Page 92 of My Real Love Affair

“See?” Cleo nudged me. “You killed it. I told you.”

The cab moved another few feet. I could see the shopping district up ahead, just five blocks away but seemingly unreachable. I didn’t want to listen to the rest of it. I had been there after all.

“Ooh, let’s listen to Austin’s interview,” Cleo said. “I want to hear what dumb shit he said.”

I hesitated. I’d been avoiding his episode, not sure I wanted to hear him talk about anything. And after Stacy’s attempt to get me to talk about him, I knew there was no way she wasn’t going to ask him the same questions. I didn’t want to hear what he thought about me or what happened or anything. I didn’t want to hear his voice.

But curiosity won out.

I pulled up his episode and hit play. It started normally enough. Stacy asked typical Bancroft questions. She made small talk about his family, his lifestyle, and, of course, his reputation. Austin deflected with charm, giving answers that revealed nothing while sounding open and honest. It was masterful, really.

Then Stacy asked if he was single.

Cleo snorted. “Here we go.”

“I’m single,” Austin’s voice came through the phone. “But I’m not dating. I’ve got some work to do on myself first.”

I found myself leaning closer to the phone.

“Work to do on yourself,” Stacy repeated. “Is this about Melody Stephens?”

There was a pause. I held my breath. “Next question.”

But Stacy pressed. Asked more personal questions. Brought up our relationship, the photos from the club and how he felt about us being over.

I could hear the tension in Austin’s voice as he tried to deflect in an attempt to protect our privacy. But Stacy kept pushing.

Then she said something that made my blood run cold.

“Tell us the truth, Austin. Did Melody really have no idea her photos were being edited? Or was that just damage control?”

“Oh, she did not,” Cleo breathed beside me.

There was a beat of silence. I watched Austin’s face. He’d been doing his best to look calm and relaxed, but there was no missing that tension. Then I heard Austin’s voice, harder now, angry.

“Stop. Just stop.”

What followed made my mouth fall open. Austin defending me.Reallydefending me. Calling Stacy out for questioning my integrity. Saying I was good to my core. Both Cleo and I listened as he told her I put myself out there to help other women, not for fame or money. He said I deserved better.

Then Austin got up and walked out.

The episode ended abruptly. I sat there in stunned silence. We both stared at the screen waiting for something to happen. It just went on to a goofy ad.

“Rewind that,” Cleo said, her voice strange. “I need to hear that again.”

I rewound to where Austin started defending me. We listened again.

“Melody isn’t like you or me, Stacy. She’s good to her core. She built her entire platform on authenticity and helping other women see themselves as beautiful. She puts herself out there—really out there—not for fame or money or attention, but because she genuinely wants to make a difference.”

When it ended the second time, Cleo cleared her throat. “I know I don’t have many good things to say about him, but damn, why was that kind of a turn-on?”

“Cleo!”

“What? I’m being honest. That was hot. Like, righteously angry hot. Protective hot. Walking-out-of-an-interview-to-defend-your-woman hot. Like give me the match so I can burn the world down for you.”

Austin had just made me feel seen. Really seen. Like he understood exactly who I was and what I was trying to do. And he made me feel like he actually cared. No one had ever gone to bat for me like that, aside from maybe Cleo.

More importantly, he had nothing to gain from saying any of it. He was going to piss off his father and his PR people. That kind of tantrum always made waves. How had I not heard about it? Because I had been busy the last couple of days and going out of my way to avoid anything Austin.