Page 158 of Knot Their Starlet

I’m good at my job.

I glance at Andromeda, who’s watching me so intently it feels like she’s peeling back layers of my skin. Well, I’m good at my job when it doesn’t involve going into a club and trying to weasel my way into an interview by cornering a drunk girl by the bathrooms.

There’s a spark of intelligence that was far dimmer last night. The dark strobe lighting of the club certainly wasn’t doing her any favors. She must have been far more intoxicated than she let on, considering how eloquently she chewed me out.

Even with the ridiculous fuzzy blanket wrapped around her shoulders she almost looks like an angel as the sunlight filters through the floor to ceiling windows, casting her in a halo of light.

Elijah is the only one who doesn’t seem to like the idea—if the harsh set of his jaw and unwillingness to look at me is any indication. But luckily for me, he doesn’t say anything.

“I’d get to show you where I grew up, Starlight!” Beckham says eagerly, turning his bright smile to Andromeda.

I watch their exchange, unable to tear my gaze away.

“That’d be cool,” she says, her smile shockingly genuine. “You’ll have to show me all the good places.”

From what I know, Beckham is from a small town. It’s barely considered a suburb, and it’s surrounded by farmland.

Considering Andromeda was born and raised in LA, I can’t imagine a place like where Beckham grew up would be all that interesting to her. But her comment seems genuine.

It catches me off guard.

“It’s not much, but it’ll be cool to show you the old stomping grounds.” Beckham’s smile cuts to Elijah and Leo.

“She does not need to see ‘em,” Elijah grunts, rolling his eyes. “It’s a field. Nothin’ special about it.”

“Field?”

“The three of us used to get drunk there on the weekends,” Leo says sheepishly. “Not much else to do back home.”

“You guys are so stupid,” Beckham says, rolling his eyes. “I don’t want to show her the field. I want to show her the sky. At night. Pretty sure at this time of year, you can see the Milky Way—it’s dark enough out there.”

“We’ll make it a group trip, add it to the agenda,” Everett nods, intrigued by the idea.

I feel like an intruder here. Like I’m seeing something close and intimate that I’m not supposed to see.

I know I’ve already signed away my rights to blab to the tabloids, and everything I share about them will be subject to their approval, but still.

“You could get some good shots of that sort of thing,” Andromeda says, jerking her chin towards me.

The others glance at her in surprise, like they didn’t expect her to include me in the conversation. I’m sure my expression is similar.

“I... could.” My words and nod are slow, giving the others ample opportunity to protest. But they don’t. They just follow Andromeda’s lead.

“You got a DSLR with a wide lens?” she asks casually. How does she know that’s what you need for shots like that?

Last time I checked, influencers don’t use that kind of camera equipment. Why would they need to? It’s not like they’re getting complicated shots most of the time.

“What’s a DSLR?” Beckham asks, leaning towards her ever so slightly, like he’s enamored by her knowledge.

“Stands for Digital Single-Lens Reflex,” she answers, her voice softening significantly compared to when she was directing her attention at me. “It’s a kind of camera used for shots of the stars and stuff. Could be a nice shot if this place is important to you.”

“Do you have one?” Beckham asks.

“Nah, the high-end ones are pretty pricey, and my mom...” her gaze darts towards mine as her expression tightens. “I wouldn’t have been able to make a purchase like that without her finding out.”

The others seem to know what that means, because they all offer her a series of understanding nods.

I don’t miss the way Everett pulls out his phone. Is he... looking at cameras?