Chapter 8

A chorus of screams made me flinch and look around anxiously.

Then a large hand quickly swooped mine into theirs and held on firmly.

"All right love?"

I found the green eyes looking down at me concernedly and nodded, gravitating towards his larger body. A slow, taunting smile crept on his lips.

"Scared?" he quipped.

Henry walked with one hand pocketed and I timidly walked beside him on a very busy street on the strip. 

"Me? Scared?" I scoffed, wringing my hand from his holding my head high.

Another ruckus erupted across the street with people calling  as paparazzi followed some celebrity I wasn't even aware of, coupled with incessant clicks and flashes of their cameras. I rushed to Henry's side, sought his hand urgently and guiltily peered up at him to find him smirking with a roll of his eyes.

I playfully bit the his arm, the hardness of it surprising me. Henry only looked down at me, still smirking but now in amusement. His smirk turned into a gentle smile.

"Don't worry. You're safe as long as you're with me."

Henry's words made me pause as a flashback abruptly struck me. Words that should have made me in fact feel secure made me feel the opposite. As if sensing my doubts, Henry squeezed my hand. Somehow that reminded me that he was not that person that made the word become empty.

I squeezed his hand back and curled my other hand right around his elbow, leaning my head against his bicep.

Henry hadn't told me that by an hour away, he actually meant by plane. I started freaking out inside wondering what the hell I was doing. For all I knew Henry could have been some serial killer that was going to drive me to the desert and pummel me with a shovel, then store my axed head in his East London refrigerator. I knew my thoughts were silly but hey, anything could happen, right? This was the kind of trip you took with someone you knew for at least a year, not two weeks. He probably thought I was off my rocker after my rant the first night we met. Regardless, my curiosity of hanging with him more made me follow through with this impromptu trip.

We told Peter and Ella we were just going to go hang out; I got the feeling Henry didn't want to try convincing them to chart a plane to another city at last minute. He also took care of my ticket, purchasing it before I could protest. Luckily Peter didn't live too far from the airport, but with traffic we got there in forty-five minutes.

Henry and I just hang around the airport for thirty minutes before it was boarding time. As we did I couldn't help thinking how I'd never done anything that wasn't planned.

Dad told me the greatest way to success was preparation--in everything in life. Unplanned situations reaped stressful outcomes. For example, my oldest brother was unplanned from both my parents, so it's a no-brainer where that thought process came from.

My life had been so controlled and proper, I was brimming over with excitement and fear so much I wondered if Henry could feel it. Doing something on a whim was scary but it was also invigorating. I liked Henry's easygoing yet adventurous spirit.

When we got to the strip, a taxi drove us downtown, which took another forty minutes. We got to the place by around 10:45.

This was fucking ridiculous but for some reason I loved every ridiculous moment of it.

As we walked down the street, I noted a marked difference comparing this place to Tilden. This city was far more alive, you could feel the energy rising from the ground. People here were loser, louder, and had a more creative fashion sense. For a week day, it was extremely busy.

Henry suddenly stopped and was fishing in his pockets for something. I then heard a beautiful voice among all the noise and looked to my left to see a homeless man in ratty, tattered clothing He was just looking about and singing, not begging. Henry gave him a few bills of money and I followed suit, giving him something. He didn't know but this was a very delicate thing for me.

When we lived in New York City for a while and would often pass homeless people, my father chastised me for giving a homeless woman all of my allowance for that week.

'You don't enable a homeless person. They deserve to be there because they didn't work hard.'

I had never felt right about his comments and even my mother had told him to chill out.

"Thank you, my brother. Thank you sister," he told us both, took the money, and began to sing. Henry took my hand and we started walking again, but I felt something very different from him now. I looked to find his brows knotted in deep concentration. His mouth was also firmly set. It was hard to know what he was thinking and feeling.

I gently placed my other hand over his, which as gentle as the touch was, struck him like he'd been hit by lightning and he looked at me, blinking like he'd just jumped out of a dream.

"You okay?" I asked and the question seemed to make him very surprised.

Suddenly, Henrly looked on top of my head. His eyes lit up.

