Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
I was still smirking when I ducked back into my condo to rejoin Mr. Bachman.
And after just a few more minutes of browsing, I knew exactly which ring to pick.
• • •
Isabella excused herself shortly after Mr. Bachman rolled up what rings I didn’t purchase and went on his merry way. She was delighted, showing us the photos that were already circulating and the videos from fans losing their ever-loving minds with what it meant.
She particularly loved an edit that was made to one of Mia’s newer songs from the album about leaving her window open for the right man, knowing he’d come one day. The video was a montage of photos and videos of us over the years, including one from when we were kids. I was pretty sure they only got that one because Mia had posted it on her Instagram before she was discovered. It had one of the old filters on it, the two of us leaning in for a selfie.
Mia smiled brilliantly while I barely crooked a grin, but I remembered that photo. I remembered how I felt in that moment, just days before our graduation, knowing we were about to go our separate ways.
When Isabella was gone, it was just me and Mia in my condo, the silence falling over us as soon as my front door snicked shut.
I slid my hands into my pockets, turning to find Mia typing away on her phone. When she looked up at me, she let out a long sigh and shrugged on a smile. “Well, mission accomplished, I guess.”
“I don’t think you can say that until after tomorrow.”
She tilted her head side to side, still smiling. But then, her lips evened, her brows folding over her sharp blue eyes. “You’re sure you’re okay with all this?”
“A little late to back out now, don’t you think?”
“It’s never too late, if you want out.”
I thought I heard a touch of vulnerability in her voice when she said that, and I knew why.
Her album had blown up. It was breaking records even she didn’t expect. And this one was real to her, it was close to her heart.
A big part of her still wondered if Garrett and the other critics could take that from her.
“Hey, I’m not stopping until I play my big bad wolf part and send you riding off into the sunset of the most successful music tour of all time.”
She smirked a little at that, fussing with her hat. I thought I saw her tuck the top of her ear under it — as if she could look anything less than fucking adorable in a baseball cap, whether she had giant ears or baby mouse ones.
“I bet that’s the part you’re counting down to,” she snarked. “Poor you, having to make out with a bunch of puck bunnies and get caught on camera.”
My smile felt tighter knowing that was still what she thought of me, even though I couldn’t blame her. What had I done to make her think otherwise?
“Anyway, I guess I should get going.” Mia started gathering her things off my kitchen island, making her way toward the door.
“Where are you off to this fine evening, the last of which you are a single lady?”
She rolled her eyes at the little wink I added at the end of that question. “Probably to hide away in my hotel room and go over this number that the choreo isn’t right on,” she said.
“What? It’s the weekend. You can’t work tonight.”
She laughed in my face at that. “As if you don’t always work on the weekend during the season.”
“Strings, come on. It’s Friday. You’re in Tampa. Let’s do something fun.”
“I have a tour coming up. You and I?” She pointed between us. “We don’t work normal jobs where we take the weekends to lounge around the house in our pajamas and stuff our faces with pizza.”
“We could.”
She flattened her lips. “Why are you acting like you really want to spend your Friday night stuck in this condo with me?”
“I’m not acting.”
The words slid out of me before I could think better to hold them back, the weight of them hanging between us. They seemed to shock the sass right out of Mia, who blinked, her lips parting a bit.
“I don’t have plans,” I said quickly with a clearing of my throat. “Not like I can go out on the town tonight, get wasted, and fuck the first blonde I see when I’m supposed to get on one knee tomorrow.”
Fuck.
My skin burned with the words even as I said them, as if they were acid coming out of my throat and I was succumbing to the virus that I was, unable to control a thing.
Mia pinched her lips tight together on a nod. “Right. And with that sincere offer…”
She went to walk past me toward the door, but I caught her by the crook of her elbow, swinging her to a stop.