Heartbreaker
(by
Cindy Renee Miller)
The air was sticky and hot, and the sun glared down on her-
helping to add some natural highlights to her chocolate brown hair. The
walkway was neat, and she found it easy to bring in her boxes as she walked up
to the house. It was big. And when I say big, I actually
mean HUGE!
But, Taylor Kettering could afford it. After all, at
only twenty-five, she had already done everything that most people only dream
about. She was a celebrity. It seemed a little funny to her- that
she had become that-after all, her parents had died when she was five.
But before they died, they took her to an audition for a soup commercial, and
she got the role. After a few more commercials, she got noticed by a big
time producer at CBS who put her in a sitcom as the daughter of the single
mother trying to make enough money in tips to be able to get out of a small
town. Then came the car accident. Taylor’s parents were killed by a drunk
driver. Taylor was sent to live with her aunt and uncle who kept taking
her to her job as a child star. She was in a few B movies during that
time, but then, when she was thirteen, she starred in her first big role.
She was a young version of a female rocker. The best part was that she
got to sing and play the guitar. It was so well received that Taylor’s
performances were singles on the radio, and she was offered a record deal, and
parts in two more movies.
Taylor walked into the house with her big box of kitchenware
and decided to make a sandwich. Luckily, she had thought this
through and bought bread and lunchmeat, and some mayonnaise.
As she stood there at the granite counter of her ne home on
Sunset Boulevard, she took a deep breath for everything that had happened in
the past year. She thought of all the roads she had traveled to get
there… Heartbreaker had been the title of the movie and her first album
was called Call Me. She had later laughed about it when she
realized that she had picked the titles of her work and they were both from the
1980’s or late 1970’s. Her first CD was multiplatinum in it’s first month
and stayed at the top of the Billboard Top 40 for a good month and a
half. Even after that, it remained on the list for a good year
anyway. Her first single, Hot lived up to it’s name, and was a
top-requested chart-topper at all the popular radio stations. Her video
retired off of TRL. She won two Grammy’s for her album and one for her
song- and then an Academy Award for her movie. Already, Taylor Kettering
was a household name. By the time she was fourteen, she had been on the
covers of People, Us Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and all the
teen magazines. Then, piggybacking off of THAT success, she went and did
another two movies and another album. She toured. She sang at
coffeehouses before she was even thirteen, but by fourteen, she was playing at
Madison Square Gardens, and The Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall. She
became well-respected for a young star, because she didn’t let fame get away
from her. She wasn’t all stuck on herself. And, she only listened
to the advisors that she thought would help her along. She had a very
strong opinion for such a young person. Her fame grew and grew. She
remained faithful to her fans. She was smart with her money-even at a
young age, because her aunt and uncle instilled good habits in her.
Taylor gave money to charities, and she faithfully attended church. She
stood up for people who didn’t have a voice. And because of that, she
made fans that were the parents of her fans. It was a good place to be
in. Taylor kept it up. And then, that night…. never would she
forget how her entire life turned topsy-turvy and through the looking
glass. Her life hadn’t ever been the same.
2:Stronger
(A year ago)
The music was pulsating through the room and shaking under
her silver platform heels. Her body was tired now that she was dancing in
the middle of the floor with all the other girls and guys at the party.
If truth be told, Taylor wasn’t much of a party girl… Sure, she liked to have a
good time-she even liked to drink a little. But, nightclubbing wasn’t
something she would pick for herself. This was for a 21st birthday party
for her friend, and country music star, Hailey Hunter. Hailey was a good
friend and they had already been through a lot together. They had both
been dating guys they worked with on various projects, and none of it had
worked out, so they were both faced with those challenges at around the same
time-and somehow, got through it together. So, when Hailey wanted to rock
out at Club Fate, Taylor really had no choice but to go and bring her
fun-loving self with her.
