Page 119 of Lost Track

He wasn’t. More people meant he had more of an opportunity to say or do something confusing.

But Curtis had asked him to go to one afterparty. A specific one hosted by the label.

He’d promised Sabine just an hour and then they could go get some food and sleep.

After all, their flight left at four in the morning. Which was six to her internal clock because of the time change. She’d be up for 24-hours without even a nap to sustain her. He couldn’t ask her to keep Sunshine hours.

Though, for the first time ever, he wasn’t as nervous about being at the afterparty. It was as if having Sabine with him changed his entire perspective. Even if everyone else in the room misunderstood him, she wouldn’t.

“Yo, Sunshine!” Chizeled—his friend and sometimes collaborator— grabbed him in a bear hug. They slapped each other on the back.

“I didn’t know you were here!” Dave said, happy to see the rapper.

“I dipped out of the show early.” Chizeled rubbed a hand over his chest as he glanced through the crowded venue. “Are you here with someone?”

Dave nodded and pointed out Sabine.

She was still in that fucking ridiculously hot dress, standing at the bar with Zara Lorna playing lemon mouth.

Because of course she was.

“You’re here with Zara?” Chizeled asked.

“No, the hot one,” Dave corrected. He watched as Sabine shoved the lemon wedge in her mouth and Zara’s eyes went wide.

“Damn. How long you been dating?”

Sabine spit the wedge out and the bartender removed it. Then she high-fived Zara and the bartender. The bartender grinned. Not at Zara Lorna, the award-winning songstress with the number one song on every streaming platform out there. No, he couldn’t take his eyes off Sabine, the tutor from Chicago who dressed like Darth Vader to impress a boy.

“What?” Dave asked. “Oh, we’re not dating. We’re just friends.”

Chizeled laughed and Dave tore his eyes away from Sabine to look at his friend. “What?”

“Right. Friends. Okay.” Chizeled laughed again, harder this time. “You’re full of shit.”

“No, really,” Dave defended. “She’s just a friend. I’m not dating anyone.”

Chizeled eyed him carefully, still not convinced, but he let it go. “When do you have some time? I have a track that needs some specific Capone type massaging.”

“I’m in Chicago these days. You can come see me whenever you want.”

“You have a studio there?”

“Yeah. A good one.”

“Sweet. I’ll call you.”

They slapped hands and backs and parted.

Dave went to the bar and even though he knew he was playing with fire, he slid his hand along Sabine’s lower back. She turned bright eyes over her shoulder to greet him.

“Hey!” She looped her arm around his waist.

“Lemon mouth?” He shook his head at her.

“Sunshine,” Zara greeted with a curt chin lift.

“Zara,” he responded, tipping his head to the side. “Congratulations on the award. It was well deserved.”

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