Page 17 of Confused AF
“Absolutely,” I agreed at once. “I’d love that.”
Yes, it would help my career, but I would do another collaboration with Chloe Rae, even if I had nothing to gain from it. She had to be one of the kindest, most generous people I had ever met. Unlike other influencers who lorded their popularity over everyone else, she used her status and wealth to lift up others.
A truly rare quality, especially in online spaces.
The interview hadn’t been anything like I’d expected, and it had been all the better because of it. Rather than a dry Q&A, Chloe had wanted me to recreate my butterfly look for her. So, using a mixture of shimmering shadows and colored gel liners, I had shaped, blended, and contoured a pair of butterfly wings around her eyes while we spoke.
Instead of rapid-fire questions, we’d talked like old friends, the conversation flowing smoothly from one topic into the next. It had never felt forced or awkward, and I’d probably laughed more in the last hour than I had the rest of the week combined.
In such a short time, I had been given so much to be thankful for, and probably far more than I deserved.
After we said our goodbyes, Chloe headed off with her team while I turned back to my table to begin preparing for the day. Since I had arrived early to set up before the interview, I really just needed to double-check the schedule and look over Vaden’s notes while I waited for the doors to open.
Settling into the chair behind the table, I retrieved my cell phone from my messenger bag and brought up the calendar app we shared to keep track of everything. It looked like another packed day, filled with consultations, demos, and tutorials, which suited me just fine. The busier I stayed, the less time I had to overthink or worry.
Next, I skimmed the notes Vaden had left about the private consultations, highlighting any areas of concern or questions the client had. Thankfully, the requests all seemed pretty standard—shade matching, hiding dark circles, minimizing certain features.
When nothing concerning jumped out at me, I closed the app and returned my phone to the side pocket of my bag. As soon as I sat back up, an iced latte in a sweating plastic cup appeared on the table beside me.
Smiling, I pushed out of my seat and turned to greet my mate with a chaste kiss to his lips. Vaden had been right to assume that I wouldn’t want our most intimate moments broadcasted on social media, but at the same time, I refused to hide our relationship.
Partly because I had seen the way other people looked at him, and I wanted the world to know the demon belonged to me. Mostly, however, I just enjoyed being close to him, and I didn’t want to censor that happiness simply because there might be a camera nearby.
“Thank you.”
“Any time.” He palmed the back of my neck and pulled me close again, pressing a kiss to my brow this time. “How did the interview go?”
“Really well, actually. She wants to have me on her channel again, maybe sometime later this year.”
His face split into a wide grin, and his eyes flashed with pride. “Congratulations. Do you need me to pin down the details?”
I chuckled at his enthusiasm but shook my head. “I don’t know if it’ll actually happen or not. She could have just been saying that to be nice. Let’s wait and see if she reaches out again.”
“Of course, she will.” His tone held not even a shred of doubt, as if she would be foolish to pass up such an amazing opportunity.
“I think you might be a little biased.” I laughed again, but I couldn’t deny how much that unwavering belief meant to me.
“Maybe,” he allowed with a shrug. “Doesn’t mean it isn’t true.” His gaze flickered across the rows of tables in front of us. “The doors will be opening soon. Are you ready?”
I nodded firmly. “Today’s going to be a good day. I can feel it.”
As it turned out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
From the moment the doors opened, something had been different. A small, vain part of me had anticipated an increase intraffic to my table after the livestream, but that didn’t happen. In fact, hardly anyone stopped to speak with me, and I didn’t think I imagined the dirty looks being sent my way from those who passed by.
Still, I didn’t really start to worry until my first appointment of the day didn’t show. Sure, it happened, especially in settings like the Spellbound Expo, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something, somewhere, had gone very, very wrong.
In a single hour, I had gone from being on top of the world to someone to be avoided.
I searched my memories, going over everything that had happened since I’d arrived at the convention center that morning. Other than Chloe and her team, I hadn’t really interacted with anyone else. The interview had been fine. At least, I didn’t think I had said anything that could be seen as insensitive or offensive.
Since Vaden had also noticed the shift in the energy, I couldn’t pretend it was my imagination either. Rather than sitting around worrying about it, however, he had decided to get to the bottom of it.
When I spotted him making his way toward me through the crowd, I could tell by the look on his face that he’d found the answers he’d been looking for. I also knew I wouldn’t like them.
“What is it?” I asked, popping to my feet as soon as he joined me. “What happened? What did you find out?”
Rounding the table, he urged me back into my seat before settling down on the edge of the chair beside me. Then he took both of my hands, holding them in a loose grip, and looked me in the eye, neither of which did anything to calm my anxiety.
