46. Kameron
Chapter forty-six
Kameron
The absolute last thing I’d expected to walk in on was Cassidy and Nalini dancing in the living room to my old concert movie.
Or getting a lecture from my daughter about how I’d failed to tell her I was actually famous instead of fake famous, or her telling me she was glad Nalini and I were dating.
It was obvious I’d missed something on my drive back from the city, but whatever it was, it was clearly for the better.
“How did things go?” Nalini asked after I’d wrangled my daughter into bed.
“Weird,” I finally said, “Mel’s handling most of it and working with the lawyers.
Jack apparently gave her Power of Attorney for things like this, which honestly is one of the smartest things he’s ever done.
I’m not sure if there’s going to be a lawsuit, but probably a restraining order.
And Jack’s place has to be rekeyed. Again. ”
“Yikes,” Nalini grimaced before filling me in on what she'd learned at her yoga class. Which was about what I’d expected based on the messages I'd already read.
I hated that Cassidy had found out about us this way, but she seemed to be taking it well — especially when she kept referring to Nalini exclusively as my girlfriend the rest of the night.
“Have you thought about what you want our statement to say?” I asked, “Mel was getting on me for answers when I left.”
“Tell the world,” Nalini said with a calmness I hadn’t expected, “I’m tired of hiding.
And honestly, I’m hoping the call for privacy and the way you’ve won over the town will make sure we get the peace we want.
When Cass and I climbed the back fence today to avoid the photographers, Mrs. Reynolds literally took her broom and went out to yell at them.
And maybe hit them with the broom; I didn’t stay to watch. ”
“Apparently I needed to talk to her and not the mayor,” I laughed. I'd believed the elderly woman hated me, but it seemed like I was wrong. “Here’s Mel’s draft, and we can decide if it needs any edits,” I said, handing her my phone only to reread it over her shoulder.
Normally I’m not one to comment on rumors; I wanted to clarify a few things.
First: I am dating Nalini, and yes, she is the Nalini that Jack wrote a song about years ago.
They were teenagers, and we’ve all grown up and decided the song shouldn’t have been released in the first place.
While it won’t be removed from our catalogue, it is being retired both for Nalini’s sanity (the hate was intense and uncalled for) and for our own personal growth.
We’re going to do better — and yes, Jack knows about the relationship and is okay with it.
Second: Our privacy has been severely violated.
People should not be spying on either of us, acting on behalf of anyone, or selling gossip about us for stories.
Neither of us were ready for the world to know about our relationship yet, and the fact we have to say this not because we chose to, but were forced to, is not something I want to see continuing.
If you’re a fan of mine, you know privacy is important to me.
And if you violate that, you’re no fan of mine.
If there’s anything to share, we’ll share it — but in our own time.
Nalini never asked for a life in the public eye, and I will protect her privacy to the same degree I protect my kid’s.
If you push, there will be consequences.
The third: there’s been a lot of speculation about RaineFall, and while we’re not ready to announce anything yet… you might want to keep your eyes peeled - there might be something in the works. We’re just still getting it ready.
-Kam
“It’s perfect,” Nalini whispered as she read it, “but are you sure you want to let the RaineFall cat out of the bag right now?”
“I ended up talking to my brothers today, and we decided we’re going to go for it,” I smiled, “and I think we’re finally at the place where we’re willing to figure out how without hating each other this time around.”
Nalini turned and kissed me, and laid her head on my shoulder as I pulled up my newly logged-in-by-Mel social media pages and published the statement everywhere.
For the first time in a long time, everything felt right, and I could see from her face she felt as much at peace with our decisions as I did.
And if we were able to handle this, we could handle anything.