Now, she was in the middle of the floor, dancing, her heart
racing, and her blood pumping. Her shoulders were glistening with sweat,
pressed near to so many people. Her brown tresses, she tossed back over
her shoulder. Her other pop star friend, Lindsay Ravenscraft was next to
her at the moment, nursing another Cosmo. She was a little more on the
wild side, so Taylor wasn’t always sure she wanted to be a part of all those
adventures LR got herself into. “Your outfit is divine, Tay!” Lindsay
told her, slightly slurred.
“Thanks, I love your’s too.”
Taylor had dressed in a short, hot pink, metallic skirt and
a silky silver top with a lovely necklace-funky and cool-with guitars and
cassette tape charms on it. She had dangly silver and pink earrings and
silver and pink bangles on her wrists. Her nails were manicured and she
looked gorgeous. Lindsay was in a royal blue mini dress with chunky
bracelets and necklaces. She was nearly toppling over in her black Jimmy
Choo platforms. Of course, that was the alcohol more than the shoes…
As Hailey hugged her goodbye, Taylor barely heard her
say-over the loud, blaring music, “Be careful, Tay! Thanks so much for
coming to my party. I know you aren’t big on clubbing-so- I am very
touched that you came.”
“I had a good time, Hailey, thanks for inviting me.”
“Did you have at least one drink?”
“I had two cosmos, sweetie. You had three.”
“Alright… I’ll see you, Tay.”
“Happy birthday, Hail’ Be safe.”
“I will. And thanks again.”
Taylor walked away with a smile, knowing that her friend was
having a good time. She fumbled in her hot pink clutch for her cell
phone. For some reason, she couldn’t get a hold of her limo service, so,
she decided to call a cab. She wasn’t even buzzed, but she didn’t drive
there because she didn’t want to risk it. It only took her a few minutes
to hail a cab, and she got to the street before her condo on Wilshire Boulevard
–that was all she remembered. She didn’t remember the accident.
When Taylor woke up in the emergency room at UCLA she was unsure of what had
happened. She was just in a lot of pain. So, she knew that
something was very wrong.
When she was with it a little more, the doctors told her
that she had a broken leg- her head was banged up pretty bad from where she
went through the windshield. She was cut all over her torso and arms from
the glass. She had a few small burns and some contusions. She would
need to be there for another week or two. She recovered from the broken
bones and the burns, and the cuts-except from her face. It was puffy and
scarred and didn’t heal for months. She had an album pretty much ready to
release, but she felt so ugly with her cuts and scars that she refused to have
the pictures taken for her upcoming album. She held them off. But
then, one day, she had an epiphany after answering an email from a young fan in
Florida who had been scarred all over her body when she was in a fire.
That struck Taylor and she finally took a deep breath, called the producer, and
had the pictures taken. She had also been working on a new album during
all this, which she decided to release as a double feature. They both
skyrocketed. She made sure she thanked the little burn victim. She
made sure she thanked the doctors who helped heal her- the nurses that tended
to her wounds. She thanked the friends who visited her and brought her
flowers and cards. And she thanked God for giving her the strength to
carry on. She was a tough one. Her aunt and uncle had always told
her that before they passed away when she was eighteen. They died one
after another. Her uncle died of Leukemia and her aunt died of a broken
heart. Taylor had always admired the two of them, and how sweet they were
together.
After all this, she needed a change, deciding to buy a nice
house and a nice car (a Camaro that she had painted hot pink). It was a
splurge, she knew, but it was worth it. And now, she was eating her
sandwich in her new kitchen, thinking to herself how lucky she was.
3:Meeting and Disbelief
Jake Stewart was up in his room at the house his foster
parents had left him a few months ago. It was a huge house with lots of
windows. Jake was amazed that they had left it to him, since he wasn’t
really family- they had only adopted him a few months prior to their
deaths. Bob and Sally Jones had taken good care of him, unlike all the
other people he had stayed with over the years. They were scriptwriters
in Hollywood, and each of them had become legends in their own rite. Jake
felt blessed that he now owned this gorgeous home on a nice street in one of
the United States’ most recognizable cities. After all, he was just an
orphan. His parents had died when he was five, and he had been passed
around to his family members until his grandparents finally took him in.
