Page 111 of Rebooting Conor Flynn

I sank to the nearest chair and brought up the 92 West account. Noelle often posted updates and items from this account—and she had a new post.

I rubbed my eyes as I read her statement, lines jumping out at me.

I proposed the fabricated relationship between Ashley Bennett and Conor Flynn.

I stopped breathing.

I kept reading.

Neither artist should bear responsibility for participating in a campaign they were encouraged to accept.

My thumb shook as I scrolled for more.

As of today, I have resigned my position...

Holy shit. She really did it. She exposed it all and burned it down on her way out...including her career. She protected everyone but herself.

She walked away from her career last time because of me, and now she’d done it again.

***

I ate in my room—couldn’t take the gossip and speculation coming from the group. I read through Noelle’s statement a few times, and she never once put the blame on anyone—not 92 West for pressuring her, not me or Ashley for agreeing to the ridiculous plan and leaning into it, not Ashley for blowing it up, not Tomo for hooking up with Ashley, not Jade for revealing the photos.

She shouldered it all.

That in itself deserved a song, and I toyed with some lyrics until the buzzing from my phone had me lunging for it. Noelle.

Two simple words: I’m home.

But she wasn’t home, not really. Her home was with me. Mine was with her.

I called, and she picked up.

“I suppose you know everything now.”

“I don’t, Noelle. Why’d you do it? Was Dina going to fire you?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe.” She sighed. “They were coming up with more and more ridiculous plans, Con. Something snapped, or maybe just broke off after weeks...years of slow bending.”

“Okay, I get that, but why’d you have to leave the hotel? Leave me.”

The silence stretched on so long, I thought she hung up on me.

“I-I thought it was for the best. I’m nothing but a distraction for you. History repeats itself.”

“You are not a distraction. You’re my...muse. You should’ve heard the song TJ and I wrote. You will hear it. It’s some of my best work, and it’s because of you. Because we rediscovered each other.”

“That’s funny because when you came back into my life, I did some of my worst work.”

The clipped voice didn’t even sound like Noelle’s, and my heart slammed against my chest, rattling my ribcage.

“I know I made it hard for you to do your job, and I’m sorry for that. Maybe I should’ve just left things...friendly between us until the tour ended. But I love you, Noelle, and that made it impossible for me not to take you in my arms and make you all mine. You’ve always been mine. I never stopped loving you.”

This time her silence broke me.

“Nollaig?”

She sniffed. It was small, but I heard it.