My gratitude is genuine. I couldn’t have afforded all of this, even with the exchange rate and new salary, and the only reason I’m not outwardly freaking out is the tight leash I have on the gremlin part of my brain that loves the gifts and special treatment.
That pesky gremlin is a greedy little bitch and easily swayed by shiny things. She’d run wild if I didn’t keep her in check, and Jett is tapping on the glass of her enclosure, teasing her with first-class plane tickets and shopping sprees.
“I love being right.” He sighs. “Can I get that on a recording?”
“No.” I hike one bag over my shoulder, and Jett holds on to the remaining ones. Guilt and what I suspect is a bit of greed claw their way to the surface. “This wasn’t necessary. You didn’t have to buy me all this.”
We’re halfway up the escalator when he utters words I know will stick with me for a long time. “I didn’t do it because Ihadto, I did it because I wanted to…and I think you deserve for someone to spoil you sometimes, even if you don’t think so.”
Chapter 8
sofía
My plunder is neatly folded on the desk in my hotel room, and I admire my treasure. A brand-new wardrobe, including a pair of hiking boots and sandals, was far too much for Jett to buy, but I love each piece. I skim my fingers along the cotton fabric of a flowy blouse.
I haven’t put the gremlin back into her cage yet, and she’s been a solid companion while I edit my sisters’ essays—they don’tknow how to use a semicolon, but they love them—and create draft posts for Jett’s social media.
An undetermined but disgustingly long time later, I rip myself from my computer and call it quits for the night, starting my nightly wind-down ritual.
Once my pajamas are on, I slip into the bathroom and unpack my skincare, lining the bottles in order by step.
Oil-based cleanser to remove makeup. Water-based cleanser. Toner. Serum. Moisturizer. Eye cream.
While I’m patting my face dry with the softest towel I’ve ever used—hotels over hostels was an incredible idea—Charlie’s contact photo appears on my phone. I answer the call and unscrew the cap to my toner, pouring the liquid onto my fingers, as Charlie’s voice filters through, loud and delighted.
“You’ve gone viral,” she screams, disregarding any greetings.
Huh?
“You’re famous,” she says with equal fervor. Wincing, I turn down the volume before Mateo’s head pops into view.
“Like ‘four million views and climbing’ kind of viral, Sofía.”
Shock courses through me. That’s a lot of people, but not unexpected traction for one of Jett’s videos. He has an incredible, supportive fan base. I pat the liquid into my skin, half paying attention.
I appreciate them bundling me with him—famous by association, I suppose.
“Which one of Jett’s videos is it?”
I know it won’t do much with my small following, but I should repost it anyway.
“It’s not his video,” Charlie says. “Someone recorded you and Jett at the mall while you were trying on clothes. His fan club found it—Did you know he has a freakingfan club? Anyway, people thought it was romantic, and now you’refamous.”
The small bottle of serum slips out of my grip and tumbles onto the porcelain counter. “What?”
She repeats herself, and the shock is as strong as the first time I heard her words. Pausing my skincare, I open Jett’s social media, and the notification section scrolls on forever. There are millions of likes and comments on old posts, and he’s gained thousands of followers.
My throat dries as I open the comment section of the video.
Is this his new girlfriend?
God, I wish I were her.
I tried to get tickets for his new series premiere, but it’s sold out.
The last two words snap the rubber band that is reality, and I bolt from the bathroom, scrambling to open my laptop. Service was spotty all day, and I’ve spent all evening fixing Maria and Luisa’s egregious use of commas, but when I open the inbox, there aredozensof emails. People begging for tickets. Superfans inquiring about the status of Jett’s love life and the identity of the mystery woman in the video.
I open the email from the venue I reached out to about hosting a premiere for the first episode of the docuseries. It was meant as a way to celebrate Jett and Doug’s hard work, and I hadn’t expected many people to attend outside of friends and family. I only reserved a single theater.
