Page 33 of Spite Crush

“Well, as a member of the press…which I’m not right this second…there has never been so much as a whisper about your sexuality. Which is almost weird considering you’ve never been paired with anyone publicly.” She rolled her lower lip between her teeth as she seemed to study me.

“What?” I didn’t like the look she was giving me.

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “Just thinking about the future. That if you wanted to carry a friendship line withhim, and any rumors started, it would be easy to swat them down.”

“Don’t do that,” I said firmly. “Don’t start making shit up about me. First of all, Kellen and I won’t be friends. In fact, we’ve been ordered not to see each other again.” I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my tone.

“That’s bullshit.”

“Agreed.” I shook my head as I took another drink from my bottle.

“So you’re just going to keep some secret affair going?” she asked. “Because let me tell you something,that’s not going to work. One of you is going to slip up. One of you will make a mistake and it will be the biggest story in both rock music and sports. You’d both be safer being friends in the public eye.”

“I know that,” I snapped. “But that’s not an option right now.”

“You are so fucked, Dempsey.”

She really had no idea.

But it was nice to get some of this off my chest. To let someone in for once. It was strange to be so famous and yet be so completely alone in the world. Yeah, I hadfriends. Good friends. But Naomi was the first person who actually wanted to talk to me about…I didn’t even know what to call what Kellen and I had.

Was it a relationship? Did I want it to be?

It was so new, I wasn’t sure there was a point to putting a label to it. But at the same time, I liked him. Genuinely liked him. And if we had completely different lives, I could see us building something real together.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t really an option.

My phone dinged and I pulled it out of my pocket to see a text from Kellen.

Kellen

What are you doing?

Zak

I’m in a hotel room with Naomi Rose.

Kellen

Well, that’s one way to stay in the closet I guess. Are you two having a nice time?

Zak

Relax. I’m just spilling the truth

about you and me.

Kellen

Ha Ha. Good one.

Zak

Not kidding.

Kellen

Are you fucking crazy?

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