"Come with me," he said and suddenly started dragging me where his eyes had fixated on. It was a small pizza shop.

"Are you hungry?" he asked me as we both looked at the menu. For a second I eyed him with skepticism because I was hungry. I didn't have enough bangers and mash, and with my strict diet of not eating after 7:00 PM, I couldn't eat now.

"No," I lied. If I focused on other things I wouldn't focus on the hunger, and it wasn't really that bad anyway.

"Do you mind if I get something?" he asked after the guy behind the counter asked Henry what he'd like, reaching for his wallet again. I shook my head and watched as Henry ordered a large cheese pizza. I didn't bother asking why he wanted a large pizza randomly when we were supposed to go dancing, but as I stood there making small talk with him waiting for the order, I realized that I didn't really care what Henry and I did. As long as we were doing it together at the moment.

Fifteen minutes later his order came and instead of us sitting like I thought we would, he held it in on hand while taking hold of my hand again and headed out of the pizza joint. I have to say, I enjoyed the hand holding a lot. Henry seemed to enjoy it too, and there was an air of possessiveness to how he held me. I wasn't a fan of insanely possessive guys but in this situation I really liked it.

Again, I felt…safe, which was weird, cause it's not like my life was in danger or anything.

I was surprised when we started walking in the other direction and I thought he was going to pick some nice spot to eat his pizza, but as we neared the homeless guy again, it finally dawned on me what was happening.

When Henry let go of my hand and hunkered down before the guy, I watched in awe of it all.

"Here you go mate." He placed the box in front of him and opened it. "It might not be much, but it should hold you off for the night."

My mouth slowly opened as I gaped.

Oh crap. Why on earth were my eyes welling with tears?

"Oh son, you didn't have to do this," the homeless guy said guiltily, though I could see the gratitude in his eyes.

"Not a problem sir. You have a good night," Henry said as he stood back up. He looked for me and held his hand out. By then I'd already blinked the tears away before he could see them and basically sprang for his hand.

"You too. God bless you. You will go far in life," the guy said as we walked off.

"Thank you, you too," Henry said.

We walked for a while and I couldn't stop looking at Henry. He finally felt my gaze and smiled down at me.

"What?"

I practically pounced on him when I grabbed his face and gave him the biggest kiss I'd given him to date. I felt Henry smiling as he wrapped his arms around my waist, then he kissed me back, our tongues dancing with each other.

When we pulled back, Henry kept his forehead against mine, his hair tickling my forehead. He was searching my eyes and I was searching his. When I nuzzled his nose, his eyes closed in bliss and he rubbed his nose against mine. My fingers moved from his shirtfront, plowing into his curls to hold his head as I kissed the tip of his nose.  I pecked his soft lips one last time, then held his hand and started walking again.

As we walked, I squeezed his hand. Then he squeezed mine back.

Nothing had to be said.

I was indescribably happy.

***

Just from the outside I could tell that the club was extremely image conscious. Henry and I had cut the extremely long line and the bouncer let us in without even inspecting our attire like I saw him doing to others. We entered the club as the irate people queuing barked insults, but the inside design was so sensational I'd quickly forgotten about them.

The club entered was the biggest one I'd ever seen. Purplish-pink and blue-green transitional lighting illuminated the big room. Sizable diamond chandeliers hang from the high ceiling. What astounded me most were the dancers high up, hoisting themselves only by their hands and bodies on endless white drapes.

While I was taken aback, I liked this ambiance. There were so many different kinds of people, and it reminded me of all the gaming and comic cons that Ella used to help me sneak into when I was in high school as well as conventions that I went to by myself in college. It reminded me of all the different characters and different worlds that were out there.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Henry asked as he guardedly walked behind me, his body towering mine. His hand was protectively over my midriff as we maneuvered through the milling bodies. Try as I might, I  couldn't deny how protected I felt. Ugh. He made me all 'gooey' and junk.

Was I okay with this?

Suddenly one of the able-bodied dancers rolled down to a certain point and caught herself on the drapes before continuing to showcase her flexibility. I was about to have a heart attack I thought she was going to fall!

