Page 66 of My Rockstar Ex's Broken Vows

I want to tell him I've felt the same about him but I decide to refrain for now. I'm still not sure what the best way to handle this or him.Live in the moment, enjoy the night,I keep reminding myself.

Just as the server steps forward to take my drink order, the knot in my stomach tightens again. Marcus’s voice echoes faintly in my mind, a reminder that nothing about this is simple.

"Everything okay?" Callum asks, his brows furrowing slightly as he studies me.

I force a smile, nodding quickly. "Yeah. I’m fine."

But the truth is, I’m not sure how this is going to go. And as much as I want to lose myself in him tonight, the weight of everything outside this restaurant threatens to follow me in.

TWENTY-TWO

Callum

We’ve found the road, we’ll keep on track

7:18 PM

Finley suggestedthis restaurant when I asked her for a good restaurant in Brooklyn. She raves about it so it can’t be all that bad.

It’s nice enough, but I haven’t noticed much beyond Sienna. Her fingers absentmindedly trace the rim of her glass. There’s something about the way she’s holding herself—shoulders a little too tight, smile not quite reaching her eyes—that tells me she’s got more on her mind than the small talk we have been exchanging for the last twenty minutes.

I should probably ask her about it. But every time I catch her looking at me, really looking, it's almost like she’s trying to figure me out all over again.

"Callum," she says suddenly, breaking the silence, her tone teasing. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Of course," I say, grinning as I lean back in my chair. "You were saying something about how ridiculously handsome I am?"

Her laugh is soft but real, and for a second, some of that tension in her face eases. "Obviously. What else would I be talking about?"

"So," I say, leaning back in my chair, "how was your week? You've been busy doing something. Is everything okay?"

Her lips twitch, and it makes me think she’s not sure whether to laugh or cry. "Do you want the real answer or the polite one?"

"Real," I say without hesitation. "Always real."

She sighs, her shoulders dropping slightly. "It was a lot. Some work stuff, some life stuff. You know how it goes."

I nod, but her answer feels deliberately vague. "Want to talk about it?"

Her gaze flicks up to mine, and for a second, something sharp crosses her face—something she’s not ready to share. "Not tonight," she says softly. "I just want to enjoy this."

Fair enough. I’m not about to push her, not when I know exactly what it’s like to want a break from the weight of everything. "Well," I say, sitting forward, "if it makes you feel any better, my week was a shitshow too."

She raises an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Oh, really? Is everything okay?"

I shrug, trying to downplay it. "You know, just the usual—former manager trying to screw me out of half my deal, lawyers tellingme to ‘stay calm,’ and a million things that need to get done before the album’s finished. With a hard date deadline creeping up faster than the work is getting done."

Her brow furrows slightly. "That sounds stressful. Are you holding up okay? What is this with that old manager? I'm so sorry you're going through that."

"It is stressful," I admit, taking a sip of my drink. "But it’s not like I didn’t know this was part of the gig. Just didn’t think it’d all hit at once."

She leans forward, resting her chin on her hand. "So what are you going to do?"

"Same thing I always do," I say, grinning despite myself. "Figure it out. Or fake it until I do. My record label is now involved. So I told Luke to just take care of it. I don't care at this point, I just don't ever want to hear the name Jake Morrison again."

She laughs softly, shaking her head. "You’re good at that. Faking it until you make it, I mean. I could take some notes."

"I’ve had practice," I say, my grin widening. "But enough about me. What’s been going on with you? Seriously. I want the un-polite, real deal deal."

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