Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Jay elbows Soren hard, but Soren laughs. “Even if that song wasn’t directed at me, the label is gonna be pissed because they’ll think it was. This will add fuel to the Harley and me rumors.”
Damn it, he’s right.
I run a hand over my hair. “Shit. I didn’t think that through. It was supposed to be a joke between me and—” I gaze at Brix.
“It’s not going to appear that way,” Jay says.
“Yeah, I know. I’ll fix it. I promise. The headlines tomorrow will not speculate anything about you and me.”
“They better not. I’m finally stepping out from behind your shadow, Harley.”
I can’t even be pissed because he has a point. I didn’t think through a lot of logistics when we were together, and I know I held him back. Instead of his band taking off on their own, I kept him as Eleven’s opening act for my own selfish reasons.
It was messy.
“I really am sorry. I’ll fix it right now. It’s probably best we don’t do that publicity op at the after-party.”
“No shit,” Jay scoffs and then glances at Brix. “But clearly you’re already having your own after-party in here.” He tries to hide his smartassness I used to love so much, but as usual, he fails.
“Jay, this is Brix. Brix, this is Jay Jackson from Radioactive. He’s kind of a big deal, but you wouldn’t know that.” I look at Jay and am about to blurt how Brix and I met to yet another person because it is compulsory to do it to everyone he meets, but he cuts me off.
“You guys sing ‘Hat Trick Heartbreak.’ I love that song.”
“Are you kidding me?” I screech.
Brix winks at me.
“Asshole.”
Jay’s gaze pings between us. “Brix? As in built like a brick shithouse? Fitting.”
Of course we think the same way. Old me would’ve read into that, but if chasing after Jay taught me anything, it’s that he and Soren are as solid as they come. They’re literally hashtag couple goals.
And I’m … hooking up with an employee.
Fuck.
Jay smiles at me. “Despite the shitstorm it’s going to bring upon us, it was a great show. Thanks for coming.”
“Anytime.” I give him a nod. “And I’ll fix it. I promise.”
On his way out, Jay gives me a thumbs-up, no doubt praising my choice of hookup. It’s awkward, but hey, he’s trying. And we did agree to be all supportive and civil and shit even if things aren’t great between us. They probably never will be.
We hurt each other—arguably, I hurt him more—but that pain doesn’t go away no matter how much you move on. I don’t understand those people who try to be actual friends with an ex. Friendly, sure, but friends? I may be over Jay romantically, but it’s still weird.
As soon as Jay and his husband are out the door, I drop the façade of being confident in how to fix this latest fuckup.
Brix senses my tension and approaches. “Harley—”
“I have to call Gideon.” I walk to the counter where my phone is charging.
Damn, I already have six missed calls from Gideon.
He answers on the first ring when I call back. “You fucked up.”
In more ways than one.
“I know. Let’s do some damage control.”
“Patching in the label’s publicist now.”
There goes the rest of my night.
“We should totally come up with something like the infamous conscious uncoupling wording so everyone’s talking about us,” Evah says. She walks across our living room and sits next to me on the couch, still in the silk nightgown she always wears to bed.
I take a deep breath. “If I haven’t thanked you enough for this, I’m gonna keep saying it. Thank you.”
After the concert last night where we went into fix it mode, my team came to the conclusion that I need to make the song about Evah—a goodbye.
We went straight to the airport and came home as soon as we were allowed to take-off. We arrived an hour ago at the crack of dawn.
“This was always the plan.” Evah takes my hand. “We’re just … moving it up. If we can paint it like we’re both too busy right now and it’s a reluctant breakup, the song makes more sense. And we could probably stay friends without too much speculation.”
“I know it’s not what we originally were going to do.” We were supposed to plan this properly, but now we’re half-assing it at the last minute to cover the fact I’m a dumbass.
“This will still work without too much backlash on either of us,” Evah says.
“People are going to think you broke my heart and I’m all emo over you.”
“People were always going to think that. You’re the perfect guy, remember?”
Yeah. Perfect.
My gaze slowly goes to Brix, who’s sitting in the armchair across the room. He’s pretending not to listen, but I know he is.
Obviously, we haven’t had time to digest what happened last night. Again. After we said it wasn’t going to happen.