I lifted the bottle to my lips, and twisted the cap off before taking a careful sip, trying to steady the flutter in my chest.
Tomorrow, the tour would begin, and with it, him. The thought should have thrilled me, but instead it left me torn, caught between longing and caution. My fingers tightened around the bottle, holding it a little too hard.
I forced my eyes forward, willing my thoughts to focus on rehearsals, on the crowd, on anything but Nathan. And yet, even as I made my way out the building, the memory of his whispered promise lingered, pressing against my skin, refusing to let me go.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
ELISE
THE HOTEL SUITElooked like a battlefield of fashion casualties. Dresses hung off the edge of the bed, shoes were scattered across the floor, and makeup palettes sat cracked open on the vanity like weapons waiting to be used.
I eyed my reflection in the mirror, shifting my weight as I assessed the blue dress Alessia had practically thrown at me the second we walked through the door. It hugged my body in all the right places, the slit high enough to tempt but not reckless enough to make me second guess my choices.
“What do we think?” I asked, smoothing my hands over my hips.
“Perfect,” Alessia answered, slipping on her earrings.
Kelsey appeared in the bathroom doorway, a smug smile curving her glossed lips. “She’s right. You look hot.”
I exhaled through my nose, pretending the compliment didn’t make my stomach flip. “It’s just a night out.”
Alessia snorted, tossing her phone onto the bed. “It’s thefirstnight out after you crushed the opening night of your North America tour. You performed on stage with Titan, one of the biggest celebrities in the world right now. You need to act more like you made it, because you have.”
Kelsey nodded her head, already sliding on her heels. “She’s right. Tonight we’re drinking, dancing, and making terrible decisions that we’ll laugh and maybe even cringe about in the morning.”
I smiled, but there was a tension humming beneath my skin that I couldn’t shake. I should have been thrilled. This was what I had worked so hard for. The long rehearsals, the back-to-back nights spent perfecting choreography, all lead to earlier tonight where I performed at the Allegiant stadium in Las Vegas in front of thousands of screaming Titan fans. And yet, something felt off.
Or maybemissing.
I shook off the thought and reached for my clutch. “Alright, let’s go before I start overthinking my shoe choice.”
A sharp knock echoed through the suite before either of us could move.
I tilted my head, wondering if maybe it was someone from the hotel staff or maybe my family. I was surprised when I saw them, especially my dad, tonight in Vegas for the first show of the tour.
Things were still awkward between us since our phone call. I don’t think we’ll ever be the father-daughter duo that hug outside of birthdays or say ‘I love you’ casually, but at least I no longer felt like a disappointment, and for now, that was enough.
I may not have become a doctor or a lawyer like they wanted, but they were here in Las Vegas. In the crowd cheering me on, which was more support than I ever thought I would receive from them.
Kelsey moved to answer the door when I didn't, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw who it was.
Nathan.
For a second, I thought I might be imagining things, that maybe the exhaustion from the first night of tour was finally catching up with me and playing tricks on my mind. But no—there he was, standing in the doorway.
Nathan’s piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, intense and unreadable, and for a moment, the entire world shrank to just the two of us.
I took in his full beard, evidence that he hadn’t shaved since the last time I had done it for him, but he was still the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on. But the shirt he was wearing captured my attention.
The one that had been a casualty as a result of it being my first day as his assistant. The one that had a permanent coffee stain from when I’d spilled his coffee all over him. It was a crisp white shirt with subtle black piping along the collar and cuffs. After some online research, I’d learned that the shirt was rare, only five of them existing in the world. I’d never seen him wear it again, but here he was, standing in the doorway with that same shirt on. It was worn, a little frayed around the edges with the dark brown stain, but unmistakably the same.
It wasn’t just his clothes that stole the breath from my lungs, it was the look in his eyes. Steady. Unwavering. Like he had already decided how this night would end. I stared at him, breath catching in my throat.
The sight of him wearing that shirt hit me harder than I expected.
“I may have told Nathan what room we were in.” Kelsey muttered when no one spoke. I looked at my best friend, unsure if I should be mad at her or not. “Don’t give me that look.He’s miserable without you, and you’re miserable without him. Somebody had to intervene.”
“We’ll catch up with you later to celebrate.” Alessia smiled, before her and Kelsey let themselves out, leaving Nathan and I alone.
