Page 61 of Discover Me
Then he sees the Dr Pepper in my hand and his nose scrunches up in that adorable way it does when he's annoyed. "Really? First thing in the morning? There's a perfectly good casserole in the fridge that my neighbor made yesterday."
I shrug, grinning at him. "Maybe I like the way your nose scrunches up a little bit when you find me with my favorite soda. It's cute."
"It's unhealthy." But Micah's fighting a smile as he moves closer. "You're going to rot your teeth and destroy your stomach lining."
"Worth it." I take another sip just to watch his expression.
Micah pads over and starts kissing my cheeks, soft affectionate pecks that make me melt. Then he moves to my neck, his lips finding the sensitive spot just below my ear. His hands touch mesoftly, running along my sides and across my chest. I respond immediately, setting the can down to pull him closer.
"Trying to distract me from my terrible breakfast choices?" I murmur against his hair.
"Is it working?"
"Definitely—wait, fuck, shit." My phone starts buzzing insistently from where I left it upstairs. The sound carries down, impossible to ignore. "Hold that thought."
I reluctantly pull away and jog upstairs to grab it. The screen shows several missed calls from Tom and various PR managers whose numbers I recognize. The group chat with my bandmates is going off, message after message with increasing urgency.
Rex:Kel where the fuck are you
Jordan:Tom is losing his MIND
Liam:Get to the company NOW
Rex:They saw your post
Jordan:Legal is involved
Liam:Seriously get here
My stomach drops. I call Jordan immediately, putting him on speaker as I head back downstairs where Micah waits with concerned eyes.
"Kel, we're doing this today." Jordan's voice is tight with stress. "Right now. Tom called an emergency meeting and they're threatening legal action against both you and Micah for not following the contract terms. The breakup was supposed to happen last night and instead you posted that you're keeping him forever."
"They can't do that." I lean against the counter, my good mood evaporating. "The contract was written for a flexible timeline anyway. One month maximum, and we're not even close to that yet."
"Just get your goddamn ass down here." Jordan's tone brooks no argument. "Bring Micah too. This affects him and he deserves to be present when we blow everything up."
The call ends and I stand there staring at my phone. Game time, I guess. Everything we talked about, all the plans we made, they're happening right now whether we're ready or not.
"How bad is it?" Micah's voice pulls me back to the present.
"Well, there isn't going to be a romance album, that's for sure." I try for humor but it falls flat. "But hey, it means I get to show off my boyfriend to everyone at the label. Silver lining?"
Micah moves closer, his hand finding mine. "We'll figure it out. Whatever happens, we'll handle it together."
We head upstairs to get dressed, both throwing on clothes quickly. The drive to the company building is tense, my hands gripping the steering wheel too tight. Micah stays quiet beside me, just his presence grounding me enough to keep breathing.
When we pull into the parking lot, I can see the tension radiating from the building. "Stay in the car," I tell Micah. "At least until I know what we're walking into. No point in both of us facing Tom's wrath immediately."
"Be careful." Micah kisses me quickly. "And remember, you're not alone in this."
I head inside and take the elevator up to the conference room where these disasters always happen. My bandmates are already there, along with Tom, several PR managers, legal representatives, and the CEO of the label. The room feels like a pressure cooker about to explode.
"Nice of you to join us," Tom says, his voice dripping with false civility. "We've been waiting."
"Traffic was terrible." I take my seat next to Rex, who gives me a subtle nod of support.
The CEO leans forward, his expression grave. "Mr. Hayes, your post last night violated the terms of your promotionalcontract with Mr. Davis. You were supposed to stage a public breakup, not declare him yours forever. The PR team has been scrambling since three AM trying to figure out how to salvage this."
