Chapter 33
CHAPTER 33
D ylan sat on her couch, staring at his hands clasped between his knees, a guy pose that a woman would never sit in. The Thinker? Mallory rubbed her temple. No, not the right pose.
Why hadn’t he left? Her heart tripped and her throat turned dry. She went to the kitchen to find water. There were bottles in the fridge. Ah, blessed liquid coolness.
She held onto the refrigerator handle and leaned against the stainless-steel surface while all the questions she didn’t want to ask flooded her champagne-sloshed mind.
Why was he here? To return her imaginary charger? That meant he wanted to give her more of a rundown on the breakup. Why? Did he really want to list her flaws so he felt better about his decision?
Did he like the drama? Want a fight? Want to argue? Want to apologize for being wrong? Get back together immediately and have makeup sex?
Ha.
Was he just a nice guy making sure she was okay?
Oddly, freaking likely.
She didn’t need that. That wouldn’t help her move on. Her knees quaked. Looking forward to brighter days was rough sometimes.
Mallory wanted to go over to the window and search for a glimpse of a happy scene, but she didn’t want him to see her stumble.
Screw it. She was checking out the sky for stars. Mallory walked with controlled care to the window overlooking the river. In the city center, there were enough lights to still see the dark ripples on the water, but the cloud cover blocked the heavens.
Was that why fireworks were invented? To breach the clouds and create stars? To force brightness into the unending darkness?
“We should talk,” Dylan said in his billion-dollar-worthy voice.
Mallory let out a sound that was more of a “tsk” than a hiss. “I don’t want to.” Nice comeback. She’d set clear boundaries. Oh. She did have one important detail to discuss. Mallory turned to him. “I’m keeping the dragon bracelet. You’re not getting it back.”
“Of course not, that was a gift.” Dylan sounded pained and looked artistically handsome and tortured.
Mallory refused to feel for him. “Why are you here? You know that’s not my charger.”
“I need to know you’re okay.”
Her heart pressed against her lungs. Ooh. In a game of romance trivia, she’d nailed that answer. She gave a toast with her water bottle and drank deeply. “I’m okay.”
Please leave. She barely stopped herself from urging him aloud. How had they even gotten to this point? Dylan had always been meant to be a brief, beautiful memory. She was the one who’d wanted more. Her understanding shifted with that truth.
Dylan was lost. He needed to understand how to move forward. He needed to be okay too, that was how to live without regrets. Maybe that was why she’d met him, to share her grief-earned wisdom and help him become an even better version of his rock star self.
Be a good person. Leave no regrets . Mallory went over and knelt before him.
The oak flooring was hard and cold beneath her knees, and despite carefully setting down her capped water bottle, it tipped over. She left it there.
She placed her chilled hands atop his warm ones and raised her eyes to meet his gaze for the first time since he’d returned to her.
He had the prettiest irises, so deep brown they almost had hues of burgundy. Had she ever told him that? She couldn’t now. That time was past.
Dylan watched her like she’d dissolve if he looked away.
“I’ll remember you in Paris, beautiful on a bridge, a city where my head spun from a kiss entwined with crushed daisies. In Texas, dancing and passionate in the moonlight. I’ll remember you in Seoul with every glint of my bracelet. On a stage with intensity and heart.” She touched her fingertips to his jaw. He needed to shave, but she didn’t caress him. “Move quickly through the sad and bad parts. Look back at my memory with a smile. Know that’s how I’m thinking of you.”
“You’re saying goodbye .” He choked on the word, and his eyes grew glassy and intense, making her want to take him in her arms, but he wasn’t hers to comfort anymore.
She let go and rose. “Farewell, Dylan.” She went to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Back at his corporate apartment, Dylan composed music with his guitar until the soft, orange dawn bracketed the city. His guitar had no real answers. It never did. Just absorbed his emotions and sent them back out as sound.
He’d made up an excuse to go see Mallory, and she hadn’t clung to him and offered reasons he should change his mind.
He’d hung around for hours, waiting for her to return. She’d come back flushed with alcohol but hadn’t offered him a drunken kiss or a pass.
Instead, Mallory had broken his heart and made him question all his earlier rationalizations. Dylan knew who to reach out to. This would be difficult for them to deal with, but he knew his chest would explode if he didn’t get this out.
He typed into his band group chat. I broke up with my girlfriend yesterday. I wanted her back immediately. He didn’t type all the expletives that filled his mind, describe the ache in his chest, or his inability to breathe. Had he even told Mallory that he thought of her as his girlfriend?
Kane answered first. Let’s meet up for a meal. I’ll lend an ear. Tell me what you need to get past this.
He would never get over her.
