Chapter Eleven

"So, tell us some tour details! How is everything going?" Este asks me.

I shift on the dark gray arm chair and face myself more towards Este.

I've been so excited to do this interview. I still can't believe Este asked to have me on the show. She only has the biggest stars on her show, so I never thought I'd get invited. Willow tried to remind me that I am part of that elite group now, but my brain is still struggling to comprehend that. I feel like I need to constantly pinch myself as a reminder that it's all real.

"Oh, it's going great. We're on a small hiatus now that we've reached the middle of the tour. After this, we kick off the second half. I'm enjoying it so much. The fans are just absolutely amazing," I beam, my smile so big I'm sure the audience can see all of my teeth.

"It looks like the fans are loving it just as much as you are. We have a few videos from social media that fans have been posting that we wanted to show." I nod my head. "Roll the clips," Este commands.

I turn towards the screen behind us as groups of people start flashing across it. Some are holding signs and smiling. Some are screaming at the cameras. Others are dancing and singing along to my songs.

At this point, my smile feels like it's taken over my entire face. As the video fades to black, I turn towards Este. Her grin is close to matching mine.

"Wow, they really love you. Alison, that's amazing."

"Thank you," I say, as I tilt my head down a bit.

I'm definitely not used to all of this attention. I've always wanted to be a singer, but for a good chunk of my life, the thought of singing in front of anyone other than my shower head made me nauseous.

"I'm sure the second half of this tour is going to be just as amazing as the first." Este winks at me. "I think we're going to be hearing about you and the great things you accomplish for years to come."

"Well, thank you. I sure hope so. I love it so much. All of it. I can only hope I'm blessed enough to continue doing this. I'm so thankful that my fans keep tolerating me." I laugh as I glance towards the audience and then back to Este.

"Speaking of music, is there another album in the works?" she questions, raising her eyebrows.

I look back towards the audience, a smirk on my face. "Well, Este, you know I'm pretty secretive about these things."

"So I hear, but a little bird told me that you also like to hide Easter Eggs for your fans to catch. Are there any Easter Eggs floating around about your next album?" She leans towards me as she waits for my answer.

I scooch forward in my chair and start to stage whisper. "I don't know, I guess everyone will just have to keep their ears and eyes open." I wink and sit back in the chair, crossing my ankles over each other as I set my arms on the armrests.

"Fair enough," Este laughs. "But you know, that little bird also told me something else about you."

"Yeah?" I smile, only slightly nervous about what else she can possibly have to talk about. We've basically covered everything at this point.

"About your tour." She gives me a knowing look.

"Okay?" I answer, still unsure.

"And someone that is joining you?" She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

My stomach drops a bit. Welp, I guess the word is out about Archer. I don't know why I didn't expect that to happen. Obviously Stephen would want it out there as soon as possible. The more press the better.

"There is," I answer, trying to keep my smile on my face cool and controlled.

I'm annoyed that she's bringing Archer up, but I honestly wish it didn't bother me. I've started to accept him going on tour with me. I really have. At least a little bit. I'm not sure why this is irritating me so much right now.

I start to hear music coming from the speakers around us. I quickly turn towards the screen behind me. Another video flashes across the screen. This time, it's the viral video of Archer playing his song. I keep my eyes on the screen as I try to hold my poker face.

The screen goes black. Este turns back towards me, looking down at the cards in her hands.

"Archer Stiles right? The online sensation. I heard a video of a song he wrote went viral. Apparently, it was in response to one of your songs, too," Este rattles off facts from one of the cards. "So he'll be joining you for this leg of your tour, then?"

I let out a breath and widen my smile before answering. "That's correct. Archer is super talented. We're all really happy to have him with us."

Not to toot my own horn, but I feel like I nailed that. I almost believe what I was saying, too.

"So you're happy he's touring with you then?" she asks, smiling. There's something twinkling in her eyes, but I'm not sure what.

"Yes, very." I nod my head.

"Is that all?" Este pushes, winking at me.

"What do you mean?" I raise my eyebrows at her.

The butterflies start stirring in my stomach again. I'm not sure what she's trying to get at.

"Is that the only reason that you're so happy and smiley today?"

"Yeah. Like I said, he's super talented. I think he'll be a great asset to our show," I say, nodding the whole time.

"That's not what I heard," Este says, that smirk back on her face.

"I'm sorry. I'm not quite sure what you're talking about," I answer, my eyebrows pulling together.

"I heard that you two are more than just tour mates," Este finally says.

I look at her with eyes wide, trying very hard to keep my mouth from hitting the floor. "More than tour mates?"

"Yup. I heard there might be a little fling going on between the two of you." She narrows her eyes at me and wiggles her finger between me and the apparently imaginary Archer next to me. "There's a spark. The start of a new romance."

The audience starts clapping and cheering. I try not to let the horror I am currently feeling show.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry to disappoint all of you." I carelessly giggle. Or at least I hope it comes off as a careless giggle. "Archer and I are just on tour together. There is no romance there. I actually don't even know him all that well. My manager asked him to join the tour after he saw that viral video. The only time I've really spent with him is during rehearsals. We've both been pretty busy getting ready for the shows."

I try to keep the feeling of disgust off my face, knowing that won't look good on my end. I just can't believe this is the current conversation we're having.

Another video clip plays on the screen behind us. This time, it's a video recorded on someone's phone of Archer and me rehearsing. I'm dumbfounded for a second.

How did she get this video? How is this even on video? Then it hits me. Stephen. He must've sent this to her as an exclusive behind the scenes look.

I'm instantly angry at him for doing that, but I try to remind myself that he's good at his job. If he sent this to her, he did it because he thought it would be beneficial to me.

I look towards the screen and try to focus on what's playing out on it. Archer and I are both smiling out into the fake crowd as we play our instruments and sing. Archer's smile is honestly dazzling in this clip. I quickly shake my head to clear it, then turn back to Este knowing she's going to have something to say about that.

She looks at me with expectant eyes. I just shrug and feign innocence. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Anyone can see that you guys have undeniable chemistry. Which is saying something if we could tell in that short of a clip."

Este locks her gaze on mine.

"Oh, uh, thanks," I stutter out.

She gives me a triumphant smile. "Well, Alison, that's all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for coming." Este stands up from her chair and turns towards the audience.

I follow her lead and stand up along side her. "Thank you for having me."

"Good luck on the rest of your tour." She raises her arm towards me. "Alison Quick, everyone!"

I wave at the crowd, holding my smile. The second I get the okay from one of the crew to exit the stage, I book it out of there and head straight to my dressing room.

I don't know where Este got that dating information from, but I'm furious that this is the rumor going around right now. I'm sure Stephen sent her the video, but I know for a fact he wouldn't attach a dating rumor to it.

I reach for my phone and slam the call button next to Willow's number. I know she was in the audience watching, but I'm not sure if she was able to leave right away or if she had to wait around in the studio a bit. Too many thoughts and emotions are running through my head right now, and I need my best friend immediately.

"I know," she says, pulling me out of the hurricane occurring in my brain right now.

"I knew this whole thing was a bad idea," I cut her off. "It's over."