AllFreeNovel
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Me: Make him stop. Please. I’ve moved on.
Addi: I can’t. He loves you.
Me: I’m sorry for running. I miss you all.
Addi: All of us?
Me: All of you. Some more than others. Thanks for adding my name to the book. You didn’t have to.
Addi: The book is something else. You have a pretty special talent, Em.
Me: I can’t come to this party. I can’t see him.
Addi: Please. Just come. It’s a couple of hours. I’ll arrange a car for you so you can leave whenever you want.
I paused, wondering if I could be around him again. If I could be around any of them and not crave the life they’d let me step inside.
Addi: That night. It wasn’t what you thought. He was spiked. He had a fit. He nearly died, Em.
I sighed, wondering if things might have been different if she’d told me when it happened, or if Tanner would have told me afterward, instead of me finding out from Quinn. I still couldn’t work out why he wouldn’t have wanted me to know if it was really true.
Addi: Look, I’ll cancel the hairdresser and all that crap. Come as you. Come on your terms. Come and celebrate the book’s success. It’s your success. You wrote this amazing book and we just want to say thank you. No strings, no pressure. I’ll leave your name on the door. I hope to see you there, Emmy, because you have helped the Gods get their name in the rock history books and heal so much hurt. You saved all of us.
Me: I’ll think about it. I’m not promising anything. But no dress or make-up artist. I’m not a Cosmic God.
Addi: Awe, Em. You have no idea. You will be a part of us forever, even if you’re not here. You left your mark on all of us, lady.
Me: No promises, Addi.
Saturday came, and I paced. A lot.Do I go? Do I stay home? Do I face him?
Do I really want to step back into the gravitational pull of the Cosmic Gods?
Hell, no.
God, yes.
It was like my mind was in a battle with itself.
I called Quinn. “Go, Emmy, please. Look, I’ll come with you. Get dressed and go. He wants you. He didn’t cheat. Yes, he was a dick, but we all have our moments and you know he was struggling. You can’t punish him for that forever.”
“Well, I can. By not going.”
“Your book is selling all over the world.Youdid that. For them. Go and celebrate your success. Despite what happened with Tanner, they were your friends and you just walked out on them. You owe them an explanation and a proper goodbye, don’t you?”
I sighed, knowing she was right. I hated the way I left. I wanted to know how they were. I wanted to hear their voices and listen to their laughter. I wanted back inside their inner circle.
“Fine, I’ll go, but you’re coming with me.”
“Hell yes, I am. I’ll be there in an hour. Get your ass ready. We’re going to an A-list party.”
An hour and a half later, we climbed out of a cab, my invite in hand. As soon as I stepped out, Matt was suddenly in front of me.
“Miss Winters, I was hoping I’d see you tonight. I hope I’m not stepping out of line by telling you that we’ve all missed you. All of us.”
“Matt, it’s still Emmy, not Miss Winters. And thank you. I’ve missed you all, too. Nice beard, by the way. It suits you.”
Matt ran his fingers through his beard, sighing. “Let me get you inside.”
