Aria made laps around the house, calling out for Bailey as soon as Griffin left yesterday, but when she’d gathered the wherewithal to check her phone, she discovered a text from Bailey.
Bailey:Going out for some shopping and errands with Sidney, maybe dinner too.
Sidney is Bailey’s best friend, and Aria never worries about her sister when the two are together. Aria forced herself back down into the studio and, with an aggressive dose of self-talk, willed herself back into the zone and created some more material for the album. Whether it will sound decent in the morning is still to be determined.
After dinner, Aria texted to check in.
Aria:You girls behaving?
Bailey texted back quickly.
Bailey:Ha ha, very funny, MOM. There’s a wait at the tapas spot, so we’re window shopping for now.
When Aria called it an early night, Bailey was still out, so Aria lay wide awake in her bed replaying the kiss.
By all objective standards, the kiss was incredible. Griffin is charming yet chivalrous, strong yet gentle; he is irresistible, according to every fiber of her body. Nevertheless, Aria can’t let herself forget the fact that magical moments like the one that occurred between them are a result of music making—at least according to her personal theory. She’s always suspected it’s one of the reasons musicians are notorious for having chaotic lives or getting carried off by the party scene.
Aria and Griffin have a PR deal, for goodness’ sake, and although they have a real friendship, neither of them needs the complication of a romance heaped on top. Every time they appear, the photos are shared thousands—sometimes hundreds of thousands—of times. They are under more public scrutiny than perhaps Aria has ever been because now her fansandhis are watching.
The idea of living out a real relationship under the same magnifying glass would be enough to send Aria into heart palpitations. She might put herself on a stage near weekly, and she might take the comments about her body and fashion on the chin. But therealher? The one that Griffin has teasedout? That one stays hidden from the stage, from the public—even from her music.
Aria is working on pouring more of herself into her music, something she counts as growth. But having the public dissect and criticize her for falling for someone, dating, being part of a couple? No way. Absolutely no way. That is entirely too far.
Eventually Aria fell asleep, but when she wakes early the next morning she doesn’t feel particularly rested.
She is already posted up at the kitchen island on a barstool when Bailey rolls out of bed, into the kitchen, and toward the coffee maker in a straight shot. As soon as a sip of coffee hits Bailey’s lips, she does a double take of her sister.
“You don’t look right,” she says.
“Thanks,” Aria replies.
“What’s up?” Bailey stands across the island from her, sipping her coffee as she slowly becomes more alert.
Aria pulls in a breath and explains in great detail the afternoon in the music studio with Griffin and their eventual, glorious kiss. “You always know what to do, so I figured you could help me navigate this.”
“How am I supposed to know what to do?” Bailey says. “This iswayout of my wheelhouse. Yours too. You’re not exactly the queen of dating—no offense.”
It is a true statement. After only a couple of burns from grifters and fake friends, Aria walled herself off from romantic prospects. Why wouldn’t she when all of her experience showed her that no one was chasing her for genuine reasons? She has Bailey, her family who she doesn’t see as much as she should, her professional team, and a few friends who, come tothink of it, she hasn’t seen in quite a while. Aria is busy, however. Having an army of friends simply isn’t realistic for her. None of it ever felt realistic.
Until Griffin.
“We have to backpedal.” Aria announces it with certainty despite her lingering daydreams over repeating the kiss. “Keeping it professional is for the best. Plus, Griffin has actually become my friend.”
“Your first one ever.” Bailey winks.
Aria casts slitted eyes her way with a playful glare. “You’re not wrong in some ways. We justmesh, you know?”
“So it could be more.”
“I’m Aria Wilder. I don’t get to have a boyfriend that I don’t share with the entire internet. Griff is obviously an internet darling at this juncture, but I don’t think he quite understands what us canoodling would be like to endure. Right now everyone loves us because we’re ‘the two best friends.’”
Bailey wraps both hands around the mug. “There’s definitely romance speculation too.”
“Where I’m sure most of the ugly comments lie.” Aria swats at the air. “Still, it’s all a moot point. Griffin wasn’t exactly pouring his heart out, so I suspect he knows keeping it professional is the safest route. I do too. We’ll have to talk it over at the event tomorrow.”
Aria swallows, and she feels a hardening in her chest, one that feels like taking care of necessary business.
“And what will you say?”
