Page 3 of Sharing Shadow Secrets
I grab a bottle from the trough and crack it open, taking a long sip as a fucking model starts walking straight toward me. He looks about my age. Late twenties or early thirties. Brown hair, blue eyes, cut jawline—tall, very tall. And why is he staring at me?
He smiles, leans down to grab a water, and my eyes can’t help themselves thoroughly checking him out. Collared button-down, tan shorts, loafers.Loafers?Okay, so he’s probably a douche.
“Pretty fancy barbecue,” he says, lifting his water bottle for a sip.
“I know, right? At least I’m not the only one thinking it.”
His eyes flick down me, and I’m not mad about it.
“How do you know Nicholas?” I ask.
“I don’t.”
I squint at him. “What do you mean?”
“I’m crashing,” he says with a smirk like he’s enjoying the reveal far too much.
I laugh, intrigued. “Crash barbecues often?”
“This would be a first.”
“Being at a house like this ... that’s a first for me.”
He nods, then extends his hand. “I’m Brandon.”
“Taylor.” I take his hand, shaking it. Strong grip. Warm. Why am I noticing that?
“Very corporate handshake,” he teases. “What do you do for a living?”
“Social media.”
He cocks his head. “Yeah? With a handshake like that, I assumed you were a lawyer or something.”
I giggle, amused that my handshake gives off corporate energy.
“I work with Nicholas. His bar, High Five—it’s my account.”
I scan the crowd for Nicholas and still don’t see him.
“Well, you’re crushing it,” he says, and my gaze returns to Brandon.
“You follow them?” I ask, intrigued.
“I don’t do social media, but my friend Patrick—” he points at a guy with a beard, then points to the brunette next to him, “met his girlfriend Rachel at High Five and told me they’ve got like one hundred thousand TikTok followers.”
“It’s over one hundred and fifty now,” I say, feeling that familiar pride. “What do you mean you don’t do social media?”
“I’m trying to have a better relationship with dopamine.”
“Aren’t we all?” I say with a light laugh. “I barely post on my own accounts. I’m not one to be the center of attention. ButI really enjoy building online community. And converting it to real-life activations.”
“Activations?”
“Industry word for events.” I wink.Why did I just wink?Hopefully, it didn’t look like I was glitching or awkwardly twitching.
“Everyone needs to spend more time in the real world,” he says, then glances around. “This is an odd barbecue, right?”
“Considering nothing is being barbecued, yes.”
