K. Robinson - Tainted

Drake rolled his eyes as he watched our exchange. “You’re an ass.”

“I try.”

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked.

“Drake texted Eric when you guys got to L.A. We put the banner up yesterday, so we came over to chill until you got here,” Adam said.

“We didn’t want to miss your homecoming,” Jade added.

“And Drake said something about all of us going out for dinner. I swear he mentioned he was going to pay, too.” Eric grinned at Drake.

“You guys are only here because you want free food,” Drake grumbled.

“I’m offended,” Adam said as he pretended to be shocked.

“Sure you are. Why don’t you and Eric make yourselves useful and carry the rest of Chloe’s bags in while I show her our room?”

“We’re guests. We don’t have to do anything.” Adam grinned.

Eric smacked him across the head. “Come on, asshole. Let’s go get her stuff.”

“I’ll hang out down here until you guys are ready to go. There’s a box on your bed. Make sure you put it on for tonight,” Jade said.

She walked into the living room and sat down on a black leather couch. I raised an eyebrow. I loved Jade, but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about something she had bought me. I was kind of picky when it came to clothes.

“Okay,” I said.

I followed Drake up the stairs to the second floor. We walked down a hallway until we reached the door at the very end. He pushed open the door and went in, setting down one of my bags that he’d carried up. Our room in his house back in West Virginia had been almost completely empty, but this one was filled. The walls were covered in photos of Drake and me and of the band. There was also a plaque with their first album that would be releasing soon. Stepping into his room was like I had walked into one massive photo album.

“Wow.” My mouth dropped open in shock.

“I guess I got kind of carried away with the pictures.”

“No, I love it. Before, it was like you lived in your head. You were afraid to hold on to anything sentimental, but this,” I said, gesturing around the room, “is incredible. It’s like you’re opening up and showing the world who you are and what you care about.”

He was silent as I walked around the room, looking at each picture. One in particular caught my attention. I reached up and took it off the wall to get a better look. It was a family photo. A man with coal black hair was standing behind a woman with flowing blonde hair. She was holding a dark-haired toddler in her lap.

“Is this your family?” I asked.

I knew it was, but I wanted confirmation. I could see so much of Drake in both of his parents. While it was obvious that he looked mostly like his father, his mother’s eyes were identical to his.

“It is. This was taken when I was two.”

“You guys look so happy. And you look so much like your dad.”

“We were. I wish I could go back to when that picture was taken and then relive every moment after. I’d cherish them so much more.”

“Hold on to the memories you do have. They’re never truly gone if you remember them.”

He took the picture from me and placed it on a desk next to me. “Thanks, babe. You always know what to say.”

I shook my head. “I really don’t. I fly by the seat of my pants most days, and I just say whatever comes to mind.”

He laughed. “Well, you do a pretty damn good job. Why don’t you get changed and meet us downstairs?”

“Okay. I’m afraid to open Jade’s box.”

“She knows what you like.”

“I hope so. I spent too many years being dressed by Amber to start that disaster all over again.”

He chuckled as he left and closed the door behind him. I eyed the box on the bed warily as I approached it. I lifted the lid carefully, praying that Jade hadn’t screwed me over. I felt a sense of dread when I saw all the fluffy paper hiding my present. From the packing, it was obvious that the gift was expensive. I held my breath as I moved aside the paper. I relaxed when I saw whatever was in the box was black. I hated bright colors, and Jade knew that.

I pulled it slowly from the box. My mouth dropped open in shock when I saw a gorgeous black cocktail dress. It had an emo-gothic feel to it, and I loved it. I pulled off my clothes and slid into it. It fit perfectly. I walked to a wall mirror and stared at my reflection. Despite my crazy car hair and lack of makeup, I looked pretty damn good. The dress wrapped around one shoulder and ended a few inches above my knees. The neckline was daring, but not slutty. I turned away from the mirror, and I was grateful that Drake had been thoughtful enough to carry my bag upstairs. I grabbed my straightener and cosmetics out of it. I noticed that there was a bathroom was attached to our room, and I walked inside to try to tame my hair and look somewhat presentable.

