“You made Evie happy earlier with whatever it is you did today. It’s nice seeing her look like that,” I say, trying to steer the conversation into something less terrifying.
“It was nothing. Really, she was helping me out.”
“How so?”
She stares a bit harder at me. “How was she helping me out?”
“Yes,” I confirm.
Brielle pulls her legs up beneath her and digs her elbow into the back of the couch as she props her head up. She taps her fingers against her cheek.
“I’ve been trying to perfect that piece for a while now. Weeks, really. Seeing it on a real person instead of the mannequins in my apartment was exactly what I needed. Now, I know what needs tweaking. It’s still far from finished,” she explains.
“And you do this often?”
“It’s my job, actually.”
“Wesley hasn’t mentioned that.”
“I’m not surprised. I started my own clothing brand, but it’s been complicated, to say the least, to get it off the ground. I’veobviously never run a business before, so I’ve done everything backwards. I’m trying to focus on the designs first for now instead of jumping headfirst into the other parts of it. Wes thinks I should get a studio space and make a real thing of it already, and I haven’t had the guts to tell him that I’m far from ready for that.”
I nod, absorbing every word. “What’s the name of your company?”
“Why? You gonna search me up after I leave?” she teases.
Yes.“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Soft Body.” She says it so proudly, like even though she’s clearly still getting her ducks in a row, she’s aware the path she’s on is the right one. “I promise there isn’t anything interesting to find just yet. Give me a few years at least before you pass judgment.”
“There isn’t anything to judge, Brielle. You’re already miles ahead of most people double your age.”
She presses her lips together as her eyes find the wall behind me. “That’s nice to say.”
“That wasn’t my intention. Honesty was.”
Her laugh is stuttered, almost forced. “I’m going to need you to stop that.”
Something that feels too close to protectiveness takes over as I reach for her hand. It’s so fucking careless and crosses every line I’ve forced myself to draw. Still, I ignore her wide eyes and grab the remote, turning the movie on and forcing our conversation to end.
Her fingers twitch a moment before she slips them between mine and squeezes, anchoring not only herself but me as well. She can’t know the effect she’s having on me, and for now, I’m grateful for that.
Because as she returns her focus to the movie and sits back into my couch, I stare at her with a desperation that I can’t have her witnessing yet but am too weak to hide.
19
BRIELLE
“You’d thinka multi-billion-dollar team would have their own private plane by now,” I say an hour into the flight to Toronto.
Beck looks away from his iPad and plucks out his earbud. “A chartered plane isn’t good enough for you?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“What would we do with a private jet?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Stretch out your legs? Recline further than an inch? You look cramped.”
He pauses his movie now, smirking like he knows something he shouldn’t. “Have you brought your concerns up with Rome? I’m sure he’d beveryaccommodating for you, Elle.”
