Page 26 of Wishing for La Luna
The flush flares over my face, making me regret my comment. "I didn't mean that in a bad way."
"No?" he asks, his eyebrow arched.
"I just meant everyone knows you're tough. You don't think twice about fighting with anyone."
We get to the bench, and as I turn to take one of the seats, I spot the three women still following in the distance.
"They must be zooming in," I whisper under my breath, turning my face down so they can't read my lips.
"Let's ignore them and stick to the script. The last fly song I heard was ‘Daselo donde lo quiera’ by Mando."
I roll my eyes at him. "Youwouldlike that song."
"What is that supposed to mean?" he asks, frowning.
I scoff. "It's a ‘Dime Mami’rip-off."
His frown deepens. "You think so?"
"How can't you tell? Even the chorus. You should’ve sued them. ‘Dime Mami’is better, though."
His eyes widen a little, his lips curving. It exposes his perfect white teeth. That's the smile that sends girls into a frenzy. And it causes a weird rush in my chest. I fight through the heat in my face, trying not to break eye contact.
And then he licks his bottom lip, and my throat goes dry. "Tell me what the last fly song you've heard was.”
I have to swallow a little, but I admit it’s his song with Chico and Niko, "'My Beat la Controla.'"
And that smile widens.
It reminds me how dangerous this is—correction, how dangerous he is.Don’t forget that, Luna.
There’s a script and a six-month end date I’m planning to stick to. That's it.
* * *
Rio
Every time I sit in Dr. Jacinda Smith’s waiting room, I’m as tight as the string on a brand-new guitar. My gaze bounces from wall to wall, studying the built-in bookcases and the glass digital panels, which display images of a green bamboo meadow today. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure every week, as Dr. Jacinda calls it, with different photos displayed on the screens.
The thought that someone can walk in and recognize me and tag me as soft is almost as terrifying as coming in to share my thoughts with a stranger. But I promised Maeven I would do better, and I need to get mentally and physically ready for the tour.
While I wait, I deep dive into the comments on social media to see what people thought of the outing with Luna today. It was bumpy at first, but I think we managed to course correct. She even smiled and admitted she loved my last song. But social media is a different beast, where people’s opinions are volatile and unpredictable. And they don’t make us wait.
#Sirenas, you saw it with your own eyes. Our husband has a good friend, one poster says.
Another is a little more skeptical.I just hope it’s just friends, and Luna doesn’t get her claws in him. Our husband doesn’t need messy in his life.
And there’s one that triggers me.No, Rio needs to get back with Perla.
The tingling storms up the back of my neck and over my face. I can still hear Perla, my ex, screaming that I was shutting her out.
The message sparks a whole debate with one asking,Is you cool? You want him to get back with the bitch who betrayed him by talking to the media?
I continue reading the messages and shake my head. TheSirenas, my fans, hate Perla with a passion. She’s not my favorite person either, especially after she gave an interview where she talked about the worst period of my life—and then accused me of cheating when I could barely get out of bed in the morning. More concerning is that Luna continues to take a beating online, and theSirenasdon’t cut her any slack. Maeven says the progress will be slow, and we just need to stay on the course.
The door opens, and I’m looking up as Dr. Jacinda Smith waves me into her office. Despite being a doctor, her demeanor is inviting. Must be because her features make her look like a sweet grandma with her button nose, small mouth, and too-big-for-her-face eagle eyes that miss nothing but are also warm. Her reddish hair and almost matching ensemble of pants and top create a monochromatic look that should be all wrong, but it works.
We sit in opposing rocking chairs near the fire.
