Page 100 of Sing For Me

But when he breaks the kiss, alarm rocks through my stomach at his expression. “Eli, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

Eli stands up. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Relief washes over me, knowing at least it’s not bad news.

“At least,Ithink everything is okay,” he continues. “Better than okay. I’m just not sure what you’re going to think—”

I let out a huff of frustration. This calls for drastic measures. I flip the duvet off. “Eli, tell me what’s going on.”

Eli sucks in a breath. “Goddamn, Reese.”

I’m fully naked.

“I’ll be right back,” he says in a choked kind of voice. “You know I can’t think when you’re naked.” Despite my anxiousness to find out what’s happening, I can’t help the little smile stretching across my face.

When he comes back a moment later, he’s holding my phone. I remember how we left all our clothes out in the hallway.

But he doesn’t hand it to me yet. He just holds it and says, “This is the last moment we’re going to have like this.”

Panic sends my stomach into a free-fall. “What are you talking about?”

“This is the before,” he says, sitting down and kissing my forehead. Then he hands me my phone.

The moment I touch it, the screen lights up. I have over six-hundred text messages.Six hundred.

Rufus barks, like he’s picking up on my alarm.

I scroll madly. They’re from everyone. Michelle. Mom. My brother Pietro in London and even my dad, who can’t text to save his life.

“It’s the video, Reese,” Eli says. Rufus has jumped up into his lap and he’s holding him back to keep him from jumping on me.

My heart thunders in my chest. “Video?” I whisper. Even though I know. I know it’s the song last night. I remember, vaguely, Nora with her video camera. Other people with their phones up, too.

My texts keep going. Sophie. Rufus. Neil. Half the contestants onChef’s Apprentice—how did they get my number?

“Todd,” I say dumbly. “Even Todd.”

All the texts say variations on the same thing.

OMG! You’re famous!

I had no idea you could sing!

Holy shit, Reese!

“Here,” Eli says, dropping a link onto my phone. I open it to see the video.

Of me.

On stage.

I scroll up—it’s Jude’s social page. “Eli,” I whisper. “What is happening?” I say it, but I already know. I know even as Eli says the words.

“He posted the video Nora took, Reese. I… He asked me first…well didn’t really ask, he just said he was going to post it and I didn’t really stop him.”

My stomach bucks violently and I drop the phone. “I’m going to be sick.”

“Reese!” Eli’s next to me, Rufus now on the ground, barking madly. Eli holds me up as I try to stand, my knees immediately buckling. He lowers me onto the bed again, only this time, we let Rufus jump into my lap. I cling to Rufus, and Eli holds my back, rubbing circles down low as we both watch the video still playing on my phone on the floor.

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