“I’m so excited for you guys to hear the live album that’s now available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or wherever you listen to your music.”
My gaze drifts down to the building opposite me, where the same person who looked out the window overnight pulls open the curtain. I step back, just in case they’re watching the livestream too.
Will you be playing Stolen Moments at the O2 again tonight?Cat123 asks.
“Yes, I’ll be playingStolen Momentsin the set tonight and tomorrow night for my last show on the tour.”
Is Stolen Moments about Rita?
Rita Watson’s a bitch.
Rita is a cradle snatcher.
I lift my hand to rub away the aggravation in my chest caused by the influx of Rita comments.
I’ve not been online since yesterday morning, and I sense that the internet has gone into overdrive speculating about our alleged affair. The comments continue to come in thick and fast between questions.
“I’ve just put the kettle on, do you want a cuppa?” I crane my neck back to see Christopher’s head sticking out the window.
“I’m good, thanks.” I turn my head back to my phone and the live stream.
Who’s that?
Is that one of the dancers?
Who is that guy?
My aggravation is immediately replaced by dread as a text message from Paul pops up on the top of my screen.
Paul
End the live stream. NOW.
22.Christopher
Friday
Istare at the blank page before me, struggling to find the words to write down all I want to say about Kelly and Daniel. If Dad were still alive, I wouldn’t have to worry about all of this. I wouldn’t have to walk her down the aisle, or give the obligatory father of the bride speech.
I could have just kicked back and enjoyed the wedding, without all the stress that’s now resting on my shoulders. The various tabs open on my browser, pulled up while searchingHow to write a wedding speech, have offered me absolutely no help whatsoever.
Make it witty.
Make it personal.
Use anecdotes.
No shit, Sherlock. I even attempted to use ChatGPT to write the speech for me, but it came out with something so nauseating and disingenuous that I just wanted to throw my laptop at the wall and hide under the covers.
The meeting invitation I received from Pietro this morning hasn’t helped. The subject line readsBrewed Meeting Follow-up. It’s set for Monday. Less than twenty-four hours after I land in LA.
Even worse, there’s a name on the invite that I don’t recognize, though a quick search on LinkedIn revealed her to be a HR representative for the company. Great.
All of this is taking up unnecessary headspace when I just need to get this speech written and done with. It also didn’t help that Paul was berating Alexander about me being in the background of his livestream earlier.
It took everything within me to temper my anger and not snatch the phone from Alexander’s hands, to not give Paul what for. Alexander’s a fully grown adult after all, and it wasn’t like you could actually make out who I was.
Thankfully, Alexander seemed fully equipped to handle Paul. He defended me and actually called Paul out on having to hide his sexuality. Part of me was proud of him for standing up for himself, but the other part was petrified. I’ve now seen the abuse thrown at Rita over the mere speculation that she and Alexander are dating.
