Aside from FaceTiming my husband or my niece while she sleeps the whole time?"No, nothing." I shake my head. I do my best to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach, pushing away the guilt that tries to eat me alive.
Live in the moment, Olive. This won’t last forever.
"Good. You’re all mine." She closes the gap between us, inching closer to me, taking the spot I left open for her. For a second, it almost feels like she’s about to kiss me. Like she’s going to ask me to give her something I can’t offer her. But to my absolute relief, she throws herself down onto the couch and rests her head on my shoulder.
"All yours?" I swallow the lump in my throat. It feels like I’m frozen in time, and I can’t find a way to thaw out.
All mine.
"Relax, Olive. Not like that," she replies with a smile. "I know you’remarried," she teases me, and I relax a little. "I just hoped we could hang out tomorrow. Unless your new husband won’t appreciate his wife hanging out with a woman she hooked up with once."
"Avery won’t mind at all." I nod, wishing I could fan my burning cheeks.
"You really are committed to him, aren’t you?" She looks up at me, her dark green, curious eyes make my stomach twist in knots. Her gaze falls to my ringless left hand.
"I am," is all I say, while fishing my two rings out of my pocket, sliding them onto my finger.
"I’ve been a part of a PR relationship before, Olive. I know how they work," she says, opening my door wide, letting in a much-needed breeze to cool down my burning skin. "I just didn’t think you were falling for him, at least, not this quickly. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at nine. I’ll have our disguises at the ready." She chuckles, slamming the door behind her before I can tell hershe’s wrong, and I hear her band play the opening melody to the first song of her set.
If she were still here, I’d force myself to tell her that the only commitment between Avery and me is contractual. That everything we’re doing is all for show. But I think she knows me better than I know myself.
I didn’t lie to her, though.
Iamcommitted to this ‘relationship’, no matter which way it takes us.
***
"How has this tour compared to the last one you came on with me?" Akira asks, probably well aware of the awkwardness I feel as I place a blonde wig over my brown hair and sunglasses that almost cover my entire face.
"Why are you being weird?" I place the glasses on the tip of my nose, watching her over the top of them.
"I really don’t know. I was kidding last night, and I guess I realized it didn’t come off that way. I’ve been freaking out about it all morning, hoping you didn’t hate me for it." She smiles awkwardly, fidgeting with the long, black wig that sits messily on top of her head.
Instead of acknowledging the fact that she spent her morning freaking out over something that didn’t require it, I decide to answer her question instead. "The last tour was in front of like…how many people? One hundred?"
"Three." She corrects me with a smile.
"And it lasted a month." I nod, applying a thin layer of lip gloss, knowing I’ll regret it when a gust of wind hits and a strand of this fake hair gets stuck in it. "So, yeah. You could say this tour differs slightly." I shove my phone, hotel room key, and bankcard into my backpack along with my headphones and walk to my front door. "What plans exactly do you have for us today?"
"Ah, Olive, my small-town girl. Surprises are fun."
Have I mentioned that Ihatesurprises?
Probably not when it counts.
I take my phone out of my backpack, following behind her, and open my text thread with Avery.
Avery Jones
Probably need to let you know that, aside from a romantic dinner for two, I hate surprises.
Just in case you decide to make a grand, public declaration to surprise your wife for some reason, please don’t.
No surprises. Got it
Having the urge to keep my phone close, I slide it into my back pocket and let Akira lead the way to my day of complete and utter mystery.
***