Unfortunately, they passed away when he was thirteen and again, he was passed
around to his family until they could no longer take care of him- or didn’t
want to anymore. He was put into foster care and was sent to live with some
pretty awful people. His “siblings” beat him. His “parents” burned
him with cigarettes, and would treat him like garbage. He was haunted by
the memories of his fellow foster children who were so mistreated that later in
life, they committed suicide, or became druggies. Jake got out just in
time. He was about to get kicked out of the house he was living in,
because he did something that made his “dad” mad. He went to the local
high school, and on Career Day, there was booths set up all around the
gym. One of the booths was being occupied by Bob and Sally. They
were representing the Screenwriter’s Guild. Jake loved their
informational brochure and said he wanted something interesting like that for a
career. After talking to them for a few minutes, it had already been said
that Jake was in foster care, and somehow, in the ten minutes they talked with
him, Bob and Sally wanted to get to know him better. When they found out
that he was about to be homeless (he was only 16), they were appalled and
decided to rescue him. It was no ordinary rescue though-they wanted
him. They truly liked him, and wanted to have him in their home, even if
it was just for a few years. And they brought him out to sunny California
to live in their palatial home. Things were finally great. They
treated him well, they actually fed him, and they taught him a lot that he
never thought he would learn. And most of all, they loved him. He hadn’t
been loved in a long time.
Now, Jake was twenty-five. His parents had died (both
sets) and he was alone. But, he was happy that he had made it through all
kinds of trials and tribulations to get where he was now. Jake had
recently joined the Guild and was currently working on a screenplay. He
had published a book recently, and was sending his most recent finished
screenplay to all the big name producers. He heard singing coming from nearby
and wondered who it was. Whoever it was knew all the words to Queen’s Bohemian
Rhapsody and had perfect pitch. He stood by his desk, and looked out
to see if there was anything interesting going on outside of the four walls he
had been in all day. And he saw something he would never forget-
something that he never thought he would see- the owner of those terrific
pipes- the famous Taylor Kettering.
His breath caught in his throat, and he felt his jaw go
slack. He hadn’t ever actually seen her in person-only in concert, on TV,
and on the covers of magazines. Jake was amazed at the beauty that was
Miss Kettering. He liked that her bedroom was right across from
his-although he knew that if he were to say that out loud, he would sound like
a creeper. She was in a short black silk robe and her brown hair
was wet, wrapped in a towel. She couldn’t be lovelier, even simply
dressed as she was now. She couldn’t have lived there long because he had
never seen her there before. She was unpacking a tub of clothes, putting
away a pair of jeans, and he heard her voice-so melodic and beautiful.
When he first heard her voice that day, he knew her voice sounded familiar, but
now everything made sense. He knew he would have to be neighborly and go
over to welcome her to the neighborhood. He liked to do that. He
was used to it. His recently departed foster parents had always gone to
the new neighbor’s house and brought some wine or some cake or something.
It was just being friendly. Taylor Kettering was one of the most famous
people of her generation-he was a little nervous, but he knew he had to talk to
her. There was something pulling him to her and he didn’t know what it
was. Jake sat at his computer- shooting off a few emails, and finishing
the scene he was working on. He gulped down some coffee and all the
while- enjoyed listening to Taylor singing sweetly over at the house next door.
Taylor had been unpacking for most of the day and now, she
decided to run out and get the mail. She needed a break. She looked
a bit rebellious at the moment, in her black leather mini skirt and a hot pink
halter top with shiny black-metal earrings in her ears, and a guitar necklace.
She had a black leather bracelet that went perfectly with her black
sandals. She wondered why she had decided to look so rebellious, yet hot
to go to the mail box. It struck her as uncharacteristic. She
shrugged and continued to go outside. When she got to her mailbox, she
happened to glance over at the mailbox to the house next door where a very cute
guy was opening his own mailbox. He grinned at her, and then surprised
her by saying, “You’re new in town.” And then he shrugged a little, “Or at
least, you’re new here.”
