“Unless you don’t want him with someone else.” She tilts her head, watching me.
“Please.” I sit up and scoff.
“You looked like you wanted to climb him like a tree.”
“I was improvising.” I defend myself. “There was a man cornering me at the bar and no one was doing anything, and this mountain of muscle was walking by so I panicked and grabbed him. He just looked hot, scary, and hot.”
“You said hot twice.”
“It deserves to be said twice,” I mumble, earning a grin from Dannie.
“You little simp,” she laughs, poking at my ribs.
“I’m not a simp. I’m a woman with eyes.”
“And a desperate need to get railed by the captain of a hockey team.”
“Do not.” I smack her leg with a pillow. “I should post something,” I blurt.
“What?” Dannie looks up from her coffee like I just suggested donating a kidney to a cult.
“Just… clear the air.” I shrug. “Let people know it was a misunderstanding. That we’re not together. That I don’t even know him.”
“Oh my God, Jess.” She throws her head back with a laugh. “You would be the biggest idiot on this planet if you did that.” She sets her mug down and points at me like I’m a slow student. “You’re trending. Yourealize this could change everything, right? Brands are watching. You’ve always had talent, Jess, but this made people look.”
“But what if he’s pissed? What if he didn’t want this attention?” I shake my head, chewing on my thumbnail.
“Oh, please.” Dannie waves a hand. “No man on this planet is going to be upset about being seen with you. Have you looked in a mirror lately? You’re stunning, you’re talented, you’re hilarious. And if he’s half as smart as I think he is, he’s not gonna be mad at all.”
“You think he’s into it?” I ask.
“Oh, he’s either into it or he’s gay. And he doesn’t look gay to me.”
Dannie stretches and stands, brushing cookie crumbs off her sweatshirt before wandering toward the kitchen. “More coffee?” she calls, rattling around with mugs and spoons.
“God, no.” I flop back against the couch cushions, one arm thrown over my face. “If I have one more cup of coffee, my heart’s going to leap out of my chest.”
“Orange juice it is,” she snorts, banging cupboards.
While she’s busy clattering, my brain goes back to last night.
I shift uncomfortably, tugging at the hem of my oversized T-shirt. His cologne is still clinging to me—woodsy, sharp, unmistakably male. My skin smells like him where his hand had spread across my waist, where his chest pressed against mine. I’d stumbled home last night too exhausted to shower, and now every time I move, the scent rises like a ghost.
“I reek of him.” I groan into the pillow.
“Not the worst problem to have.” Dannie snickers, setting a chipped mug on the counter.
I sink deeper into the couch, dragging my phone back to my chest. I thumb open my notifications, half-prepared to find more strangers calling me a talentless bimbo.
I swipe through hate comments, thirsty DMs, and a brand trying to offer me free teeth whitening. An email makes me pause.
From: [email protected] Subject: Formal Invitation – Community Outreach Event
The words blur for a second before snapping into focus. I sit up so fast the cologne scent rises from my skin like smoke, wrapping around me again.
“Uhhh… Dannie?” My voice cracks halfway through her name.
“Mmh?” she calls over the clink of a glass.
