Page 15 of Love is a Harmony
Traitor. “Yes.”
“Is she going to pull the image off her social media? You know that won’t help the situation, right?”
It wasn’t a situation. The press was used to Noah Clarke scandals. They’d move on. They always did. “That’s not why I called her. Noah is missing.”
“Missing?” Concern creased his brow. “But that picture was less than a week ago.”
“And I haven’t heard from him since.” She realized most rock stars went much longer without talking to their publicists, but that wasn’t Noah. He was in constant contact with her, whether it was calling her so he could look like he was on the phone to avoid talking to someone or sending her ridiculous cat memes until she told him she had to work, it wasn’t like him to go radio silent. But she’d never told her dad any of that.
“He’s probably just off doing whatever Noah Clarke does.” There was a hint of scorn in his voice.
“It’s not just me. He hasn’t called Jo either. I’m worried, Dad.”
Her dad stood. “He’ll turn up, Mel. He’ll come crawling out of some den of debauchery.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at that characterization.
“Too much?” he asked.
“A bit.”
“Well, it’s not like Noah is exactly your easiest client. I’m sure he’ll come back when he needs you to fix something. Since he made us cancel the pop-ups, the label doesn’t have him scheduled for anything for another month, so give it some time.” He gave her an encouraging smile and stopped at the door. “Lunch today?”
“Sure, Dad.”
When he was gone, she couldn’t help replaying his words in her mind. Sure, Noah was prone to scandals, but when she was with him, he wasn’t the guy causing scenes. She couldn’t help wonder if everything he did was all a show, an extension of the character he played on stage.
“Where are you, Noah?” she whispered.
Lunch with her dad was a quiet affair in his office as they ate takeout from the vegan restaurant nearby—a choice he didnotapprove of. She had too much on her mind to carry a conversation.
After lunch, she couldn’t imagine going back to her office and sitting through the three meetings on her schedule. She checked the time on her phone. Two in the afternoon. For the first time in years, she locked her office door early. Stopping at her assistant’s desk, she summoned the words that felt strange in her mouth.
“Henry, cancel my afternoon, and then feel free to head out early.”
He gaped at her. “Y-yes. Right. Sure thing, Melanie.”
She walked through the long building toward the double glass doors and pushed through into the bright November day.
It didn’t take long to get back to her apartment. She dropped her bag near the door and slipped into her room to change her clothes. Only a run would get her out of her own head.
She stepped back into the hall and locked the door before stuffing the key in her pocket. By the time she reached the street, she needed to move. A path wound from her building to a nearby park, and she took off, letting the feel of her feet pounding into the pavement fill her body, her mind.
She focused on her breathing, on the movement of each limb as she perfected her form. Melanie would admit it, she was a perfectionist in all things, and running was no different. Not because she wanted to be good at it. She just didn’t want to hurt herself, to allow any weakness in her body that would put her at risk of Justin’s fate.
She wondered if you ever got over losing someone you loved at that age.
Noah’s face entered her mind, and she sped up, trying to let the burning flush away the worry.
It didn’t work.
She ran and ran until she’d circled back to her apartment, her entire body aching. She could have cursed herself for being too preoccupied to stretch. Slowing her pace, she shook out her limbs and entered the building.
As she pushed into her apartment, all thoughts of stretching flew from her mind because her phone lit up from its place on the table by the door.
Her fingers fumbled as she reached for it, desperate to see the one name that would put her at ease.
Instead, a text appeared.
