Page 79 of Thunderstruck
Grabbing my hand, she pulls me over to the couch and plops down, bringing me with her. “I could be way off base here, but I’m going to guess you’re overwhelmed. I read the article they posted this morning.”
I nod, amazed by how easily she locked on to the feelings that came out of nowhere. “I never wanted to be famous,” I blubber. “And I’m not… Cole and I aren’t even dating! And suddenly it feels like everyone knows who I am and they’re talking about me and I don’t know what to do.” This feels like everything with Peter all over again, and my stomach is twisting itself into knots. “I don’t know how to handle this again.”
Kasey takes hold of my other hand and squeezes both. “Take it from someone who is still new to this world. It’s okay to be overwhelmed, and it’s okay to feel scared. But you also have a pretty great support system. What has Cole said about all this?”
I look at my phone, which I left on the kitchen counter as soon as I found the article. “I don’t know. I’ve been comfort-watchingBridgertonall day, trying to keep my mind off of things.”
“Hmm.” Kasey pulls her phone out of her pocket and purses her lips as she reads something. “Now I understand why he asked if I was still hanging out with you today. He’s clearly worried about you.”
I know I shouldn’t, but I shift her phone closer so I can read exactly what he said to her.
Cole:
Are you still going over to Carissa’s today?
Kasey:
Planning on it!
Cole:
Good.
That’s it? How did she getworryout of that?
Kasey chuckles and offers a soft smile. “Cole and I rarely have reasons to talk outside of the group chat, so the fact that he even asked is pretty damning.”
“Damning?” I repeat.
“I just mean it’s clear he didn’t want you to be alone. Which is strange.”
“Strange?” I repeat. I’m sounding like Liam’s parakeet, Nelson, who is almost as famous as Liam himself.
Kasey nods. “I’ve only known Cole for a few months, and the first time I met him was the day after Sage broke up with him, so he was pretty miserable. The gang always says he hasn’t been himself since, but I’ve had to take their word for it until now. He is stepping up to look out for you.”
Warmth spreads through me, calming some of the fears and anxieties roiling in my gut.
“All that to say,” Kasey continues, “Cole won’t letHot Scoopor anyone else hurt you. Neither will the rest of us. You can breathe.”
I can breathe. Just having someone next to me who has been through something like this is making it easier to bear the potential backlash from the article, and I throw my arms around Kasey’s shoulders to pull her into a tight hug. “Thank you,” I whisper. I’m crying again, but these are tears of relief more than anything. “And I’m sorry that I’m not doing a very good job of distracting you.”
She shrugs, cheeks turning pink as she tucks some hair behind her ear. “Oh, well, I’m doing better than I thought I would.”
I gasp and grab her hand, staring at the glittering ring on her finger. “Did Liampropose?”
Her eyes go wide. “Yes?”
“Why did that sound like a question?” I ask with a laugh.
“I mean, he did propose. But then he…we…”
That’s when I notice the second band pressed up against the first. Theweddingband. “Kasey!” I shriek. “Did you guys…?”
She covers her face with her hands, but she can’t hide the broad smile that stretches across her mouth. “We eloped. Yesterday. But you can’t tell anyone! Liam wants to tell everyone in person, and he won’t be back forweeks.”
I squeal with excitement. “You got married!” And oh boy, how am I going to keep that secret? “Oh my gosh, everyone is going to be so mad when they find out!” Hopefully not from me…
“I know,” Kasey says, still hiding behind her hands. “But we were talking about a wedding, and neither of us really wanted any pomp and circumstance. And after his first show, we decided we didn’t want to wait and we just…” She shrugs, grinning again. “I got married. And my parents are going to kill me but I don’t even care because I’m Liam Connolly’swife. If we didn’t have to keep it a secret, I would let it slip toHot Scoopto get the attention off of you for a bit, but…”
