Page 9 of Heartstrings
The corner of his mouth twitched in an almost smile, and he held out his hand in greeting. “I’m Xander. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I said, and as we shook hands, realization plowedinto me with the weight of a three-hundred-pound lineman:thiswas Xander Jones, lead guitarist for the Heartbreakers. Without his usual square frames, he was surprisingly unrecognizable. My mouth went dry, and I took what I hoped was an inconspicuous moment to collect myself. “Are you here for theImmortal Nightspanel?”
Xander stiffened. “Um, yeah,” he said, gaze dropping to his feet. “I am.”
I frowned, caught off guard by his sudden mood change. Had I insulted him somehow? Or maybe he was disappointed I hadn’t gushed over meeting someone as famous as him? Before I could figure out what was wrong, my back pocket vibrated.
Violet:
Everything okay? Haven’t heard back from you and I really need that water.
Unbelievable. Was she incapable of going two hours without me? There had to be someone else who could help her. Someone like Sadie. Surely the world’s greatest PA was able to fetch Violet a drink; she’d probably gnaw off an arm or sacrifice her firstborn for the opportunity. Chances were, even if I left now, the signing would be finished by the time I located a damn FIJI Water and—
Wait a minute. The signing wasn’t over yet. What the hell was Xander Jones doing up here with me?
“Shouldn’t you be with the cast right now?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Their panel ended a few minutes ago, but you were already in the green room.”
“I’m supposed to,” he said, kicking at an imaginary speck on the ground.
“And you’re not because…?”
“It’s complicated.”
Wow, because that clarified everything. Hint taken.
“Okay, well, I’ll be out of your hair in a second,” I said, strolling over to the minibar at the back of the room. Maybe if I brought Violet her water, she’d give me details about what was going on with Xander. “You can go back to napping or whatever.”
“You don’t have to leave.”
“No offense,” I replied, opening the refrigerator door, “but it seems like you want to be left alone.” Inside, I found a row of Coke, Red Bull, Snapple, and Dasani, but no FIJI. Oh well. Violet would have to deal.
“Look, I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing his chest as if he was in pain. “I wasn’t trying to be a dick, but today’s been shitty for me too.” He offered me a hesitant smile and gestured at the couch. “Wanna sit down and compare notes on whose was worse?”
I turned the water bottle over in my hands, deliberating. Violet had yet to pay me, and I was afraid that if I ignored her, I wouldn’t get my money. But I was also intrigued by Xander. Boy bands weren’t usually my thing, but I bought the Heartbreakers’ first album out of loyalty to Alec. No one was more surprised than me when I wound up loving it. Sure, some of the tracks were cheesy, but there were just as many songs with beautifully written lyrics about grief and growing up and disillusionment. When would I get another opportunity like this?
“All right, sure.” I crossed the room and sat down before I could change my mind.
“Do you know Jewel Peck?” Xander asked, plopping down beside me.
“Yup. She’s the executive producer ofIN.Known her since I was thirteen.”
“Oh, right.” Xander grinned sheepishly and scratched his cheek. “You probably know more about the show than me, don’t you?”
“Let’s just say that if there’s ever anImmortal Nightsedition of Trivial Pursuit, I’d kick your ass.” I wasn’t an expert by choice, but after five years of Violet’s job consuming my life, I’d picked up a thing or two.
“Duly noted. Anyway, it was Jewel’s idea for one of us to make a surprise appearance today,” Xander said, and byus, I figured he meant the Heartbreakers. “When I heard, I immediately asked Courtney if I could—”
“Wait, who’s Courtney?” I interrupted.
“Our band manager. As soon as I heard about the panel opportunity, I volunteered myself. Appearing at Comic Con has been a dream of mine since I was eight.”
“That’s an interesting dream for an eight-year-old.”
He laughed. “My parents are huge Trekkies, like so obsessed they named my brother Scotty after Montgomery Scott. When I was a kid, our family vacations consisted of traveling to different fan conventions. My favorite thing to do was wander through Artist Alley in the exhibit halls and look at all the cool art. Can’t do that anymore, you know? I’d be mobbed.”
“Yeah, I get it. I was with Violet when she was swarmed once.” The two of us had been Christmas shopping when a fan spotted her and posted the sighting on social media. One minute, we were making ourselves nauseous by smelling every bottle of perfume in Sephora, and the next, we were pinned against the back counter by a horde of teenage girls begging for pictures and autographs.
Xander’s entire face lit up. I had a feeling he didn’t expect me to understand his situation—how fame made everyday life complicated—but because of Violet, Ididunderstand. “The fans mean well, but every once in a while, things get dicey.”
