Chapter 40 - "What the hell was that?"

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Special thanks to @Just_Chaos for the awesome cover she made! Now on to the chapter!

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Lennon shifted her stance as her right foot went numb and silently cursed that she had worn heels. Kade, Noah and Will were seated on a couch, in a room was filled with cameras, microphones and lights. They were doing a round of pre-Grammy interviews. Kade's dark tan, from their trip the week before, made him stand out from Will and Noah.  Lennon had tucked herself into a corner, playing the roll as dedicated girlfriend.

Once the cameras stopped rolling, the band filed out to freedom. Before Kade made it out, the interviewer stopped him and asked a question.

"Sure," Kade said, waving Lennon over.

Lennon walked to him and the interviewer's face lit up.

"Hi, I'm Janet Collins with MusicNow," she said, offering Lennon her hand. "Thanks so much for taking the time to sit down and answer a few questions for me."

"We're happy to," Lennon said as she joined Kade on the couch.

His hand rested on her leg as she looped her arm through his.

"Tonight is a huge night for Hey Farewell with their three nominations, Lennon are you excited?" Janet asked.

"Im so excited for them and so proud!" Lennon said. "I don't know a more deserving band then them. They have an incredible work ethic that is inspiring."

Kade leaned over and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

"That is so sweet. Kade are you excited to have Lennon's support tonight?"

"Definitely," he said. "I know that no matter what happens tonight,  she'll be by my side and that's all that really matters."

"You two are adorable together," Janet said. "I know everyone is happy to see you settled with someone."

"Thanks," he said.

"And Lennon, you seem over the moon to be with Kade. Was there ever any doubt in your mind about him, especially considering his past?"

"None," Lennon answered instantly, her voice firm.

She could imagine how tiring it must be for Kade to be constantly reminded of his past mistakes.

"By the time I knew I liked him, we had become friends and I knew the real Kade," she said.

"No worries about his past relationship?" Janet pushed.

Lennon snaked her arms around Kade's waist and kissed his cheek.

"Well..." she said, the smile on her face making it clear she was joking.

"Hey, I do recall you having an ex boyfriend or two," he played along. "What was his name?"

Kade had meant to keep the mood light, but his words had the opposite effect on Lennon. She froze at the mention of Hunter, her shock as sharp as a slap across the face.

"Oh really?" Janet asked.

Lennon's panic made her stomach jump to her throat. She felt like she was going to be physically sick as she saw her nightmare flash before her eyes. She couldn't believe Kade had mentioned Hunter. She forced a smile onto her face.

"Have I told you about my run in with Kade's ex-girlfriend?" Lennon asked, speaking in a loud, scandalized tone.

The comment had the desired effect. Lennon saw Janet latch onto any hint of gossip. Lennon quickly continued to tell about her run in with Brianna at the Halloween party. As she talked, she could feel Kade's eyes on her and the tension radiating off of him.

The last few questions blurred by as Lennon focused on keeping her panic in check and tried to keep a calm exterior. It took all her effort to walk slowly from the room, when the interview was done; when all she wanted was to put distance between herself and Kade. When she told Kade about Hunter she had never imagined he would ever bring him up, let alone mention him in an interview. Kade threw her a look as they walked onto the elevator with Will and Noah. Anger stormed in his eyes.

"I'll see you guys later," Lennon said when they reached her floor.

"I'll be up in a second," Kade said, stepping off after her.

Lennon tensed. She didn't want to talk to him. She knew she was too angry to have calm conversation with. She also knew she was feeding her anger so she didn't have to face the emotions surrounding Hunter.

She stormed into her room and came to a dead stop as she met the eyes of her prep team. Turning back to the door, she came face to face with Kade. He was blocking her exit and the look on his face told her he wasn't going to let her go anywhere. She turned to her prep team.

"Get out," she said firmly.

They didn't react quickly enough.

"Get out!" she barked.

They jumped and scampered out.

"What the hell was that?" Kade asked, when the door was closed.

"I should be the one asking you that," she spat.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"How could you?" she yelled.

"What are you talking about?" Kade asked. "You were the one telling the ridiculous story about my ex. Why would you even mention that?"

"You started this," she said. "You had no right to bring up Hunter."

"Hunter? What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice hard.

"I trusted you!" Lennon said, hating the emotion that came through in her voice.

She gritted her teeth and swallowed her emotions down.

"What does trust have to do with it?" Kade asked. "I'm talking about the fact that your little story back there made me look like a complete idiot."

"It's not always about you!" Lennon said.

The fact that he made the situation about him infuriated her.

"You're the one who made it about me when you told that story. Do you think I like having all the attention? Do you think I like the fact that no matter what music I put out, I still get asked about my past in every single damn interview?"

"Oh, you have such a rough life" Lennon mocked.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Kade shot back. "This is about the fact that you threw me under the bus."

"Only because I had to create a distraction from your comment about Hunter. You almost destroyed..."

"Hunter? What are you talking about?"

"When you mentioned my ex-boyfriends."

"You mean the joking comment I made, after Janet bluntly asked if you regretted dating me because of my past?" he asked. "I was trying to lighten up the mood. I'm not a huge fan of reminiscing about my past failures."