Henry laughed throatily behind, surprising me when he gently held my hips close to his body as we weaved through the heavy crowd.

While I was admiring the design of this high end club, Henry reminded me that I hadn't responded by ghosting his lips against my ear, startling me and sending shivers down my spine. I reached up, my fingers lingering against the slightly rough skin of his clean shaven jaw. He leaned further into me when I touched him, moaning low and pressing a kiss on my outer ear. I clumped my thighs together as a needy throb began.

"Yeah I'm okay with this," I assured him in a trembling voice. My need to touch him more made my hands go up and get lost in the silky curls over his head. Henry nuzzled me hungrily in response.

"I promise to have you back before it gets late," he said then let his lips linger over my ear. As I shivered in delight I blushed at the fact that he did this so openly for the world to see.

"Henry?" I tilted my head back suddenly, turning it in an attempt to look at him.

"Hmm." He lowered his head till his ear was in front of my mouth.

"I'm not going to share with anyone what you told me today," I told him resolutely and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and squeezed. He was hugging me from behind.

"I know, love." He kissed my temple. "That's why I told you. And I will do the same with what you told me."

God, it felt so good to hear that.

I grinned like the cat that swallowed the canary as Henry's hands found my hips again.

We hadn't waded in the crowd long before people began recognizing Henry. And the recognition was astronomical, to the point where it frightened me quite a bit. I truly learned how stepping into a different city meant stepping into an entirely different culture. I knew some producers were famous, but most people didn't even know who they were really. I wondered if he was this popular because of his looks or what?

The people approaching Henry didn't even bother asking who I was, neither did most of them even spare me a glance. They were talking over Henry so much I assumed that's why he didn't introduce me, but to be honest, I was kind of glad he didn't. I also began to wish he didn't hold me when they approached him. I didn't want to be an embarrassment to him--and I'm sorry if that aggravates you but that's just how I felt.

As I watched the people talking to Henry, I couldn't help but realize how everyone here was glamorous, on a fucking Thursday night. I checked the time to see Henry and I had actually made it a little to 11. I was struck with surprised when I realized what day it would be in an hour, but didn't really have time to mull over that. I was busy thinking how I was dressed in Henry's black Rolling Stones t-shirt, black jeans, and my snazzy but plain loafers. I also had on Henry's orange beanie, which he told me to keep. How did that compare to women in glimmering mini-dresses and six inch heels? The only thing saving me now was my red lipstick. and eyeliner

The more they didn't acknowledge me, the more Peter's earlier words of Henry having women lined up popped in mind. Did this mean they weren't surprised seeing him with a new girl, one who definitely didn't look like she was from West Hollywood?

He must have sensed part of my apprehension because his fingers pressed into my thighs when I tried to inch away from him a few times. I placed my hands on his with the intention to pull them down, but was surprised by how good they felt and ended up just resting my hands over his.

I got used to the folks coming to us until this gorgeous, tall, slender woman approached us that was the most glamorous of them all. She looked so familiar and then it hit me. Madison Anderson, famously known just as Madison. She was a singer and budding box-office actress. She'd had a mega-hit single years ago and just last year was the leading lady in a blockbuster super-hero movie.

She also modeled, unsurprisingly. She reminded me of Miranda Kerr only with a slightly longer face and blonde hair down to her waist. Miranda fucking Kerr guys. Where was the shovel for me to start on that grave?

The dress she wore hugged her svelte figure like a glove and there wasn't an ounce of fat on her body. Everything worked in perfect harmony and she was as effortlessly graceful as a swan. She wore a lace top that stopped right at her ribcage, and a matching hip-hugging skirt that started beneath her bellybutton. I envied the smooth skin of her long, pencil-thin waist and suddenly wanted to break into an run. What the hell was Henry thinking bringing me here dressed like I was going to work in his fucking garden?! Then again, he did ask me if he could buy me something to wear when we were on the way to the airport. I adamantly said no, so I guess there was his warning of the dress code.

