He pushes my hand off him. “No one should be verbally abused at work,” he says quietly.I feel like I’ve swallowed a stone.
Before I can respond, a photographer steps into our path, brandishing a huge camera. I’m jumpier than usual tonight, and his sudden appearance startles me.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the press pit?” I ask sharply.
The photographer blinks, taken aback. “I’m the event photographer. You hired me to take pictures for social media?”
Oh. Right. “Sorry,” I mumble. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just… nervous.”
He grins. “No problem, Miss Saint. You look beautiful this evening.” He wiggles his camera. “Can I get a shot of you with your new man?”
I glance up at Matt. He shuts his eyes briefly, then bends, brushing his lips against my cheek. The camera flashes, and Matt’s mouth is gone before I can even really register what’s happening. All I’m left with is a warm face and the lingering scent of lemony aftershave.
“Gorgeous.” The man says, checking his camera. “You two make a lovely couple.” He floats away to snap some shots of the band.
“So, is there a reason you think it’s okay to treat your employees like shit?” Matt asks conversationally.
I close my eyes briefly, then pull away from the crowd and make a beeline for the buffet table lining one side of the garden. It’s laid out with delicate crystal plates stacked with finger foods. An ice sculpture of a swan is melting and glittering in the middle of the table, surrounded by flutes of sparkling champagne.
“What’s he going to do with that photo?” Matt asks, coming up behind me. “I’m not going to be plastered over some teenage girl’s bedroom wall, am I?”
“You really think you’re that attractive?” I mutter, nabbing a glass of champagne and tossing it back. God. I really don’t feel good. My skin is numb, and my head feels swimmy. I wonder what would happen if I passed out. Would Matt catch me, or just let me fall and walk right over my unconscious body? I put the empty glass down with a shaky hand, and reach for another. “D-do you want a drink?”
Matt doesn’t reply. I glance up at him. He’s frowning, staring into the middle distance. “Matt?”
“That’s it,” he mutters.My stomach twists. Oh my God. Has he just seen X? I turn to follow his gaze, but all I see is trees.
“That’s what?”
“I remember why you look so familiar.” He huffs a sudden laugh. “Glen had a picture of you, years ago. He carried it in his pack for a whole tour.”
My blood pressure spikes. “Are you serious?”
He closes his mouth so quickly his jaw clicks. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“Okay, then.” I honestly don’t have the emotional bandwidth to process that information right now. I’ll get to it later. I take a deep breath and lift my glass to my lips.
“B!” Someone exclaims behind me. “Is that you?!”
I freeze, a wave of cold flowing through my body. No. There’s no way. There’s only one person in the world who’s ever called meB,and he is the last man I want to see right now.
Maybe this is my karma for being such an asshole.
Slowly, I force myself to turn around and look into the face of my ex-costar, Thomas Petty.
Fourteen
Briar
He looks so different from the gawky teenage boy I remember. He’s filled out a lot, and his brown curly hair has been cut short, slicked back with gel. Either puberty has been exceptionally kind to him, or he’s invested in some jaw filler.
The fairy lights twinkle in his eyes and set a soft glow over his skin as he smiles at me tentatively. I feel a pang in my chest. The last time I had a proper conversation with him, I was sixteen years old, sobbing on his doorstep, begging him to make a statement to the press.
It’s odd. I always thought if I ever had to speak to him again, I’d be mad. But instead, a wave of longing washes over me. He used to be my best friend, before he utterly ruined my life. I’ve never had a friend since. Not one friend in the thirteen years since I lost him.
How depressing.
A ruffle goes around the crowd. I can already hear the whispers starting as people see the two of us together. As I stand there stupidly, a nearby model turns to her friend and loudly hisses, “Isn’t he the guy she cheated on? Think they still have beef?”
