Page 60 of Tour Wars
“I thought we could watchClash of the Titans. The 1981 version with Harry Hamlin as Perseus and Laurence Olivier as Zeus. It’s streaming on Peacock, so I had to sign up for a free trial. Remind me to cancel it by the end of the week.”
As TJ put the pieces together, his throat closed up. A rush of emotion coursed through him, so powerful he could barely speak. “How…how did you know?”
“You weren’t being your usual obnoxious self today. Like, I’ve never seen you this quiet. I called Romily to ask her what was up.”
“You called Romily?” He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Emilia hadn’t just been worried about him. She’dactedon it.
“Yeah.” Emilia kicked off her flip-flops and sat on his bed with the container of cookies on her lap. “Sorry today’s been so rough.”
He sat down beside her. “Thanks. I keep telling myself it shouldn’t hurt this much. It’s been seventeen years.”
“Grief isn’t linear. At least, that’s what the middle school counselor told me after my mom died. The pain can crop up at any time. Birthdays and anniversaries are the worst. I didn’t want you to deal with it alone. Unless—would you rather be alone? I don’t want to intrude.”
“No. Please stay.” He placed his hand over hers. “I didn’t expect this, but it’s really nice.”
Giving him a warm smile, she laced her fingers through his. “Just don’t tell anyone. I don’t want people to think I’ve gone all soft and mushy.”
“It’ll be our secret. I promise.”
She scooted onto his bed until she was leaning against the headboard. When he moved to sit beside her, she placed two pillows between them. “This is the boundary line. Got it? No touching, no kissing, no cuddling. For tonight, we’re just going to be two friends watching a movie together.”
He let out a ragged breath, unable to properly express the depth of his gratitude. “I’ll behave myself.”
“I know.” She grabbed the remote. “Also, fair warning—I watched the trailer for this movie earlier, andwoof. I don’t care how much you love it—I’m making snarky comments through the whole thing.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Honestly, Em? I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
The buzz of her phone woke Emilia from a sound sleep. She blinked and tried to orient herself. Where was she?
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she got her bearings. She was in TJ’s room, sitting on his bed. Beside her, he was slumped over, eyes closed, his hands still clutching the container of butter cookies. On the opposite wall, the TV had gone dark; the movie must have ended ages ago. The last thing she remembered was a battle between Perseus and two giant scorpions.
On the nightstand, the digital clock read 5:10 a.m.Shit.Even if her visit had been purely platonic, she’d spent the entire night in TJ’s room. Heart pounding, she searched for her phone and found it wedged under a pillow. She was almost afraid to look at it. What if she’d slept through a huge emergency?
To her enormous relief, only two texts appeared on the screen. Both were from Davis, sent two minutes ago.
Getting ready to head out. Catching an early train to Milan.
If you’re awake, come say goodbye. Room 673.
Why not? Going back to bed was futile since she was supposed to be up by six.
She glanced at TJ and brushed a lock of hair from his face. A sharp pang of affection tugged at her heart. Even if the movie had been complete trash, watching it had brightened his mood—so much that he’d joined her in making snide remarks.
She found a piece of hotel stationery in the nightstand drawer and dashed off a quick note.
I didn’t want to wake you, but I left the butter cookies to tide you over until breakfast. XOXO Em
XOXO? Since when did she sign her notes this way? What had happened to her rough edges?
Like she had to ask? TJ had happened. Not just TJ but this tour and all its demands. Over the last eleven days, she’d had to shed her personal armor and let people in. She’d experienced the rush of making people happy, and in return, she’d reveled in joyful moments of her own. Above all, she’d had the courage to open her heart to someone, confident he’d never treat her the way Vince had.
Would she come to regret all this openness? Would it eventually bite her in the ass? Maybe so, but right now, it felt good to let down her walls.
She eased off the bed, popped into the bathroom, and did a quick self-assessment. Not great. Messy hair spilling loose from her braid, wrinkled t-shirt dusted with cookie crumbs, bags under her eyes. Fortunately, Davis wouldn’t care. She’d stop by his room and say goodbye, then go clean up for breakfast.
She let herself out of TJ’s room and slunk down the hall. When she knocked on Davis’ door, he opened it and motioned for her to come in. “Hey, Em. Hope my text didn’t wake you.”
