CHAPTER TEN
ELISE
“EVERY TIME I think I’ve figured Nathan out, he goes and does something to remind me that he’s impossible to deal with.” I said, collapsing into the nearest chair.
“Meaning?” Kelsey lifted one of her perfectly shaped brows as she sat in front of the vanity mirror, adjusting her silver wig.
I sighed. I hadn’t told Kelsey about the dinner in Nathan’s office early this week. Partly because there was a part of me that thinks I imagined it all, and the other half of me thinks talking about it would make it seem like it was a bigger deal than it was. And it wasn’t. Right?
“He invited me to have dinner in his office on Monday,” I began, then quickly added, “and yes, I know we’ve had meals together before in the past, but this one felt different.” I confessed.
“Different how?” Kelsey pinned me with a look that said she was waiting for me to continue.
“I don’t know...lighter? If that even makes sense.
” I toyed with my fingers, trying to find the right words.
In all my time working for Nathan he’s never voluntarily asked me to have a meal with him.
Don’t even get me started on voluntarily sharing anything personal.
Despite the fact that I’ve worked for him for three years, I didn’t know more about him than what could be found with a simple Google search.
But Monday night that changed. “Not only did we eat together, where, for once, I wasn’t flagging down a waitress because they didn’t bring him his preferred brandy or because the steak was cooked half a degree past medium rare, but we actually talked.
Like real people.” We talked about his mom.
I never got the chance to meet her before she died, but from the way Nathan spoke about her and lit up at the memory of her, I knew she was a special woman.
“From everything you’ve told me about him and everything I’ve seen myself, that doesn’t sound like the Mr. Asshole that just drove you to give your one month notice.”
Monday night’s dinner wasn’t just unexpected, it was completely out of character. Nathan Edge didn’t do sentiment. Didn’t do vulnerability. Didn’t linger over Pepsi and curly fries. But that night? He did all of it.
And that’s what messed me up the most. Because for an hour, I saw a version of Nathan I didn’t know existed. Someone thoughtful. Someone warm. Someone who looked at me like maybe he saw more than just an assistant he could rely on to clean up his messes.
But then last night? The real Nathan Edge appeared at Bark & Barrel. And I was stupid enough to hope the dinner and the Nia opportunity meant something.
“Whatever. Doesn’t matter now,” I muttered, shaking my head. “He made it crystal clear who he really is.”
“Come on, Elle,” Kelsey said, her tone softening. “Take a breath, focus on the fact that in just a few weeks you won’t be his assistant anymore and he’ll be someone else’s headache. Don’t let him ruin your day. And if you really need to, borrow my wig and go into hiding for a bit.”
The wig in question was her signature silver one, the key to transforming her into her alter ego, Popstar and R&B sensation, Rhodium.
The world had no idea that Kelsey Henderson, my best friend, was a bona fide celebrity.
A chart-topping, silver-haired singer with a devoted fanbase known as Rhodies.
You’d never guess that she once worked as a waitress serving greasy burgers and fries our junior year of high school, not with her shimmering Cartier necklace and the customized Victoria Secret corset top and matching shorts that she was currently sporting.
Only a few select people knew that Rhodium and Kelsey were the same person.
The wig, the stage makeup, the confidence, it all transformed her.
Offstage, Kelsey wore sweats, her braids, and sipped from a scratched metal water bottle she'd had since college.
Rhodium wore diamonds, sky-high heels, and always rocked a full-face of makeup.
But Kelsey never let fame change her. Even now, with her army of Rhodies worshiping her every move, she was still the same girl on the inside.
The girl who would burn popcorn in the microwave, or call me when she couldn’t find her favorite tattered hoodie like she didn’t have access to a legion of the world’s best designers at the snap of her fingers.
I had known Kelsey long before she was a household name. When we first met, she was the new girl in middle school, and I’d offered to share my textbook with her until she got her own. We’d long since left our middle school days behind, but our friendship had only grown stronger with time.
Between my dancing skills and Kelsey’s singing, we’d sometimes joke that we should take our act on the road and become a two-women show.
I had the chance to live part of my dream as Rhodium’s choreographer and occasionally, one of her backup dancers.
While being on stage and dancing alongside my best friend was more than I could ask for, there was still a part of me that wanted more.
Not more fame. Just more space. A chance to be seen.
To take center stage instead of standing in someone else’s glow.
Whether it was behind Kelsey’s spotlight or Nathan’s desk, I was always orbiting around someone else’s world.
But I wanted my own. Even if I didn’t quite know how to get there yet.
My family never took me being a dancer seriously. To them, it was a pipe dream. They associated the word “dance” with what they saw on TV, so when I told my parents I wanted to be a dancer, they thought I meant shaking my ass in a thong on camera.
People had their opinions on the craft, but no matter if it was moving provocatively in a music video or executing a perfect plié in ballet, dance was an art form.
Hip-hop and Heels dance was how I expressed myself, which was one of the reasons I left my small city in Florida to move to LA, much to my parents’ dismay.
If it were up to my dad, I’d be wearing a white coat somewhere taking vitals, and he’d be bragging to anyone who would listen that his daughter was in the medical field.
He’s never directly said he’s disappointed in my aspirations, but I could feel it.
Maybe that’s why I couldn’t afford to give up. I had to prove him wrong.
I let out a small laugh, despite myself. “Keep that wig on standby.”
“Okay, let’s just think about this rationally,” Kelsey said, briefly shutting her eyes while her stylist sprayed hairspray.
“If you want to forget about this whole thing and move on, there’s a much easier way to do that than agonizing over it.
You know what you need? A distraction.” Kelsey announced.
