Page 71 of The Last Dance

18

A Sparkle Of Hope

Henry

‘I see you got your things moved in last night?’ Claire says as she and Ben walk into my office unannounced again.

‘I did and thank you. I won’t stay long, I promise. Ben’s already made it very clear that the loud sex will happen with or without me in the next room.’ I cringe. ‘I’ve already got a couple appointments to check out some apartments today.’ I’ve been scouring the Internet all morning looking for anything downtown that I don’t have to sell my soul for. The rent in Portland has gone up even after my being away only two years. I’ll easily be paying almost what I did in LA.

‘That’s right. On my days we get loud.’

‘Your days?’ I ask, a little afraid to hear what exactly he means.

‘We trade off. She gets anything she wants one day and the next is mine.’

I shake my head, with a mostly disgusted laugh.

Claire sits in one of the chairs in front of my desk making herself comfortable as Ben walks the walls looking through the bookshelves.

‘Why do I feel like welcoming me into your spare room isn’t why you’re here?’

She grins. ‘When did you meet Brad Winston?’

How does she know about that?

I fold my arms across my chest and lean back in my chair. ‘Last year.’

‘How?’

‘Am I in trouble for something?’ Claire never interrogates me unless she’s got something on me and she’s giving me a chance to tell the truth. Which isn’t often. I’m starting to feel like this is one of those moments.

She shakes her head. ‘How’d you meet him?’

‘He came to me for a logo on his new album. I did some work for him.’ That’s not entirely how I know him. I also run their band website. I’ve been talking to Brad on a monthly basis for about a year now. I always intended to tell Ambri all this but I kind of needed to be on her good side to do so.

Claire leans down, pulling something from her bag. She hands me the record. ‘You did some work for him and asked him to sign this for Ambri?’

I nod, taking the record from her. I couldn’t believe it when I got it back in the mail. I couldn’t believe she’d let how much she hated me overpower how much she loved this band. Right then I knew I might never get to talk to her again. It didn’t stop me from sending it right back to her though. I wanted her to have it. I know how obsessed she is and I knew I’d probably never get the chance to surprise her with it again.

‘I kind of thought this would have been something she loved. She didn’t.’

‘She kept it. She keptallof it. Anything you’ve ever given her. Anything that reminds her of you, she’s got it all. Including that stupid Billy Idol cut-out. It’s all buried in the back of her closet.’

I glance up from the record. ‘How do you know this?’ We did exactly the same thing, packing each other away, hoping not seeing each other or anything that reminded us of each other would make everything go away. It didn’t. For either of us.

‘Ben and I were there helping her pack up her apartment last night.’

I rub the back of my neck. I forgot she was moving in with Noah soon. My chance with her is fleeting.

Ben is now at my side looking out the windows behind me. ‘She lost her job for you yesterday.’

‘What?’I turn to him, shocked to hear this.

‘I’m gonna assume you know what a whore your hot piece of ass was since you’ve now moved in with me?’

I nod. ‘Yeah. Her uh… Matthew sent me a little preview of it before I was even able to talk to her.’

‘Classy. So that’s the shit rock-star money buys, is it?’ Ben laughs.

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