Her hair was shiny, healthy, and voluminous. With dark roots, it was an assortment of platinum blond to dirty blond. The strands were side swept from the right side, falling in lustrous bouncy curls over her left shoulder down to her waist.

This is why I didn't hang around men like Henry Walker. They dated women like Madison Anderson. Now they made perfect sense. I don't care how bitter or insecure I sounded. I was just being honest with how I felt at the time.

"Henry!!!" she beamed, revealing toothpaste-ad teeth, opening one arm out to him, the other holding a champagne glass.

"Madison! Hey!" Henry greeted her and relief washed over me when he let go of my hips to give her a hug.

"I kept hearing people saying you walked in and when I finally saw you I felt I just had to come and say hi! I didn't expect you to be here today!!"

I'd met a couple of celebrities who'd endorsed one of my father's most successful past product so I rarely got star struck, but Madison had me speechless. There are just those women in the world who are blessed with beauty so breathtaking no one could deny it.

I could tell she had minimal make up, no freckles like me, and her long lashes were hers alone. I truly hoped Henry would forget I was around. I still had time to make a clean exit. 

"You look amazing, as usual," Henry's deep voice said beside me after they'd pulled back. She was only about an inch shorter than him, so she had to be at least a 6 in heels.

I looked down at my lame loafers and at her designer open toe shoes. Even her freaking toes were prettier than mine!

"You do too! Wow it's been a while!" she exclaimed.

Her picture-perfect, red-lipped smile faltered as she eyed him. There was emotion hiding behind her eyes. Oh great, let me guess, she'd also fallen for Henry's charms.

I was frowning to myself when she broke her gaze away from his and looked at me. I waited for the demeaning sizing up that I was sure to come. I was about to tell her 'yeah I know I don't stand a chance just go on and take him' when she surprised me and smiled kindly, unlike what most women would have done seeing me next to Henry the hunk.

"Hey! I'm Madison!" She introduced herself very warmly and I nearly slapped her perfectly slender hand away. Yeah, she even had a nice personality and brimmed over with confidence. I fucking lost. If my father could hear my defeating thoughts right now I'd be getting a spanking. He hated losers.

"I know you. I'm Valerie. Henry's friend."

I felt weird saying that, but I didn't want her to get the idea that I would even think Henry would ever have me as a girlfriend. I wasn't stupid to how the world worked.

"I love your shirt!"

"It's Henry's," I said dumbly, not really knowing what else to say. Her eyes widened in a shock I wasn't surprised by.

"Oh! Yeah he's crazy about them," she said, her smile faltering a little.

"You're so fucking pretty," I blurted with a worried frown and she laughed, her cerulean blue eyes shimmering in the dim club.

"Oh no, please. You are gorgeous! I love your freckles!"

"Thanks," I murmured dryly. I should have worn more make up. I was like a deflated balloon now with all the confidence sucked out of me.

"So how have you been?" Henry asked her and I looked to find him smiling at her the way he did everyone else. I was surprised he wasn't lapping her up now. This was torture for me and I just felt humiliated. Yes, fucking sue me for being insecure, I don't care.

"I'm gonna get a drink," I excused myself and was surprised when Henry reached for my hand.

"I'll get you one too, don't worry." I managed to wrest my hand from his hold.

I turned away from his preoccupied expression and hurried away from them. It took me a long while. On the way there some really drunk guy grabbed me and started rubbing his groin all over me, making his friends laugh. I pushed him off and finally made my way to the bar, not sure if I could handle the heart of this crowd.

They were crazy.

Signaling the waiter at an L.A. club was like a damn task you had to have skill to do. It took me ages to find a spot at the bar and then my voice wasn't loud enough. This end of the club wasn't as bad as the frenzied dance floor though so I decided to just chill there for a while, wondering why I always resorted to immature antics whenever a pretty woman came around.

Frustrated by my lack of experience and confidence, I searched the crowd and was surprised by how easily I found Henry. He stood out without really trying to. He and Madison were both speaking. She looked a bit worried but Henry either was the most pleasant person on earth or he had the best poker face known to man because he didn't look fazed by what she was saying. She lowered her head and Henry cupped one side of her long, slender neck, his head dipped as he tried to convince her something. 

