The sound of Edel choking on air has me glaring at her, my whole body slowly burning from inside out and I swear I’ve turned red. Nora swings her face to look at me and I try and act normal.
“Yes, very.” I take another mouthful of wine. “I had no clue about all the terms and things when I first arrived.”
Edel is still trying to catch her breath. Rue gives her a concerned look, but she waves her off, sneaking away.
“Is that so?” Nora raises a brow.
“Yes, late night chats and letting me follow him around like a lost puppy.” I laugh at how pathetic I am. “Honestly. Superstar,” I squeeze out then drain the rest of my glass.
“I’m glad.” Anaïs gives a soft smile, completely unaware of what is going on around us.
Nora knows. Of course she does. She knows something has happened.
Edel waltzes back into the room, her chin lifted slightly.
“What did you choke on?” Nora asks.
“Air it seems.” She shakes her head, one shoulder lifting in a shrug then takes a mouthful of her wine.
“Champagne now or after?” Rue swoops in and I wait for someone else to answer.
“Fuck it, pop it now.” Nora claps before the sound of the cork being popped fills the room, the bubbles spilling over causing us all to laugh.
My eyes lift to the large clock on the wall. It’s not long until this meet and greet and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. Slipping my phone from my bag, I finally allow myself to look at his message from a while back. My lips pull into a smile.
Fuck, you look beautiful. X
I reply with a question mark.
His response:
I never got a chance to tell you before you left. I did come by your room, but you had already left. Didn’t want to miss my shot x
Just like that, my heart beats in a way it never has before, and it’s all because of him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Royce
I glance at the time;it’s just past four. I’m pacing ahead of the alley, a queue of people wait patiently to get in. I don’t want to take away the attention, so I stay back until I have contemplated my next move.
Proudness blooms in my chest. She deserves this. Do I go now? Or do I hold back and wait? Kai tuts beside me and I glare at him.
“What?” I scowl, my fingers curled around a small string bag.
“Are we going in or what?” He crosses his arms across his body.
“Yeah, maybe… I don’t know. I don’t want to crash.” My hand curls around the back of my head.
“You’re not crashing. You’re her boyfriend… people would expect to see you there,” he mutters and he makes a good point.
“I suppose.” I lick my lips, the tension building at the base of my neck and I can feel a headache coming on.
“Come on, stop being a pussy.” He nudges into me. “You’ll make her night.”
“Really? I doubt that,” I scoff. “Not after how I made her feel last night.” I sigh. “She’s pissed off with me…”
“Bit of a dick move,” he admits, kicking his toe into the floor.