"And now we're back you to," Lennon said, coldly.

She could see the fire coming to life in Kade's eyes and knew he was about to lose it.

"Get out," she said barely above a whisper, her eyes hard as stone.

The change in volume stole away Kade's words. He stood there with his mouth slightly open.

"Get. Out!" Lennon repeated a little louder, her hands curling into tight fists.

"Fine. I give up!" he said, throwing his hands up in defeat.

He stormed out of the room.

Lennon was fuming as she paced around the room, her fists clenched. A knock came on the door a few minutes later.

"Lennon, its Jordan, I'm coming in," he said. 

Lennon stopped pacing and faced the door.

"Lennon, what happened? Your prep team just told me you kicked them out of the room."

His eyes darted around the space and she knew he was looking for Kade.

"He's not here," she growled.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Kade almost told a reporter about Hunter," she said.

Along with the anger came an ache in her chest.

"What?" A mixture of emotions flashed across Jordan's face. "I didn't even know he knew about Hunter."

"He doesn't. Not really. He just knows Hunter was my boyfriend and that we aren't together anymore."

"How did the subject of Hunter even come up in the interview?"

Lennon told him about the interview.

"When did you tell Kade about Hunter?" he asked

"October," she said, unsure why it matter.

"How come you decided to tell him about Hunter if you weren't going to tell him the whole story?"

"He asked about it," Lennon said.

She suddenly felt a need to defend herself.

"He ended up seeing a picture of Hunter and asked who he was. I figured it was better to tell him a little to stop any further questions."

Jordan gave a small nod but he didn't meet her eyes.

"And this was in October?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so," she said. "Why does this even matter? What matters is that I put my trust in him when I told him about Hunter and he betrayed it."

"I don't think he actually did," Jordan said

"Are you being serious? He almost told the whole world the one thing I have worked to keep quiet my whole career."

"I understand that must have felt scary," Jordan said. "But you said Kade only knows Hunter is an ex-boyfriend. That's all."

"He had no right to mention Hunter at all, regardless of whether he knew the whole story." Lennon said. "That was my private life he was sharing."

"But he didn't know," Jordan said sharply. "When you made it seem like Hunter was just an ex-boyfriend, you forfeited your right to being angry when he treated it with the same regard you did. Whatever he said, he did it unknowingly. He was not trying to be cruel or upset you. This is on you."

Lennon gave Jordan a cold stare, as her whole body went numb. She had thought Jordan would understand.

"Should he have mentioned Hunter?" Jordan asked rhetorically. "No, but his slip up was a simple mistake instead of the deep betrayal you feel."

"But, but..." Lennon stumbled over words. "He almost ruined it all."

She couldn't put into words the panicked thoughts that were tumbling through her mind. Almost four years later and she finally felt like the aftermath of Hunter wasn't defining her life. She wasn't going to let the press bring his ghost into every interview.

"Lennon, look at me," Jordan said, "I know it must have felt frightening, like your whole world was going to collapse, but it didn't. Kade didn't say anything intentionally trying to hurt you. No one knows about Hunter. Your secret is safe."

The statement helped diffuse Lennon's anger as she realized Kade had done nothing wrong.

"Now, you need to fix this because you still have the Grammy's," Jordan said. "The world needs to see a couple in love tonight, so do whatever it takes to get there. I will send your prep crew back here in half an hour. We need to be leaving in four hours. Is that clear?"

"Yeah" Lennon said, drained.

"It's a really important night for Kade and you," he said. "Make things right. You've worked hard Lennon and this is just the beginning. Don't throw it away because of an honest mistake."

"I won't," she said.

He gave a small nod and paused.

"I don't know how you plan on explaining yourself to Kade, but I think the truth might be the best. The whole truth. In order to avoid any more slip ups."

Lennon nodded.

"You have half an hour," he said, then left.

Lennon knew Jordan was right. With some distance from the interview, she could see that Kade had done nothing wrong. On the tail end of this realization, she remembered with guilt how she had told a humiliating story about Kade, just to cover up her own panic. His anger didn't seem out of place anymore.

Lennon grabbed her room key and headed towards the band's room, knowing she needed to apologize for everything.

Kade's face dropped when he opened his door.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

He hesitated before opening the door wider, his expression stony. Lennon could hear other voices inside.

"Not here," she said.

"Fine," he said, stepping out into the hall. "Where do you want to talk?"

"My room?"

"Fine."

He was closed off, leaving a large distance between them as they silently rode the elevator. Even when they got back to Lennon's room, he stayed by the door as if prepared to make a quick exit.

"Kade, I don't even know where to begin," Lennon started.

She looked up to find anger in his eyes and looked away.

"I'm so sorry" she said. "For all of it. For telling that awful story and then freaking out on you. And on one of the biggest days of you career. It's all my fault. If I had only told you the truth, then none of this would have happened."

She looked up, hoping to find Kade looking as relieved as she felt, but he still looked mad.

"Why?" he asked coldly.

Before Lennon could ask him to elaborate, he did.

