Page 24 of Wishing for La Luna
It's a little chilly and downcast today, like my mood. I pull up the zipper on my Thiccletics jacket and proceed to stretch. People walk around me, some alone and others in groups, but no one interacts with me. There’s something comforting about a NYC park and New Yorkers’ ability to mind their business that suits me just fine. Through the corner of my eye, I spot a guy in a brown shirt heading my way. Last minute decision, but I pivot and walk to the entrance of the trail. I can wait for Rio there. Maeven is getting us started today.
Joy. Her message was succinct and clear.
Let’s kick off this romance. The mission is simple. You’re going to go to the park and walk together. Make light conversation and put some distance between the two of you. Just let people see you and take your photo. The internet and I will take care of the rest.
Simple and to the point, except…where the hell is Rio? He kept making a big deal about not having much time because he’s so booked, and now he’s late. Does it surprise me?
Of course not.
"Luna," someone yells my name, making me turn around. It's brown-shirt guy. He’s gotten closer. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
I don't recognize his sallow face or the crooked smile, no matter how much my mind races. So I shake my head. "I'm sorry. I have somewhere to be."
"Just five minutes. I recognized you from TV, and you're more beautiful in person. I don't blame Thierry one bit. I would've stolen a kiss and a lot more if I could."
Heat rises up my neck until my entire face is on fire, and I take an instinctive step back. I look around, immediately searching for anyone who may have heard. "Fuck off."
He takes a step toward me, his hand extended, but his gaze veers beyond me and back to my face. His smirk widens.
"Is everything okay?" a deep voice asks from behind me.
I turn around to find Rio only steps away from me with his bodyguard, Tito, looming like a menacing tower.
My stomach is knotting so bad, but relief trickles in, and I nod.
"Rio, man. It's good to meet you. My bad, I didn't realize you were here. I thought Luna was alone." He extends a hand, blinks a couple times, then drops it when Rio doesn’t take it. "I mean, not like that. I wasn't going to do anything to her. I was just saying hi."
Rio frowns, stepping closer to me and searching my face. "Is this man bothering you?"
"He was leaving." I'm barely finished when brown-shirt guy takes off the opposite way.
"Friend of yours?" Rio asks, still watching the creep.
Relief segues into annoyance. If he’d been here when he said he would be, I wouldn’t have had to deal with this. And now he has the nerve to ask me that?
"Is that what it looked like?"
He shrugs. "He was awfully close."
I flinch like he slapped me. "He only got that close because you were not here like we agreed."
His mouth goes slack, and he shakes his head, but I don't wait for him to say anything else and get walking down the trail.
He catches up to me in a few steps. "Look, I had a call with my agent."
"Tell someone who cares."
"I was trying to apologize. Why are you like this?" his voice rises.
"Because I don't like creeps. I hate being around them or for them to think they can just talk to me."
His face goes dark. "Que es lo que te pasa a ti?You don’t have to call me a creep."
"I wasn't talking about you, but I guess the shoe fits."
His hand on my arm stops me. "Whatever got youencabronáis not my fault. It's not because of me you got cancelled and people think that you’re a?—"
Tito steps into my line of vision, shielding us from something. But I see them. Three women standing beyond us have their phones pointed at us.
