Page 88 of Make The Cut

I never in a million years expected to see my mother smiling at Naoya Sugawa while he regaled her with an acoustic guitar rendition ofCountry Roads.

Then again, I never expected to see my brother punch Naoya in the face after I abruptly kissed my secret boyfriend on the Grammys stage, so there’s that.

“It’s so good to finally meet you, Poppy! Ryder’s told me so much about you,” Isla says as she flings her arms around me.

“Only the bad things, I’m sure,” I say, half-joking as I pull back from the hug. “You have me at a disadvantage, because I know next to nothing about you.”

“Oh, come on, you didn’t stalk my Instagram? I stalked yours.” She grins. “I’m sure you’re tired of hearing this, but I really like your blog,Muse Unmasked.”

Iama little tired of hearing it, but it surprises me to hear that she liked the blog. “I thought Ryder would have told you all about how evil the blog was.”

“No, no, I mean. It obviously exposed a lot of his secrets, which was pretty awful, but that’s also what I went to El Nido to do—”

“Wait, wait, back up. You went to El Nido to expose my brother’s secrets?” I frown, a defensive impulse surging up in my chest.

If she did, why would she admit it? Ryder must know about her motives by now—he’s not the type of guy to be blinded by love.

“Yes. I actually intended to write an expose about him, because my boss promised me I could dorealjournalism if I got the scoop on Ryder. But as I started trying to dig up dirt on him… I realized I couldn’t do it.”

“Why?” I lean forward, my knees bumping against the edge of Naoya’s glass coffee table.

“Because I was falling in love with him.” She gives a wry grin. “I’m sure you know what that’s like. How long have you and Naoya been together?”

“Seven years,” Naoya says, overhearing our conversation and setting down the guitar as he wraps his arm around my shoulders.

“More like sevenweeks,” I say, laughing. “We’ve been friends for a long time.”

“Aw, well, you two make a very cute couple.” She smiles.

“Please, we’re way cuter,” Ryder interrupts, turning from his chat with Dad about River.

I pretend to gag. “And you saidNaoyaand I made you want to throw up.”

“You do. It’s mostly him, though, he has terrible B.O.”

“If I remember correctly, the last time you tried to attack me, I broke your nose, so I’d be careful about your words if I were you,” Naoya says, but his posture is completely relaxed as he pulls me closer to him.

Something vibrates against my elbow and I realize it’s his phone, buzzing in the pocket of his denim jacket. “Aren’t you going to get that?”

He checks the caller ID. “Sadly, yes. Try not to miss me too much.”

I shake my head, trying not to let a lovestruck smile overtake my face as he leaves the room.

Chapter Forty-Two: Naoya Sugawa

“Thanks again for coming to get me last night, Naoya. I really appreciate it.”

When I got Sasha out of the holding centre that she was in, I also offered her one of my spare bedrooms, since it seems like the rest of the world was already crashing at my house. She refused, saying it would be too much too soon, which I understand. After I pulled up to her apartment, we exchanged phone numbers. I would have talked to her for longer, but both of us were so exhausted that we could barely speak clearly.

“You’re welcome, sis.” I cringe as I throw in that term of address, wondering if it was too much too soon. I always wanted a sibling, but now I wonder how she feels about it. If she grew up feeling unwanted, unloved, both of us abandoned by the same man. “What else are older brothers for?”

“It’s good to hear your voice,” she says. “I didn’t expect you to pick up. I’m sorry I made you think I was stalking you. I just…”

“You just…” I wave my hand in the air as a gesture for her to continue speaking, before I remember she can’t see me.

“I didn’t know who my dad was, for a long time. My mom didn’t tell me until I was twelve. By then, you’d just released your first single, I think, and I thought you were this cool guy that I looked up to. My mom always wanted to keep me away from the Hollywood lifestyle, and I obviously know why.

“I just… wish that didn’t mean I had to miss out on having a brother. It was kind of a lonely existence, never being able to point to any family. Knowing you were my brother but never being able to say it. So when I turned eighteen, I went to UCLA, hoping it’d make me feel closer to you. Closer to our dad.” She sighs. “Sorry. I know that was a lot. Are you still there?”

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