Chapter Twenty-Eight
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
By the time Kya made it to the party, Quinn had already kicked things off. But she hadn’t missed a beat. Quinn’s voice, raw with emotion, had floated over the hotel grounds as Kya raced across the garden towards the pool deck. At the guarded gates, she flashed her neon green bracelet and was granted access. Kya stumbled forward, out of breath, searching for the stage. Finally, there she was. Arms outstretched, conducting the crowd as only she could. They were chanting her name. Kya couldn’t breathe, let alone speak.
That was how Ivy found her, moments later, motionless, in awe. She grabbed Kya’s arm and pulled her away from the entrance. Apparently, she’d been blocking the flow of traffic. The security guards had been trying to get her attention for a while.
‘Are you okay?’ Ivy asked.
‘I’m fine,’ Kya replied, trying to hide her turmoil. ‘Nice to see you again.’
‘Yeah, same.’ She turned to a tall, lanky Asian woman next to her. ‘This is Amanda, Quinn’s friend since childhood.’
‘Actually, we despised one another as children, but I’ll let Quinn tell you that story,’ Amanda said. Her accent echoed Quinn’s.
Kya recognized Amanda from the framed photograph on Quinn’s bookcase, the third member of the so-called Spice Girls. In the photo, her smile took over her face and she winked at the camera. Here now, her fine features were composed as she studied Kya carefully.
‘Nice to meet you,’ Kya said.
‘Likewise. I’ve heard so much about you.’
‘All good things, I promise,’ Ivy said. ‘Did you just get here? Come hang with us.’
No sooner than the offer was made, it was rescinded. ‘Actually, I’ll catch up with you guys later. You’ll be okay with Amanda, right?’
‘What kind of question is that?’ Amanda asked, offended. ‘Of course she’ll be okay. Where are you off to?’
‘Anywhere but here.’
Ivy turned and walked briskly away. Kya and Amanda watched her go until the crowd swallowed her slim figure.
‘Any idea what got into her?’ Amanda asked, bewildered.
The answer was obvious when Victor, trailed by Nick, approached.
‘Amanda?’ Victor said. ‘Is that you? Long time no see, girl!’
Amanda shook her head. ‘Vic, if you’re going to spoil my night, have the decency to come up with something more original than that.’
Victor raised his hands, defenceless. ‘I’m not here to spoil anything. I’ve been looking forward to Quinn performing at BLU for a minute. This is the perfect venue for her.’
‘We’ll pass on the message,’ Amanda said.
Vic’s handsome face crumbled. ‘Why the attitude?’ he asked. ‘We used to be cool.’
‘Are you certain?’
‘No matter what Ivy’s told you, I’m not the bad guy,’ he said. ‘Things are complicated; that’s all.’
Amanda shrugged. ‘You don’t have to explain yourself to me. No one can fully understand what goes down between a man and a woman; I get that. But if you’re not the bad guy, why did Ivy turn and run the instant she spotted you?’
Victor looked around as if just now noticing Ivy’s absence. ‘Like I said, it’s complicated.’
Amanda sighed. ‘Uh-huh.’
Oddly enough, Kya’s sympathies were with Vic. No one could fully understand what went down between a man and a woman, or a woman and a woman, for that matter. Things could get complicated fairly easily. There was no better explanation.
‘Hey, Kya,’ Victor said. ‘You look good tonight. I got something for you.’
That was a surprise. ‘Yeah? What’ve you got?’
‘Hold on. Give me one sec.’
While Victor rifled through his wallet for whatever fun surprise he had in store for Kya, Nick nudged him aside and introduced himself.
‘Amanda,’ she replied. She draped an arm over Kya’s shoulders. ‘This is my new friend Kya.’
‘Kya’s everyone’s new friend,’ Nick mumbled.
‘What was that?’ Amanda asked.
‘We’ve run into each other a few times. That’s all.’
‘All we do is run into each other,’ Kya confirmed.
‘All right, then,’ Amanda said, putting an end to the awkward exchange.
