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“Well, fuck if I’m not more excited for the Glasgow show now.”
Maude always attends one of my European shows. This tour, she chose Scotland, the last stop before my tour heads back to the States for the final dates.
“Nothing is going to happen. He has a girlfriend. As far as everyone knows, I have a boyfriend.”
“You should dump Kyle.”
“Why? We’ve got a good thing going. After we were photographed together at that movie premiere last month, both our sales are—”
“You’re using him, Sutton.”
“Well, duh. He’s doing the same to me. It’s a mutually beneficial—”
“Mutually beneficial agreement,” she finishes. “Yeah, I know. He’s using you to advance his career. But you? I think you’re using him to stay in another meaningless relationship. It has nothing to do with sales, Sutton.”
She’s said similar things to me before. When it comes to Kyle, and to other guys.
It’s hitting me harder than it has before and it’s obvious why.
I sigh and slouch some more. “Yeah, I know.”
A consistent buzzing wakes me up. I fumble for my phone and answer it with a groggy, “Hello?”
“Hey, sis!”
“Hi, Ellie,” I reply in a significantly less chipper tone.
“Oh no. I woke you up?”
I glance at the clock beside my bed before I tug the covers up to my chin and rub a hand over my face. “Yep. It’s just past three here.”
“Shouldn’t you be doing shots in a club? Three is practically the middle of the day for a famous musician, right?” There’s a trace of the edge often audible in her voice during our conversations. Backhanded compliments are Ellie’s specialty.
“Not this one.”
She clears her throat. “So…how was it?”
“Pretty much your standard service. Readings. Sad expressions. Grandpa Joe would have hated the fuss.”
“I wish we could have been there.”
If I wanted to pick a fight, I’d ask,Why?I wasn’t close with Joe, but Ellie barely knew her step-grandfather, if that’s an appropriate term. She hasn’t been back to Brookfield since graduation, probably for the same reason I avoided return trips. My dad and Lily go visit her.
“It’s fine,” I reply instead. Maude was right about one thing earlier—I avoid confrontation when it comes to Ellie. “Everyone understood why you weren’t. Several people asked about the wedding.”
“Oh! I forgot to tell you. I made an appointment for my dress fitting while you’re in London. We can go together, sip champagne. You can see the design for your bridesmaid dress.”
London is toward the end of the tour. By then, I’ll be running on fumes and caffeine. I won’t want to do anything but lounge around in sweatpants between the two shows I’m playing in Wembley Stadium and Hyde Park. Saying that won’t go over well.
“Sounds great.” I yawn.
There’s a pause.
“Is Eric’s job going well?” I ask.
Ellie’s fiancé is usually a neutral topic. He works as some sort of venture capitalist. They met at the University of Michigan. Eric is smart, well-mannered, and a little boring, in my opinion. I’ve only met him twice. Once at Ellie’s college graduation, and the second time was when he flew out to LA a couple of years ago for a business trip and Ellie tagged along. He proposed to her six months ago during a visit to Paris, and their wedding is scheduled for next summer, once he finishes his stint at the British company that required the move to London.
“Yeah,” she replies. “Everything is good here.”
