“As you have made very clear.” I have to laugh, because even as petite and non-threatening as she is, she’s still a little bit scary. “I’m going to get coffee; I’ll bring you some.”
“And an apology snack,” she adds.
“Obviously.” I stand up, smiling at her. “Thank you for watching out for me. And for him.”
Grace hops off my desk and holds her arms out. “Cwtch.”
“Ah, the most Welsh way to assure me things are okay.” I give her the requested hug, but I do feel some kind of relief.
“Only because you promised drinks and goodies,” she clarifies.
Of course.
??? ???
“You’re really excited about this, aren’t you?” I ask, watching Jase practically bouncing up and down on his toes.
“Yes. I am. How often do you get the chance to give people what is probably the biggest surprise of their lives?” He turns to look at me, tearing his eyes away from the window he’s been staring out of. “I’m making dreams come true, man!”
“I mean, technicallyweare making dreams come true, and it’s not even actuallyus, but sure,” I say, but Jase isn’t even listening because he’s spotted who he’s been waiting for.
“MR. KITSON!”
He shushes the three shouting girls immediately, trying to be respectful of the much more subdued atmosphere in the building, and all of them start laughing.
“Wow, old habits are hard to break, huh?” the blonde one teases him, then gives him a quick hug, followed by the other two.
“I can’t believe we’re atTask Force!” the shorter, dark-haired one to her left whispers, all wide-eyed as she scans the lobby, probably checking for any faces she may recognize.
The last girl seems to notice me all at once, giving me an extremely obvious head-to-toe inspection.
Jase doesn’t miss it either and scolds her. “Harper, no.”
Harper ignores him. “Who is this?”
“That is my best friend. You can call him Mr. Kim,” Jase grumbles.
She smiles at me. “Can I call youoppa?”
“Oh my god, Harper, stop it.” The blonde says, smacking her on the arm.
I try my best not to laugh. I know she’s the one who is Lux-biased. “You can call me Kija if he lets you call him Jase.”
“What? I mean, they graduated, so I guess they can.” Jase seems to be rethinking not only introducing us, but possibly also his invitation to them, even though his fondness for them is very obvious. “These areThe Girls,” he tells me, then points to each of them in turn. “Harper, as you now know, Alita, and Savannah.”
“Hello, Harper, Alita, and Savannah,” I say, bowing slightly, causing them all to giggle and Alita brings her hands up to her face to hide behind.
“I really can’t believe this isyourbestie,Jase,” Harper comments, looking me over again. “Well done.”
Jase points toward the elevators. “Okay, let’s go before I takeback my offer to give you a tour.”
I follow behind as he leads them around the building to some of the places that might have idols hanging out—the studio clusters, the gym, and the cafeteria—ready to run interference since giving tours is not something that usually happens around here. But I was happy to help Jase out. I know he’s been excited to be able to do this for them, and I was curious to meet them, too, after all the stories he’s told.
The way the three girls keep their heads on swivels, each of them trying to look in every direction at the same time, is hysterical. I know they’re all hoping to catch a glimpse of RYSING out and about, but I think they’re trying to be chill about it and failing miserably.
“Lalo has walked these halls.” Savannah sounds breathless as she nudges Alita, who looks just as awe-struck at the idea.
“So, Jase,” Harper begins, speeding up to walk closer to him. “Do you ever actuallyseeidols?”
