“I’ve … realized how well we work together. Whatever our differences, we have some … complementary elements between us. I think for the sake of both our careers, it would be best if we avoid any morefriction.”
He smiles and shakes his head at that. “You’re unbelievable.”
“So I won’t flinch if you hold my hand, or if you, like, pull me close.”
Tentatively he slips an arm around my waist and does exactly that. Our matching sequined attire isallfriction, but for the first time since I wrote that song, the idea of his body against mine doesn’t make me uptight.
“Like this?” His throat flexes.
My breath is shallow again. “Yeah. That’s convincing … I think.”
“And if anyone expects me to … kiss you? You’d be okay with that?”
The memory of us kissing frantically to the sound of FANTASIE’s “Vibe Check” flashes through my mind.
“Sure,” I breathe. “If the … need arises.”
Now I can’t take it anymore because if we stay this close together he’s going to feel my heart pounding, so I carefully extract myself from his hold.
He straightens his jacket and nods. “Good to know.”
“That stuff should probably be for later though. For photos and videos, not for Mikayla. Showing off isn’t the best way to get closure.”
Riff’s ex-girlfriend leaves the card tables and makes her way to the bar, possibly to refill her martini. Thus far, it doesn’t appear she’s seen us, or knows Riff is here.
“Now’s your chance,” I tell him.
He pales a little and tugs at his collar.
I give him a pat on the shoulder. “You can do it. Good luck.”
It takes him a minute to gather the courage, but he finally takes a deep breath and strides toward her. I recede into the shadows and watch his approach.
The woman lights up when she sees him.
They embrace in a somewhat forced and ungraceful manner, but there’s definitely lingering affection there.
My heart pinches.
He’s not really mine—I know that. It’s just an act, and right now the camera’s not rolling, which means I need to keep myself grounded in reality.
I slip away, wandering deeper into the party. There should be plenty of things to distract me—and I’m starting to need that badly.
The great room leads to a huge sitting room where guests are lounging on sofas and chairs. Past that are a set of doors to the outside, where a patio sprawls from the threshold. A DJ stand (from which daXx himself is mixing beats) overlooks a crowd of guests dancing under pulsing lights. Among the guests, I recognize some other artists from Glambam and a few more from Ultracity, along with some actors, athletes, and TikTokers.
Dancing straight ahead is Daisy Malloy. Her knee-high silver boots reflect the flashing colors while the white fringe of her fit-and-flare dress flings back and forth. She’s got one hand on top of her head to keep her silver cowgirl hat from flying off.
Before I can sneak past, she spots me and waves me over. “Harmony!”
She’s with three other women. One is a plus-size model whose name I can’t remember, another is Madison Landry (she was a big deal as a child actor but now mostly does Netflix Original rom-coms), but I’ve never seen the other two.
“Daisy,” I shout over the music, “Nice to see you!”
“This is Claire, Alexa, Lauren, and Madison!” she tells me. “Ladies, I’m sure you know this is Harmony Sonora.”
They all smile and wave.
That’s right, I think. Claire Wallace. She’s the model. Then it’s Alexa Bell, from that showThe Workspace. Lauren Jakowski is … it takes me a second … the drummer from that punk band, Dope Neon.
