Page 23 of My Twin Sister's Extremely Famous and Incredibly Hot Neighbor

“I didn’t know that about you.”

Great. I’m talking like Mackenzie again. I smooth the front of my dress. “I don’t like people knowing.”

Dustin reaches over and pats my hand. “I won’t tell anyone.”

The gesture and his kind words send a wave of gratitude over me. I have no idea what I would do without Dustin by my side. “Thank you.”

As we drive closer, my arms are empty and weird. I haven’t traveled anywhere without Squint since I got him. It’s making my chest feel all tight and funny. I squeeze my hands into fists and try not to think about the party.

Dustin’s gaze dips to my tight fists. “Just how bad is your social anxiety?”

I take in a deep breath and let it out. “I’ll be fine.” At least, that’s what I’m trying to tell myself.

“Here.” He grabs my hand and pries open my fist, sliding his fingers between mine. “Squeeze my hand when you get anxious.”

“Okay.”

The limo pulls to a stop, and I know it’s showtime. I can do this, I tell myself. The problem is, I know I’m lying.

CHAPTER12

Iswallow and give myself one last pep talk before I step out of the limo. Paparazzi are lined up behind ropes and flashes of light blind me as I step aside so Dustin can climb out. He waves to the cameras and then grasps my hand, firm and steady.

Paparazzi call out to us, but there’s a whooshing sound in my ears, and I can’t hear them clearly. Flashes of light blind me. I know I’ve got a terrible expression on my face, like I’m an animal about to be roadkill.

Before I know what’s happening, Dustin guides me up the steps and into the building. The lobby is dimly lit and quiet compared to the commotion outside. An artsy chandelier hangs down the center with clusters of lit up rectangles. It adds a nice touch to the building.

A few people are waiting by the elevators, and I recognize Jalen Carter, the famous pop singer who used to sing as Shadow Walker. I listen to his music all the time. My stomach clenches.

Dustin walks up to Jalen and shakes his hand. “Good to see you again, Jalen. You know Jera Davenport, right?”

Jalen extends his hand to me. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

I shake his hand and smile. “I love your music.” I try not to act like a fangirl, but it’s hard. I followed Jalen’s story closely when the news broke that he was Shadow Walker. I’m a bit enamored with him.

Jalen grins at me. “Thank you. I love your work as well.” He motions to the woman next to him. “This is my wife, Riley.”

I say hello and take in a deep breath. This is going to be all right. All I have to do is smile at people and shake hands. That’s easy.

The elevator dings and we enter. Dustin leans down to me. “You doing all right?”

I nod. “I’m good.” For once I’m not lying. I just shook hands with one of the biggest pop stars in the nation and I didn’t even throw up on him. I’m peachy.

But as soon as the elevator doors open up to a massive ballroom full of people, my anxiety smacks me in the face. I grab onto Dustin’s hand like it’s a life preserver and I’m about to drown.

“It’s okay,” he says in my ear, ushering me out of the elevator. “Just stay by me.”

I cling to him and we walk through the ballroom. We pass a massive mural of painted sea turtles swimming under the water. The mural glimmers with something shiny and sparkly over the paint. I focus on it as we walk. It’s a beautiful piece, and I wonder who painted it. Was it made just for this event? The signature says Isabella Shepherd, and I almost trip. I know that artist. She’s extremely famous in the art world.

Dustin guides me to the table where they’re serving hors d’oeuvres. A large ice sculpture in the shape of a sea turtle sits among the shrimp cocktails. “Do you want something to eat?” he asks.

I shake my head. I couldn’t eat right now if I was dying of hunger. “No, thank you.”

“No problem.” He bypasses the tables of food, and we travel to a corner of the ballroom where there’s a break in the crowd.

Several people say hello to us, and I recognize some of them from television. Mostly I’m just trying to breathe and not do or say anything embarrassing.

Dustin turns to me. “How are you doing? You look a little pale.”

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