Trying to ignore the jealousy coursing through me, I looked around and noted how good looking many of the guys here were. They took care of themselves well. At a round of laughter to my right, I glanced down the length of the bar and did a double take when I saw a mop of dark curls. When I took in the guy's face, I swore to myself that Henry Walker was at the bar, only he was wearing a simple black shirt, not the blue denim he'd walked in with, and no longer had his hat.

I confusedly looked back over where Henry originally was and when I saw that he was still talking to Miss Perfect, I looked at the bar and saw his look alike again. My gaze averted between the two in disbelief for many seconds. This was just creepy as all fuck. Why did he look exactly like him? Who the hell was he?

A small tagging of my sleeve made me turn to find a familiar face in front of me. With the insane lighting of the club, it took me a while to search my memory to ID the face.

"Valerie, right?" the woman asked.

"Yeah…"

"Hey!!! I'm Savannah. Don't know if you remember me."

The moment she uttered her name, a bulb went off in my head. The woman I'd met at Margaret's who rode with Henry.

"I remember you. I thought you would hate me…" I cut right to the chase, finding her friendliness a bit weird. She hadn't been all smiley when she walked in on Henry and I kissing. She stopped sipping from the tiny straw of her margarita.

"Why? Oh cause of Henry!" she waved me off, moving her shoulders to the beat of the song as she admired the crowd. "Oh no. It's just another week, another girl, nothing new with Walker." She paused when she realized what she'd said, but it was too late, the words already stung. She looked at me, mildly apologetic. "I'm sure you're cool though, no offense."

"None taken…" I looked to the bartender who was tending to a patron whose pendulous breasts clearly got his attention. She'd arrived at the bar after me. I started to get agitated.

"Wont you get my fucking drink I've been here for a while!" I yelled with no manners. I may have been insecure but even I had my limits for being a pushover. He didn't hear me, but it did make Savannah laugh.

"Here, let me help you." She handed me her margarita and I nearly dropped it from surprised when she climbed her tiny, limber body onto the bar like a pro. Clearly not her first time doing this kind of thing. With a few drinks in her system, she nearly fell, leaning onto some random guy that was enjoying the view from below up her mini skirt. A few hoots and whistles went around, but the bartender eyed her angrily.

"You're gonna have to get down. We don't do that kind of thing here!" he told her caustically.

"Well get my friend a drink cause she's been here. And it better be on the house before I say it was discrimination."

My mouth dropped. I don't think the bartender was being racist but rather preoccupied and you had to go through great lengths to get his attention. A quick perusal of the club would show that I was one of the few blacks here though so I knew Savannah was using that excuse.

"There's cameras so I know he'll see when she came in," she went on.

The bartender was cowed, his jaw flexing as he eyed Savannah down.

"Um, Savannah, it's okay!" I tried to catch her attention. "I'm not really that thirsty. I don't want to cause a scene…"

We were drawing a crowd.

"Savannah, this is why you need to be my fucking bird!" A loud, deep, British voice said down the bar.

"You can't handle me Ben!" she said laughingly at the person I couldn't see now cause of all the many bodies at the bar.

"What drink does she want?" the bartender asked discontentedly.

Savannah smiled satisfactorily, searching the cheering folks at the bar until she found me.

"What do you want?"

"Uh," I felt put on the spot, as the bartender cut his eyes at me. Oh god. Maybe attention just wasn't my thing. But a small part of me liked this little sense of rebellion in Savannah. It was starting to rub off on me for I remembered all the years I followed the rules and catered to people's needs and wants. Why not, just for one night, couldn't I just not be the good daughter, student, and friend? Hell, especially after what day it would be in an hour, why the hell not?

I decided then just to spite him and have a bit of fun and smiled up at Savannah. "Surprise me!" 

Savannah grinned and faced the bartender. "Triple Espresso Martini. And a double shot Fireball."

"Fine. Now get off my bar before I call security!"

Savannah giggled as she climbed down, and I was gaping as I helped her down.

