That might be because I forgot to tell her who we were meeting with.
"So, you two are bumping uglies, huh?"
Or that she already knew.
Denali pales, her hands twisting in her lap. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen?—"
"I've had eyes for my assistant since you gave her to me. But I suspect you knew that would happen, didn't you?"
Arista's lips spread into a grin. "I had a suspicion that you wouldn't know what to do with all that bossy big girl energy she has. And you men seem to take the same solution to any problem you think needs solving: fuck it. So I kinda suspected it'd sort itself out."
Denali looks at me like she neds support before she falls over. "Kai, you—" Her gaze turns to Arista next. "And you–complicit in—what the hell?"
A trainwreck is heading straight for the station, and I don't know if I should stop it or just stand by and watch.
"Oh, don't misunderstand," Arista says quickly, holding her hands in the air. "I didn't give you this job to set you up with my old friend here—far from it. But I'd be stupid to assume that the two of your personalities wouldn't end up in bed together.So many idols and their staff have arrangements—hell, Jun and I worked together before we started seeing each other."
"Told you so," I mutter toward Denali, who proceeds to kick me under the table. "Ow."
It doesn't hurt, but I want her to think it does.
"Well, if you two are going to be dating now?—"
Denali opens her mouth in protest. "Who said we weredating?"
I do. Me. I say we're dating. You're mine, baby, and I wanna tell the world how special you are to me already. And it's only been two days.
"Aren't we?" I say pitifully, just as Arista chimes in with,"well the photos in the tabloids make it look that way."
We both stare at each other while Denali processes things. I hold my breath, but I don't think Arista's holding hers. She doesn't need to.
It's notherhappiness on the line here.
"Okay," she finally says with a hint of hesitation. "What do we do now?"
"Well, for starters, you'd make a statement, or rather, the company will. It's up to you two how it's handled." She shoves a folder in Denali's direction, sensing she's taking the lead on this. It's not a wrong assumption. "You pick one of those. We can edit it however we need to. And then we move on."
I blink slowly, eyes wide. "That's it?"
There's no way?—
"Yeah, that's it." Arista takes in my stunned silence and grins. "When you're over there, Kai, things are different. Here in Nocturna Beach, nobody's gonna blink at the idea of you having a girlfriend. They don't care, as long as you still show up to performances hot and horny and appropriately thirst-inducing."
"Yeah, but what about when he goes home?" Denali voices the thing I haven't wanted to put a voice to. Sure, I had planned to go home one day, but?—
But now that I have her, I don't know what I'd do without her. And if she isn't willing to go back to Japan with me, I'm not leaving.I just haven't told anyone that decision yet.
"If he decides to go home, that'll be a decision he has to make. And how you progress with your relationship there will be up to you two." Arista steeples her fingers, watches us like we're children in front of her. And I suppose to someone who had their idol boyfriend's baby before they were even stars, maybe we are just children fumbling at a concept we haven't quite thought through. But I'm ready for this. I'm prepared to lose it all for the chance to be with Denali.
"I couldn't care if I woke up tomorrow and had no fans, I'd still choose Denali."
Let her wonder about that. I'm sure I know what I want.
Denali's hands clench in her lap again, but this time, I reach over and take them in mine, pulling them atop the table for Arista to see. "I don't want to hide her. I don't like the idea of her being in danger, but I don't want to hide her. She's living with me, by the way, because she's got a crazy stalker of an ex-boss who trashed her place the night of the gala." Which she already knew, because I told her as much.
"How long have you two been?—"
"Oh god," Denali moans, putting her head on the table. "Only since the—the night of the gala."
