Fortunately, the whole thing had caught some, but not lots, of attention. When Luke glanced back, a handful of people were getting in the way, blocking Zojurn from following them. A number of those people were ping-ponging their gazes between him and Zojurn, trying to figure out the source of all that fuss, and Luke saw at least one of them also recognize him. They, at least, didn't try a repeat performance, and then there was enough crowd between them that Luke no longer felt like a target.
Wow, his rabbit breathed.Wow, did you see that. She's so fierce. Our mate is SO fierce. She'll protect the kittens like nobody's business! Wow! Go Sabrina GO!!!!
Sabrina Keep was indeed going. Steering Luke through the crowd with a single-minded intent, until she got him out onto a patio lit by distant neon and close-up amber lights. Then she dropped his elbow and stared up at him. "Gym Bunny?"
"I thought it was funny," Luke said weakly. "Gym bunnies, ski bunnies, surf bunnies—I don't really know if there are surf bunnies—they're usually tiny cute women, right? So I thought being a giant dude called Gym Bunny would be funny."
Also you turn into a rabbit,his rabbit said helpfully.
Yes, I know that, but she doesn't, and I can't exactly show her out here, can I!
He felt the rabbit looking around the patio, which had two fake shrubs and a real palm tree at its edge, but which was otherwise entirely in the sight-line of anybody who happened to walk by, or look out a hotel window.I guess not,it said in obvious disappointment.So you should go to your room and show her your rabbit! Then she'd understand!
Again, 'show her my rabbit' is…Luke didn't even have words for what it was, and more importantly, Sabrina was still staring up at him like he was a lunatic. "So. 'Gym Bunny.' You mentioned social media. How many followers do youhave…?"
Luke wrinkled his face. "About a million and a half? Across all the platforms, I mean?"
"A mih." That was as far as she got in echoing his answer. "A mih," she said again, and then a third time before she stopped trying to say the words 'a million and a half' and moved on to, "So…I was really condescending, then, about probably making more money than you do."
Luke, taken completely by surprise bythatbeing her first thought, laughed out loud. "Maybe? I do all right. Does that mean you're not mad at me?"
"I'm not mad, but jeez, Luke, what if one of The Girls had recognized you? I'd have looked like an idiot, not knowing my new boyfriend was an influencer!"
"I actually straight-up told you I was keeping it from you because I didn't want to make it weird," Luke said sheepishly, and Sabrina's jaw dropped open.
"Good grief. You did. You actually did. Holy cow. You even told me you had dozens of social media girlfriends who told you everything about your lives together and that it was weird. Oh my God. You…sneak!"
Luke hunched his shoulders apologetically. "It's weird, being a social media celebrity. Even a minor one. I don't get recognized a lot, so I figured it wouldn't be an issue. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
Her eyes widened. "Wait a minute. You said you were off on yoga retreats and fitness somethings this summer. Were you gettingpaidfor those? Not just going to them?"
He hunched even more and Sabrina flung her hands up, repeating, "Oh my God, you sneak. Okay, um, but what if any of them are your followers? They're going to know you weren't in Virtue all summer!"
"Did you eversayI was in Virtue all summer?"
Sabrina paused, then blinked a few times. "Oh. Huh. No, I said you were from Virtue, I think. Actually I might just have said we met at the parade. I was trying to keep it light on the details. I guess maybe you could have been home for weekends or something. Although didn't you say you were in Europe!"
He smiled down at her lopsidedly. "We went through all of this in the first place," he reminded her gently. "Remember? It's just you know more about what I was doing now. Nothing hasto change about our story. I really am sorry I didn't clarify it, though. I should have. I just…I didn't want it to be weird. And now I'm going to make it weirder by saying that I also didn't want you to…"
"Be influenced by it," Sabrina said. "No, that makes sense. I assume even at minor levels of celebrity, although for the record I'm not sure a million and a half followers isminor?—"
"It is."
She eyed him in a very 'if you say so' way, and went on. "—I assume there are more people like Zojurn out there, who either think they already have a relationship with you or want one because they see you as having some kind of power. So I can understand being kind of cautious about telling a woman you've just met whatexactlyyou do for a living."
"It's different with you, though," Luke said earnestly. "I know you won't try to take advantage of me."
"Why," she asked, amused. "Because I'm fifteen inches shorter than you, and how could I?"
"No, because you're amazing. And also,God, Sabrina, you'reamazing! You dealt with that woman like you'd done a stint in professional body guarding! How did you learn to do that?!"
Sabrina hid her face in her hands. "I imagine myself in the Orange Safety Vest of Power."
He took her hands away from her face so he could look into her eyes and fight down a grin. "The what?"
"I was at a concert one time with another short friend, and she found a high-visibility vest, you know the bright orange ones? Or yellow? The ones road construction crews wear? And security at concerts? So she put the vest on and started telling people that they needed to let the short people through to the front so they'd be able to see. And peopledid! And she lost it and was like 'oh my god, no, I'm just screwing around with you,' but I realized that people respond to perceived power really well,so if I'm in a situation that needs controlling I just imagine I'm wearing a safety vest and that people are just going tolistento me because of it. It almost always works."
"That is absolutely incredible," Luke said sincerely. "Honestly, it was one of the sexiest things I've ever seen. I hope she waited until you were at the front."
