AJ checked over her shoulder. “No rest for teamHydraulics.”
Noah caught her eye. His whole face shone with pride. “I loved watching that.”
AJ beamed at him.Thiswas happiness. Them, together, in an industrial hallway. As they walked side by side, her entire being flowed with sunshine.
When they arrived at the signing, Risa was also in a good mood.
“Lastsigning!” she said brightly, as she hauled a copy crate of Rho headshots to their table.
The room tipped, and AJ’s glowing triumph slid into cold horror. “Right,” she managed.
She had been so focused on getting through the panel, it hadn’t fully hit her.
Thiswas their last stop on the circuit.
Her eyes flew to Noah’s face. This was the last time she was sure to see him.
“You good?” he asked, studying her.
AJ nodded, wrenching her gaze away and busying herself with her headshots. Noah did the same, then excused himself to use the restroom before the signing began.
In his absence, AJ felt hollow.It’s okay,she told herself.It’s good.She’d dreaded the cons. Soon she’d be free, and she and Brian would set a date and move in and start their life. Her real life.
So why did she feel so sick?
Risa plunked down in Noah’s empty seat, scrolling her phone. “I cannot wait for this to be over.”
“Seriously,” said AJ automatically.
“You must be so excited,” said Risa. “Remind me, what’s your sweetie’s name again?”
“Brian,” said AJ.
“Ha!” said Risa. “You’ve got Brian and Byron. Say that ten times fast.”
AJ did not find this amusing. Risa did not notice.
“I have to hand it toLord Byron,” she said, still skimming her email. “He does great at these things, and they haven’t been nearly as catastrophic for his appeal as I thought.”
AJ looked at Risa in confusion. “I thought that was why he was doing this,” said AJ, fighting to keep her voice even. “You know…connect with the fans. Get grassroots support.”
Risa glanced up at AJ like she was out of her gourd. “Hell no,” she said. “The last thing he needs is more fringe. His biggest fans are coastal elites and complete weirdos. I was totally against this, but he insisted.”
She scooted forward. AJ wasn’t sure what she had done to encourage Risa’s confidence, but she wasn’t fighting it. “He would have passed up aGQcover to attend Comic-Con if I hadn’t been able to move it.”
“Really,” said AJ.
Risa nodded, sitting back. “For some reason, he was really passionate about doing this.”
“Right,” said AJ, heart hammering.
Risa sighed. “That said, I’ll be glad to see the end of these. I’ve put away my weight in Auntie Anne’s this summer. At least when theByronpromo kicks in, I’ll be back in the land of Chopt.”
AJ was spared having to fake an interest in Chopt by Noah’s return. Risa slid off his chair, giving AJ a wink. “Good talk.” Risa retreated to the back of the booth.
Noah placed a water in front of AJ and took the seat beside her. “Hey.”
“Hey,” said AJ too quickly.
