Page 57 of My Rock Star Neighbor
“That’s quite a long pause,” my mom says.“While you think about it, why don’t you bring your girlfriend up to visit me?The first weekend in February would be good.I want to meet her.And it’s been a long time since you visited.”
My mom wants to meet her?My mom doesn’t think I should date if I want to be a musician.But this would be another good excuse to spend the day with Maddie.We definitely won’t have to worry about any ambiguous threats while we’re upstate.
“I’ll see if she’s free,” I say.
“Okay, I can tell you’re busy at a club, so I’ll let you go.Call me,” she says before hanging up.
I turn to Maddie.“My mom wants to meet you.She saw the article.Would you be willing to drive up with me the first weekend of February when I visit her?There’s also this great place I’d love to show you.It’s a small hike, but…”
“But we’re not…” Maddie whispers and then gestures with her hand in some sweeping motion that seems to indicate I can finish that sentence on my own.
“Don’t worry.She never expects my relationships to last,” I say.
Maddie looks like she wants to argue the point.I wish I could kiss her to distract her.I hold her hand instead and lead her back into the main room, where Abba’s “Gimme!Gimme!Gimme!”is playing.
My mom’s call was perfect timing.This is a night for dancing with Maddie, and things had been getting a little too heated before the interruption.It’s best that we stay as friends.That way, I can always see her, and I won’t have messed up something fragile.
Chapter fifteen
Maddie
I’mstillfloatingfromdancing on Saturday night with Nick.I thought something might have happened that night because there was definitely electricity on the dance floor, but we separated at our respective apartment doors.He practically ran inside.His side of the wall was then completely quiet.I missed the noise.
I feel more alive and like I’m sparkling with him.There is an attraction simmering beneath the surface.But I think we both recognize that we want to keep our friendship, and this is a three-month contract with no permanence.Especially when both of us need to focus on our careers.Speaking of which, the newspaper bullpen is humming.I check my email to see if Hayden has responded to the draft article I sent late last night.He has and wants to see me in his office.
I should give Hayden a chance.Just because he and Nemesis went to the same college together and are always bonding over school events doesn’t mean he’s not going to be fair to me.
He’s on the phone when I enter his office area.His desk is bare.Today’s vest is dark blue, and his tie is light green.He seems to alternate between bow ties and wide ties.
He speaks in a measured tone, deliberate.I always speak quickly, like a New Yorker.
“I went with Sarah’s article,” he says.
“Sorry?”I ask.What does Sarah’s article have to do with mine?
“I also asked her to write an article on the top ten places to go for Valentine’s Day,” he explains.“And I chose her article.”
“What?Why?”I ask.Is he some Roosevelt aficionado who believes in competing kitchen cabinets?
He repeats my “why” back to me, but very much in a tone of how dare I question him.“She gave it to me early on Sunday morning—not late on Sunday night.”
“I thought you’d want me to visit the places I’m recommending—so I could convey the atmosphere,” I say.“As it was, with only the weekend, I was only able to visit The Laundry Room and Kimoto Rooftop at night.Luckily, I’ve already visited most of the other places.”
“Nice try,” he says.“Didn’t you visit The Laundry Room for some paparazzi shots with your rock star boyfriend?”
My stomach clenches.I don’t want to be the story.“No.I went to get a feel for it so I could describe it accurately.Nick accompanied me because, obviously, it’s much more fun to go together than for me to go on my own.”I make sure to enunciate each word in the next sentence to match his speaking style.“Those weren’t paparazzi shots.Those were random social media posts by fans published on Instagram and YouTube.”And he calls himself a reporter?Check your facts.
“Felicity mentioned that you had a story you were covering that could be ground-breaking and to not assign you too much work,” Hayden says.“What’s the story about?”
As if I would trust him not to give it to Nemesis.
“I’m not ready to discuss it yet,” I say.
“We could brainstorm some leads if you’re stuck,” he says.
Right.
“I’m working on the leads Felicity and I discussed, and she was clear that I should not share this story with anyone,” I say.“It doesn’t seem like she shared the subject matter with you either.”
