Page 30 of Risk It All

I unlock our apartment door and walk by Layla’s door.She’s got her headphones on, her fingers flying over her keyboard so I sneak past her room, trying not to disturb her.

I head into the kitchen to start making dinner, thoughts of Anthony doing their best to sneak back in but I force them out.I need to get over this guy.

He’s broken my heart enough already.

I’m draining the spaghetti noodles when Layla comes out of her bedroom a little while later.

“Hey, how’s the writing going?”I ask, turning and grabbing the garlic bread out of the oven.

“Good!The words were really flowing today,” she says with a smile.

“That’s awesome,” I say, happy to hear that New York has helped her shake the story loose.

“Want some spaghetti?”I ask her, grabbing a plate and she shakes her head, already licking her lips.

We head to our tiny corner, bumped up against the window in our living room.I take a big bite of my food, chewing as Layla stares out the window at the busy street below.

“We should go out tonight!”she blurts out excitedly.

My eyes widen.I probably should have seen this coming.Layla is a social creature.I’m lucky that she didn’t drag me out to explore the night that we moved in.

“What did you have in mind?”I ask, taking another big bite of spaghetti.

“How about Anthony’s comedy show.That’s tonight, right?”she asks casually but I can see her watching me from under her eyelashes.

My appetite vanishes as I think about seeing Anthony again.Unfortunately, for me, it’s not because I hate him and never want to see him again.

“I don’t know if I can,” I whisper.

“You can, Emerson.You’re strong and I know that he’s been texting you.Maybe it’s time that you let him apologize.You and I both know that you are still in love with him.What’s the harm in giving him a second chance?”

I bite my lip, debating.

She’s right.I’m miserable stretching this out.Maybe if I see him again and just hear him out, we can both finally move on.

I look over to the clock on the microwave.

“It starts in an hour and a half,” I start to say and Layla lets out a squeal.

“That gives us just enough time.”

“Just enough time for what?”I ask, starting to get worried.

“To make you a knockout so that Anthony realizes just what he let slip away.”

CHAPTER14

Anthony

This is supposedto be my second chance, but it’s not the one that I want.

I’m sitting in the same chair I was the last time I auditioned, but the nerves that I was feeling then, aren’t here now.

Instead, all I feel is empty.

I haven’t been able to shake this feeling since I came back to the penthouse and found out that Emerson had left without a word.I tried to call her right away but she didn’t answer.I had tried to tell myself it was just because she was on the plane and that she would call me back after she landed.

When she didn’t, I had told myself that she was just tired, but then I tried to call her the next day and she never answered.All of my phone calls have gone unanswered.

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