Lucas didn’t flinch.
“Sure. Seven?”
Ethan felt a swell of wonder that his sister had managed to raise such a kindhearted and good-natured young man. She certainly hadn’t learned it from their parents.
“Seven is great.”
Lucas turned toward the door again.
“Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
Ethan met his eyes this time.
“Thank you.”
GREY DRESSED AS IF SHEwere going into battle, swiping on layer after layer of eyeliner like warpaint. It had been nearly two weeks since she had seen herself in anything but sweatpants and a sullen expression, and the sight of her smoldering, black-clad reflection had a fortifying effect on her. When she stepped out of her bedroom, Kamilah eyed her approvingly.
“You look like an evil Charlie’s Angel.”
Grey ran her hands down her legs. They squeaked slightly against her glossy, faux-leather leggings.
“Is it too much? I think I might change.”
“Don’t. That isexactlythe energy I need from you tonight. Can you help me shorten my straps?”
Once Grey obliged, they stood side by side at the mirror.
“Youlook fucking incredible,” Grey said admiringly. Kamilah was a vision in gold, from her silky sheath dress to her septum ring to the bangles snaking up her arms. The dress’s black leather accents at the shoulders and waist perfectly matched her knee-highlace-up boots. “Did you get those boots while you were away? I don’t recognize them.”
“Berlin,mein Liebchen,” Kamilah said, batting her eyelashes. “I almost sold my hard drives to make room for them in my bag.”
“Worth it. I’m just mad I can’t borrow them.” The two of them were roughly the same height, and wore the same size in everything except shoes, Kamilah measuring in at a dainty size six next to Grey’s eight-and-a-half.
Now that the Europe and Asia legs of their tour were over, Andromeda X was celebrating their return to L.A. by performing a secret, invite-only show at the El Rey. Grey had tried to flake out in the days leading up to it, but Kamilah had reminded her how outrageous it was that Grey still hadn’t met Andromeda even though they’d been dating for months.
“To be fair, you didn’t really give me a chance,” Grey had pointed out.
“Well, here’s your chance,” Kamilah had retorted. Grey couldn’t argue with that. She knew she was being selfish, that it was time to suck it up and get over herself—at least for a night.
For most of the day, Kamilah had been down at the venue, overseeing the technical execution of the video elements of Andromeda’s stage show. She’d kept her promise to return to the house in time for them to get ready together, which Grey suspected was also a tactic to keep her from trying to bail at the last second.
Kamilah’s phone dinged, indicating their car had arrived. Grey locked the door behind them, her heart in her throat. This would be her first time stepping out in public since she’d returned from Palm Springs. Her first appearance sans Ethan.
She’d finally stopped jumping every time her phone buzzed, waiting for some kind of overture from him that was obviously never coming. Fine. They’d agreed things should end after PalmSprings, and he was sticking to it. Still, that knowledge did nothing to fix the constant low-level ache in the pit of her stomach.
As they cruised down Beverly Boulevard, Kamilah filled Grey in on the various members of Andromeda’s entourage she’d bonded with over the course of the tour, along with the assorted alliances and rivalries that inevitably sprung up in such close quarters. Grey focused on trying to keep it all straight, grateful for something to distract her from her nerves.
“Oh, and remind me to introduce you to Jaya; she’s a fucking genius. Best cinematographer I’ve ever worked with. I lent her the book and she’s totally in.”
“In?”
Kamilah raised her eyebrows. “The movie. Our movie. You know, the one we’ve been trying to make for years? Slip your mind for a second?”
Grey felt a wave of gloom overtake her, blurting out the fear that she’d been too scared to voice aloud.
“What if we never get to make it? After…after everything? I can always bow out if it comes down to it, and you can take over. I don’t want all my drama and bullshit to stand in your way.”
