Page 36 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
“Already?”
“Already. You think you can act a little more excited to be with me?”
She gives me an extremely unbelievable smile, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Sure. They’ll buy that,” I say sarcastically. “Okay, new plan. Let me hold your hand and then y?—”
“Hold your hand?” Her question is one of apprehension, and I nod slowly.
“Yeah, Callie. We’redating,remember? We’ll be touching a lot more than that?—”
“I said no sex,” she whispers at me.
“Right, no sex. But touching. Hand-holding. Embracing.”
When her face pales, I frown and step toward her. I lower my voice so only she can hear. “Are you sure you’re up for this? We can stop it. We can call it off.”
The silence stretches and my nerves stir in my chest before she finally speaks.
“I’m up for it.” Then she’s reaching for my hand and lacing her fingers with mine. The contact sends a flare of heat up my arm. “Let’s just get it over with.”
I nod and force a smile. “Right.”
BecauseLet’s just get it overwithis exactly what I want to hear from my girlfriend, fake or not.
Callie’s hand tightens around mine the moment we step out of the building and are met with the shouts of three paparazzi with cameras. I expected it—it’s why I made such a scene when I got here—but Callie obviously hates the attention.
I lead her to the car where Damon already has the passenger door open, then I help her in and shut the door behind her. Damon takes her suitcase and puts it in the trunk, then he and I are both climbing into the car and driving away. Once we turn the corner, Callie lets out a slow breath.
“Will that ever get easier?”
“You kind of get used to it,” I tell her honestly.
I don’t tell her it will only get worse once we’re on tour and word has spread that she’s with me. Sure, the stalker will hopefully disappear, but the media will be relentless for a while.
“Your mom seemed angry,” I say, changing the subject. “I could tell you were arguing when I arrived.”
Callie rests her head on the seatback and sighs.
“Well, I’m not allowed to tell her the truth, so of course she’s going to be pissed that I’m ditching my family to go on tour with some arrogant rock star with a bad reputation.”
“Ouch,” I say with a laugh. “Don’t hold back. Let me know exactly how you feel about yourboyfriend.”
“Sorry, King. Her words, not mine.”
“But you agree?”
She shrugs. “If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably an arrogant rock star with a bad reputation.”
Well. These next three months should be easy. Assuming we make it that far.
I won’t lie—I find the idea of a relationship with Callie kind of thrilling, even if it is fake. I need to unpuzzle my memory of her, and something about the fire in her, about the way she seems to absolutelydespise me, has me intrigued beyond what’s reasonable.
She’s not falling at my feet. She’s not throwing herself at me, which tells me she’s also not trying to get on my good side or butter me up to use me.Iapproachedherfor this arrangement, and she agreed out of necessity, not some hero-worship obsession.
I like it. It’s refreshing in a way I’ve never experienced. It’s a nice change of pace from what I’ve come to expect from most people. With this level of fame and money, it’s hard to find anyone who isn’t clambering over themselves to kiss my ass. I loved it at first. Now I find it exhausting.
I can’t help but smile, and I have to swallow back the urge to laugh at myself. I’m so over the fame that the idea of a fake relationship with a woman who seems to hate my guts has me more excited than I’ve been in a long time.
