Page 42 of Submitting to Them
“That’s him!”Natasha says, waving the guy over.“Ella, this is Gabe.Gabe, meet my bestie, Ella.”
My heart expands.She called me her bestie.I didn’t know she felt that close to me, although I definitely feel that way about her.
The three of us chat for a minute before Gabe reminds her that their movie is starting soon, so the two of them head out.
I grab another coffee and pull my phone from my purse.The plan is to read an ebook, but I’ll probably just obsessively watch the subscriber numbers on my VideYou channel, and check the comments section for new activity.The other day, Bash threatened to confiscate my phone if I couldn’t control myself.Remembering his playful but very real threat, I think about how that kind of obsessing was causing my self-esteem to take a hit.So, instead of clicking on the VideYou app, I open up my Reading app instead.
Sebastian would be so proud.
It’s weird having a day off.I’m not used tonotworking, and the fact that I can just sit for hours is surreal.Soon enough, though, I relax into the story I’m reading and lose track of the world around me.
“Is that a bag from Angeli’s?”an incredulous voice says from just to the side of me.
Startled, I look up and see Joel.Of all the rotten fucking luck.He’s wearing a pair of jeans that are designed to look cheap and well-worn but are probably worth a month of my rent at my old place.
I nudge the bag closer to my leg.AnAis emblazoned on the side, with a crown hanging off the point—the logo of the store.“As you can see, yes, it’s from Angeli’s.”
“So you’re still fucking my dad and Sebastian,” he says.
“Go to hell, Joel.”
“You moved in with one of them, didn’t you?”he says.
I don’t say anything.It isn’t his business.I don’t have to answer his questions.I start to gather my bags.I’m not going to sit here and listen to his abuse.
“Of course you moved in with them.”His blue eyes are cruel—nothing like his dad’s.“Well, I bet that’s a step up from your tiny apartment.You could barely fit a keyboard along one wall.You’re such a fucking gold-digger.”
I don’t need his judgment.I don’t need his mockery.
“I’mnota gold-digger,” I say, standing up, “but if that’s what you want to believe, fine.”
“No, don’t bother leaving,” he says, taking a step back.“I’m not going to get coffee here after all.They’ve really lowered their standards of clientele if they let in someone like you.”
He’s an asshole.But because I’m classier than he is, I don’t say it out loud in front of all these other people in the coffee shop, who even now are watching our altercation with concern.
It’s not until Joel is walking away that it hits me: he never came into my apartment.Not once.
So how the fuck does he know I had a keyboard that barely fit along the wall?
Ten
Sebastian
I can tell Ella is bummed that Kingston’s been so busy lately.She loved going shopping with him, and her new panty and bra sets are fucking hot.But King is almost never around to see her in them.To his credit, he’s genuinely regretful.I believe that, in his mind, he fully intends to retire from Tyler Analytics as soon as possible.But circumstances are shitty right now, and he can’t.
He just better get things turned around soon, before it’s too late.
I try to distract Ella as much as possible, and shower her with the attention King isn’t capable of giving.We record a couple more songs at the university practice room, and I even surprise her by renting use of the stage one afternoon so we can record her in a new setting.
It sounds amazing.Shesounds amazing.I wonder if she’ll let me sing with her sometime.
I take her hand in mine as we leave the auditorium.Students are out on the lawn, relaxing, studying, and tossing frisbees back and forth.It’s a freaking college utopia.A few people stare at Ella and me as we walk past them.One small group, sitting on a blanket and munching on snacks, seems especially interested in us.
“Are you Bastian Crown?”one of them shouts, while his friends try to shush him.
“Yep,” I say.
“Cool—I love your work, man.”
