Page 184 of Knot Their Starlet

I give him a nod and a small, tired smile.

I mean it.

But this has been... a lot.

“Will you be back anytime soon?” Edison asks, standing at the doorway. The sun has started to set, casting us in a blueish glow.

I pause, glancing back at him. His knuckles are white on the doorknob, the only sign that he’s anything other than relaxed.

“Yeah,” I nod. “I’d like that.”

“That’s fantastic,” he says with a smile. “See you soon, Andi.”

CHAPTER 37

Andi

Ijust needed a day.

Twenty-four hours to myself and my thoughts, in my own space, without the threat of my foundational understanding of the world being shaken.

Don’t get me wrong, each and every one of the guys—including Cameron, to a certain degree, even though we had a rough start—has given me something and shown me something about myself that I’ll be eternally grateful for.

But I’m only human, and there’s only so much emotional processing you can do before your brain starts to feel like a snow globe being shaken by an overenthusiastic toddler.

Unfortunately for me, I’m not lucky enough to get that space.

The guys dropped me off at my apartment last night, but instead of getting to lay in bed watching reruns of a silly comfort show of mine all day, my phone buzzes with a text on the pillow by my head.

I should ignore it.

But then it buzzes again.

With a soft groan, I sit up and grab for it.

Mom

Hey Andromeda, come home and join me for lunch today. It’s long overdue

I stare at the text for a long moment.

Long overdue.

We are, aren’t we?

I haven’t been to the house in a while, and I even got to go on a trip with the guys this past weekend. It makes sense she’d be reaching out.

I grab Beck’s hoodie on my way out the door. It doesn’t smell like him anymore, but I still find myself seeking some sort of comfort.

The drive to my mom’s takes twenty-five minutes in light traffic, which means it takes a good forty-five during rush hour, which seems endless here in LA.

I park in the driveway and sit in the car for a minute longer than I need to.

It’s my mom. I shouldn’t feel like this. It’s just a normal lunch. She didn’t even give any indication in the texts that she was upset.

I can do this. I just need to keep things light, not bring up anything that could set her off, and answer the questions I know she’ll have.

I’ve been doing this my whole life, so why does it feel so different today?