Wesley
“ J ust stay. Don’t you have a dress here from two weeks ago?”
A dress, a few pairs of shoes, shirts, a swimsuit. By that point, Avery was half moved into my New York apartment. Had a key and everything, and that was perfectly fine by me.
It had been three months since Paris, and she stayed pretty much every night, but we were still taking things slow.
Sleeping together really just meant sleeping in my bed where the pillows started to smell like her citrus shampoo. She’d stained one the week before with her hair dye and tried to replace it, but I liked it, a mark that she was there.
We never discussed what we were. It’s not like labels made sense.
We were friends who were married and starting to act like it in our own private way.
Though, “private” might’ve been a stretch.
Each day there were more articles speculating about the nature of our relationship while others playfully detailed the timeline.
Derek and Lydia were working around the clock with our PR teams, trying to spin tales about collaborations and work engagements in addition to our long-time friendship.
“I promised Evelyn we’d go dress shopping after I pick her up at the airport. Isn’t it crazy that she’s almost nineteen?” Avery said as she threw her wallet and keys in her purse. “Where did my sunglasses go?” The stretched neckline of her shirt dipped off one shoulder as she searched.
“Here.” I grabbed the square frames from the top of her head and slid them onto her face. My hand captured hers. “I can’t wait to see what you pick.” I dragged her close. My mouth teased up her neck, following the sharp line of her jaw.
“I have to go. Ev is going to land soon,” she said, but made no move to leave, fingers snagging in my shirt as she pressed against me.
“Can’t Luca do that?” I asked against her mouth. “We could stay here and do this.”
She groaned, tossing her head back in a stream of red waves. I liked that. How she made me feel hard to let go of. “He is, but she’s flying out for my birthday, so I’d like to be there too.”
“I could come.”
“I promise you’ll have all of me soon enough. I want to tell them tonight,” she said, leaning back so she could look me in the eye. “About us.”
“Really?” I perked up, trying not to look too excited in case I was somehow misinterpreting what she meant. I was more than satisfied with what we had, but I wanted to celebrate and talk about her with the people I was closest to.
“I’m tired of hiding something this good.” She gave me one last peck and darted to the door. “See you tonight.”
I was floating, not even caring how much shit the guys were bound to give me. They’d always known and it was finally happening.
It was around noon when Luca called to ask if his girlfriend, Liza, could pick up some of his clothes that got mixed up with mine during our last tour. Apparently, Evelyn was giving him a hard time about looking nice for Avery’s party.
“Your place is nice,” she said as I let her in. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed her black sheet of hair back, it was long and shiny. She was a business student and had come to a few shows. Luca had been with a few girls but this was his most public relationship.
Being around her made my skin crawl, she was always standoffish and had this assessing, hungry gaze. Luca said he liked her because she did a lot of the talking he tried to avoid, but from what I saw, she just liked the parties she got to attend because of Luca more than she liked Luca.
“Thanks?” I said, but it was more of a question. I gestured to the bedroom. “I didn’t fold anything, but the clothes are in here.”
Liza followed me in and picked at the clothes on the bed, scrunching her nose. “I’m not sure about any of these. What do you think?”
“It’s nothing fancy, just a club. Whatever works.” I shrugged.
Abandoning the clothes, she turned to me and plucked at my shirt, making my collar go tight around my neck. “What if I borrowed some of your stuff to let him wear it? It could be our little secret.”
I took a step back, but the fabric was stretched from where she pulled it. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Luca is a good five inches taller than me. I’m not sure that’s a smart plan, unless you want him flashing his ankles.”
Her eyes traveled over me. “That’s a shame.
I thought you’d be more fun. I like Luca, I do.
But he can be so eager to please that it gets boring.
He leaves me frustrated .” She was practically purring as she lowered herself onto my bed.
The skirt she was wearing tugged up around her hips, revealing more of her suntanned legs “But I don’t think you’re boring, Wesley. Won’t you help a girl out?”
My stomach rioted. I hated when this happened. People I’d met once thinking they had access to me and my body. All they had to do was ask and I’d jump at the chance. It made me feel like a cheap object to be passed around.
