This chapter picks up where the previous one finished. I always wondered exactly why Markus decided to leave so suddenly. This is my take on it
Sighing to himself, Markus laid his head against the back of the couch. Rubbing his eyes, he wanted so much to reside in the memory of Rayna's comfort, but his mind kept wanting to recall events that occurred later in the evening. No matter how much he pushed the memories away, they refused to be ignored, leaving him with a dulled hollowed feeling deep in his stomach. Taking another drink from the rapidly emptying bottle of whiskey, he spied his phone lying on the ground. Grimacing to himself over his earlier behaviour, he stretched over and grabbed the pieces of his phone. The force of him throwing it had caused it to separate. Squinting at the various pieces that laid before him, Markus had a moment of regret before he pushed it aside. Pushing the pieces together, like some strange futuristic jigsaw puzzle, the beep of the phone turning on gave him hope.
The cracked screen made reading messages difficult, but he could make out that he had received some from his old band mates. Scrolling through the well wishes and platitudes of congratulations, he had a pang of regret about how he had left things with his one-time friends. They had all been in the band from the start and had been through the many up and downs that came with the struggle to get recognised in the music industry. However, once he had had a taste of success, he had felt the constraints of being in a band was holding him back. They didn't have the same naked ambition that he had, nor did they have the talent that many told him he had. Hell, even Rayna had told him that he was talented, that she wanted to share that talent with the world. It was one of the reasons he had signed with her. Of course, if he was being honest, her beauty was what had first attracted him to Highway 65 along with the sparks that had flown between them from the moment she had sat down next to him on that plane.
The phone ringing bought him out of his trip down memory lane. The shattered display prevented him from seeing who was calling, hope beat in his chest thinking it might be Rayna.
Slightly breathless with hope that it might be Rayna, Markus answered the phone, "Hey"
A familiar voice on the other end of the phone bought a smile to his face. While it wasn't the voice he longed for, it wasn't an unwanted call. The loud voices in the background of the caller, made him laugh.
"Dude, what are you guys doing?"
Hearing the voices of his band mates from Boulevard did wonders to lift him out of the downward spiral he had been on since he returned to the hotel room. He was surprised that they had called him. The way that he had left the band, pretty much ensured that he could never go back. Publicly it seemed like a mutual decision to split but in reality he had felt that they were holding him back. Meeting Rayna on that plane had stopped him from begging the band to take him back. Trying to get taken seriously as a solo artist had been harder than he thought.
Listening to the banter between the guys made him ache for that companionship, to have someone to share this huge moment with. Markus at that moment wanted to be back in LA drinking with his old band mates rather than sitting in a hotel in downtown Nashville, drinking whiskey all alone while waiting for Rayna to call him. Pacing around the room, he joined in reminiscing about the good times together. He could feel his mood improving the longer he talked to them. Grabbing a beer from the mini bar, he eased himself back onto the couch. His mind was still deep in the good times with Boulevard, when a question Tim asked him snapped him back to the present.
"Hu? What?"
"What was it like working with a supposedly legend of music?"
"Ha! It was definitely trying at times. Sure, she might be big name in country music, but that doesn't mean she knows how it is"
Markus took another mouthful of his beer.
"I mean, she got me to add a song from her old songwriter that he had written back in the day. Then she rode me when l wanted to add my own spin to it. I'll tell you what, next time I'm going to go with a producer that is more open to suggestions and isn't stuck in the past, someone who is willing to step outside the country scene. I'm just grateful that I am only contracted for one album."
"Geez man, I thought things were going well. Judging from the tabloid pics, you guys seemed to be very comfortable."
"Hahahah, Tim you should know better than to believe anything those rags publish. No, to be fair things were going great at the start, but her partner started to get jealous of our closeness and that in turn caused issues."
"The old Markus charm struck again, hey?"
"Well what can l tell you, I am irresistible"
"Right. So did her old man have reason to be jealous?"
"Come on, a gentleman never tells!"
Markus took another beer from the fridge, while waiting for Tim to stop laughing. They had both grown up together, so out of all his ex-band mates, Tim knew him the best. He knew that Markus had a certain reputation with having relationships with the women he worked with.
"Right, so Casanova moved interstate but he is still up to his old tricks! No wonder he hated you."
"HA! You're funny. Nothing happened, we are just friends"
"Right, and I'm going to win a Grammy!"
Wanting to change the topic before he gave away his feelings towards Rayna, Markus asked
"So, what's happening with you guys?"
Listening to the guys talking over one another as they described what they had been up to since he last saw them, filled him with a pang of regret. After events of tonight, he doubted whether Rayna would work as closely with him again. Without her by his side, he had no desire to pursue a country music career, let along remain in Nashville. The bitterness of the beer going down his throat matched the thought that it was just a matter of time before Deacon came looking for him. Markus knew Deacon had a reputation for being a hot head, especially when it concerned Rayna. He knew that Rayna would eventually tell Deacon what happened, and he didn't want to be around to deal with that aftermath.
