Chapter 9
nine
. . .
The next day, Kier headed out by noon, stating he had another press run with Kaori.
He offered for me to go, but I opted to stay behind.
Staying gave Treasure and me some time to ourselves.
I used his Ninja slushie machine and made some pina colada drinks.
We had them at the poolside, after eating sandwiches he had delivered.
Treasure sipped coolly and basked in the sun.
“Dang, Sibley, is this how you’ve been living? I could get used to this.” She said.
“Isn’t this place beautiful?” I added.
She sighed in relief as a smile spread across her face. “Keep laying that coochie on him, I’m enjoying the benefits.”
I sat up from the lounge chair, looking and smiling at her awkwardly until I couldn’t hold my laugh in anymore.
“What, Sibley?” She asked, now sitting up too and sipping on her drink.
“We haven’t had sex yet.”
“Are you serious?” Her mouth hung open. “The separate rooms make sense now. I don’t know what I thought y’all was doing, but not fucking certainly wasn’t it.”
“Treasure, please!” I could barely contain myself from laughing. “We are taking things slow.”
“Well, speed things up, your coochie is the key to my success!”
“Um, can we please not put all of your hopes and dreams on my kitty?”
“Hell, why not? If he putting you up like this off your face card alone, there’s no telling what the kitty will earn you!”
“My goodness, Treasure, you ain’t got no chill.”
“But you love me anyway!”
“And do,” I cosigned her. “I don’t know though, Tre.
I wanna take it there with him, but I don’t want to rush, I’m scarred.
I read my lab results every day, making sure they didn’t miss anything.
And I’m still so mad at Tara and Damien.
And paparazzi are everywhere, and some girl keep popping up! It’s all too much.”
“Woah, slow down bestie, one thing at a time. Let’s start backwards. What girl?”
“When we went to the studio the other day, and he kicked everyone out, a woman stayed behind. Well, I don’t even know if she was there prior or popped up. But she was there.”
“And what happened?”
“That’s just it. Nothing. But the point was, she stuck around long enough for him to notice her. Their interaction felt like, like I don’t know.”
“Well, did you ask him who she was?”
“No, I don’t feel like I have the right to.”
“Um.” Treasure took a sip of her drink as I did. “Did anything else happen?”
“Nope. But she was at the listening party last night. I saw him hug her, but at the same time he hugged everyone, you know? So, girl, I don’t know. The fact that I even paid so much attention to it bothers me too.”
“Well, I understand not wanting to ask him about her. But you need to figure something out because you will start to overthink.”
I gasped. “Tre, that’s the same thing he said! Not about that but just in general.”
“Well, it’s clear he pays attention. When you don’t say much, I know you’re in your head. And you only do that when you care.”
I said nothing because she was right. Treasure took the pitcher and poured us more of the slushie. We then took our cups with us and sat on the edge of the pool, letting our feet sink under the water.
“What about the paparazzi, you mentioned them too?”
“Nothing really, they just make me feel naked. Like all eyes are on me.”
“Because they are, Sibley, for many reasons. You are literally dating Kier Stone girl!” She laughed, nudging my shoulder.
“But all jokes aside, Kier is not in the media like that. So, since he is out and about, that’s starting lots of conversations.
And the fact that he is being seen with a woman is huge.
I know how these bloggers think. They want the story so they can get paid. ”
“That’s crazy.” I chimed in, sipping my drink. “I didn’t ask for any of that. And if it’s unsettling for me, I wonder how it feels for him.”
“And let me say this, they don’t care what bones they dig up. They don’t care who they hurt; hell, they don’t even care about the truth. It’s all about engagement and money. So, fuck the paparazzi, Sibley. And fuck Damien and Tara too.
“Ugh.” I scoffed, forgetting and regretting I even brought them up. “I’m so mad at Tara. She calls me every single day. She even sent some long-ass email that I refuse to read. Hell, I don’t need closure that bad, have you spoken to her?”
“Yeah, she’s been calling me, but I’m keeping it short.”
“Tre, you don’t have to ignore her on my behalf. Y’all have a friendship too.”
“I love Tara, I do.” Treasure replied. “But trust is important to me and knowing she did you so dirty, whew, I just, I’m in shock. I can’t fuck with her right now. But forget all that, what are you gonna do about Stone?”
“I’m going with the flow. I’m going to let things happen as naturally as possible. I’m enjoying him, and I’m not planning to hold back anymore.”
Treasure and I continued sipping on our drinks. The sun sat high, warming my skin while the water lapped around our legs in slow, steady waves.
Treasure leaned back on her hands, tilting her face toward the sun. “I’m not even gonna lie,” she said. “I like this for you.”
I glanced over at her. “You like the house and perks, or you like him?”
She grinned. “Both. But mostly, I love a less stressful bestie! So, keep it going, no stress, okay?”
I let out a small breath, looking back out toward the water. “I’m trying not to.”
“And that’s all you can do.”
Treasure and I stayed out there a while longer, letting the sun do what it does best. The conversation passed from Kier, to Tara, to everything that had been heavy, and transitioned into lighter times.
Later back inside, Treasure disappeared into her room to take a call, and I lingered in the kitchen for a second, rinsing out my glass before setting it in the sink.
Leaning against the counter, I let the day soak in.
There was a simplicity to Malibu that made it easy to forget how unusual the situation actually was.
I thought about the beach, the studio, and the way Kier looked at me as if he knew something I was still trying to figure out.
For once, I didn’t attempt to overanalyze it.
I just let it be what it was. When Kier came home later, we ordered food and watched movies.
I couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen half of my favorite flicks.
Malibu didn’t last too much longer after that.
The three days Treasure stayed there came and went.
We’d been back to the studio a few times, Kier had some things to wrap up on his end, and before I knew it, two weeks had quickly passed, and we were packing again.
The flight to our next destination was quiet.
It felt like Kier and I communicated with our eyes only, as if we held a quiet agreement.
He didn’t tell me where we were going, just said it would be a much-needed surprise.
I sat by the window, watching the landscape change the closer we got.
The ocean disappeared first, replaced by dry land that stretched out farther than I was used to.
Everything looked wide, still, and almost untouched.
Kier switched seats, sitting next to me.
I dozed off after snuggling against him. By the time we woke up, we’d arrived.