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“No, go on. You brought it up,” he urged.
“You really want to know?”
He nodded.
“I think you’re scared to let people see the real you. And you don’t want to be vulnerable, so you put on a show that pushes people away. I mean, you’re a performer, so it makes sense.”
He was quiet for a moment, but his fingers continued drawing idle circles on my hip.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“No,” he whispered, “you’re right. And it’s something I’ve been working on.”
“Is it?”
“I know it may not seem like it,” he said with a grin, “but I have been trying to be more open with people.”
I snuggled closer to him, not sure how to respond to that.
“Actually…”
I lifted my head to see him better.
“I want to take you somewhere.”
“Now?”
“No, not now. But soon. It’s somewhere really special to me, and I want you to come with me.”
“Oh—okay.”
I had no idea what he could possibly be talking about, but if he was trying to be more open and vulnerable with people, I wasn’t going to stand in his way. He pulled me into his chest and kissed my forehead.
“Good night, Grace.”
“Good night.”
10
DYLAN
The following weekend, I was a nervous wreck. Not a day had passed without talking to Grace, but seeing her in person again was making me spiral with anxiety. We both had such busy lives that it was hard to make time for one another. Fortunately, dirty texts and pictures made it feel like she was still close.
I had planned to take her to the bar this evening, Water’s Edge.Thebar. The one where I spent countless significant moments of my life. I thought if I was going to be open and honest with her, there was no better place to do it.
All I had to do was ensure that Ella was occupied and not likely to show up unannounced and catch us there. I knew she would kill me for all the things I had been doing with—and to—Grace. But I couldn’t help it. I was falling hard for her, and I didn’t want Ella to put an end to it. Fortunately, all I had to do was slip Jonas a few hundred dollars to keep her out of the city for the night.
My driver took me to Grace’s apartment and, as much as I wanted to run up the stairs and kiss her as soon as she appeared, I waited patiently inside the car for her to get in. There were many perks to fame and fortune, but there were also plenty of downfalls. This being one of them.
No matter where I was or who I was with, I was almost certainly going to be recognized and photographed. I didn’t usually mind it, but it made it quite difficult to have any kind of a personal life.
Grace was dressed in a black top and ripped up jeans. The perfect look for a rockstar’s girlfriend. Even though she wasn’t my girlfriend. Definitely not. Just the woman I was falling in love with, thinking about every night, and fantasizing about touching. But not my girlfriend.
“Wow,” I said as she slid into the car.
“What?”
“You look…”
