over the comment section. Did she really want to know what the fans thought about that idea? She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to get a feel for the popularity of a world tour.
Could the sexual tension be any more obvious between these two?
Juliet swallowed, bringing her cup to her lips with a shaking hand.
Can you duet New Kinda Love together?
When is the wedding?
Juliet rolled her eyes. Some of the fans were out of their minds. Was this really how celebrities were treated?
You two look so happy together. Just tell us all now. It’s so obvious.
Juliet scrolled back up to the image again, trying to see this so-called sexual tension and the happiness that was apparently there. All she saw was her gorgeous girlfriend staring at the camera, looking very tired.
Since it hadn’t been torturous enough already, Juliet scrolled back down to the comments. Most of them were saying they’d love a world tour, with the odd vulgar one thrown into the mix every now and then. She kept scrolling, stopping on a particular comment that had a video attached.
Do you promise us more dancing like this? Yeah, we caught you two at the club last night! Hot. Hot. Hot.
With a trembling thumb, Juliet pressed play on the video. It wasn’t the clearest, but it was clear enough to see what was going on. The first thing Juliet noticed was the fact that Soraya had her arse against Paige’s crotch, the second being just how drunk Paige appeared to be. Paige rarely drank enough to be tipsy, never mind this state.
Juliet didn’t want to see any more of the footage. She also didn’t know what to make of the things she had seen. She checked the time—six-thirty—and brought up Hannah’s number.
The call connected after a few rings. “Hello?”
“Have you seen social media this morning?”
Hannah cleared her throat. “Juliet, I have one eye open, my shirt half-buttoned, and I haven’t even taken a sip of coffee yet. Of course I haven’t seen social media.”
“Paige is on there.”
“Yeah, she usually is.” Hannah’s voice was laced with confusion. “Is that not a good thing? That people are posting about her and talking about her talent?”
“Oh, that part is great. The part that isn’t is the footage of her dancing with fucking Soraya in a club!”
“Whoa. Relax. What’s going on?”
Juliet lowered her coffee cup and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Have you seen the things the fans say about them? How they look good together and that the sexual tension is off the scale?”