Page 30 of Love Unexpected
“Most of the time,” he finally said. “Honestly, I’m still blown away with everything I’ve been able to build and do because of my fans. The fame is a natural consequence of that, so I try not to feel salty about it.”
“I sense there’s a but to that sentence.” I realized that I was talking with Isaac with much more ease than was typical. And I wasn’t even having to try. But then, of course I wasn’t. Because Isaac wasn’t a stranger to me anymore. We talked every night.
“You are perceptive, Rosie,” he said.
My heart clenched at the sound of my real name coming off his lips. For a moment, I wondered if I ought to just tell him right there on the spot.Surprise! It’s me. I’m Ana. Ana Rose, actually, and I’ve been in love with you for years. Message you after dinner?
But the unease that had accompanied our earlier conversation wouldn’t leave me alone. Cleaning up my social media accounts, worrying about people finding out who I was, digging up information about my personal life. Not to mention the many ways in which Isaac opened his life up to his fans. If I werea partof his life, that openness would inevitably include me.
“Can I ask you a question?” Isaac said. He leaned forward, propping his elbows up on the table.
I nodded, grateful for the distraction from my own swirling thoughts. “Sure.”
“I get the sense that you’re a little more of an introvert than I am. Would you say that’s safe to say?”
“I’m not going to overthink about what you have observed to lead you to that conclusion and just go with yes, you have surmised correctly. I am definitely an introvert.”
“So, I have this friend,” Isaac said. “And she’s also an introvert.”
Oh, no.He was not going to do what I thought he was going to do.
“Okay,” I managed to squeak out.
He ran a hand through his hair. “So here’s the situation. This woman is an artist. An amazing one. And she shared this thing that she drew with me, and I was just really blown away by it. So I shared it on the show, and my publicistandmy social media manager seem to think that was a bad thing. That I shouldn’t have mentioned it, or her, without talking to her about it first.”
I wracked my brain for a question I thought someone that knew nothing of the situation might ask. “Did she send it to you hoping you might share it? Fans do that kind of thing, right?”
I hadn’t thought about him sharing my art at all. I’d only wanted to gethisattention. I suddenly wondered how he’d interpreted my intentions.
“I don’t actually think so. It felt more personal than that. I really think she just wantedmeto see it.”
I tried not to smile, happy he’d at least read the gesture for what it was. “Then I’m not sure why you’re asking me for help.”
He turned his head, his eyes thoughtful. “I see your point. But why wouldn’t she want me to share it? It’s amazing. I really think she could be making money off of stuff like this.” He picked up his phone and swiped a few times before turning it around and showing me theWeeping Wingsalbum cover I’d drawn. “See? It’s a rendering of an album cover from a band we both like.”
I nodded, schooling my expression into something that reflected surprise. “She’s very good.”
“Right? You should see the rest of her stuff. She’s just got this cool vibe that is...anyway. I just thought she’d appreciate me talking her up. She’s really good at what she does.”
“But she didn’t appreciate it?” I asked.
“I don’t actually know,” he responded. “I messaged her about it and told her I’d be sure to ask her before mentioning her or her stuff on the show again, and she seemed fine. Maybe a little less chatty than normal.”
I folded my hands on the worn table in front of me, hoping he couldn’t see how they trembled. “Why are you worried, exactly?”
He turned his phone over and over in his hands. “I don’t know. On the one hand, I’m not sure I really understand why shewouldn’twant me to share her stuff. But I also don’t want to screw things up. Our friendship is kinda new. If this were your artwork, would you be upset?”
Ohhhh, boy.The number of women who would kill to have the opportunity to tell a man exactly how she felt without having to ownanyof the feelings. It was too much. I felt a sudden urge to laugh bubbling up inside of me. Not like a ha-ha-ha funny kind of laugh. More like a HA-HA-HA-I’M-LOSING-CONTROL kind of laugh. The kind that even Mom’s breathing couldn’t tame.
I focused on Isaac’s eyes, willing the warmth and sincerity there to leech into me and give me the calm I couldn’t find on my own. Somehow, the steadiness of his gaze actuallydidcalm me. “I don’t know that I would necessarily be upset. But I would definitely ask her before you share her stuff on the show again. Not everyone loves...” I hesitated, suddenly realizing if I finished the sentence like I’d intended, it might sound like an insult.
He raised his eyebrows. “What? Loves attention like I do? I know what I am, Rosie. You won’t hurt my feelings by pointing it out.”
A knot of tension formed in my gut. “Are you always like that? Isn’t there anything you keep private?” The second I’d asked the question, I wished I could call it back. It was the kind of question Ana could have asked, but not Rosie. Not the web designer who handled Isaac’s merch store and had only ever had a couple of conversations with him that hadn’t been about work.
Still, I craved the answer like I craved a deep lungful of air. It mattered in a way it hadn’t a few weeks ago. Before my unrequited crush had turned into something that looked a lot more like possibility.
Isaac didn’t even flinch. He just smiled, his eyes sparkling. “Some things. Dani is pretty particular about her privacy, for example, so I’ll always respect her boundaries. But other than that? It’s all about the connection, you know? People like to feel like they’re getting the real me. And the only way for that to happen is for me to give it to them.”
