Page 10 of Deliverance

Transforming from an old Drew—neurotic and scared—to new confident and independent Drew again is a process. It’s about finding and restoring balance between my body and soul that’s always in distress after meetings with doctors and lawyers.

“What did she say?” Santiago is slurping his iced latte through the straw.

I drop my bag on the bench next to me and flip through the menu nervously with no intention to order. Too many things are blazing through my mind right now for me to make a decision I know I’ll probably regret in two minutes.

We’re in our usual spot—a small cafe just a couple of blocks away from the gallery—and the lunch rush is at its peak. Around us, people with trays are looking for seats, and I can hear the clatter of dishes coming from the kitchen.

“Babe?” Santiago reaches for my hand from across the table. “Breathe.” His green eyes seek out mine and we share a long, tortured glance. The understanding that passes between us is transitory, but that’s all I need. That’s more than enough.

Santiago is an amazing friend. Caring. Kind. Thoroughly unorthodox. Although his buzz cut, pierced ears, and excessive jewelry are misleading. I suspect looking like he’s gotten into it with the law is just a basic protective mechanism. We all cope in different ways, and Santiago has adopted theattack is the best defensemantra.

No one wants to mess with the bad boy.

“You know I’m not a huge fan of suspense.” He chuckles softly. “Don’t make me call Miranda.” He tilts his head and his arched cheekbone catches a stray ray of light falling down from the large window.

“Right.” I roll my eyes. “Aren’t you forgetting about attorney-client privilege?”

“Boo.” He pouts, and I find it equally disturbing and endearing that a guy his age still manages to pull off a cute swaggering look you only see on the covers of teen magazines. At thirty-two, native Angelino Santiago Ortega continues to break hearts because he doesn’t know a different way to live, and his half a million TikTok followers have no idea their favorite dancer has had his own heart broken so many times, he’s lost count.

I blame our meeting on serendipity. I think we were meant to end up in one room at that particular moment in time a little over two years ago.

Shaken up from the onslaught of memories, I pull my hand from Santiago’s grasp and lean back. My mind is filled with images I don’t really want to remember. “It’s taking too long,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

“I’m so sorry, babe.”

I tell him everything Miranda told me earlier and finally order a large iced latte. For a while, we just sip on our drinks and watch pedestrians. In a weird way, it’s therapeutic—being here, in a loud place full of people, and feeling comfortable in our own skin.

For some, this is a luxury.

Santiago finally finds a new topic. “Okay, forget about your ex. How did it go last night?”

I’m grateful he’s asking about yesterday’s event, because, despite the horrible divorce news, things aren’t so bad. As a matter of fact, they’re better than I’d hoped.

Because I’m alive.

“I think I have a new fan.” My lips stretch into a grin.

“I’m all ears.”

Wicked excitement floods my chest. Art is very subjective and in some cases, completely misunderstood, and I was smart enough to prepare myself for failure when I embarked on this journey. What I didn’t expect was people being able to relate to my creations, to feel the same things I felt while making each piece.

Whenever my work catches someone’s attention, I light up inside because it’s proof that I’m not worthless.

You hear me, Rhys?

Santiago continues to eye me with a smug smile on his face, waiting.

I’m too flustered to speak. Instead, I pull up a browser on my phone and type Zander’s name into the search bar, then let my friend see.

“Are you serious?” His face morphs into a mask of surprise while he scrolls through the images.

I nod.

“He in a band with that hottie married to your girl?”

I nod again.

Rock’n’roll isn’t Santiago’s scene, but he diligently keeps up with the latest trends and Justice Cross is impossible to miss. The man has been making headlines for years. The tabloids thoroughly documented the singer’s transformation from Kink King to Reformed Bad Boy and father. His first solo tour run was one of the most commercially and critically successful endeavors of the decade with all twenty-five shows selling out in a heartbeat, and only the blind who didn’t see the billboards all over L.A. wouldn’t know the man’s name. Zander Shaw may not be as popular as his former bandmate, but he’s known and well-respected in certain circles, and having someone like him interested in my art is beyond my wildest dreams. This is where my imagination didn't dare to wander when I signed a contract with Tina. Most of my pieces are bought by private collectors and hidden away in expensive mansions where no one but a select few get to see my anger and pain. Zander Shaw is a social media junkie and my gut tells me he’s the kind of buyer who’s not shy about showing off his purchases.

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