"You are crazy!" I said as I returned her drink, which she downed in one go, wincing and holding onto my arm as it zinged through her.

"Next time you come in," She pointed with a grimace at my shirt. "Dress a bit better. I don't even know how they let you in like this."

"I didn't know I was coming here. Henry invited me for dinner and so I thought I'd just be at the house."

"He can cook his ass off, can't he?"

So he cooked for everyone. It wasn't a special occasion. Not that I cared or anything. If I could cook like him, I'd cook for everybody.

"Yeah…" I muttered.

My drinks came and I was about to start with the martini when Savannah stopped me.

"Take the shot now. It will loosen you up quicker."

I hesitated before downing the shot, shocked as the cinnamon flavor left a burning trail down my throat. I felt it almost instantly, especially on my empty stomach. My guardedness quickly lowered down a notch. 

The small crowd that had formed around Savannah drifted off, especially after she shooed off a couple of guys that tried to hit on her.

Curiously I sought Henry and saw now that he was talking not only to Madison but another guy with glasses standing with them.

I caught her attention and pointed in their direction. "Who's the girl standing with Henry?"

"You don't know who Madison is?"

"I mean how do they know each other?"

"That's his ex."

My mouth nearly hit the floor as I gaped. "Huh?"

"Yeah they dated a while ago. She's so fucking gorgeous it makes me sick."

His ex?!?! They were so fucking friendly. Well, not every couple had an armageddon break up. But she seemed so nice and gorgeous, just like him. The perfect match. So how and why were they not together?

I was at a loss of what to say and do and was a bit glad I'd left their side.

"She kills your confidence too, huh?" she handed me my martini, which I'd yet to touch. "Here. Start on this."

I didn't hesitate to imbibe the drink.

"You seem like a nice girl, Valerie, but here's a word of advice, don't take him seriously. I love Henry, trust me, but he's not going to settle down, especially after what Madison did to him."

"What did she do?"

"You really are showing that you're out of town. She cheated on him with his best friend, who was also his writing partner."

"What?? She cheated on him?"

I tried to think of why anyone would cheat on a sweetheart like Henry, then who knew what his other sides were like?

"And anyway, Henry's hard to tie down. I know you already know he's a good kisser, but don't expect anything out of it other than fun. He's a notorious flirt. He can make anyone feel special and important. I'm just saying, play the game to have fun, but play it safe."

Why did I think that it was too late to play things safe? Was him telling me one of the most troubling things in his life just a game of fun? Why would he reveal that information to someone he just wanted to have fun with? Then again, Henry and I could seemingly talk about almost everything. Maybe that's why he could talk to me?

"You seem like a good girl. Don't mess with a guy from Hollywood, take it from me. I'm dating one who I know is fucking another girl as we speak. None of them will ever settle down or be faithful, even when they're 60. Hollywood men have peter pan syndrome. They want to be young forever. They will always want to be their glory twenty-year old selves and prove that they still got it. They like knowing that they can do anything if they try hard enough. So they will always look for something, anything new to conquer. It's more of an ego thing. Just know your place in their world and you will be good."

All of this was too hard to process. Everything that had happened between us happened in such a quick flurry that I hadn't really stopped to think about these things.

But what did it matter to me anyway? I knew what Henry and I were doing. I appreciated what Savannah was telling me, but it just didn't matter to me. I knew where I stood and he knew were he stood.

We knew what we were doing…I think.

What were we doing again?

"How do you know I'm a good girl?" I asked, my inexperience always making me defensive and Savannah looked at me like I'd just asked her how she knew one plus one was two. 

"You look scared to be here. I can tell this isn't your scene. But hey, looks can be deceiving, right? As long as you know what you're getting into, who am I to give you the warnings of doom? My only advice is, don't put too much stock into it. Take it from someone who made the mistake of falling for him once."

It's not like Savannah was talking out of her ass. He did say he wasn't looking for a relationship, yet he wouldn't stop kissing me. Why the hell was that edging it's way into my brain to distress me when I clearly had no intentions of being close to anyone relationship wise?

