“Nate, I love it. Can I have it?”
He pulls back from me like he doesn’t believe I’m asking that question, but then he nods once. “Of course, it’s for you. I need to do some finishing touches, though. I’ll bring it by when I’m done.”
“I’ll pay you for it. It will be your first sold art piece.”
He furrows his brows and frowns. “Ria, no. It’s a gift. It’s not for sale.”
“Nate, please… let me be the first person to buy one of your artworks. I want to be your first official fan.”
He smiles and pulls me into another hug. “Okay, but not this one. This one is a gift.”
“So I get two? That’s even better. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to choose.”
He shakes his head and exhales in a long, drawn-out breath. “Thank you. No one has ever supported me like you have, and you’ve only known me a really short time.”
Smiling, I squeeze him a little tighter. “The moment I saw you, Nate, I knew we’d be close. I don’t know how, but I knew. And I’m so glad to be here with you now. I’m excited to see where our future goes from here.”
He tilts his head. “So, if we’re together… are we telling people?”
“Mm… I guess we can tell the band and my people, but as for the public, it’s probably best to keep it under wraps until the video comes out.”
He slumps a little, then tries to cover it up. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Don’t want our news to overshadow the release.”
“Exactly. We can wait. There’s no need to go public. It’s not going to stop us from seeing each other in the meantime.”
“True. But we should tell the guys, Tillie, and Lunar. Maybe tomorrow at the filming?”
“Yes. We’ll tell them together. We can go in together if you want?”
“Perfect!”
Chapter Twelve
NATE
Whisper’sju-jumight just be paying off.
Because Ria and I had a busy night, if you know what I mean.
And again this morning.
Honestly, I can’t get enough of her.
But we have had to come up for air because today is the first day of filming for our music video, and we have to get to the studio. I’m a little nervous as I drive us toward the Hollywood film set and tap my fingers.
“You okay?” Ria asks, lacing her fingers through mine on top of the gear stick.
“Yeah. Just trying not to let images of how today is going to go get stuck in my head.”
“This is only day one. You know we’re doing this over a couple of days, right?”
Sighing, I nod. “Yeah, I know. I’m not gonna lie. It’s gonna be hard watching you get it on with my bandmate, you know?”
“Just remember, I’ll be thinking about you the whole time, and I’ll be acting, Nate. This is what I do for a living.”
“Okay.” I pull up at the studio gates, and the security guard leans down to my window. “Passes, please,” he asks, and then he spots Ria. “Oh, hey, Zaria, no need for passes, drive on through,” he says, and Ria smiles.
“Thanks, Doug,” she replies.