He laughed under his breath as he listened to the band complain about the stream of singers they had tried out in his absence. The fact that they were currently without a singer stirred a flame within him.
"Wish l could do something to help you guys out. But Rayna has me booked on this promotion tour until the end of my life."
"Oh man, that doesn't sound like a good gig, especially if her man is giving you the evils. It sounds like it going to be a painful tour, though I'm sure you could come up with something Rayna could do to make it more pleasurable"
Markus bristled at the lewd tone of Tim's comment, even though he had toyed with the thought of getting intimate with Rayna, she deserved better than being a punchline to a smutty line. Licking his lips, he fancied that the taste of her lingered there. The feel of her lips on his was burned to his mind, as was the feel and weight of her body as he pulled her closer to him.
Clearing his throat, he dragged his thoughts reluctantly back to the conversation.
"Oh yeah, its going to be such an awesome tour" sarcasm dripping from every word, Markus continued to lay the ground work that he hoped would give him a reason to leave the mess he had created with Rayna.
"Deacon will be setting Rayna on edge the entire time, questioning her every move. Wish I could get out of it. It's not like she needs me there, after all my name is enough to get my fans to buy it plus the curiosity of the Queen of Country trying her hand at producing pretty much guarantees a platinum album"
"Geez man, good to see your ego hasn't changed. If you are that certain its going to be so successful, why don't you just blow the tour off and come out and party with us in sunny LA!"
"Don't tease me dude. You have no idea how much I don't want to go on this tour. I thought my days of being a meal ticket for the labels was over when l signed with Rayna and Highway 65, but I see that I was duped. It's exactly the same, just with a more attractive gaoler"
"There is no denying that Rayna certainly is more attractive than the usual label heads, and knowing you, she has given you some added perks as well"
"Well..." taking a deep breath, Markus had a fleeting moment of doubt about the path he was about to take, "have you ever met a woman who could resist this charm?"
Tim barked out a knowing laugh at this comment.
"Oh man, that tour is going to very awkward"
"Tell me about it. I might just take you up on that offer to crash."
"Dude! Its in your best interest to get out of Nashville. Afterall, this isn't the first time you have found yourself in this situation... and you know how that particular story goes. If l recall last time you also had to leave town in a hurry"
Coughing frantically as the result of choking on a mouthful of lukewarm beer, Markus should have known that Tim would mention that incident, afterall it was Tim who had smuggled him out of the hotel and driven him to the airport.
"Well this is 10 times worse."
This set Tim off laughing again. Markus toyed with the beer label as he waited for the laughter to end. If he had done what he had eluded to with Rayna, he knew he would have deserved the ribbing Tim was giving him. He felt terrible that he had lied about his and Rayna's relationship, but he knew it was the only way to get the guys to ask him to come back. He needed them to make the first move, he could never make that initial call. Afterall, it was him that torched the band in his desire to gain further fame.
"Sorry dude, I know this is serious. I have heard whispers about how volatile Rayna's man can be. Did he really punch Luke Wheeler?"
"Yeah, among many."
Whistling at this news, Tim suddenly sobered up and gave Markus's situation serious consideration. "You know we were serious with the offer to come out here and escape the tension there. Hell, you can even step in and be front man again for the couple of small gigs we have lined up"
"Hmmm, man that would be good but are you sure. What about the rest of the guys? Will they be okay with me coming back, even just for a bit?"
Markus chewed his lip as he listened to Tim yell at the rest of the band, asking if they would be sweet if Markus returned for a mini reunion of sorts. The muffled cheer was all the confirmation Marcus needed.
"Arhh, ye l think that is a resounding yes from them. Now get your sorry arse onto a plane before all this scheming was for nothing!"
"Right, okay. Leave it with me. I will let Rayna know. Though she is going to be pissed but you know what? She brought this on herself."
"Ouch, harsh man!"
Warming up to the lie he had spun to get his way, Markus saw no reason to quit now.
"Well, she shouldn't have let me take our relationship down this path, if she wasn't ready to deal with the fallout. She has to had known, that no one in their right mind would hang around and wait for Deacon to hunt them down."
After confirming details, Markus hung up feeling equal parts guilt and relief. Guilt that he had used Rayna as an excuse to escape from a situation entirely of his own doing, but he knew himself well enough. He was a coward when it came to him admitting he was sorry especially when he was in the wrong. He also knew that he had to keep the attention on him, rather than allowing the focus of the album launch being on Rayna and Highway 65.
Picking up his damaged phone, he dialled Rayna's number mentally preparing himself for the fight he was about to have with her. A sigh of relief escaped him as it went to voicemail, leaving a terse message stating he needed to talk to her, he hung up. Toying with the phone, he wrestled with the idea of texting her. His desire to avoid a confrontation won out, typing out a quick message stating he was leaving and returning to Boulevard he pushed send before he could change his mind.