“Right. I just moved in.”
He walked over and Taylor’s heart skipped a beat. He
was ridiculously hot. She could hardly believe it. He had sandy
blonde, short hair, with perfectly faded blue jeans and a crisp white button up
shirt that made his bright blue eyes stand out. “I’m Jake Stewart.
Welcome to the neighborhood.”
“Taylor Kettering. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” He grinned, blushing. I wonder why he did that. “I
heard someone singing and saw you unpacking…. I wasn’t trying to peak,
honest. I just had to find out where that voice was coming from.”
“You heard my singing?” She tilted her head to the right.
“You have a lovely voice, Taylor.”
“Thanks.” She blushed. Great, now I’m doing it. The crazy thing
was that she was used to people telling her that she was good at things.
She was used to being complimented and doing well at her job. Why was it
so flattering that a stranger (that was adorable) complimenting her was
something different entirely? Why was she so fluttery and nervous? You
like him, idiot. It was as if her mind was rolling it’s eyes at her in
disgust.
“Do you need any help unpacking? Or any help moving anything?”
She had to fumble for a response because she hadn’t expected
anyone to be so nice to her for no apparent reason. She wasn’t used to
people just offering to do something for her without it being something that
they did just to get her to do something for them. Jake Stewart seemed
very nice, and she already felt very comfortable with him.
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not. I offered, didn’t I?” He looked a little confused at why
she was so surprised.
“Yes, I’m sorry-it wasn’t that… I just, I’m not used to people just
offering to do things to help me without asking something in return.”
“Well, princess, get used to it. You’re living next door to someone who
just likes to do nice things for people.”
--
Jake was surprised at his own bluntness and
flirtation. He wasn’t really a flirt. He had actually never been
out with a girl before- even at 25… Sure, he had liked people, but enough to
actually ask anyone out… Why was flirting with a pop star so easy? Why
was she making it so easy? He kind of expected to be disappointed when he
met her- like the girl he lived next to wasn’t anything like the sweet girl he
saw on TV… But he wasn’t disappointed. Not one bit.
--
Taylor was very surprised and charmed by the fact that Jake
had been so upfront about his flirtation. She was curious about
something. Does he know who I am? She thought to herself,
curious.
“Do you know who I am?” the words flew out of her mouth before she could stop
them. She didn’t say them as if she was appalled by something; she just
said it in a small voice that let him know how vulnerable and normal she was
feeling right now. Jake, the charming stranger grinned and said, with a funny lilt
to his voice, “Everybody does, honey.”
“Oh. And you offered to help me unpack-without asking me to pay you, or
get you in the movies, or a record deal or something… You just want to help
your neighbor move in, even if she’s a pop star?”
“Of course. Do you want the help or not?” He was trying not to laugh.
I look like a complete ditz who doesn’t trust anyone.
Smart move, Tay.
“Yes… Sorry about that. I’m being childish.”
“I understand the disbelief. But you can believe that I’m not trying to
get something out of this. And I’m not trying to take advantage of you or
your fame. I truly just want to help. If all we do is unpack and get to
know each other-that’s fine with me. I don’t want anything else out of
the day. I’m not asking for you to hear a song or watch me act, or even
to read my screenplay- which is what I actually do…You don’t even have to feed
me or give me a beer. I just want to help you. That’s all.”
“And you’re not trying to get in my pants?” She actually smiled because she
could tell that he found her attractive.
“No. I am one of the few straight guys who would rather wait until I’m
married to the girl before I sleep with her.”
“Well ok then.” She laughed, showing Jake inside, loving the way he opened the
door for her even when it was her house.
“You’re a real gentleman.”
“You act surprised.”
“I am. They don’t make guys like that anymore.”
“I’m definitely different.”
