Apparently, he’d had an ugly altercation with Andre when he came by to help me pack. My heart melted at the gesture, then sank at the detached tone of his voice. He seemed distracted, almost robotic, and I was more than a little uneasy about getting on a near twenty-four-hour flight with things between us feeling off.
What happened? What could Andre have said that had Damon so rattled?
I blink a few times. The bright beach sun and jetlag are putting my eyes through it! Thankfully, the makeup artists are miracle workers.
“Kendra, towards me,” Pierre calls out, his accent heavy. I turn and hear the shutter open and close rapidly. “OK, now reach out to Deanna like you’re going to pull her ashore.Maisnot too far; I don’t want to give you…eh…comment dit-on…rolls.”
Deanna snorts, and I shoot her daggers. Pierre’s just looking out for me; I don’t want him to photograph my rolls, either. She’s the one making it an insult.
I try a few poses until—
“Stop! Hold it!” Pierre yells. I ignore the cramp in my hamstring and the awkward angle of my chest as I cheat out to the camera.
The camera beats a staccato rhythm, and my mind wanders back to Damon. He was at work during my layover in Hong Kong, and our texts were brief. If he hadn’t still been in bed when I left this morning, I’d have demanded he explain why he’s suddenly gone aloof.
Maybe it was a comment on one of the many posts about us. The paps are obsessed with him because he’s super hot, inked up, and has the body of a god. He may have dealt with the press before, but likely nothing on this level.
There are the snide comments about my weight, which I’ve had a lifetime to get used to, and then there are the comments from people who can’t handle seeing an Asian man and a Black woman together. People full of hate and longing for “the good ol’ days” when people like us knew our place. They get real bold when they’re anonymous behind their keyboards.
Get your head in the game, Kendra! This might very well be your last shoot; make it count!
I push my breasts out further, and the shutter flutters open and closed again. Whatever’s going on with Damon will just have to wait ’til I’m back.
Chapter thirty
Damon
Trouble in Paradise?
Andre Gibbs spotted dining without Julie Baker at friend Bruno Almeida’s SoHo bistro.
Julie Baker Struts Red CarpetSansRock!
I Want You Back!
Source at Bali shoot says Andre Gibbs texted ex, Kendra Gray, over ten times, hopingto reconcile.
Reader Poll: Andre Gibbs vs. Damon Park
I slam my laptop closed harder than necessary. I fucked up.
When Kendra called to tell me her trip had been moved up, I was already in the hallway outside her apartment. I needed to talk to her, to hold her until I calmed down. But not only was she not coming, she wouldn’t be there for over a week. She was already on her way to the airport, and I was in the middle of the worst ever case of imposter syndrome. I know I’m good enough for my job. Over time, I’ve accepted my career overseas as good enough. But when it comes to Kendra, I’m seriously punching above my weight.
So I snapped at her. I stomped my way back down the stairs of her building rather than take the elevator because I had to move, had to leave right then. When I was no longer seeing red, it was too late; I’d missed her call during her layover, and then she texted me that she needed to focus on her shoot and would hit me up as soon as she got back.Seems like she’s had time to text with Andre, though.
I kick myself for believing that trash article for even a moment. I blame my short temper and already wounded pride. In my head, I knew Andre was spewing all that garbage just to make me doubt Kendra and me, to make me doubt myself. But in my heart, it worked.
Ididn’tmake it to the NBA. Iamjust an assistant coach at a high school. All of that is true. And because it’s true, eventhough he cheated on Kendra and was engaged to another womanfive seconds ago,he’s beating me three to one in the reader poll. It’s like Kendra said: he’s everyone’s golden boy. He was willing to let go of a whole apartment rather than reveal how much of an asshole he really is.
Because I’m a masochist, I reopen my laptop and click to the latest post in my feed. It’s a retrospective of their relationship, claiming to show how the fire between them never died, even after the divorce. By the fifth picture of Andre and Kendra mooning at each other, I open my phone and dial Adam.
“You’ve reached Adam Park. Sorry I’m away from my phone right now. Leave me a message and I’ll call you back. Or, you can text me like a normal person.”
I end the call, forgoing a message or text since I just remembered he’s at a cybersecurity conference in Vegas this weekend. I try Noah next.
“This is Noah. You know what to do.”
Shit.I hang up before the beep.