Bax was next. The French interpreter? Two ships passing in the night. Such is life, my bro.
Were they even listening?
Rain followed. Clean breaks are hard. But you hadn’t put a ring on her finger.
Her words about keeping the bracelet flashed back to him. He’d pick out new jewelry every autumn to mark when they’d met. A ring. He could pick out a ring. His breathing grew quicker.
Tae added: That’s why dating’s a bad idea right now. Learn and move on.
Couldn’t they hear him?
A text separate from the group chat came through from his sister. She was too young for him to burden her with his mistake, but he knew, out of anyone, she would have been happy he was with Mallory.
Jenny: Sunny told me that Mallory is staying in town. Want to fund the housewarming I throw her?
Yes. That would be an opportunity to reach back out. He couldn’t wait that long.
I’m so glad she’s back. I hated the thought of her staying alone in that big house after learning she lost her parents.
What? Dylan picked up the phone and dialed his sister.
Too conflicted to focus, Dylan canceled his studio appointment the next morning and drove over to his parents.
His dad was out in the garden, pulling weeds from the flowerbed.
It had been the highlight of his life to be able to let his parents retire five years ago. This career had given him best friends, an outlet for his music, and rewards for his family that he could only dream of.
Now he wanted to mess with that. Was he unaware, ungrateful, un-something? He was wavering about the one commitment outside his family that he’d held as an absolute—his band.
His father would set him straight.
Dylan knelt beside him and reached for a straggler, pulling it from the earth with a satisfying yank. “I broke up with my girlfriend. You know the band. The rules.” Those were the surface reasons. “I felt like I had to do it. I want her back.”
He held his breath, ready for support for his walking away. The benefits were clear: he was at the height of his career, this level of success didn’t come to everyone, he should enjoy the highs, he shouldn’t be serious in his twenties.
The fans and press would cause trouble for her. He’d committed to his fans and his band. What right did he have to pull this?
“Those dating restrictions were good when you were a teenager.” Dad looked thoughtful. “Later, they still seemed to work for you.” He put a hand on Dylan’s shoulder. “A built-in level of protection. A wall. I knew you’d break through that wall when you found someone who meant enough to you.”
Dylan sank back onto his palms as if pushed down. “You don’t think…”
“I don’t.”
“What if…”
“So what?”
“Everything… The money, the fame, the success, the accolades, the support. “If it ends…”
“Then it ends.”
He truly couldn’t breathe.
Dad clapped him on the shoulder. “Music has no age. That’s a lie your company fed you for their own profit. Your love of music won’t desert you, even if you age out of their model. Your true fans will stay fans. If everything else is gone, your family will still be here.” He squeezed Dylan’s shoulder.
Dylan couldn’t speak.
“We’re blown away by what you’ve given us. It’s here when you need it. That said, I’d give everything we have away if it meant I couldn’t have you, or Jenny, or your mom. If your woman’s that to you, there’s your next goal. And kiddo, I’ve never seen you set a goal you didn’t achieve with stunning results.”
“Mallory. Her name is Mallory. And she’s all that for me.” He closed his eyes. “The band doesn’t understand.”
“Make them.” Dad pulled off his garden gloves and rose to his feet. “How much of your feelings have you told them? Told her?”
“None of them.”
Dad gave a rough chuckle. “Oh, son. Guess you know where to start.”
Dylan started a group chat on the band’s private line. Let me start again. I’m in a relationship. Her name is Mallory.
Your interpreter? Bax asked. You just texted us you broke up with her.
I’m going to fix it.
Kane: Looks like the City of Love took down another romantic soul. Keep our trainees out of Paris. Was it the Boeuf Bourguignon or the burgundy that won her over?
It was me.
Rain: If she’s worth it, she’ll wait.
Dylan didn’t want to lose her, couldn’t. He didn’t want to be without her. I’m the one who won’t wait.
Not good timing , Tae said. Rethink this.
I wasn’t asking for permission. You got my back?
Always , Rain typed.
Bax added an exclamation mark.
Don’t insult us by asking , Tae said.
Until the last note plays , Kane typed, meaning forever.
That’s what he’d needed to hear. His heart settled in his chest and his breathing calmed.
Dylan didn’t have to wait for his sister to arrange a housewarming because Texk threw a cocktail party. The kind of executive networking event he’d normally skipped when he could.
On the off chance Mallory would be there, Dylan put on a suit, ensured his styling was rock star perfection, and went.
He brought Jenny to be his wingman. No one would be more supportive of his choice. He gave her the rundown on the way over, and he was right. Jenny was all positivity and optimism.