She led him up the staircase and to her bedroom, which felt
a little dangerous to her, but he had just finished telling her that he wasn’t
looking to sleep with her, and all he really wanted was to help her
unpack. She knew somehow that she could trust him, but she was wondering
why for the first time, she was having a hard time trusting herself around
someone. I keep saying the stupidest things. He probably thinks
I’m stupid… Like a dumb blonde- even though I’m a brunette… It’s like the movie
Clueless where I keep doing really dumb things. She thought
all this as she put away some clothes and watched Jake take a stack of books
out of a box, put them on her bookcase, and then heave an even heavier box up
on his tan shoulders (which she was imagining and not actually seeing).
She watched his muscles ripple even beneath his shirt and she felt dizzy just
looking at this beautiful man before her. She had never seen anything
like Jake Stewart before, but yet, somehow, she felt as if he was calling
her-he had known her all along, and they meant something to each other.
Taylor couldn’t explain it, or why she had to constantly keep reminding herself
to breath.
4:Something Real
When they were unpacking a box of her CDs and DVDs, he was
thumbing through them, smiling, and all Taylor could do was stare at him.
And within a second, she was daydreaming and it took only a few more seconds
before she heard Jake say, “Something wrong?”
“Oh- No.” She shook herself. Stupid. “Sorry for
staring-you’re just –well, you’re very attractive and a girl can’t help but
notice.”
He smiled and blushed. “Well, Taylor, you’re the most
beautiful woman I’ve ever seen… honestly.”
“Well, I’m glad you think so. I’ve been a bit unsure of myself since the
accident.”
“Scars take a long time to heal. Some never do. Many times, the
physical scars disappear before the emotional ones.”
“Yeah. That’s very true. What makes you so smart?” She asked, hanging a dress
in the closet.
Jake sighed a little-collecting himself. For a moment,
Taylor was sorry she asked, but then he said-with a voice that was clear and
strong, “My parents died when I was five. I was with family for a
while but then I went into foster care.” He told her the rest of the story, and
her eyes filled with tears as he showed her burn scars from cigarettes, and
marks where he had been stabbed by steak knives by his foster siblings.
He showed her a spot where glass had scarred his back when his foster mom threw
a vase at him at age fifteen.
“You’re so nice that I never would have imagined all that stuff happening to
you.”
“Well, I knew that my parents loved me. And my grandparents… And Bob and
Sally. I never quit remembering that somewhere, at some time, I was
loved-so I had to be good, and I had to do what I had to do to stay that way,
even though everyone was trying to make me be otherwise.”
Taylor knew all this was hard for him to admit, and it was
time that she shared something about her life-for reciprocity’s sake. She
pulled up her shirt and showed him something she had never showed anyone but
her doctors- a scar running under the bottom of her lacy pink bra. She
knew that this was dangerous- but she didn’t care. She had been hiding it from
everyone, but Jake was hiding nothing from her. He didn’t even know her
and he bore his heart and soul to her. He showed her his scars, so she
showed him hers’.
-
Jake was surprised that she showed him all her scars.
He had been shocked when she showed him the scar at her bust first. She
was gorgeous, and he loved the way she looked- he appreciated her scars.
He loved this new relationship-whatever it was. And that night, she
ordered a pizza and got him a beer even though he said that he didn’t need her
to give him anything. “Nonsense.” She replied. “You have to eat,
and I don’t want to send you home yet.”
“Ok, that’s reason enough for me.”
“Good, she smiled, dialing the number for the pizza place.”
-----
Now, they were sitting on the couch in her entertainment
room, eating pizza and watching a movie. They were sitting fairly close
together, and after they were finished eating, they cleaned up, and began to
talk on the couch again. They fell into each other’s eyes, and she knew
what was coming. She was about to get a kiss.
--
Her lips tasted like the cherry soda she had just drunk, and
he felt his heart flutter. She was good at kissing. He wondered how
much experience she had at the subject for a moment until he realized that it
didn’t really matter. This was now, they were together. He could
tell that she was happy here. He was happy being here with her. And
when he kissed her, she kissed him back. “I had a big crush on you all
afternoon and evening.” She smiled.
