“Fine. Eight o’clock.”
“Yes!” I grinned like an idiot and, without even thinking, brought her hand to my lips for a quick kiss. It wasn’t a calculated move—just pure instinct. “See you tonight.”
But I didn’t move. I stood there, frozen, staring at her still slightly flushed face. Then came a furious knock on the door, snapping me out of the trance.
“You should go. That woman is… scary.” She said.
I smiled at the way her face twisted dramatically.
“You have no idea.”
She smiled back, and I wanted to say, “Ma’am, you need to stop being this adorable if you actually want me to ever leave this room.”It took everything in me to move, but I did.
I took a few steps back, still watching her. Finally, I turned around and rushed out, leaving the door slightly ajar behind me, knowing tonight was going to changeeverything.
7
JULES
Islowly stepped into the hallway, like I was afraid the floor might give out beneath me. My heart was still pounding, my ears buzzing, and the last fifteen minutes replayed in slow motion in the back of my mind. It didn’t feel real, but there I was, standing in the empty corridor, trying to breathe through the overwhelming flood ofwhat the fuckhappened.
My brain was in a loop. The moment my fingers touched his face, brushing against his beard.That beard. He didn’t have it in most of his movies or my daydreams. It was new, and I kind of loved it.
And then… that kiss.
Oh God, the kiss. It wasn’t even a thought. I leaned in, like my body couldn’t take another second without knowing what he tasted like. I couldn’t even recognize myself. I almost laughed out loud. Kissing a man I had just met was not me at all. At least not thirty-something-year-old-single-mom-responsible me.
Was I drunk? High? Had that smoothie earlier been laced with something? Because there was no otherexplanation as to why I’d made out withChris Jonesin a dressing room like some lousy porn script.
The thing was—in my dreams, we’ve been together so long that maybe my brain didn’t get the memo. It didn’t click that this was the real Chris standing in front of me, not the perfectly curated, maladaptive daydream version of him.
So what did I do? Went straight for the tongue in his mouth. And shit. It was the first time in… God knows how long that the constant noise in my brain stopped.It was just us. My lips curved into a soft smile.
No, no, no. I had to be dreaming.
My fingers instinctively pressed into my palms. The tiny jabs started to ground me, but then I froze, wondering if I even wanted to be grounded.
What if it was a dream? Maybe I didn’t want to wake up.
Carol and Liamstood by the car in the still-packed parking lot with impatient glances. My sister had texted me minutes after I’d returned to my body in that corridor to let me know they’d gotten the autograph, and Liam was officially tapping out. He’d taken in all the stimulation he could for the day. And well… same. There was no way I could walk back into that hall full of superhero cosplays and gigantic posters plastered with Chris’ face staring back at me. So yeah. Home it was.
I took a deep breath, trying to look like I had my shit together, at least on the outside. Because I knew my lie detector sister, and I didn’t even have words for what had happened, let alone a way to explain it. The car beeped as I unlocked it, and Carol turned her head toward me.
“Welcome back, Mrs. Jones!” she chirped.
The “Mrs. Jones” triggered something in me. A talk show host’s voice echoed in my mind. “Welcome back, Mrs. Jones!” It felt so real, I instinctively glanced around, almost expecting to see cameras rolling and the audience clapping. I froze, blinking a couple of times, caught in the ridiculousness of it all. My head was a mess. I shook it off, forcing myself to move again.
“What did you say?” I asked Carol.
Her grin shifted into something more serious. “What the fuck was that?”
I shot her a look, nodding toward Liam.Watch your mouth, thank you very much.
“Mom, can I get my tablet?” Liam asked, already climbing into his seat, oblivious to the conversation.
“Of course, baby.” I handed it over with a smile, watching as he popped on his headphones, already lost in his little world.
I buckled his seatbelt, and Carol’s voice cut through like a sharp blade.
