Page 6 of Meant For Love

Nash: See you in six hours.

I shake my head and reply to his text.

Me: I’m locked and loaded on the plane. Next stop LA.

I don’t wait for him to answer me. Instead, I go to my text thread with Zara.

Me: I’m on my way to LA.

Zara: Um. Why?

Me: I’m going to check out a job.

Zara: Are you moving to LA?

Me: No. I’m literally going to check out if I want to take a job.

Zara: Ohhh, I like this play. Did you tell dickhead where you were going?

Me: Negative.

Zara: I love this journey for you.

Me: You and me both.

Zara: So who are you meeting?

Me: Nash.

I wait for her to text me back, but I know she isn’t when the phone rings in my hand. I can’t help but answer the phone laughing. “Hello.” I put the phone to my ear.

“Um, excuse me, you are going to have a meeting with Nash?” Her voice goes high. “Nash, Nash?”

“I only know one Nash.” I ignore her as the plane starts up. “But yes, he called me to ask me to take over his PR and update a couple of things. I tried to say no.”

She pffts out. “Yeah, I can imagine, ‘oh no, I don’t think I can do it, Nash,’” she singsongs. “Did you twirl your hair and bat your eyes for him?”

“Um, I will remind you I’m in a relationship.” I look out the window, hoping the plane moves so I can stop this conversation.

“I will remind you that you just ended that so-called relationship, so it’s like free rein,” she counters back, “and this is Nash.” Of course, she would bring up what I told her in confidence two years ago, after I met him, never thinking she would use it against me, but knowing that I would also use the play she is using right now.

“I know who this is, and I know I can’t ever go there, especially if we are going to work together.”

“So sleep with him before you get him to sign the contract.”

“Zara,” I snap, and she laughs.

“You can’t tell me you aren’t even a little bit curious as to what he can offer between the sheets.”

“I’m not even a bit curious,” I lie, literally through my teeth. It’s a good thing we are on the phone and not face-to-face because she would call me out on it.

“Okay, well, I’m curious for both of us, and since I’m the one who is engaged, it’s time you took one for the team.”

“I have to go,” I say once the plane starts moving forward. “We are about to take off.”

“I want updates,” she says. “Pictures, or it didn’t happen.”

“Eww,” I respond and hang up on her, the sound of her laughter the last thing I hear before I shut my phone off to Airplane Mode.

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