AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey,” she said again, and Remy reached forward for her hand. He guided her toward him till their chests were pressed together, and then she tilted her head back and lifted her mouth to his to kiss him lightly. He leaned deeper in to her, but she put her hands against his chest, stopping him. “Lipstick,” she said. “It’s all glossy. I put it on for selfies with theVoguelady. It’ll get all over you.”
“Might be worth it,” he said without giving her any slack in his arms.
“You say that now,” she teased. “Give me a second, I’ll take it off.”
Remy nodded as she disappeared into the bedroom. He busied himself setting his laptop up. When she emerged, Remy noticed she had indeed removed the glossy red lipstick, though she’d replaced it with her trademark cherry-red.
“You traded lipstick for more lipstick?”
“This one won’t rub off,” she said, swinging her arms around his neck and kissing him hard, as if to prove it. There was a moment where she released her weight against him, and he swung her legs around for a beat until their lips parted.
“Yeah, but you didn’t have to dress up just to see me,” he said, setting her down. She made a face, like she’d caught him in a lie, then kissed him again, whispering sounds of contentment that made his knees feel both tense and wobbly at once.
“Alright, alright,” Vivi said, smiling and pulling away. “We need to work on the mix for ‘Maybe It’s Me.’”
“The photographers asked about it on the way in,” Remy said.
“The paps stopped you?” Vivi asked, cringing. Remy nodded. Vivi went on, “Sorry, I—”
“It’s not your fault,” Remy said quickly.
“Of course it is. They stopped you because we were together at the studio in Madrid. What did they ask? What did you tell them?”
“It’s fine. Seriously, it was fine. It was ridiculous, to be honest.”
Vivi smiled, but it was uncomfortable. She spoke cautiously, her eyes drifting to the floor. “Look, Remy, I know you didn’t say anything wrong, but this isn’t ridiculous—it’s my life. It’s been my life for years. I just need to know what you said so I know what to expect online, okay?”
Remy inhaled, feeling guilty—she was right. It was her life; it was a huge part of her life, dictating where and when and how she went everywhere and did everything. He answered, “It was largely uneventful, I promise. I said the new song was great. That’s it.”
“Did you say what the song is about—”
“That’s it, Vivi. I promise,” Remy said, firmly this time.
Vivi startled, like Remy’s words knocked her back to the real world. She stilled, leaning against one of the dining room chairs like a bird perched on a wire. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t like the press to get anything I didn’t give them.”
“They caught me off guard. I shouldn’t have said anything at all,” Remy said after a too-long pause. He sat on the white leather couch, elbows on his knees.
Vivi nodded a little sadly and fiddled with the edge of her jeans, the spot where Remy knew the treble clef tattoo was. “Also, it feels like they’re taking every little bit of what was just ours, for a while there. They get everything, in the end.”
“Hey. I’m just a producer, as far as they know,” Remy reminded her.
“But they still know,” Vivi said, shrugging a little. She walked to the couch and sat down hard beside Remy, folding herself against him so easily, it was as if she’d done it a thousand times before. “Did they ask anything about Noel?”
Remy swallowed. “They didn’t.”
“That’s good, at least,” Vivi said, turning her chin so it was on his shoulder.
“Yeah,” Remy said. “That’s good.”
He meant it—to a degree. Hewasglad that no one had caught on to the fact that he and Vivi were far more than colleagues. It meant there were no accusations, there was no infamy, there was no scandal. But he’d never been a secret before, and he was surprised to find that what had once been exciting was now sharp and pointed.
“Though if you’re always walking over to my hotel, someone’s going to start a rumor about us eventually,” Vivi said glumly.
Remy nodded, ruffling her hair by his cheek. “Would it be insane for you to put the band and singers in the hotel with you?”
Vivi turned so she was looking at him, brows knitted. “I guess not. I don’t really do that…”
“Is there a reason you don’t?”
