Page 100 of Faking Ties

“Of course,” she says simply, as if it’s a normal thing to bring to a party. “You never know when you may need to draw on someone who passes out early.”

Trey laughs. “If anyone gets too drunk, we’ll draw penises on them.”

“Deal.” Aria grins.

While Nina signs Marcus’s shirt, Quincy comes to stand next to Stella.

“Nora sends her thanks for the muffin recipe. The kids devoured them, and they’re our new staple for breakfast.”

“No problem at all. I’m glad it worked out well,” Stella says politely. She doesn’t say anything else, and Quincy gives her a confused look.

I ask Aria about her plans for the week to take the attention off Stella, and Aria launches into a story about how she’s been offered to DJ at a club, even if she has no experience. I excuse myself to go to the bathroom, so I can finally message Elodie and also collect myself. Pretending to be with the real Stella is more difficult than I thought. Being with Elodie was never difficult or awkward, even in the beginning. Maybe I never really pretended with Elodie, and it was all real from the start.

I wash my hands in the ocean-scented bathroom. Everything is falling into place, and I’m finally content with my life. Elodie’s someone I never knew I needed, until I got to know her. A few months of sneaking around isn’t ideal, but it’s better than nothing. Opening our message thread, I finally tell her about the good news.

Me: I miss you. Evren just told me I’m getting a contract extension for two years, and all I want to do is celebrate with you.

Ella: AHHHHH!!!! CONGRATS!!!! I knew you could do it!!! I wish I was there.

Me: Tomorrow night can’t come soon enough.

Ella: You’ll see the new me. We’re dyeing my hair tomorrow morning.

Me: Can’t wait.

When I exit the bathroom,Jake and Quincy are waiting for me.

“This is fucking weird,” I say, looking between the two of them. “What’s up?”

“Are you and Stella in a fight?” Jake asks.

“No, why?”

“You’re not touching her,” Quincy says. “And she’s acting different.”

“Oh, that.” I rub the back of my neck. “It’s complicated.”

“Don’t fuck it up,” Jake says.

“She’s good for you,” Quincy adds on.

“I know,” I say. “She’s just nervous since Jax’s accusations, and feels weird showing PDA with me. But we’re okay.”

Jake and Quincy accept the lie easily, and I throw my arms around their shoulders and ask, “Now who wants more lion’s milk?”

ELODIE

My shoulders tense when a lock of my hair falls to the ground. Stella has spent the last thirty minutes watching an instructional video online about cutting a short bob before making her first snip.

“It just needs to be decent,” Stella says. “You can always get it fixed when you’re back home.”

“Sure,” I agree easily, but I won’t get it fixed. At least not until everything blows over and the risk of someone suspecting that I look like Stella passes. “What’s the latest with Jax?” It’s been a week since Shanghai, and for my mental health, I’ve tried to stay offline as much as possible. Stella’s been stressed, but she doesn’t talk about it much. She’s trying to shield me from everything, and in a lot of ways I appreciate it. It also makes me feel like a shitty sister to not be someone she can lean on.

“Well, the good news is that his movie is tanking, but the bad news is that he keeps making videos about me. His latest one said that I’d never dedicate one of my songs to a boyfriend on tour.”

“Are any of them building traction?”

“Not really. Most people are seeing through it and calling him jealous.” She unclips the next section of my hair and gets to work on it. “It’s fine. He’s throwing a tantrum. It’ll blow over eventually.”

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