I raised an eyebrow and leaned into her. “You’re an even worse liar when you’re drunk.”
She scoffed. “I’m not lying. I’m not seeing any of them. But…” She paused. “I may have a tiny little crush on Damien. Okay? But I can’t figure out what he sees when he looks at me.”
“Oh.” There was no explanation for why my blood ran cold or why I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“Yeah, but it’s no big deal.”
“If you like a guy, it is a big deal.”
Unplanned, we both looked over our shoulder, catching a glimpse of the topic of our conversation. His arms flexed as he carried some sort of big black box out the door, highlighting his muscles and colorful tattoos.
“You’re right,” I said. “Heishard to read.”
“I know.”
Every time I watched him with his fans, he smiled at them and made themfeel like they were his entire world. As if each one was the sole reason he created music. Notthat it was a bad thing. It only made seeing the real him that much harder. How did you know when you were getting just Damien, or Damien Walker—lead singer of Rebel Rebellion?
It wasn’t as if he was inauthentic. Only that he hid pieces of himself from the world.
“I’ll tell you what,” I said, putting my arm around her shoulders. “If he ever decides he wants to stop hating me, I’ll talk to him about you, okay?”
“He doesn’t hate you.”
“Yeah, okay. Anyway. I’ll just have a Coke.”
Jade crossed her arms and furrowed her brow. “If you say so.”
“And I do. Say so, that is.”
Jade huffed next to me, but I was busy flagging down the bartender. We ordered our drinks, then Jade asked about the gala.
“It was terrible. These people acted like I had the plague. All the creepy old men looked at the ladies as if they were meat on a platter just waiting to be scooped up. It was disgusting.”
I told her about the man on the balcony.
“Ew. Did Elijah protect you at least?”
“Hah. He blamed the fact that I was approached on my outfit. Apparently, it’s my fault. He said I was a walking target.”
Jade’s jaw dropped. I rarely talked ill about Elijah. She honestly had no idea about the innermost details of our relationship. “You’re kidding. I’m… speechless. Seriously?”
“I wish I was.” I also wished she’d forget about this little detail I let slip.
Someone cleared their throat behind us, and I turned to find Damien.How hadn’t I noticed him approach? Any other time, I would have been acutely aware of his presence.
Literal stars filled Jade’s eyes.
“Can I get your keys to hook up the trailer?”
“I can do it.”
I stepped off the bar stool and had to catch myself once I put weight on my swollen feet.Just a little bit longer.
Straightening, I hugged Jade. “I’ll be back to take you home, okay?”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll see you soon. Be safe out there.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to her,” Damien said, surprising the shit out of me.
