“No, I don’t think I will take it as a compliment. I came here to talk about our record-breaking tour, not my ex-fiancé, my relationships, or lack thereof. You know what I think? That you don’t know how to ask good questions, so you just rely on tired fucking gossip.” I launch out of my seat. “I have very little free time and I don’t want to spend it here.”
I storm off the stage, but Wes doesn’t follow.
True to her word, Kendal is set up around the corner at a shiplap-walled coffee shop with small circular tables that barely fit her laptop and external hard drive.
“Is this seat taken?” I ask.
“Go ahead.”
The chair rattles as I drag it against the concrete floor. I sit backward, my arms folded on top as I pretend I’m not on the verge of breaking something. I haven’t checked my phone, but I’d bet I have at least a few missed calls from Lydia, which I deserve, but I refuse to regret what I said.
“It’s a good thing you didn't join us. That host is a snake,” I bite out.
“Yeah, I know,” she says. “That’s why I’m not allowed back there.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I used to work there. It was my first big job out of film school, I was just an intern, but they encouraged us to voice our ideas, so I did. A lot of my ideas were integrated, but I wasn’t given any credit and was overlooked for multiple promotions. I called them out and threatened to sue. I was given a settlement on the condition that I release my rights to the IP. I did and then I couldn’t get another job. It took me six months to realize I had been completely blacklisted. And then Jamie gave me my next shot.” Her eyes glisten and her voice goes thin as she talks. “So, it means a lot that you said what you did in the interview.”
“You’ve been watching?” I glimpse at her laptop, and sure enough it’s frozen on Ingrid and Wes, so I guess he’s still there, cleaning up my mess no doubt.
“I wanted to see. She can be a good interviewer. Sometimes, though, she surprises her guests to get viral soundbites to boost her ratings, like today. I should have said something, but I didn’t want to step on Lydia’s toes. ”
“It’s fine. My kink is publicly telling off shitty people for their behavior, or did you forget what happened at the premiere?” I joke, not wanting Kendal to feel responsible for what happened. It’s not her fault that Ingrid is one of the worst types of people. This is a brutal industry, and she preys on other women when she has every opportunity to uplift them, to help them shine. Frankly, I’m impressed Kendal didn’t give up after what she’s gone through. And I feel lucky to work with her.
She sniffles, managing to keep the tears in her red rimmed eyes. “Oh my gosh. You left, which means you didn’t see.”
Letting go of my hands, she turns to her laptop and taps the trackpad, bringing the screen to life.
“Wes said something I think you need to hear,” she says and rewinds the show to the moment I leave the stage.
“Wow, she must be fun to work with. At least we have you here to finish us off,” Ingrid says, shifting closer to Wes.
“She is fun to work with. But she’s also one of the most dedicated people I know. Without her, the show would be entirely different. She is the one who wanted it to be trimmed back as much as possible to showcase the music. Of course, these are stadium shows, and we are lucky to work with talented dancers and designers who help bring the space to life, but Avery is a force to be reckoned with, and if you did your job even half as well as she does hers, you would have known that.”
Calmly, he rises and exits.
“I really do look great on TV, don’t I?” Wes’s voice comes from over my shoulder and not through the tiny laptop speaker.
“You didn’t have to say that,” I tell him.
He shakes his head, hair falling over his brow. “I did. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, but after you flew out of there, I had a harder time.”
“Or I might be better at evasive maneuvers.”
“So now that we’ve freed up the rest of our day, what do you want to do?”
After the interview, I don’t want to go out. We’ve only been in the coffee shop for a few minutes and I’ve already seen people take pictures and heard them whispering our names. But I don’t want to run and hide away. There was a time when we talked about truly experiencing the cities we visited, going to museums, and walking the streets like tourists. And I want that now. The thought sparks an idea.
“When we were making that list of yours, you said you knew how we could walk around in public without being completely bombarded. I think it’s time for you to prove it.”
25
Wesley
November 2025
There was a time I never thought I’d see Avery grow old. That if I did, it would be on the other side of a screen.
