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I roll my eyes. Indeed, I do know how that goes. It’s never just a quick coffee and chat with him, so I know she’ll likely arrive long after the meet and greet is over.
“Sounds fine,” I mutter as I wipe the sleep from my eyes. “Speaking of coffee….”
“Already on it. It’s ready in the other room,” she says. “I’ve got to run. Can you get yourself ready, or should I send over the new makeup team?”
It’s tempting to ask her to send the ladies over, because I’m dying to make friends with them, but I also know that if they come over, I’ll probably be late. I shake my head. “No, I can do it. I’ve got a few new Weave presets I’m dying to try out.”
Margot heads to the door, but before she opens it, she looks back at me. I can’t help but notice a look of sadness in her eyes. Furrowing my brow, I open my mouth to ask her what’s bothering her, but she heads out the door too quickly for me to get the words out.
What was that all about?
* * *
Twenty minutes later on the dot, someone knocks on my door, and when I check through the peep hole, I smile. Xavian is standing there in a plain white T-shirt that hugs every single one of his corded muscles. He’s also wearing a pair of sunglasses that make him look far too serious for his own good, and his hair is tied back in a sleek ponytail. Sometimes I’m jealous of how effortless his hair care seems, while my own hair takes me at least forty-five minutes just to straighten.
I swing open the door and let out a giggle-snort that makes him raise his brow.
“What? What’s so funny?”
Pointing to his sunglasses, I say, “What’s the deal? Are those new? They make you look like Wesley Snipes.”
He hooks his thumbs into his pockets and stares me down. “Wesley— Kal, how do you even know who that is? He hasn’t been relevant in centuries.”
I shrug. “What? I like classic movies. In fact, I was watchingBlade: Trinitylast night on Turner Classic Movies. I’m surprised they get Terra and Luna channels out here.”
“What, not even the firstBlade?” he asks as he steps through the door, glancing around, probably for any signs of life. “Margot sure did leave fast, huh?”
I ignore the latter question. “Nope! Seen it already. Plus, it was a marathon, and I missed the others early in the evening.” I’m all ready to go, with my bag packed and ready for the day, and Xavian turns around to peer at me over the glasses.
“I’m annoyed Margot left you here by yourself,” he says in a deep voice that sends a thrill straight down to my thighs. It’s criminal, the way even the sound of his voice affects me so easily.
I shrug. “It’s fine. There’s security everywhere in this hotel.”
He must’ve passed at least twenty security guards on his way up here. Still, his throat bobs as he looks over his shoulder again, toward the window.
“Not as many around today as I’d like, if I’m being honest. Well, you ready to meet your adoring public, princess?” He looks me up and down, and I feel a wave of self-consciousness hit me all at once. It must be the sunglasses. If I can’t see where his eyes are roaming, it sets me on edge. He must sense my discomfort, because he steps forward and takes my hand. Gently, like he’s petting a spooked animal. “It’s going to be a long day, so I packed you some snacks and water in the jet.”
* * *
The meet and greet is held in the city center, a bright square of white stones and unique buildings of curved glass that reach toward the clouds. The light reflecting off the glass hurts my eyes, so I take a page out of Xavian’s book and don a pair of sunglasses. The rest of my security detail is there to usher me behind a table in the center of a mosaic depicting a large sun beaming down on the ocean below.
I still have plenty of time before the first guests arrive through the corral gates, and Xavian digs out a bottle of water from his knapsack.
“Here, drink. It’s already scorching out,” he says, thrusting the bottle into my hands.
I pop the top off the bottle and take a long gulp of the crystal blue water. Bottled water on this planet is … interesting. Instead of being clear, it comes in colors, which vary depending on which region the water comes from, the minerals in it, and its PH levels. But when I drink from the bottle, it just tastes like normal water. Clean water, but normal.
Now all I can think about is Lacie, and how she’d probably love this stuff.
Xavian stands beside me, ever the professional, and lets out a low grunt when the first few guests are let through the corral. “Here we go. You ready, princess?”
I look up at him and smile. “Of course I am. I’ve done this a million times before. They’re pretty boring. Are you going to be okay standing in the sun for the next hour?”
“Don’t worry about me,” he mutters.
I may have done this a million times before, but deep inside, I’m trembling like a newborn foal trying to find my balance. Everything that could go wrong dances at the back of my mind. I feel barely lucid, smiling at my first fan as she steps up to the table wearing a T-shirt with my face on it.
We smile for a selfie, I sign some of her swag, and then she’s gone. Xavian is completely silent beside me as he scans the crowd. Distantly, I can make out beeps and boops from the other security guard’s terminals as they murmur to one another. I’d feel so much better if Margot were here right now. She would at least be able to cut through the leaden silence. It’s funny. I never thought I’d actually miss her nagging.