Kissing was just a physical act that I enjoyed with Henry. That's all. I also liked talking to him, this afternoon had proven.

"Do you still like him?" I asked Savannah.

"The guy can cook. What's not to still like?"

I stirred my drink, staring at it quietly. "Have you slept with him?"

A part of me appreciated that I could have an honest discussion with Savannah without censoring myself.

"Yep. All nice eight, thick, inches."

My cheeks colored and I asked breathlessly. "Eight inches?!"

"Maybe nine. Or maybe I'm just exaggerating. Whatever size he was, he knew how to use it, when, where, why. He's good. Pretty good. One of my all time favs."

I stared at Savannah speechlessly. 

"I was single and deluded at the time," she continued as she stared at the crowd, watching Henry too. "Said he wasn't looking for anything serious then wallah, all of a sudden he ends up with the model bitch Madison." She chuckled with a shake of her head. "Nice guys. They are such fucking lying jerks. They say looks don't matter and look who they end up with? I'd rather a guy who just says flat out, hey I only do blondes, but i'll do your kind for the moment, instead of saying 'I like all kinds of women…but somehow always end up with stick figure blonds!' Honest jerks are always better than nice jerks. Nice people don't tell you the truth, they tell you what you want to hear"

"Thanks for telling me, Savannah. Although, fuck you because you're beautiful so I don't know what you're talking about."

"Compared to Miranda?"

"Both of you are beautiful."

"I see you been hanging out around Henry a lot. Getting that 'be nice at all costs' home training. You sure he hasn't dicked you down yet?"

"I think I'd know if eight or nine thick inches had dicked me down."

Savannah's lilting laugh followed. "You know what Valerie? You're not so bad."

"You're not so bad yourself."

We drank quietly for a while.

"How can you still hang around him after all that though?"

She sighed and eyed me tiredly. "Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating about him being a jerk. Don't quote me. He's not really a jerk. He's just genuinely a nice, cool, person to hang around. It's so hard to be mad at him. And anyway, he never made any promises to me from the jump. I dug a hole by myself."

I nodded and eyed the crowd again.

"Well, I wasn't expecting a relationship from him anyway. I'm not a relationship person," I said with conviction. "I know I may look like it, but I'm really not. I don't have the time or the energy."

Savannah just shrugged and I knew she didn't care either way. The loud British voice from the bar sounded again and I looked over.

"Who is that? He looks just like Henry."

"Where the hell have you been? Haven't you heard of A-Live?"

"What? I think. I don't know?"

"The budding boy band? That song Love Me?"

The name sounded familiar. I didn't listen to the radio much or watch TV. I normally only heard new songs when I was shopping at the mall or at the club. When I continued to stare at her blankly she continued. "Henry produced and co-wrote the song?"

He'd produced and written many songs. I didn't know all of them.

"Well, I guess I can't blame you. Their fame is mostly limited to young internet girls. That's Ben. His younger brother."

I was genuinely floored. "What?!"

"Yep."

Savannah pulled out her phone, tapped a few keys and showed me another version of Henry, only with blue eyes and black curly hair. He had dimples too and that same boyish grin.

"Wow," I said in shock."How old is he?"

"Twenty."

We now both watched as he laughed around with his friends. I could have mistaken them for identical twins. Even their mannerisms were hauntingly alike. The faces they made when they laughed, the way they smiled, although it was obvious that Ben was the more animated of the two, with Henry the more mellowed version. Ben looked like he could bounce off the walls at any moment.

So I'd just learned that his ex was a model and the younger brother he told me he had was in a huge boy band? Why hadn't Ella mentioned this to me? To be fair, she only really interacted with Henry whenever I did, which hadn't been much. I guess Peter hadn't mentioned it?

When I had searched Henry's profile online, I didn't remember reading anything about his brother. Maybe there'd been a line about it and I skimmed over. I'd honestly been more interested about his career and what songs he'd done than anything else really. I needed to go back and research.

"Need another shot? You look fucking lost."

I just realized that I'd finished my martini. For some reason, I had a good hunch that this was going to be a long night.

"I'll take another…"