Page 25 of Wishing for La Luna
Shit. They’re either recording us or taking photos.
I quickly avert my eyes, tilt my head down, and cover my face with my hands, shaking my shoulders as if crying.
"What the fuck are you doing?" he asks.
"I think those women are recording us," I whisper so only he can hear me.
"What?" he asks.
"People are recording." I point a finger in the direction.
His gaze drifts to the side. "Fuck, I see them. We should leave. Let's abort this and try it another time."
I shake my head. "We can't. It will be all over social media. You're too popular, and unfortunately, people are checking for me these days."
"What do I do?"
"Console me. Not overly, but put your hand on my arm, and then let's keep walking." He reaches for me, and I step aside a little. "Not your whole arm." I push out between clenched teeth. "Just your hands. We're friends."
"Yeah, right." The dryness in his tone sets me off.
"Stop testing me. We already failed, and we need to fix it before—" My phone goes off. "Ugh. It's Maeven."
He stops walking. I take out my Airpods case and hand him one like we were instructed in our briefing meeting with Maeven. I put in the other and tap it to answer.
"We're both on," I say on the line.
"Are you kidding me? I tell you to go out. You don't even have to talk much. Just walk on a trail and look cute. Instead, you end up on an Instagram live, arguing. What part of the plan didn’t you understand?"
"I'm sorry," I say. "This guy was bugging me and got me mad?—"
"Why was a guy bothering you? Where was Rio?" Her tone is sharp, though her voice level stays even.
"I was late. I had a call with Kresh."
Maeven's sigh fills the line. "I'm going to stop being angry. It won't help anyone. Keep walking for God's sake."
"You can see us?" Rio asks.
"Yes, those girls are live. They're your fans, Rio, and the otherSirenasare jumping in quickly. We need to get a handle on this. Just keep walking. Get to the bridge, and once you get there, sit on the bench and talk. Don't pretend, cause the two of you obviously can't even do the small things. Discuss the last new fire song you heard. Can you do that?"
I wince, and he grimaces.
"Yeah, I think we can do that," I say.
Maeven cuts off. We keep walking.
"We pissed her off, and I don't blame her. I would be mad too if my clients didn't execute a plan correctly." I definitely need to do better. No matter how much this guy annoys me, I need to stop reacting to everything.
He shrugs. "I've pissed her off a lot lately. I think I'm a challenge she wasn't ready for." There's a slight smile on his face, and it triggers my own.
"Don't flatter yourself. I think you're a piece of cake compared to Mateo de la Cruz."
He sputters. "Shiiiiit. That guy's a fuck-up. Piece of cake, huh? Does that mean you think I'm sweet?"
I side-eye him. "I don't think there's anything sweet about you."
He says nothing. My tone even echoes in my own ears.Damn, I sounded like a bitch.
