Page 68 of The Sounds of Her

A red-hot spike of jealousy shoots up my spine and my best friend doesn’t miss it.

“Jenna, stop it. Yes, Archer is hot. Yes, he’s an excellent kisser, and yes, he is cool for helping me out with this, but that is all it is. Get it out of your head that anything else is going to happen.”

Her eyes switch between mine, like she is trying to see inside of my head and understand if I’m lying or not. I’m not lying. I could have fun with Archer, I could even have sex with him. It doesn’t mean we’re going to fall in love and settle down like her and Adam, or the rest of the band.

In fact, Archer has made it clear I’m helping him out because it gets people off his back about finding ‘the one.’ That screams to me he’s not interested in a relationship. Nor am I. I’m at a point in my life where I’m happy on my own. I’m working towards making partner, I have a great group of friends, I make more than enough money to take care of myself.

Who wants to let a man in to mess all of that up?

Especially given my two current options are both fake as hell. Or the third one, which, as I told Jordan, is over. I still can’t believe he knows about Ciro. Makes me wonder if anyone else does. Has Ciro told anyone? I doubt it, he can barely admit it to himself, and I’ve seen him around other people.

“We have six days before I go back to New York. That is six days where we need to do whatever we can to convince the world, and my parents, we’re in a relationship.”

“Eloise isn’t stupid,” Jenna says. “Do you think this is going to work?”

“I’m not doing it to fool her,” I say, stepping back from the sinks. “My mother won’t believe a word of this, but she can’t spread the word I’m marrying Roman Campbell when I’m in a high-profile relationship with someone else. And that means it needs to continue when BreakNeck finish the tour. Archer and I talked it all through, we know the parts we’re playing.”

“I don’t want to see you hurt, either of you.”

“No one is going to get hurt,” I say with an eye roll.

Jenna narrows her eyes. I hold up a finger to her lips before she can say anything else.

“No one needs to make any more of this than there is, Jen. Besides, I plan to have a long and frank discussion with my parents when I get home, on top of this thing with Archer, they’ll see I’m deadly serious about their stupid plot.

“Maybe I knee jerked into this idea,” I go on. “But they can’t marry me off to anyone. This thing with Archer is just a back-up plan.”

“Did you need to do it? You don’t shy away from an argument, Brooke. Yes, your mom pisses you off and never listens, but you’re more than capable of putting her in her place. I guess I don’t understand why you ran away from it without confronting them first. That isn’t like you.”

No, it isn’t. I never like to show anyone my vulnerable side. Even Jenna. How do I tell her I was so hurt, so lost knowing my parents were this cold, that all I could think of was running instead of facing up to it? Worrying about my dad’s discretions turning mom against me, rather than blaming her cheating husband.

They’ve stuck together and come up with a plan to get them out of it by ruining my life.

I have no part in their lives. They don’t care enough to visit, they know nothing about me, not the real me. And for the past five years, I’ve been fine. I’ve made peace with the fact my parents don’t give a shit.

Doesn’t mean it hurts less when I’m confronted with it, in such a fucking devious and horrible way.

I’ll never admit that. Not to anyone. Not even Jenna, who believes I am strong enough and thick skinned enough that this won’t get to me.

I reach over and pull her down off the counter. She shrieks a little but laughs when she lands on her feet, and I pull her into a hug.

“I can come back and be there with you when you talk to them.”

“Fuck no,” I say, leaning back. “I can handle them.”

“No one should have to handle something like this,” she mumbles.

“But no one has parents like mine,” I laugh. “Come on, let’s go back out there.”

I need to get away from this conversation.

“If you need me for anything, I’m there.”

“In twenty-two hours or fewer,” I nudge her.

“Well, yeah, but I’ll still come.”

“I know you will, sweets,” I kiss the side of her hair. “Trust me, I’ll be fine.”

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