“it’s been a few years for me-with you.”
“So, does this live up to your expectations-after all that time?”
“Yes, and it’s better… I’m so glad that you live next door to me.”
“Oh, me too. When I bought this house, there was really no particular
reason for me to buy it, and there wasn’t really anything overly special about
it- for all intensive purposes… I just liked it. I don’t know.
Something just drew me to it- and now I know- I was put here because I needed
to meet you.”
“You believe that?” he smiled, brushing a hair out of her eyes.
“Yes. I believe things happen for a reason. I believe we’re sent where
we’re supposed to be, and I was supposed to be here-so we could meet…” She took
a deep breath- hoping that she wasn’t rushing into anything, but she said, “The
truth is- you’ve already changed my life, and I already feel something so
strong for you… It doesn’t even really make sense… I mean-we just met, but I
feel like I’ve always known you-like we were friends a long time ago or
something… And even though I don’t believe in it- I almost feel like we were
once some famous romantic couple-reincarnated in this age to show people once
again how to love or something.”
“Dramatic.” He said, smiling. He loved listening to her speak, and she
could tell, which made her feel good, especially when she was telling him how
she felt about him.
“Yeah, it’s the cross I bear as an artist.”
“You know what- I feel the same way about you. When I heard you sing, I
knew I had to come over and meet you.”
“I’m glad that I didn’t disturb you.” She said, kissing him softly on the neck.
“You couldn’t do that with that voice. It’s angelic.”
“You’re too nice.”
“Well, I have to be. Only nice guys deserve you.”
She was rocked to the core by that statement and almost
couldn’t believe it, but she was glad that he said it and he meant it.
She was glad that someone cared about her and wanted to be with her. She
was glad that someone respected her and held doors for her. And she knew
that Jake was just a really good guy. It didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous
either. And Taylor was grateful that Jake had just said that she was a
good girl. A lot of people just assumed that because she was a starlet,
that she was a slut. It was nice that someone saw her for who she really
was even before he really knew her. How strange it was that they had just
met, and already, he seemed to know everything about her, and she already knew
that he was the kind of man you keep around. She knew that Jake Stewart
was the marrying kind, even before they were anywhere near being ready to even
THINK about the M word. They had kissed only once. They had
unpacked boxes all day, and today was the first time they had even SEEN each
other, and she already knew that he was someone worth her time- someone that
she could get to know. She knew that he was someone she could trust and
count on no matter what. How was it possible that she already knew all
these intense heart things about him, and she didn’t know simple things like
what his middle name was? So, she asked him, and he said, “Christopher.”
And kissed her tenderly. Second kiss. “What’s your’s?” He asked, taking
her small hand in his bigger one. “Angeline”.
“You are an angel.” He smiled, his eyes washing over her. He
seemed to be a tad embarrassed at the moment, but he said, “I know it’s too
soon, but um, I know that I just met the person I’m going to spend the rest of
my life with… I’m sitting right next to her, holding her hand, hoping that she
doesn’t think I’m insane and ask me to leave.”
Taylor’s breath caught again. “I’d never do that, Jake. Not
to you…” She rested her forehead against his and said, “I met the man I’m going
to marry today, and I served him pizza and beer after he helped me move in…
kind of embarrassing.”
“Well, only a little. I didn’t mind… At least we’re on the same page. I
really didn’t want you to think I was some crazy lunatic that has a mad crush
on you and some crazy delusion about you that started even before we met.”
“I know better than that.” Taylor laughed, giddy as ever. She liked having
someone to joke and laugh with. So much of her life had been spent in
seclusion- hiding away, and being alone. But now, everything had changed.
She had someone who cared about her. She had someone to share the details
of her life with-no matter how mundane they were. For the first time, she
didn’t just have a date- she had a boyfriend.
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