“You should go, Liza. You’re embarrassing yourself. Don’t bother with Luca’s stuff. I’ll grab it.” I spoke firmly, leaving my room for the kitchen, doing my best to put distance between us. I almost walked right out, but I didn’t think it was smart to leave her there by herself.
A moment later, she stormed past me, head held high. Her fist was clenched around a white bundle of fabric.
“Hey, leave that here,” I said. There was no way I was going to let her stroll out of here and back to Luca after the shit she pulled.
“This isn’t Luca’s, it’s mine. It must have gotten mixed up in his stuff.”
“Glad you found it, so you have no reason to ever come back.”
She huffed and slammed the door as she left.
I gave Luca a call and asked if we could grab lunch. I felt sick, not sure how to explain the situation, but I couldn’t stand to see him with someone who would treat him that way. He deserved someone who wasn’t with him just to use him.
I arrived early and when the metal legs of the chair across from me scraped against the ground, I expected to see my friend.
“This is a cozy little spot.” Maddie’s voice was light and charming. In addition to a linen dress, she wore a smile. My knee banged into the small table causing my water to lap at the edges of my cup and spill over onto the saucer.
“Yeah, but that seat’s taken,” I said.
The pressure of eyes on us made my skin feel tight. Our breakup had been public and messy. She’d made sure to remind me that she still had power even as I moved forward in my life.
I’d started working with Derek, and he was wading through so many fake love child accusations, I was surprised he hadn’t quit.
Some made the light of day. I winced every time I saw them.
Still, the stories started to dwindle, and it gave me hope that Maddie was running out of ammunition.
If I waited it out, she’d have nothing left.
But the media went with it. Interviewers loved it.
I started questioning how these people saw me, if they even gave a damn about my skills or the band.
Most of the time, they just wanted me to flash a smile and flirt.
I remember thinking how I needed to make sure those expectations changed, especially if Avery and I were telling the world about us.
I had Avery. Maddie couldn’t take that from me.
Maddie made a show of looking around, eyes jumping from the single cup on the table to the empty chair. “Looks open to me.”
“You’re bold, showing up where you’re not wanted. I thought I made it clear that everything between us is done.”
“Calm down, you’re making a scene,” she chastised, taking the seat. “You wouldn’t want pictures with your ex circulating now that you’ve gotten close with Avery, would you?” A feline smile curled her lips.
I bristled, spine snapping to attention. “What do you want?”
“You’re making a lot of big changes. I’m worried about you.” She reached forward as if to lay her hand over mine on the table, but I jerked back.
“Worried? You’re the reason I can’t catch a damn break.” I seethed.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Wesley. How could I ever do something like that to you?” She clutched her heart.
“It was just convenient timing? I fire you, and the next day my name’s being dragged through the mud?”
“It’s not my fault Derek can’t protect you the same way I did. I’m connected to all the right people. If you asked nicely, I could make it stop. I want to be there for you.”
“I don’t want anything you can offer me. Nothing you do can hurt me.” I huffed an over-confident laugh. “The more you put out there, the more they talk about me.”
“How does Avery feel about how they talk about you?”
“She knows it’s bullshit. She knows me,” I insisted
“Does she, Wesley? You’re capable of so much, but you need the right guidance or you’ll throw it all away.
She doesn’t know what’s best for you. You told me how she acted about your first album.
That was unfair to you. How loyal is she really?
” That was the worst part about Maddie, she always knew how to hit where it would hurt the most, never allowing anything to heal.
But I wasn’t going to let her take this from me.
“Any other poison you want to drip in my ear? Or are you finally tired of your own voice?” I asked, leaning back in my chair, trying my best to seem unaffected even as a sweat broke out over my brow.
Even out in the open on this patio I felt claustrophobic around Maddie, hyper aware of her limbs so I could avoid even the slightest caustic touch. “I know I am.”
“I guess there’s no point talking if you insist on being hostile. Let me know how Avery likes her gift when it arrives.” She rose, hips swaying as she disappeared into the tide of pedestrians.
I didn’t have time to wonder what she meant because a server was walking up with a bedraggled Luca.