Page 59 of The Red Zone
“You should tell her, though. She’ll be happy that you came to her.” The softness in his voice was a punch to the gut.
Just a few months ago, I walked into the pool house to borrow Scarlett’s computer and accidentally stumbled across an email about her cookbook deal. I played it off like a joke, but there was a small piece of my heart that stung knowing she was too nervous to share about it withme, of all people.
One of the happiest moments of her life, and she was too anxious to tell anyone? Now I was walking into this unknown phase and I felt too embarrassed to tell her about it? I couldn’t go back in time and change the ways of the past, but I did have the power to make the conscious choice to let Scarlett in instead of trying to forge through on my own.
“You’re right…” I sniffled.
“I wish I was hearing those words under different circumstances.”
A small, huffed laugh broke past my lips and I could feel the smile on his as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“Now that that’s settled, are we ever going to finish talking about your birthday party?”
“What else is there to say?” Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath before exhaling. “We were kids. And yes, my feelings might’ve been hurt at the time, but the fact of the matter is that I grew up with two parents who loved me better than most kids could dream of. Then there was Scarlett and Miss Jill, who were this unwavering addition to our family that never for a second made me feel like I wasn’t one of them.” I gave October a weak smile as I gathered the rest of my thoughts. “So what if you didn’t want to be my valentine? And so what if Molly Goldberg was just projecting her insecurities about feeling unlovable? Her words—and your laughs—might’ve hurt at the time, but they didn’t erase the fact that what was said simply wasn’t true.”
“I’m sorry.” His voice was small and strained as he placed his elbows on his knees and hung his head in his hands. “I wish I could… I never should’ve…”
I wrapped my hand around his waist and squeezed him tight. There was nothing I hated more than seeing the pain on his face. “I forgive you… I forgave you. A long time ago, I think. Seeing you again mustered up those old feelings at first, but they’re gone now.”
His head hung low. “Do you ever wonder… I don’t know, what things would’ve been like if we didn’t hate each other all these years?”
“I’d probably still have a crush on you like I did when I was five.” I threw my head back with a laugh, looking over to see a flurry of emotion pass over his face.
Before I could question it further, he hopped up to his feet and held out his palms to help me up. “We should probably get out of here before security comes and makes us leave. You want to watch a movie when we get home?”
“Maybe later… I think I’m going to go talk to Scar for a while. We’ve got a few things to catch up on.”
We walked to the car in comfortable silence. Meanwhile, the entire ride home, his hand was locked in mine while my head rested on his shoulder. For the first time in a long time, I felt the peace that I’d been longing for.
TWENTY
MAE
“Does anyone have a safety pin?”Aera shouted, sewing up an inevitable eleventh-hour tear on a model’s outfit.
The hair and make-up room at the event center was bustling with commotion as models were slipping into their outfits while hairdressers and make-up artists did touch ups. Days like this made me miss this world, the nerves and excitement all wrapped into one giant knot in the pit of your stomach.
It was the most intoxicating non-drug induced experience, every time, without fail.
I glanced around the room with a content, hopeful smile until my gaze caught on October in the corner. Much to my surprise, the grin on my face only got bigger. He was laughing with the stylist who was fastening cuff links to his sleeves while he buttoned up his suit.
This thing between us was all happening fast, and to be honest, it terrified me a bit. In recent weeks, we’d hooked-up a handful of times, and somehow, my feelings for him were already this involved. It always baffled me when couples in movies got together after a few weeks of being together and they justknew.
Something deep in my gut was telling me that the knowing feeling in my chest was right.
Even weirder than that, I couldn’t remember the last time I was genuinely mad at him. The night of my birthday party? Everything after that was all a blur and I wasn’t entirely sure where my dislike for him ended or began these days—if it even existed at all.
A smile pulled at the corners of my lips as I watched him for a little while longer. He twisted his head, catching my eyes and the grin he shot me gave me the boost of confidence I needed to power through the rest of the night.
Aera came up behind me, pulling me from my thoughts as she mumbled something about how she wished she had brought her seamstress with her because this was equally as stressful as a normal fashion show would be.
We both giggled, trying to swallow our laughter so we didn’t draw attention to ourselves.
Abel’s sister was great. I like her a lot more than I expected to—I mean you never know how people will be in this industry. Especially someone who’s amassed as much success as Aera has in the last few years. Not to mention, it was cute getting to witness her and Scarlett getting along and finding their dynamic with each other.
My heart clenched in my chest. Aera would hopefully, eventually become Scarlett’s sister-in-law, which meant she would become a part of my family too. I looked over at her with a half-smile. Watching your family build another family was one of the most bittersweet parts about being an adult, and I couldn’t be happier for Scarlett than I was right now.
I cleared my throat. “Want to go check out the crowd?”
