The door clicked shut behind us. Violet released my arm and crossed hers over her chest, water droplets still trailing down her collarbone.
Focus.
“What were you thinking?” Her voice stayed low, but fury bled through every word. “I spent an hour getting her down, Griffin. An hour.”
“I know.”
“Then why?—”
“Because I haven’t seen her in four days.”
“You FaceTimed me seventeen times this weekend.”
My face heated. “Why did you count?”
“Because it was excessive.” Her brows rose as if she expected me to agree, but I did not.
“I missed her.”
Violet’s arms tightened across her chest. “Griffin?—”
“Come to Singapore.”
Shit. That wasn’t how I’d meant to ask.
“I mean…” My brain scrambled for better words. Smoother delivery. Some way to make this sound less like begging. But nothing came.
Violet blinked. “What?”
“Singapore. Next week. Come with me.”
“I don’t?—”
“Please.” I pushed off the wall, closing the distance between us. “I can’t do another four days. I can’t leave her again. So come with me.”
“Griffin, I don’t?—”
“I know what you’re going to say. I know it’s a lot. I know you hate the track and the media and all of it. But I’m asking anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m missing it all.”
Her brows pulled together and I ran both hands through my hair, searching for the right words. The ones that would make her understand without making me sound like a complete lunatic.
“I’m missing her first smile, her first laugh.”
“She too young for any of that.”
“Now, sure, but what if she does those things and I’m not there? What if I’m in some hotel room halfway across the world and you text me about it and I?—”
I stopped. Swallowed hard.
Christ, I was begging. Actually begging. But I didn’t care anymore.
“I need to be there, Violet. For all of it. Not the FaceTime version. Not the highlight reel. I need to be the one holding her when she does these things.”
Violet’s jaw worked. “It’s not that simple.”