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I want to hear this.”
“No, trust me.” Kelsey leaned in, her voice lowering conspiratorially.
“You need to let loose. Have a little fun. It’s been forever since you’ve gone on a date or, hell, just hooked up with someone.
You’ve been wrapped up in work and Nathan, but now,” She gestured vaguely to the world outside, “Now, you’re about to be free.
It’s been forever. You need to get laid. ”
“It hasn’t been that long,” I blushed. “I have my dancing to keep me busy.”
“Trust me, one night doesn’t have to turn into a whole saga.
You need someone who’ll only be there for a fun time.
That’s what you’re missing, Elise. A little bit of ‘me time’ with no strings attached.
And hey, if you’re not into the whole casual thing, I could always set you up on some dates.
I know a few guys who I feel you’d hit it off with. ” Kelsey said.
“No dates,” I replied immediately, my hands up in protest. “I don’t think I trust myself to get it right this time.”
“Oh, I get it. You’re holding out for that hot boss of yours,” Kelsey smirked, her lips now glossy from a fresh coat of lipgloss. “Makes sense.”
“I’m not,” I said firmly. “And I don’t need your help in my dating life either. Promise me you will stay out of it.”
“Promise.”
I didn’t believe her for a second.
Kelsey stood up and followed after her stylist so she could finish getting dressed for a private performance at some influencer’s birthday party, mumbling something to herself about getting Elise laid. I started to follow her, but something sparkly caught my attention.
A necklace—delicate, diamond-studded, shaped like a heart rested in a glass display case on the makeup table, glinting under the vanity lights.
I was sitting on the bathroom floor, knees drawn to my chest, my thin tank top clinging to my skin with sweat. My cheek throbbed, hot and aching. The echo of Jax’s voice still rang through the apartment.
“You made me do this, Elise! You pushed me!”
My ribs burned from where he’d shoved me into the counter. The metallic tang of blood coated my mouth. I pressed myself into the corner, trembling, trying to disappear.
The door creaked open.
“Baby,” Jax said softly, crouching in front of me.
His hand lifted like he meant to touch my cheek but I flinched, and he froze.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “You know I didn’t mean to hurt you.
” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a velvet box, and opened it.
The necklace inside sparkled under the flickering bathroom light, simple and elegant.
The kind of thing I once imagined someone giving me when they loved me.
“I got this for you,” he said. “I know it doesn’t make up for tonight, but I wanted you to have it. ”
I stared at the pendant as he fastened it around my neck, the cool metal brushing against my skin, too soft, like it could erase the bruises.
“I love you,” Jax whispered.
I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to believe him.
But even then, something inside me knew. This wasn’t love.
“Elise? Are you okay?” Zoe, Rhodium’s makeup artist, questioned, pulling me out of the memory and reminding me that I was backstage moments away from dancing in front of a live audience.
In most Haitian households, daughters weren’t allowed to date until we were out of our parent’s house. A crush? Forget about it. A boyfriend? That was a foreign concept, something only whispered about in the safety of school halls or late-night sleepovers.
I never resented my parents, mainly my father, for his over-protection growing up, but there were times when I wished I was allowed to date when I was younger, because maybe then I would’ve been wiser and more perceptible of Jax’s red flags, which ended up being numerous.
I’ll never forget the last time Jax and I were in the same room.
That memory is what haunts my sleeping hours the most, along with every single one since the moment I looked into those green eyes.
The faint scent of cherry blossoms swarmed around me and I forced my heart not to pound so hard before a gentle hand landed on my shoulder.
I turned my body to face Kelsey, and guilt swirled through me when I saw the concern in her eyes and the knot between her brows.
She had her own history of abuse, one she created a whole separate identity just to get away from, but over the past year, she’d been my anchor in ways I didn’t even know how to ask for.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, though I’m afraid my trembling hands betrayed me.
Kelsey frowned, placing a gentle hand on my arm. “No, you’re not. You’re shaking.”
“It’s the necklace,” I finally admitted, my voice cracking. I gestured toward the display case. “Jax got me one just like it one night to apologize for...” I couldn’t finish the sentence, my voice faltered as tears sprang to my eyes.
Kelsey pulled me into a hug, shielding me from the chaos in the dressing room. “Hey, hey. You’re safe. I promise you, he’s not here. He can’t hurt you anymore. Breathe with me, okay?”
I nodded against her shoulder, trying to match her slow, steady breaths.
“I can fire my stylist if you want,” Kelsey murmured. “Or I can grab that necklace and smash it with a hammer. Your call.”
Unable to help myself, laughter spilled out of me, though tears still streamed down my cheeks. “Thanks, Kels.”
“Anytime,” Kelsey said, holding me tighter.
I nodded, forcing a smile that felt more like a mask.
“Alright,” Kelsey said, brushing under my eyes.
“Dry those tears. We’ve got a performance to kill.
” She grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the stage.
“Come on. Let’s go. I’ll even let you buy me a hot dog after. ”
A weak laugh slipped out of me. “You’re the one with the money.”
“Please,” she scoffed. “That all goes to my manager, my stylist, my label—”
I shook my head, the tension in my chest loosening just a fraction. She was trying to distract me. And it was working. For the most part.
As much as I didn’t want to think about it, Jax’s release date was around the corner and the thought of him free again made my skin crawl.
He made a promise that he would come back for me and the moment he did, my past would come crashing into my present and there was no telling how far he’d go to keep his promise.
It didn’t matter if I was home, across the city, or on a different planet, Jax Henley was always with me, silently reminding me that I would never be free of him, no matter how hard I tried.