“What does he mean by that?” I ask Jeremy.
Nolan doesn’t even blink. “So, that little nugget about Asher wasn’t exactly news you meant to share, was it?”
Jeremy’s face contorts. “Shit.”
Eyes wide, Maya slowly turns to look at him. “Jeremy.”
“I thought we agreed it was a safe space!” Jeremy yelps, then points a freshly exfoliated finger at Nolan. “And you! You were supposed to be distracted by youreyebrow crisis!”
“I was,” Nolan says coolly. “Until you casually mentioned something about a spa suite and the ‘uncut director’s cut’ of Asher Cross.”
Maya covers her face with both hands. “I’m going to die.”
Jeremy groans. “It slipped out!”
“Oh no,” I say, snorting into my wine glass. “This is a full-blown slip-and-slide of betrayal.”
“I didn’tnamenames!” Jeremy insists. “I used code words! And I just said someone might have filmed a sex tape with a certain A-list actor in a certain private spa suite. That was all.”
Maya peeks between her fingers. “The words were ‘spa’ and ‘sex tape.’ You’re the worst codebreaker in history.”
“I’m sorry!” Jeremy pleads. “He was shampooing! His hair is so beautiful. I got nervous and panicked!”
Nolan lifts both hands. “Hey—no judgment. Your secret’s safe with me and my sheet mask.” He taps the glittering gold currently dripping off his cheekbone.
Maya sighs, then levels a look at Nolan. “You’re really not going to say anything?”
Nolan shakes his head, serious now. “Not a word. Not to anyone. Especially not to someone who’d use it against you.”
“Thank you, Nolan, seriously. I owe you.”
He shakes his head. “No, you don’t. We’ve all done reckless shit with people we shouldn’t have trusted. Doesn’t mean it defines you. Just means you survived it.”
The room goes quiet. Even Jeremy, who was halfway through applying gold under-eye patches looks up.
“And for what it’s worth,” Nolan says. “Asher made a huge mistake letting you go.” His gaze flits to me.
Maya’s eye water then the tears fall. She shoves a handful of M&M’s into her mouth and chews between sniffles.
I rub her back.
Jeremy huffs, “I hate him. He’s out there parading Celeste around like you’re a deleted scene in his blooper reel.”
Nolan’s voice lowers. “He’s out there trying to prove something. That doesn’t make it real. Or true. Maya, don’t shrink yourself just because someone else couldn’t handle the size of your light.”
Jeremy clutches his heart like he’s about to faint. “Okay, Shakespeare. Rorie, youbetterkeep him.”
I roll my eyes, trying to hide the stupid smile tugging at my lips.
Nolan leans forward, elbows on his knees, and looks at Maya again. “Whatever you do, don’t let his choices rewrite your story. He’s not the final chapter. You are.”
Maya swallows hard and nods, but her chin quivers slightly. “God, why does that make me want to cry even harder?”
“Because it’s true,” I say softly, reaching for her hand.
Jeremy, of course, breaks the tension. “Okay, but also because you’re high on those pumpkin enzyme fumes and that mask is probably harvesting your deepest traumas.”
Maya bursts out laughing and wipes under her eyes with the sleeve of the giant sweatshirt she stole from me earlier. “You’re both disasters.”
