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“If it were so unimportant, you wouldn’t be here, right?” His tone is sweet.
“Why is it so crucial to know the reason?” I know it’s a stupid question that sounds childish, but I can’t make the words come out, even with Nicholas.
“Because nothing makes sense. You leave for Los Angeles for work, and Evan comes back alone. He’s been in a rage for two weeks and says you quit and now work for his brother. We were all surprised.”
“Did he tell you I work for Aaron?” I didn’t know he and his brother had spoken to each other because this information certainly didn’t come from me.
“Iris wanted to know what the hell you were doing in Los Angeles, and he admitted it.”
I shrug and gorge myself on ice cream. There’s a reason why I don’t answer phone calls. Is it so hard to understand that I don’t want to talk about it?
“Has something happened between you two? Did you break up?”
I almost spit out the ice cream. “No, we’ve never been together! It’s purely a professional relationship between him and me,” I gasp, scandalized. Aaron’s words come back to my mind and send me into confusion. This idea that everyone thinks there must be something between Evan and me is becoming almost comical.
Nicholas shakes his head and smiles. “Don’t be mad. I had to ask you. The two of you are so in tune and look at each other in a way that…”
“What?”
“It seems like you’re ready to tear your clothes off any minute.”
“That’s not true!”
Nicholas laughs, and I cheer myself up with more ice cream. Do we really give that impression from the outside?
“You finish each other’s sentences.”
“That is absolutely not true!” I blurt out, so scandalized that the spoon full of ice cream falls on the sofa.
“Whatever. Anyway, you should talk with Evan. It’s been fifteen days, and he’s going crazy. And you should answer your phone, they’re all worried about you. Go back to New York, make peace, and pick up where you left off.” He smiles at me.
“No, not this time. With Evan, things are so bad we can’t work together anymore. I’ll answer the phone when I’m ready, but I don’t think there’s any hope with Evan. In fact, if you’re going back to New York in the next few days, I’ll give you my computer, company phone, and some Jail Records documents that I brought with me, if you don’t mind.”
Nicholas smiles at me, gets up from the couch, and shakes his head. The resolve on his face tells me I didn’t win this time. “No, Emily. You have to do it. You have to fly back and deal with this situation with Evan before it’s too late. Don’t be like me, don’t let twelve years pass before clearing the air. Don’t waste time that no one can ever give you back. If you decide there’s nothing salvageable anymore, okay. Sometimes relationships don’t work, but if there is even the slightest hope, don’t ignore it,” he says before walking out, leaving me on the couch with a thousand thoughts crowding my head.
The problem is I’m afraid to find out there’s nothing left with Evan. As long as I stay here and don’t go back looking for him, there’s always hope that something can be saved. If I go back to New York, it all becomes real, and I won’t be able to keep living inside this bubble, away from the problem. When I go back, I’ll know for sure Evan wants nothing to do with me after what I’ve done. I can’t forgive myself for hurting him like that. How can he? The longer I stay in this city, the more I realize how much of an essential piece of my life he had become and how much of a void he left when he disappeared. I’m not ready to deal with the feelings that stir in my chest when I set foot in Manhattan.
The shaken voices on the other side of the door draw my attention to the reception area. Faith walks out from behind her desk, frowning and looking serious. With her are the Red Velvet Curtains, who don’t even wait for her to warn me before pouring into the conference room, slamming the door behind them.
“Can you explain this to us?” Martin slams a bunch of papers with their record company’s logo on the table.
I grab it and only have to quickly scan the document to feel the earth opening under my feet. With the transition to the new record company after the merger, the contract has changed from requiring four albums to eight. I scroll through the pages, and at first glance, I don’t find anything suggesting we have to sign it. Every detail has already been decided with lots of stamps with the new logo. I clearly remember that the Red Velvet Curtains’ contract had to be signed by both parties, or they had to give us time for mutual agreement, but my heart is pumping blood into my ears, making me dizzy. Doubts about my work overwhelm me, making my legs and stomach tremble. There must be an explanation other than my mistake, a clause, a detail that escaped a superficial reading. It can’t be that I was so blatantly wrong.
“They’re playing one of their stunts. I’ll call them and solve the matter.” My voice comes out firmer than I expected.
Martin hisses, “No, you won’t solve anything. You’re fired.”
I look up: Lilly and Luke look intensely at the floor while the other two stare at me furiously. They’re not kidding. They’re kicking me out, and I can’t do anything about it this time. I asked them for a chance. I should have anticipated this move by the record company. I should have prepared them for how dirty they play, they’re just kids, they don’t know this industry. I can try to go and manage the situation, to get them back to their previous agreement, but their trust in me is lost and too difficult to recover.
“Have you already found another manager?” My voice comes out still, even though my stomach is in turmoil. It will be a miracle if I don’t vomit all over the coffee table in front of me.
“We’ll go with someone they suggest,” Luke speaks, and although his voice is not very firm, I see the painful expression of someone giving bad news to a friend.
They entered this room with only one mission: to fire me. There is no room for negotiation or apology, only the anger of a working relationship spinning out of control.
I nod and look at the contract again. “If you want, I’ll send you an email with some tips to watch out for when you choose a new manager to help you pick the right one.” I try to save at least the personal bond. Because I love them, and not just because Lilly is the partner of one of my best friends, all of them have entered my heart.
“No, thank you. You’ve already done enough.” Martin is furious.