"Why you bring up the story in the first place? Then you turned around and got mad at me when I had every right to be mad at you."

His tone was cutting.

"You did have every right," she rushed to assure him. "I shouldn't have told that story. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Please forgive me?"

"Why did you tell it?"

"Because I panicked" she said "You brought up Hunter and I didn't know how to handle it. So I panicked and told the story to distract the interviewer."

"Away from the topic of your ex-boyfriend?" he asked

"Yes," Lennon said.

"What is with your ex?" he asked. "I don't care if you're heart broken, get a handle on it."

Lennon's breath caught in her throat and she pursed her lips to keep from saying something she would regret.

"Past relationships get brought up. It's just part of the job," Kade said.

Lennon tried to keep her emotions from her face, but she wasn't completely successful. It only seemed to exasperate Kade more.

"Lennon, he was your high school boyfriend!" he said. "You wrote your songs. It's time to move on."

"Hunter wasn't just my high school boyfriend," she said quietly, once she had a handle on her emotions.

The quiet comment startled Kade.

"But I thought you told me..."

"I did but it wasn't the whole truth," Lennon said. "There is something I need to tell you, which I should have told you before. It will help explain a lot, especially a lot of who I am. I really want to tell you but I can't right now."

She watched Kade's shoulders drop in frustration.

"Tonight is huge and I don't have it in me emotionally to tell you. We need to make it through the Grammy's in one piece. Tonight, when we get back, I will tell you everything. You can ask all the questions you want and I will answer them. No more secrets."

He seemed hesitant.

"I am so sorry for everything. For yelling at you, for telling the story," she said. "I feel so horrible. I wish I could take it all back. There is nothing I want to do more then explain it completely. I wish we didn't have somewhere we needed to be but..."

Kade held up his hand and cut her off.

"It's the job," he said evenly. "Tonight. We'll talk when we get back, no matter how late it is."

Lennon nodded. Kade gave her a serious look and left.


Hours later Lennon stepped off the elevator and was greeted by a wolf whistle. She smiled as she walked towards Kade, Noah and Will. As she got closer she was able to admire how sharp all three of them looked in their tailored suits.

"Lennon, you look beautiful!" Noah said.

"Thanks," Lennon said.

She wore a gold, floor length, backless dress with a slit up to her knee.

"Like really beautiful. Do you have a date tonight?" he asked.

Lennon gave Kade a quick sideways look. His face was unreadable.

"I do have a date. Sorry," Lennon said.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to ditch the guy? He can't be that great!" Noah said.

"I would save that smart mouth for our acceptance speech," Kade said flatly.

Noah let out a warm laugh and threw an arm around Kade's neck. Kade shoved Noah away, straightening his jacket.

"You look fine princess," Will said to Kade. "Lennon you look beautiful. Noah looks alright and I know I look good so let's go win some Grammy's."

"It's still not too late," Noah whispered as he passed Lennon as they headed to the car.

As they stepped into the spot light, Lennon was grateful to find that her mistakes, from the morning, hadn't ruined the public relationship she had built with Kade. When the camera man came around, they were already in couple mode, smiling and joking. When the band won all three awards they were nominated for, Lennon's excitement was genuine. She jumped from her seat in excitement to congratulate all of them.

Once the show was over, It felt like it took forever to leave. Lennon braced herself as they entered the after party, knowing the night was far from over. Her smile felt forced as they mingled.

She tried to mask her exhaustion, drained from the events of the morning. Even though she stayed by Kade's side the whole night, she could feel the distance between them. A few hours into the party, Kade suggested they leave. 

"We don't have to," Lennon said. "It's your big night."

"I'm not really into it," he said.

Lennon's guilt back forcefully.

"I'm so sorry Kade," she said. "I ruined your whole night."

"I'm just not in the party mood."

They left, giving out goodbyes as they went. In the car the space between them grew as neither of them made any effort to talk. The hotel was quiet when they arrived and they both kept their silence as they rode the elevator. When they reached Lennon's room, the reality of what she was about to do set in. She moved mindlessly around her room, turning on lights. Kade stood by the door and waited.

When he cleared his throat it rang out through the room. Lennon stopped and turned to face him. He was leaning against the door, his hands in his pockets, his anger visible.

"Do you want to sit?" she asked.

Kade walked over to the desk chair and sat. He looked at her expectantly.

"Ok," she said, pacing

She paused to look at him and then began to pace again. She racked her brain, trying to find the right words. She realized the blunt truth would be best. She stopped before Kade and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Hunter was my high school boyfriend, but that wasn't all he was. He was also my fiancé."

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Dia dhuit! (Gaeilge)

So thinking about it, I like the Oscar's red carpet looks more than the Grammy's. I feel like the Oscar's are more classy, where as the Grammy's you can get some funky things and a lot more skin. Besides I think the dresses for the Oscar's are prettier. What do you think, do you like the Oscar red carpet or the Grammy red carpet looks more?

Vote, comment follow. Figure out what your favorite dress from the Oscar's or the Grammy's is and let me know. I think mine is Miley Cyrus's Oscar dress in 2010. Simple and beautiful.

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