Page 17 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
“It’sallof our problem, Savannah. You think this shit isn’t going to affect us, too?”
“He’s right,” Mabel cuts in. “It’s fucking with all of us.”
Savannah grits her teeth and shakes her head again, trying her best to put her foot down on the matter.
“No. We’ll figure something else out. Red has brought on another security detail for me. We’ve added more cameras. We’ve got an investigative team combing over every letter and point of contact. We’ll be fine. It will be fine soon. We don’t need Torren to do this.”
“Celebrities enter into fake relationships all the time,” Hammond says slowly. “It could work.”
“I saidno, Ham. He’s not subjecting himself to that kind of media scrutiny again.”
“Andthisisn’t media scrutiny?” I say, referring to the recent uptick in relationship rumors about Sav and me. If it’s not this, it would be something else. And fuck, I’d much rather it be something else.
“We’realwaysunder media scrutiny,” I continue. “At least this way, we’ll be ahead of it.”
“Torren, a fake relationship is a terrible idea. It was a terrible idea with you and me, and it’s a terrible idea now. It will only make things messier.”
I shrug her off like her words don’t sting. At her suggestion that our relationship was anything other than real.
“This will be different,” I say confidently.
“How?”
I make eye contact with Sav and keep my voice flat when I answer her.
“I won’t be in love with this one.”
6
TORREN
PAST, ArtFusion Day One
“What the fuckdid you do to her this time?”
Jonah’s voice has me cracking an eye open and turning my head to glance in his direction. He’s slumped in the chair, eyes closed, with a joint between his lips and a glass of clear liquid in his hand. It’s probably vodka, but it might be tequila. He’s not particularly loyal to either one.
“Nothing.” I groan and close my eyes again. I have a pounding fucking headache. “You know how she gets.”
It’s not entirely true, but I don’t elaborate. I don’t want to talk about this shit with Sav. She’s fucking volatile, and I shouldn’t have to explain that to Jo. One day, she’s obsessed with me, and we can’t keep our hands off each other. The next, she can’t stand the sound of my voice, and we’re facing off like enemies in a death match. Usually, it’s all connected to whatever she’s on, and it’s unpredictable. I was born with an abundance of patience, but fuck if this whole bullshit’s not exhausting.
“Just fuck someone else.”
I snort at his suggestion.
“I’m serious. It will make you feel better.”
I shake my head with a sigh. “Savvy’s not fucking anyone else. She’s just pissy.”
“You’re in denial.”
Jonah kicks the couch I’m sitting on, making my body jerk. I don’t open my eyes. I just reach into my pocket for a joint and spark it up. I don’t want to talk about Sav and her mood swings. I don’t want to think about what she does when she’s not with me. I don’t want to admit to what I do when I’m not with her. It’s not like we try to fucking hide it. We just pretend it doesn’t happen.
“She’s never going to love you the way you love her, you know. Stop tryin’ to force it before you fuck it up for all of us.”
Jo’s voice is serious and somber, a tone I’m not used to hearing from him anymore. In the early days of the band, dolling out sage advice and profound opinions was a daily occurrence from our guitarist. Sav and Mabes used to call himPapa Jobecause of the way he looked out for us. He was the responsible one. The thoughtful one. Thewiseone.
It’s like that guy doesn’t exist anymore, except in brief moments like this one. I just wish this glimpse ofPapa Jodidn’t cut like a fucking knife to the chest. I clench my teeth before taking another long pull from my joint. I let the toxins sit in my lungs as Jonah’s words echo in my ears.
