Wyatt blocks my path. “No, wait.”
“I’ll give you a second,” Cole says, then strides toward his mother’s driveway. Two sharp beeps slice the air as he unlocks a silver Mercedes.
Once he’s gone, Wyatt clears his throat. “I was told that significantothers are allowed on the tour.”
I blink, not expecting that. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…” He hesitates for a beat. “Come with me.”
My heartbeat kicks up. “On tour?”
“Yeah. It kicks off next week and lasts six months. First show is in Boston.”
“You’re asking me to come on tour with you.” I feel a bit dazed.
“Yes.”
“Even if I wanted to, I have school…” I trail off.
“You said you might be finished this semester,” he reminds me. “You had that meeting with your advisor. And if you can’t swing it, you don’t even like school. You could just take the semester off and finish in the summer if you really want to.”
“My parents would kill me,” I say, as if that’s the one impediment to me embarking on a world tour with Wyatt and the pop star he kissed.
“Your parents will understand. They love you. They’ll support anything you do as long as they know you’re choosing something that makes you happy.”
“You say that like you know what makes me happy.”
“I think I do,” he says softly. “I think a lot of things, actually.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Like what?”
“I think you miss me. I think you went through something.Wewent through something. I think it scared you. I think it hurt you a lot. But I don’t think anything has changed. I love you, and I think you love me.”
Tears sting my eyes. I don’t answer for a moment. My mind unwittingly flashes back to those pictures of him and Mollie May laughing. Her hand curled possessively over his bicep. And all my insecurities rush in. I feel the same way I did when I went to FashionWeek with Alex. Everyone fawning all over the supermodel. Me sitting there with my freckles, utterly invisible. I can’t even imagine how insecure I’d feel going on tour with Mollie May. Meeting the stunning woman, shaking her hand, watching her command a stage in a sold-out arena.
I believe that Wyatt isn’t interested in her—he wouldn’t lie to me about that—but part of me still can’t fathom why he would wantmeover her.
“Maybe you should be with someone like her,” I find myself saying, the words burning my throat.
“Someone like Mollie May?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not who I want, Blake.”
“Why not? She’s beautiful and successful, and the two of you could share the spotlight. You’d be a power couple.”
With an aggravated curse, Wyatt drags a hand through his hair. “Stop it.”
“What?”
“You accused me of believing shit about myself that wasn’t true. Keeping myself stuck.” He shakes his head at me. “Don’t you see that you’re doing the same damn thing? You tell yourself this story that you’re ordinary, that you belong in the background. Someone’s plus-one, that’s what you called it, right? Well, you’re nobody’s plus-one, freckles. You belong in the spotlight too. Youarethe fucking spotlight.”
I press my lips together to stop them from quivering. He’s wrong. How could I ever compare to someone like Mollie May? Someone who is all confidence and sequins and unrivaled success. Meanwhile, I’m floundering through a degree I don’t want, too stubborn to quit school and too scared to open my heart up to him again.
I force myself to speak. “Cole’s waiting for you. You should go. Go and live your dream, Wyatt. I know the tour is going to be amazing.”
“I want you there.” I can hear his frustration.
