AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And then I realized.
I could be his friend at the risk of my heart. A true friend. It was the one gift I could give him, the one power I held.
I woke, bleary-eyed, to the sound of someone pounding on the front door.
With a grunt, I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs, shuffling my way through the kitchen. I had no idea what time it was, the day of the week, or even the year. All I knew was that I could sleep another century and still be tired.
When I swung the door open, sunlight poured inside.
I winced, shielding my eyes and vaguely making out the shape of my best friend when she barreled past me into the foyer.
“Come right on in,” I said, waving a hand, my voice scratchy with sleep.
“You’re in big trouble?”
I slammed the door closed behind us and turned, squinting. “What time is it?”
“I can’t believe you!” Penelope stomped like a toddler.
“What?” I asked, feeling slightly more awake with the heat of her anger.
“Um, you went to the Addy Awards with the hottest guy in Hollywood and you didn’t even tell your best friend about it!” She crossed her arms over her chest, and I moaned.
“How d’you find out?” I asked, stifling a yawn.
“I saw you!” When I didn’t so much as budge, she added, “On TV.”
“Oh.” I sobered. “Right.”
Crap. Somehow, I’d been so enthralled and caught up in the red carpet and Thorne and the fantasy of everything around me, I’d forgotten millions of people were watching.
“What the heck, Scarlett?” Penelope said, her expression crestfallen.
“Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t even know about it until yesterday afternoon, I swear. Apparently, Thorne asked my parents, and he kept it a secret until he picked me up yesterday afternoon because he wasn’t sure if they’d even allow me to go. By that time, I was so caught off guard, I didn’t even think to call. I’d been too busy trying to mentally prepare myself for what was happening.”
She held her frown for another minute before it broke, morphing into a grin. “Fine. I’ll accept your apology.” Then she threw her hands up and squealed while I laughed. “I can’t believe you went to the Addy Awards WITH THORNE ROBERTS. Gah!” She reached out and grabbed both of my hands in hers. “How was it?”
I exhaled, trying to wrap my head around the proper words to describe it. But there were none. “It was . . .” I shook my head. “Insane?” I said, sounding unsure even to my own ears. “Crazy. Magical. Exciting. Surreal,” I added.
“And the gowns?”
“Off the charts amazing. You have no idea,” I said, suddenly feeling more awake. “I was in awe the entire time.”
Penelope bit her lip and nudged my arm. “You wore Valentino.”
“I did.” A laugh burst from my chest. “And Christian Louboutin’s. God, it’s crazy. Part of it doesn’t even feel real.”
“Well, I hope you took notes because that’s going to be you someday, chick. This big fashion designer, creating dresses for the stars.”
I drew her in for a hug, and my thoughts drifted to Thorne. Because this was exactly the kind of friendship he lacked. Someone like P, whose faith in me was unwavering, who forgave me even when I forgot to tell her the biggest of news. And it made me vow to be there for him once more. No matter the cost.
No matter how this charade of ours ended, I’d be there for him. We just needed to get through this first.
Chapter 21
THORNE
Itwassixa.m.on Monday morning, and I sat in the green room of Wake Up America, waiting to go on for an interview scheduled as part of the publicity tour forThe Soldiers Within Us, booked to build momentum before the movie’s hiatus.
