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“No, no. That sounds like the beginning of bad news.”
“Cash… Red… These past few weeks with you have been so amazing. I’m really glad you let me be a part of this journey.”
Red clenched his jaw. “Stop. Don’t say what you’re about to say. Just… Save whatever it is until after the party, okay?”
He had a point. I didn’t want to put a damper on the mood. This was supposed to be a celebration, after all. But could I really pretend? How would I last through the next couple of hours knowing I’d be ending things by the end of the night?
This was a no-win scenario. Either way, I’d be breaking their hearts along with mine. The only question was, did I want to rip the bandage off now or put it off and stew in my dread all night long?
I felt queasy, so anxious that my hands were trembling, and my throat felt like it was going to collapse on itself. I didn’t want to do this, but I saw no other options, no other paths forward but one.
“Julia?” Red said. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Excuse me a moment,” I said hastily, frantically rushing toward the nearest exit.
It was a trial in and of itself trying to find the nearest bathroom. I got there just in time to lose my dinner in the toilet, my skin feverish as I broke out into a cold sweat.
I didn’t know if I was going to have the strength to go through with the breakup. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I knew it was for the best, and that made everything ten times more painful.
By the time my stomach settled and I finally found the strength to drag myself over to the bathroom sink, I felt legless. My body was heavy, and I had a pounding headache. I wondered why I couldn’t shake this awful sense of impending doom.
With a heavy, shaky breath, I splashed some cold water on my face and rinsed my mouth.
“This night can’t get any worse,” I grumbled to myself.
When I left the bathroom, a sudden flurry of camera flashes blinded me.
Oh. Famous last words.
“This way!” one of the photographers shouted at me. “Right this way, Julia. Can I get a smile?”
“Over here!” someone else shouted. “Where are you boyfriends, Julia? Are you having a girl’s night out on the town?”
“What did you think of Cash’s fight earlier tonight?”
“Do you have any comments about Leo Holistic?”
“Look this way, please!”
It was an onslaught of voices, of blinding lights. I was disoriented, lost in a sea of faces. I was trapped in a nightmare with no immediate escape.
“Leave me alone,” I snapped at them, which only excited the photographers more.
All of a sudden, one of the paparazzi near the back of the group yelped as he was harshly shoved to the side. It was hard for me to tell what was happening, but it looked like someone was quickly pushing their way forward to get to me, knocking cameras out of hands and yanking people back with incredible force.
Dylan, Red, and Cash parted the crowd like the Red Sea to get to me.
“Get away from her!” Dylan hissed.
“Back the fuck up,” Red ordered.
“Leave her the hell alone!” Cash snapped.
“What are you guys doing here?” I rasped, exasperated.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted someone purposefully hanging back. It was Bob, casually watching the mayhem unfold. The grin he wore made my skin crawl.
“That son of a bitch,” Cash grumbled, having noticed him, too. “He’s a fucking dead man!”
He rushed forward before I had the chance to hold him back.
All I could do was watch in dismay as everything fell apart.