The lighting was bright in the large, multi-floored foyer Texk used for receptions. The air was formal, created to display wealth and success. Waiters circulated with champagne, crystal glasses clinked, and chatter echoed up through the three-story entry. If corporate money had a sound, it sounded like this party.
“There’s Mallory,” Jenny said, sounding excited. “I cannot believe Mallory Park is going to be my sister-in-law.” She grinned. “Good job, brother.”
“I haven’t gotten her back yet.”
“Use a pinch of the charm you throw at your fans.” Jenny sucked in a breath through her teeth. “No. Be more honest than charming.” She tilted her head. “I don’t know. That part’s on you. My job is to get you closer to her.”
Dylan’s heart jolted as he caught sight of Mallory. She stood speaking with Oliver, Sunny, and an executive at the oversized set of stairs that led up to the offices.
Mallory was pretty and glowing, her smile compelling. She should be at his side. Frustration itched under his skin, but that was nothing compared to his determination. He headed in their direction.
Oliver took a cup of shrimp cocktail from a circling waiter. “I hear you found a place near the river.”
“Sunny found it for me.” Mallory politely waved off the waiter. “She’s an excellent realtor.”
The executive looked impressed and nodded at Sunny. Then he turned back to Mallory. “Properties in Seoul are an excellent investment.” He shook the tail of the shrimp he was clutching. “What made you fall in love with the city? Gyeongbokgung Palace? Changdeokgung? Deoksugung?”
“Those are on my list to see.”
The executive nodded. “All the tourists go there.”
“I’ll take you,” Oliver said. He was always in the way.
Dylan got between them. “I’ll arrange it.”
Mallory looked at him, flushed, and avoided his gaze. “That’s okay.”
Cursory greetings went next. Dylan barely had the patience for them.
Sunny gestured to him and Jenny. “Your mom already promised to set her up on some five-star dates. Suggest the palaces. That’ll give them some winning date locations.”
That was a punch to the gut. Jenny’s face tightened, while the executive and Oliver took on a level of interest that was unsettling. The feeling that Mallory was slipping away from him became even more pronounced, making him want to grab her wrist and rush her away, like that was a real solution.
All the times he’d had her alone, he hadn’t realized how deep into her he was. Why hadn’t he realized his feelings sooner?
Love for him wasn’t like a slow-build ballad, languorous and sweet. Love was a cymbal to the face, undeniable once the ringing wore off.
He wanted more, wanted everything.
How could he convince Mallory to be with him, if he couldn’t even come up with the right words in his head? Much less spit them out.
“No palace today, but have you seen the courtyard here?” Jenny hooked Mallory’s arm in hers, drawing her away from the group. “Come with me to the fountain. It’s my favorite spot at Texk.”
Excellent. He was still reeling, but his sister had outmaneuvered the group. She’d just earned a massive increase in her allowance.
The cool night air eased the flush in her cheeks, and Mallory sipped her cup of honey tea by the fountain Jenny had wanted to show her. The fountain was made up of a group of Korean letters with waves splashing down the lines. The sculptor had done a spectacular job, and the water flowed with a soft, musical rhythm, muting the city sounds. “Thanks for showing me this. It’s beautiful.”
“Thought you might like it.”
She did. But she was feeling more of a sense of relief at being able to step away from Dylan. Being near him was unsettling, confusing, and left her uncertain about how to act. She wouldn’t think about him.
While the air was cooler out here, the heat lamps and the cashmere of her sweater dress kept the courtyard comfortable. Jenny wore a similar sweater dress in a dark emerald color. That reminded her that she hadn’t followed up on the sweater Jenny had left in Texas. Had Dylan grabbed it before they left for the airport? She didn’t know. “Did you get your green sweater back?”
“What green sweater?”
“Back in Texas. Dylan came back to my house from the airport to get your sweater.”
Jenny shook her head. “I didn’t send him to get a sweater.”
“Oh.” Mallory paused, confused.
“That was an excuse.” Jenny lowered her voice. “If he went back, it was to see you again.”
“Oh.” Mallory flushed and didn’t know how to process that.
“This is like when he asked me about the signings. At first, I thought he suggested I help you because I’m such a fan. And that was partly why. But all he’d talk about was you. Did Texk give Mallory a good setup? Were Mallory’s fans nice to her? Did Mallory have a good time? On and on like that.”
Mallory needed to shut down this line of conversation, but her heart was greedy to hear more. “He could have asked me those questions himself.”
“Dylan said you might not tell him if things were rough. And if he didn’t know, he couldn’t help.”
Why was Jenny telling her this? Had Dylan told her about them? Jenny’s words were melting her heart, but that was in the past. “Jenny. I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing to say. I just thought you should know.” Jenny took her empty cup and slipped away.
Dylan joined her.