Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Jenna Galicki Read Free Book Online

Asia and the UK.  Congratulations.  You’re worldwide rock stars now.  I always knew you would be.”
    It was beyond anything Tommy ever expected. The band signed autographs and took photos with the fans, but they didn’t speak much English.  They only smiled and called the band members by name.  Jessi would have been in awe of the reception they received.  The rush of energy and the high that lifted Tommy’s spirits dimmed.  He glanced at Angel and knew that he was thinking the exact same thing.
    “We’ll bring her back here to visit.”  Angel tried to sound reassuring.
    “I know, but look at this greeting.”  Tommy waved his hand toward the hundreds of fans lined up, all calling their names and snapping photos. “Jessi would have loved this more than any of us.”  He remembered her little speech in the taxi about messaging her from pivotal sightseeing locations, and took his phone from his pocket.  He recorded a substantial length of the screaming fans as he walked by them.  He only wished some of them were calling her name.  Before he shut the camera off, he turned it around to face himself.  Even though he was only speaking into the blank screen of his phone, he felt like he was speaking directly to her.  His throat closed up and he had to swallow to find enough air to speak.  “I miss you already, hon.”  He managed a small smile.  “I’ll call you when we get to the hotel.”
    Angel took the phone from him and turned it in his direction.  “Love you, sweetheart!  Speak to you soon.” He tried to sound animated, but the lackluster tone behind his voice gave away his sadness.  He pressed send and gave the phone back to Tommy.
     
    Chapter Six
    Jessi propped her phone up on the marble counter of the breakfast bar and repositioned herself on the leopard-covered barstool.  She rested her chin in her hand and pressed the white arrow to play the video Tommy sent from Hong Kong.  Tommy and Angel both looked happy, but you could hear the longing in their voices.
    “Are you watching that again?”  Alyssa hopped on the stool next to her.
    Jessi had already watched the video a half-dozen times.  Even though the bulk of it was made up of the massive crowd at the airport, it was the few seconds at the end that she wanted to see again and again. She didn’t pay attention to the long line of screaming fans or read the signs they waved in the air.  She waited with her ankles crossed and her hands perched on her knees.  Her stomach rolled with impatience.  As soon as Tommy’s handsome face filled the screen, her fingers went to her lips.  He only said a few words, but the ache in his voice reached through the miles that divided them and squeezed her heart.  He had been gone one day and not a minute went by that she didn’t think about him.  Part of her was missing.  She was fragmented, split at the core, with the other piece of her soul ripped away.
    Angel’s voice came through the phone and tore at her heart even more.  He was less successful at hiding the emotion in his voice, although he tried to disguise it with the enthusiasm behind his words.  She didn’t realize she would miss him as much as she missed Tommy.  It doubled the empty, hollowed-out hole in her gut.  She doubted it would get any easier as the days elapsed, and that the time would crawl by.  Each day, each hour, would magnify their absence.
    She automatically hit play as soon as the video ended, but Alyssa took the phone from her hand and clicked pause.  “You can’t spend the whole day watching that thing on repeat.”
    “I know, but they haven’t called yet.  I want to hear Tommy’s voice and I miss Angel.”  She would call Tommy herself, but she knew they were busy with promo events before the first show and the time difference threw everything off.
    “At least you got a sentimental video.  All I got were a few words texted to me.”  Alyssa moved her thumbs in the air like she was texting.