Well, crap.
I froze, feeling the room’s attention burning into my back like flames licking up my leather jacket. I wished I’d worn something nicer. I wished I had covered my dark circles. If I had known?—
A flash blinded me.
Oh, great. Someone took a picture.
Where was that 80s makeover montage when you needed it?
With trepidation running through my veins, I turned.
I cleared my throat and gave an awkward wave. “Hi, John.”
I wish people could take pictures with their minds.
This moment? I’d title itThe Moment John Realized I Was Here, with the subtitle:A Picture of Shock Turned Delightful Surprise, with Underlying Tinges of Regret.
I’d definitely pin it to my fridge.
“Nora.” His voice—if I wasn’t mistaken—was shaky. Maybe this was the moment he’d been dreading. Maybe he thought I couldn’t take a hint and now I was stalking him. Maybe he’d all but forgotten about me and was thinking,Oh right, I fucked her and then didn’t call. Whoops, my bad.
Another flash to my left made me flinch.
I let out a deep breath, pretending this was totally part of my plan.
“Yeah, so...” I stumbled over my words, desperately searching my brain for a convention-appropriate question. Nothing came to mind. Or maybe it was just an empty head.
“I wanted to congratulate you on your great book,” I rambled instead. Buying myself time while pointedly avoiding looking at him. “And ask what the inspiration was behind…umm...” I snapped my fingers, trying to recollect a character’s name. A girl in the row closest to me raised an eyebrow.
“Excuse me, may I?” I snatched John’s book from her lap.
I flipped through the pages, trying to catch a character's name.
“Sorry, miss, we only have so many minutes per question,” the MC said.
“No, it’s fine. Let her,” John said.
I was still avoiding looking at his face.
“So what was your inspiration for...” I started again, scanning the pages. “Fuck, this is brilliant,” I muttered, frustrated.
“You didn’t read it, did you?” John said, his voice laced with bemusement.
I closed the book, having run out of excuses. “No, I didn’t.”
The room filled with muffled laughter, and I finally dared to meet his eyes. A jolt hit me in the chest, and I sucked in my breath at the intensity of his stare.
“I sent you a copy.”
Some surprised gasps. Maybe one of them was mine.
“Well, I threw it in the trash,” I said matter-of-factly. I mean, I was already standing in my grave, might as well throw the dirt on myself.
The room erupted with more laughter and gasps. The MC stopped interrupting, though I was secretly wishing he’d send security after me. I handed the woman her book back.
“Wait,” John said, leaning forward. He seemed to scan every part of me, as if making sure I was really here. “So you haven’t read the dedication?”
Someone in the crowd filmed me.
