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“I lost my tripod,” she muttered.
She threw herself into my arms, and I squeezed her tight to me. “Oh, Blaire.”
“I had it with me, and when I got to that bathroom, it was gone.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll replace it.”
“Okay,” she said, so soft and pliant.
“Are you okay though?”
She nodded. “All in one piece. My claustrophobia really doesn’t like that this keeps happening to me.”
“I don’t like it either.”
“Glad you made it, Blaire,” West said with a head nod.
She swallowed and shot him a smile. “Me too. That was a nightmare.”
“We’ve been there,” Viv said. “Remember that time in Brazil?”
Santi groaned. “How could I forget? We were chased down the street, and we had security.”
“Campbell was accosted that one time in a restaurant in Shanghai. I thought the girls were going to strip him naked in the place,” Viv reminded us.
“Or when a Peppermint Patty group snuck backstage. Where were we for that?” Santi asked.
Yorke smirked. “Edinburgh.”
“That’s right! It was nuts.”
Blaire nodded. “I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to make this seem normal.”
“No. There’s no normal about it, babe,” Viv said. “It’s why we remember the worst offenders. It’s never fun. Crazed fans and paparazzi are part of the life, but it’s what we try to avoid as much as we can.”
“It’s half the reason I liked being back in Lubbock,” I admitted. Though I had never said that out loud. People for the most part left me alone there. I could come and go in LA, but I had to live in the Hills, behind a gate. There was a reason Lubbock was more enjoyable.
“And the other half?” Blaire asked.
“All you, love.” I kissed her palm. “All you.”
That was the minute English stormed into the room. “Jesus fucking Christ, the 10 is a goddamn nightmare today. It makes the 405 look like a walk in the park.” She swished her long blonde hair off her shoulders. “But I am here now, and we will fix this.” She took one look at Blaire and frowned. “Campbell filled me in. How are you?”
Blaire shrugged. “Not my best day.”
“I imagine not. I’ve seen some of the footage. You look like a deer in headlights. I think it works for us because you’re so endearing on camera. And you’re clearly scared. Sympathy points are helpful.”
The rest of the band nodded at English as they headed back out to the studio. West frowned like he wanted to say something more, but he just touched Blaire’s shoulder and then disappeared.
“How did this even get leaked?” I demanded as Blaire sank into Yorke’s abandoned seat.
“I’m still not sure. The source was anonymous to TMZ. But I’d guess it was either someone who saw you in Lubbock, or you were followed out there. I’ve put pressure in the field to find out, but I’m not hopeful that they’ll give away their sources.”
“Sounds right,” I grumbled. I’d thought we were safe in Lubbock, but again, I had been proven wrong.
“What are we going to do about it?” Blaire asked. “There’s no reason to go to the gala now.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” English said. “I absolutely think you should make it. They control the narrative right now. Let’s flip it on them and prove that we don’t care what they’ve done.”
“But we do,” I said.
She shrugged. “They don’t have to see that from you again. We can still respond to select reporters. We can continue to practice what how you’re going to respond. You two will look so glamorous and stunning together that no one will even remember what happened today.”
Blaire bit her lip. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“The internet is forever, but media shifts so quickly. If we give them something else to focus on, it will pass. You have nothing to worry about.” She paused, glancing over at me and then back. “That is, if you still want to go through with it.”
“Do I have a choice?” Blaire demanded.
“Of course you have a choice.”
“They already know we’re together.”
“But we wanted that,” I said. “Not this way, but we were tired of hiding.”
Blaire sighed. “I mean, yes, but I didn’t want this either. And it’s scary, having people attack me like that. I don’t want it to happen again.”
“We’ll be more careful,” English cut in. “We have a plan. We’re running damage control. If you don’t want to appear because it leaked, then I understand. We can just post a picture of you two together on your account. Giving the middle finger to the press is also a perfectly acceptable way to handle this.”
She met my gaze. “What do you want to do?”
“Whatever makes you the happiest,” I told her. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. “We don’t have to go to the gala. We don’t have to do anything. I just want you safe and happy.”
