Page 13 of Confused AF
While we technically worked in the same industry, our social standings existed in completely different zip codes. Hell, half the products on my table came from her newest line of cosmetics.
So, how on earth did she even know my name?
“Do you want me to cancel?”
“Are you crazy? No!” I grabbed my head in both hands and breathed deeply through my nose. “Is this real? Are you fucking with me right now?”
“Okay, whoa.” Placing the tablet down on the table, Vaden grabbed me by the elbows and ushered me into the folding chair I used for clients. “Easy. Just breathe. Do you want some water?”
I shook my head. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Well, that would be embarrassing.”
His glib response startled a chuckle out of me, pulling back the panic just enough for me to regain some measure of control. Lifting my head, I pinched the hem of his charcoal blazer and tugged him closer.
“Tell me everything.”
He took my hands, cradling them in his own, and crouched down in front of me. “There’s really not much to tell. She liked your butterfly eye shadow tutorial yesterday, and when I bumped into her at the bakery up front, she asked if you’d be interested in an interview.”
It sounded too easy. Stuff like this definitely did not happen to me.
“This is really real?”
“Yes.” Damn, he had a great laugh. “This is really real, and I’ll tell you another secret.” He crooked his finger, beckoning me closer. “You deserve it.”
Every cell in my body rebelled at the very idea, but I didn’t immediately refute him. I forced myself to sit with it for a moment, to let his words penetrate past the denial. Yes, on some level, it felt too good to be true, and no one really trusted things like that.
I had worked my ass off to build my business, though. Nothing in my life had been handed to me, and even earning a seat at the expo had been a massive accomplishment.
I’d done that.
Grinning, I sat up a little straighter. “Hell yeah, I do.”
Vaden laughed again, the sound warm and indulgent as he cuffed me lightly on the side of the head. “That’s what I like to hear.”
“Thank you.” I let every ounce of gratitude and sincerity seep into my voice. “I don’t know if I could have done this without you.”
“It’s my job.”
I shook my head, hating the way he made it sound like another task on his to-do list.
“Don’t do that. That’s not—” I cut myself off and blew out a shaky breath. It didn’t matter. If he didn’t feel the same way about me, pushing the issue would only make things weird. “Just…thank you.”
Vaden tilted his head, studying me in that way of his, like he could see past every wall I’d ever built.
“You know,” he said after a moment, his voice softer now. “You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit. I’m happy to take care of the little stuff so you can focus on what you love, but you don’t need me.”
My smile wobbled, my bottom lip trembling as I stared into his eyes. “You’re wrong.”
“You’re a lot stronger than you think, Otto, and you’ve more than earned your place here. Don’t minimize that.”
His words hit me in the chest, stealing my breath, and I gripped his hand like a lifeline as I fought to steady the rush of emotions. Though I had an amazing support system back home, I wasn’t used to this particular brand of validation—this unfiltered, unwavering belief in me.
The moment lingered, neither of us seemingly in a rush to break the spell. The silence that stretched between us didn’t feel awkward, but it did have a heaviness to it, filled with something unspoken, something almost fragile.
But as much as I wanted to stay with him in that moment, it couldn’t last.
The world came rushing back without my permission, the sound deafening after the quiet, overwhelming in a way that it hadn’t been before. “I guess I should start getting ready for my tutorial.”
