Captive - Onyx martin (ebook offline reader txt) 📗

train. A wave of homesickness washed over me and my heart ached. I missed my mom so much… would I ever see her again?
“What’s wrong, Axel?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re crying…” Nick picked up the T.V. remote from beside us and the T.V. screen turns black and silent. I wipe the tears from my eyes.
“It was… the…” I took a deep breath to try to calm myself, “Will I… will I get to see my mom again… anytime soon?”
Nick frowns, eyebrows furrowed. Odd.
“Of course, Honey.”
I decided to end the subject. For some reason it bothered Nick. He probably thought If I saw her, I’d want to go home and leave him. But I couldn’t live without him now. I just want to see my mom. It’d been way too long.
The last time I’d spoken to her was in Texas. I’d called her while Nick was practicing with the guys.
“Oh, God. Axel! Where are you? H-How are you, baby?” She’d already started crying.
“I’m fine, Mom. I.. I met someone. I… I… I love him. I’m happy now.”
“When am I going to see you?”
“I don’t know mom…” my voice cracked, “I’m… not in Florida. We found a house in… Seattle.”
She sighed heavy through the phone. I knew she wouldn’t ‘approve’. But she didn’t really have a choice. I was just telling her a story to stop her worrying.
“As long as you’re happy…”
“I am, Mom. You better be happy too.”
“Do I get to meet him?”
I grinned to myself. She’d die if she found out who it was, “Yeah, Mom. Of course you will.”
“Good… I gotta go, Honey… be safe.”
“Hey Mom…”
“What?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, sweety.”
There was a click and she was gone.

The homesickness was eating me from the inside out now. What would she be doing now? What if I was there with her? What would we be doing?
“I know what’ll cheer you up.”
“What?” I turned to look at Nick, trying to brush away the homesick feeling and the memories/
“Let’s go eat out somewhere. Like… How about Applebee’s?”

Neither of us dressed up or did anything special in getting ready to go. Both of us were comfortable in regular clothes. I can’t stand these people that take like an hour to get dressed up all fancy for a place like that. People like my grandma. Wearing fancy clothes and putting on a ton of makeup and making sure everything matches when she goes grocery shopping. Ridiculous.
Fortunately today it wasn’t so busy. That almost never happens. We got a table at the back and both ordered coke. Nick ordered a Cuban sandwich while I ordered steak.
While we waited for our food, we just stared at each other. I was trying to read into his expression, figure out what he was thinking, but with no luck. I was never good at reading into things.
“So how are you liking the rockstar life?”
“It’s pretty cool, actually. Not exactly what I expected.”
Nick smirked, “Did you expect tons of strippers and drugs and alcohol?”
“…Pretty much.”
“Well that’s not too far off for the boys. Obviously, I’m different. Sometimes I think that’s the only thing keeping the band together. I’m the only one smart enough to not get involved with that stuff. Plus, I’m in love. I don’t need anything else.”
Before I could say anything, the waiter came back with our food, setting them in front of us and asking if we needed anything else before heading off.
“It’s great that you’re not into that stuff… I’m proud.”
He laughed a little, taking a bite into his sandwich, “Thanks, but I used to be the same as them, you know. I’ve only been clear for… maybe 2 years. How about you? You ever gotten into drugs?”
“No. My ex did for some time, though. I never did.”
“That Louis guy?”
My eye started twitching. I hadn’t heard his name for so long… it brought back memories. Many long… painful memories that only fueled my homesickness.
“Yeah… he used to do a lot of bad things…”
Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Before I knew it, they finished the album and we were going on tour again to promote it. The whole album, like Nick promised, was love songs. About either me, us or his feelings about me. Inside I knew I didn’t deserve it, but I couldn’t talk him out of it.
A part of me wondered if Mom would buy the album. What would she think when she heard it? Would she know, somehow that that album was about her own daughter? What if she did? Would she be proud or jealous? Mad?
Nick would spend hours writing and re-writing the lyrics and music. “Just have to get it perfect. The perfect girl deserves only perfect things,” he’d say. He’d make me stand there with him and listen to each and every version of every song he wrote. Wouldn’t quit changing them until they were so beautiful they made me cry.
Each day that went by, I fell a little harder. He was intoxicating. He took over my every thought, every dream, every action. My heart beat a little faster when he was around.
But that broken part of me was growing more torn as time passed. I never wanted my mom so desperately in my entire life. My chest ached with the thought of her. I’d have flashbacks from my childhood. Watching movies while she played with my hair. Her teaching me to cook and bake.
I had to accept the fact that things had changed.
Some days were worse than others, spent taking long walks around the neighborhood reminiscing about old times. Nick knew not to bring up the subject, and to give me space when I was in a dark mood. Usually he could distract me though, with his tight hugs and passionate kisses. Every now and then, he’d buy me flowers or some kind of chocolate or stuffed animal, which all ended up on my dresser, adding on to the quickly growing collection.

