CLASS ACT (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE) by Julia Gardener Page A

step. “When the time comes, I’m sure he’ll be ready for the exam.”
     
     
    I had expected a delinquent rock star as a student and had gotten just that. At the same time, I had met a vulnerable man plagued by self-doubt and guilt. Heath, like any other man, had dimensions to him.
     
     
    It was the same for all of my other students. They might have been labelled as delinquents or lost causes but they were still people in the end. Even if it made my life more difficult, I had an obligation to help them.
     
     
    Nonetheless, there was something different about Heath. I hadn’t ever had such an attraction to a student in my admittedly all too brief teaching career. I didn’t even understand my infatuation with him. Sure, he was hot and had a great singing voice. At the same time, he was an arrogant womanizer going from one thrill to the next.
     
     
    Perhaps, it was the feeling that I had seen a part of him that he had kept hidden from everyone else. Half the stuff he had told me wasn’t something you could read up on his Wikipedia entry. The man was more than the sum of his parts.
     
     
    It didn’t hurt that he was a damn good kisser.
     
     
    Megan broke me out of my scattershot thoughts. “The kids must be excited to see you.”
     
     
    Heath rolled his eyes. “They’re more interested in lip-syncing boybands that spew out manufactured music than a genuine talent like me.”
     
     
    “Give them a few years,” Megan joked. “I’m sure they’ll see the light that is British Rock.”
     
     
    The three of us walked across the orphanage’s courtyard. Heath’s hair became windswept when a strong gust hit us. Megan’s hair turned from auburn to bright red under the sunlight. She looked so lovely. She had been Howard’s old girlfriend but she hit it off easily with Heath. There was no awkwardness between them which came from being old friends.
     
     
    Children laughed and played in the courtyard. A group of them played hide and seek. A pair of adolescents played catch with a baseball. Some of them looked older still.
     
     
    I knew it the foster system could be an unforgiving place. The older you got, the more likely you were to be passed over by prospective parents. This orphanage could be the only thing giving the older kids a future. It made me feel blessed that I had both of my parents.
     
     
    Heath looked so much at ease in Megan’s company. There was a spring in his step. His forehead didn’t crinkle in worry. His eyes lit up like a bonfire. He smiled instead of smirked. He waved back at the children who greeted him.
     
     
    As much of a womanizer as he was, I didn’t think Heath would put the moves on his dead best friend’s lover.
     
     
    I hoped.
     
     
    “Think you’ll be able to stay longer?” Megan asked, leading him back inside the building. “It’s been months since we last had a face-to-face conversation.”
     
     
    “Sorry, the tour has to continue,” he said apologetically. The show of humility startled me. “We still have a few performances left in Philadelphia. It was hard enough making free time to come here. I know that I’ve neglected my responsibilities to-”
     
     
    Megan rolled her eyes. “Please, you could barely herd a pair of cats. That’s why you let me run the show in the first place.”
     
     
    The cool air inside contrasted with the heat of the Philadelphian sun. I felt like an intruder on this happy scene. There was more to Heath than even I had come to learn.
     
     
    The man was an enigma. He was an arrogant megalomaniac that always needed to be in the spotlight. At the same time, he was charitable and humble when the time called for it.
     
     
    Did I really know my student?
     
     
    “Come on, let’s grab a bite to eat,” Megan offered, taking Heath by the arm. “We have lots to catch up on.”
     
     
    Heath offered. “I’ll pay.”
     
     
    Still holding onto his hand, Megan laughed. “Technically, you already did.”
     
     
    I