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“This is the best thing I’ve heard all week. Hell, all year. Damn, how the mighty have fallen. I can’t wait to meet this girl of yours.”
“Hell to the no.”
Seraphina and Penelope in the same room? Just the thought of it has a chill running down my spine. The two of them couldn’t be more different even if they tried. Like night and day.
Would Penelope even want to meet her? She didn’t give any indication that she wanted anything to do with my world. Not that it felt like my world. Not any longer, at least. Which was strange in itself. I’ve spent all of my twenty-three years surrounded by music and bright lights. I miss it, sure. I miss music most of all. I miss performing for my fans. But I don’t miss that lifestyle. I don’t miss the reporters constantly getting in my face trying to find out what I ate, when was the last time I took a shit, or who was the last girl I fucked.
Hell, just the idea that they could find out where I am and start digging into Penelope’s life makes me go feral with the need to protect her.
“Why not? With how much shit she gave you when you met her, I think the two of us will get along great. Besides, don’t think I didn’t notice you didn’t contradict me when I called her yours. What the hell’s going on with all of that, Bash?”
Fuck.
Of course nothing can get past Seraphina. I’m not sure why I expected anything different.
“Because she doesn’t belong in our world, Sera.”
If that weren’t the truth, I didn’t know what was. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if she wanted to belong to our world. If I wanted to bring her into it. Not because I didn’t want her there but because I didn’t want to show her just how ugly it could get. Penelope was all that was pure and light, and I wanted her to stay that way. I wanted to keep her safe from it.
Then you should have never touched her in the first place,a little voice at the back of my head retorts.
Sera must know I’m right because she doesn’t have a response ready at the tip of her tongue, so I use this opportunity to change the subject in hopes of getting my mind off of it.
As if that’s possible.
“How are things back at home? How is the new album coming along?”
“Same old, same old. Lyra and Roxanna are at each other’s throats half the time, but we’re slowly making progress.”
“At least there’s that.”
“Yeah, I guess.” There is a small pause, and I know whatever is coming next, I won’t like it one bit. “Bash, your mother’s worried about you. Why don’t you answer her calls?”
“I messaged her, and she knows I’m fine. And you know how she is; if I answer her call, she won’t stop trying to get me to come back, which is the last thing I want.”
I wasn’t ready to go back and deal with the demands of everybody around me. Not my mother, not the studio, or my so-called friends, and definitely not reporters.
“I know that, but…”
“But nothing. I’m not ready, Sera.” The harsh bite of my words is met with silence. Guilt slams into me for yelling at my best friend. She doesn’t deserve it, not after sticking with me through all of it. Or at least the parts I allowed her to see. “I’m sorry, I’m an asshole. I think I’ll just go and try to blow off some steam. Talk to you later?”
There is a long pause, and I have to pick up the phone to make sure she hasn’t hung up on me. Knowing Seraphina, I wouldn’t put it past her.
“Just… be careful, okay?”
“Always am.”
With a quick goodbye, I hang up the phone and get to my feet. It takes me two minutes to change into my running gear and get the hell out of the door. My gaze darts toward Penelope’s apartment, but I can’t hear any sound coming from behind her door, so I take two steps at a time.
A chill runs through me the moment I step into the cool October night, only to come to a stop.
Penelope is standing on the sidewalk, waiting for Henry to do his thing while chatting with Jade.
Neither of them has seen me just yet, so I give myself a moment to just stand there and take her in. All that platinum hair is spilling down her back in loose locks, shining under the moonlight like a beacon calling to me. Something Jade says has her laughing because she tilts her head back, her happy giggle ringing in the night.
I watch as she places her hand on Jade’s arm and shoves her away, but then suddenly she stops and slowly looks over her shoulder until her eyes land on mine.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Jade move closer and whisper something in her ear. Penelope nods, and Jade gives her arm a squeeze before taking a step back, and going toward the building next door, leaving us alone.