Victor produced a business card. ‘Remember I told you I’d hook you up?’
‘Not really, no.’
‘The day we were all at Quinn’s—’
‘What day was that?’ Nick interrupted.
‘Give me a break. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning. Anyway, you were on the phone, crying—’
It was Kya’s turn to interrupt. ‘I wasn’t crying!’
She remembered that much.
He handed over the card. ‘Anyway, I told you I’d hook you up with a friend.’
Kya ran her fingertip over the familiar embossed lettering.
BioFlow Enterprises
Corinne Miller, CEO
If Kya believed in signs, she’d count this as one.
‘Corinne does some really impressive things,’ Victor said. ‘I don’t know too much about it, but her company was featured in Forbes last year. She’s a family friend, and a cool lady. You’ll like her.’
‘I met Corinne at an event last night,’ Kya said. ‘You’re right, she is cool.’
‘See? What did I tell you?’ he gloated. ‘Give her a call.’
‘Thanks,’ Kya said. ‘I might do that.’
When the guys left to antagonize another group of unsuspecting women, Kya slipped the card in her back pocket and put it out of her mind. She’d missed ten per cent of Quinn’s opening set. For some, the music was background noise or a beat to jump around to. To Kya, it was personal.
‘That Nick is kind of hot,’ Amanda said.
Kya whipped around and studied her face. Was she serious? ‘I wouldn’t know about that,’ she said cautiously.
‘His attitude is rubbish, though.’
‘Pure trash,’ Kya agreed.
‘Let’s move closer to the stage. Ivy will find us, eventually.’
There was nothing Kya wanted more than to get closer to Quinn. On stage, surrounded by a sea of people, she was beyond her reach. With a twist of a knob, she stripped the melody of a popular song leaving only the heartbeat of the baseline. With the spotlight framing her face, she was once again the enigmatic angel who’d so intimidated Kya at the start. She travelled back in time, revisiting the key beats of their story in an effort to re-thread their feeble connection. The moody ladies’ room of a speakeasy, the bright smoothie bar of a fitness club, Adrian’s kitchen, the pool, the pool hall, the park, her parked car, her music studio, the back alley of a club, bungalow number 2. Each encounter had tightened the ring around them, drawing them closer.
Did they have a future? No. Would this last past this one week? No. Would Kya draw the wrong kind of attention and get dragged online? Yes. Would it be worth it? Absolutely.
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Amanda asked. ‘You’ve been staring into space for a bit now.’
‘I’m fine.’ Though truthfully, she felt light-headed. ‘It’s just I can’t believe how much time I’ve wasted.’
‘No, we’re good,’ Amanda said. ‘The night is young. For now, we’re taking in the lie of the land. But things will get wild in a second.’
‘I mean with Quinn!’ Kya cried. ‘We don’t have much time and I wasted a whole day.’
Amanda’s eyes widened with understanding. ‘Oh! I see!’ She motioned for Kya to carry on. ‘What happened today?’
‘We had a fight.’
That wasn’t exactly true, Kya thought. She’d laid out her conditions, then Quinn had done the same, and now they were no longer speaking to each other.
‘I wouldn’t worry too much about it. She’ll never admit it, but she gets nervous before gigs. Look at her now. She’s in her element, having fun. That row will be old news before the night is over.’
Kya wasn’t convinced. ‘She’s an angel, and I’m blowing it.’
Amanda took her hand in hers and patted it like a concerned grandma. ‘Sweetie, are you a little drunk?’
‘I haven’t had a drink all day!’
‘This is just you?’
‘Just me … falling to pieces.’
‘Or falling in love. Whatever. What do I know?’
Kya hastily withdrew her hand. Amanda laughed. ‘Relax, darling!’ she said. ‘Quinn fancies you, and she doesn’t hold grudges. I promise you, it’s all going to work out.’
‘You’re right.’
‘I know I’m right,’ Amanda said. ‘How about we get you a drink?’
Kya shook her head. No more delays or detours. ‘Get me to the stage.’