Kansas City. I’d never been there before, but it was our first stop on the tour, so here we were. I kissed Nick tenderly before it was time for him to get on stage and do his thing. A small wave of nervous nausea went through me as the music began. This was the first time the fans would hear anything of the new album, and it was a lot different from their usual rock. This album was slower paced, and closer to electronic than rock.
He started out with a couple of my favorites, Chains, Fragile Dreams and I’d Die for You. The crowd seemed pleased, screaming and hollering and jumping all around.

As the music shifted into some of their older hits, I started pacing around backstage. I was alone back here and there wasn’t much to do. I came across a small book peeking out from Nick’s bag. It looked like an open journal. I tried to shove the thought from my mind and continue wandering around, but I was far too curious. I glanced around to make sure nobody else was there watching me.
I pulled out the journal, open right to a page with a drawing on it. It was two people on a bench under an old, dead tree, dark clouds in the background. There was fog surrounding them as well. They resembled me and Nick, but it was still just a rough draft. The girl had my long dark hair and was wearing a Contagious shirt, jeans and a black jacket. The man was wearing a solid black shirt plus jeans.
I flipped to the next page, which was just a bunch of different little pictures, ideas for the new album cover. One of chains on a floor making a heart, another of blood droplets on the ground making the words ‘I love you’. The following page was a list of cities. All the cities we’d be going to.
My heart caught in my throat when I saw just where we we’d be going to next.

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

September, 2010. 6 months after Contagious concert in Tampa.

You should know the truth.
It wasn’t a lie… that I was kidnapped.
By the band…
I was afraid to try to leave…
Or to even tell anyone the truth…
I thought maybe they’d… try to… kill me.
I should’ve explained this to you.
You were right to leave.
You deserve better than me.
But...I think we should talk.
I need your help.
I love you, Louis… please understand.

“What are you doing?”
I quickly hit send and shut the laptop, “Just checking up on Mom.”
Nick wrapped his arms around me, yawning. His hair was messy and strands stuck up in places. He was wearing nothing but his underwear.
“Wanna come to bed with me? It’s two in the morning.”
I nodded and followed him back to the bedroom.
After some time, I decided I had to hear it from him. Just to be sure, “So where are we going next?”
He tensed beside me, as I knew he would. He had no idea that I already knew. He didn’t want me to know until the very last minute.
“Um… Florida.”
“Why didn’t you want me to know?”
“I can’t lose you…”
“You won’t…” I curled up closer against him, head on his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat and drifted into sleep.

We were alone, again in the bedroom. Bodies heating, hearts racing. We started pulling off each other’s clothes, but before we could do go further, the door slammed open and an infuriate Louis barged in. His eyes were bloodshot and fueled with anger and betrayal. He’d gotten much skinnier since I’d last seen him and his hair was a couple inches longer.
“I knew it! You freaking bitch!”
Nick charged him, pushing him into the wall and repeatedly punching his face. Louis took out a knife and shoved it into Nick’s side. Nick let him go and headed over to the dresser, clutching his bleeding side