Chapter Twenty-three
Dani
A ndrés and I are lying on the couch when the front door opens hours later.
Maya pauses in the doorway, lifting a perfectly manicured eyebrow. “Well, isn’t this cozy?”
“Where the fuck have you been?” Andrés demands, sitting up and dragging me along with him.
“Excuse you?” Maya tilts her head to the side as she considers us. “I’d like to remind you that you’re inside my apartment right now.”
“I don’t give a fuck where we are. I want to know where the fuck you were when Dani needed you. We left multiple messages letting you know something happened, and yet, here you are just strolling in as if you don’t have a worry in the world.”
I see the worry flash across her face as she pulls out her phone, and I lay a hand on Andrés’s arm. “Don’t.”
Maya’s eyes flash up again, annoyance crossing her face as she stares at us. “Well, it doesn’t seem to be too serious.”
I throw my head back, knowing that’s just going to set off Andrés more.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” He sets me onto the couch before rising to his feet. “Her stalker knows she’s staying here. He left her a box full of photos with whore written all over them and a fucking note.”
Maya glances at me before returning her attention to Andrés. “Pictures of what?”
I make a strangled noise. While we were waiting for Maya to come home, I informed Andrés that I hadn’t told her about us yet.
He glances over his shoulder at me, his face softening. “I should let the two of you talk.”
“And get some sleep,” I tell him with a glare. He’s been up for nearly twenty-four hours, refusing to fall asleep while we were at Maya’s apartment.
“And where do you think I’m going to sleep? You don’t think I’m leaving you here, do you?” He scoffs. “I was just planning to wait in my car. You can’t stay here anymore—neither of you.”
“You can’t tell me what the hell I can or can’t do.” Maya’s hands are on her hips as she glares at Andrés, and I know I need to get him out of here before things get any more out of control.
Sighing, I push to my feet. “Go lie down in my bed and get some sleep. I’ll wake you up after Maya and I finish talking.”
Maya scoffs. “That’s not your bed—it’s mine.”
I lift my eyebrows as I turn to her. “Did you invite me to stay here or not?”
“I did.”
“Then for now, it’s my bed. I’m not sure what crawled up your ass, but I’m going to need you to rein in this shit because we have to have a very serious conversation.”
She purses her lips, looking like she wants to argue, but eventually throws her hands in the air. “Fine.”
“Don’t take any shit from her,” Andrés mumbles as he leans down to kiss me. “Come cuddle with me when you’re done.”
I shake my head, unable to wipe the smile off my face as I watch him walk down the hallway.
“So the two of you are a thing now?” Maya asks, her voice carefully blank.
I turn back to her with a frown, but I can see the hurt in her eyes. “Kind of…I mean, yes, but not just the two of us—Jason and Victor, too. Or we will be. I don’t know. We all still have to sit down and talk about everything.”
“So, that’s it then?” she asks, looking away. “You’re just with them and done with me.”
“That’s not at all what I said. Fucking hell, Maya. Can you calm down for a minute and let me tell you what happened?”
“How long has this been going on behind my back? Were the four of you laughing at me during the shoot, na?ve Maya, who didn’t know she was about to be abandoned?”
I blink at her, shaking my head. “Stop it, Maya. That’s not at all what happened. Andrés and I got together after the shoot when he admitted he felt something for me. Then last night, Jason and Victor admitted the same thing. I like them, Maya. I always have. This can’t really come as a surprise.”
“If that was the case, then why were you sleeping with me?”
“Because I fucking love you, you idiot.” My eyes widen as I realize what I just admitted to her.
Maya sits frozen on the couch, her eyes on the wall.
“Look, Maya…”
“What was Andrés talking about? He said something happened? Something about pictures and a letter?”
I don’t want to let her change the subject like this, but this is something she needs to know.
“The pictures were of me and Andrés in the Behind the Lens parking lot—when we had sex in the backseat of my rental. Then, more of me, Jason, and Victor at their place.”
She scoffs. “Let me guess—you were fucking them too? You know what? Don’t answer that. What did the letter say?”
“That they were willing to deal with my whore—I think they were talking about you—but that the men had to go. They threatened to kill them and told me they were coming for me soon.” I sigh, running a hand through my hair.
“That’s why I can’t stay here. Honestly, I should probably leave town so I don’t put any of you in any more danger than you’re already in. ”
Maya shakes her head. “Maybe you should’ve thought about that before now. It seems your stalker already knows all about us. Maybe if you weren’t constantly fucking people on your channel, you wouldn’t have a stalker that calls you a whore.”
My head jerks as I take a step away from her. Did she just—
“You think you can just throw that shit in people’s faces and they won’t have a problem with it?
” She jumps to her feet, pacing across the floor as if she’s not breaking my heart right now.
“No one wants to pay to see someone being a whore. This person wouldn’t think they had a chance with you if you didn’t bring on a new person practically every week to your channel. ”
It feels like she’s taking a knife to my heart as I take another step back—especially since her words aren’t true. Yes, I’ve had multiple people on my channel, but in the last year, it’s only been her, Andrés, and Victor.
Is this really how she feels about me? Has she been hiding this kind of anger from me?
How did we get here?
How did I get here?
My eyes snag on my keys and cell phone sitting on the kitchen counter, and I grab them. I can’t just stand here listening to her call me a whore. Listening to her tell me it’s my fault I have a stalker. Listening to her belittle the relationships I’m trying to build.
If she felt this way, I just don’t understand why she stuck around.
With a gasped sob, I spin on my heel and run for the door.
“Dani?”
I don’t answer her as she calls after me, just fling open the door and take off down the hallway.
“Fuck, Dani, I’m sorry! Come back!”
I can hear Maya following me, but I fly down the stairs and out of the building. I drop my keys when I reach the car, but I grab them and fumble with them until I can unlock the door.
“Dani!” Maya screams, and I look up to see her in the entrance to her building with wide eyes.
No, I can’t do this.
I start the car, not bothering to put on my seat belt as I tear out of the parking lot.
My phone immediately begins ringing, but I send it to voicemail before putting it on silent.
I don’t care what she has to say.