Once I was happy with my appearance, I walked downstairs to where the guys and Jade were waiting. As soon as I entered the living room, Drake had me in his arms, and he kissed me like he hadn’t seen me in years. I was breathless when he finally released me.

“Get a room!” Adam yelled.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“I missed you,” Drake replied.

“We were apart for all of twenty minutes.”

“After being in a car with you for the past few days, it seemed longer than that.”

I smiled. “You can be so freaking sweet when you want to be.”

He glanced over at the guys and Jade. “Just don’t tell them that. After all these years together, they still think I’m an asshole.”

“We do not.” Jade rolled her eyes. “You guys ready?”

“Yeah, I’m starving,” Adam grumbled.

“Shut up and get your ass off my couch if you’re in such a hurry,” Drake said.

Adam was up and out the door before any of us could register the fact that he’d moved. I busted out laughing as the rest of us walked out the door together. Drake held me back, so the others were ahead of us.

I gave him a questioning look. “What?”

“I can’t wait to rip that fucking dress off of you. You look incredible. I think I’d rather stay home and have dinner.”

He raised an eyebrow suggestively, and I blushed all the way to my toes.

“Oh my God. You did not just say that!”

He grinned as he grabbed my ass and pulled me tight against him. “We’ll save that for later. Let’s go party.”

“I thought we were having dinner?”

“We’re stopping for something to eat real quick before we go to a club.”

“Oh, okay.” I guessed I was being thrown into L.A. life faster than I’d thought.

Drake released me, and I walked over to where his car was parked. The guys and Jade were already in a car idling behind Drake’s car. He waved them to go ahead, and then we got into his car and backed out of the driveway.

I started to feel nervous as we headed back to the center of L.A. I wasn’t good with crowds, and I wasn’t sure how I would handle being surrounded by a bunch of strangers. I hated to depend on Drake, but I definitely needed him to help me adjust to this life.

After battling the crazy Los Angeles traffic again, we pulled up in front of a sushi restaurant. As soon as we stepped out of the car, a man appeared and took Drake’s key. I gave Drake a confused look, and he shook his head.

“They have valet parking almost everywhere here. You better get used to it.”

“Oh, okay,” I said, feeling silly.

The guys and Jade were standing by the entrance, waiting for us to join them. Once we were all inside, the hostess took us to a table in the back of the restaurant. I noticed that she had seated us far away from all the other guests. When I asked Drake about it, he explained that they’d been here before, and the staff knew who they were. They weren’t being noticed a lot yet, but since their music video had been released, people had come up to them from time to time.

It was strange that all of this had already started. Once the album came out and they started touring, we wouldn’t be able to just go out and do things anymore. People would know who Drake was, and they’d want a piece of him. After dealing with Kadi, I worried about stalkers now. I didn’t want anything to happen to Drake, and we both knew that there were some serious nut jobs in this world.

We placed our orders, and our food was brought out shortly after. I spent the next hour catching up on what had happened with the band since I’d seen them last. They also wanted to know what had been happening in my life. It felt like I’d never been away from them. Although we weren’t blood-related, these people were my family.

Right as we were getting ready to leave, my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my purse to see that Jordan was calling.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey, did you make it to California yet? I haven’t heard from you in a couple of days,” Jordan said.

“Yeah, we made it. We’re at dinner with the band right now.”

“You should’ve called me. I was worried.”

“I’m sorry. I never even thought about it. I also need to text Amber and Logan to let them know I made it.”

“Yeah, you should. I’ll let you go, but I wanted to make sure that you were safe.”

“Thanks for thinking of me,” I said.

“Always. Take care, Chloe.”

“Bye, Jordan.”

When I said Jordan’s name, I felt Drake tense beside me, but I ignored it as I sent a text to Amber and Logan to let them know that I’d made it safely. I put my phone back into my purse and looked up to see Drake watching me closely.