“You’re making a lot of big changes. I’m worried about you.” She reached forward as if to lay her hand over mine on the table, but I jerked back.
“Worried? You’re the reason I can’t catch a damn break.” I seethed.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Wesley. How could I ever do something like that to you?” She clutched her heart.
“It was just convenient timing? I fire you, and the next day my name’s being dragged through the mud?”
“It’s not my fault Derek can’t protect you the same way I did. I’m connected to all the right people. If you asked nicely, I could make it stop. I want to be there for you.”
“I don’t want anything you can offer me. Nothing you do can hurt me.” I huffed an over-confident laugh. “The more you put out there, the more they talk about me.”
“How does Avery feel about how they talk about you?”
“She knows it’s bullshit. She knows me,” I insisted
“Does she, Wesley? You’re capable of so much, but you need the right guidance or you’ll throw it all away. She doesn’t know what’s best for you. You told me how she acted about your first album. That was unfair to you. How loyal is she really?” That was the worst part about Maddie, she always knew how to hit where it would hurt the most, never allowing anything to heal. But I wasn’t going to let her take this from me.
“Any other poison you want to drip in my ear? Or are you finally tired of your own voice?” I asked, leaning back in my chair, trying my best to seem unaffected even as a sweat broke out over my brow. Even out in the open on this patio I felt claustrophobic around Maddie, hyper aware of her limbs so I could avoid even the slightest caustic touch. “I know I am.”
“I guess there’s no point talking if you insist on being hostile. Let me know how Avery likes her gift when it arrives.” She rose, hips swaying as she disappeared into the tide of pedestrians.
I didn’t have time to wonder what she meant because a server was walking up with a bedraggled Luca.
He got water and drained the glass before speaking. “Sorry, I’m late. I got stuck on a call with Liza. I think we broke up, but sometimes the way she says stuff confuses the hell out of me. Either way, I don’t think she’ll be there tonight. I got here as fast as I could. What did you want to talk about?”
The trash took itself out.
“Nothing. Just have your clothes for you.” I held up a paper bag.
“Wes! Earth to Wes!”
“Yeah?” I blinked, trying to focus. We were all seated at a circular VIP table. After everything with Liza and Maddie, I kept zoning out. When Avery came to pick me up earlier, I hadn’t even changed.
I used to dissociate a lot, stepping out of my own body when I went to events with Maddie. I could convince myself I was someone else, somewhere else. That I didn’t feel her hands on me or her breath against my skin. That it was happening, just not to me.
But I was with Avery, Evelyn, and everyone else now. I didn’t want to drift away, but it was an effort to be present. I hated that simply sitting across from Maddie for a few minutes could ruin what was supposed to be a great night.
“Do you want a shot?” Evelyn said, waving a glass under my nose. Tequila, from the smell of it.
I shook my head. “Nah. I’m good.”
“More for me!” she said, after checking that everyone else had taken shots from the tray. I didn’t even remember them arriving.
“Ev, don’t.” Luca attempted to wrangle the glasses from her, but she ducked away and downed both in one go. He looked better than he did earlier today, but we were always at our best when we were together like this.
Still, I couldn’t entirely shake my encounter with Maddie. What if the articles were just the start and she had something else?
Avery’s leg bumped against mine under the table. “Hey. Are you okay? You seem a bit out of it tonight.”
My hand found hers and our fingers tangled together. What was wrong with me? Avery was the most important person in my life, and yet my mind kept slipping away. Her touch helped, though, gave me something to focus on. Her rough callouses rasped against my skin.
“Just a bit tired. I had coffee earlier, but I swear I was accidentally served decaf.”
“I know one way to wake you up.” Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip.
“Is that so?” I arched my brow.
She slid from the booth, and I followed eagerly as she pulled me to the crowded dance floor. Rapid music throbbed out a beat that rivaled my racing heart. Multi-colored lights bathed us, painting hypnotizing patterns on Avery’s pale skin. We claimed an open space as her body molded to mine. Her arms wrapped around my neck, my leg threading between her thighs, locking us together.
