Page 51 of Sweet Oblivion

“Did that just happen?” I asked.

She smiled, the brightness seeming almost brittle, and her eyes shining, even in the low lights. “You’re going to reach your every goal, Superstar.”

I realized later that Aya had understood what Asher said and what it meant for us. Just as she understood that, despite all of that, I was desperate to take his offer.

19

Aya

All that night, Nash vibrated with excitement, unable to sleep, pacing the suite’s living room, on the phone with his mother and grandfather. We were at one of the Syads’ hotel properties, and Nash had given Cam the penthouse, so we were a floor below, in a gorgeous suite with three bedrooms. It must have been five times larger than the average Manhattan apartment, with a mix of modern, geometric rugs and antique furniture. I fell asleep on one of the sofas, but I woke in my bed the next morning, a blanket tossed over me.

After using the bathroom and brushing my teeth, I changed into a clean outfit. Then I opened the door, and Nash practically accosted me.

“I signed the contract,” he said, eyes burning with excitement.

“Oh! Well, great.” I smiled as I wrapped my arms around myself, wishing his excitement would coat my worries.

“I had to tell you. I can’t believe this is real, Ay. I can’t…” He trailed off, his eyes wide, the dark circles under them telling.

I touched his cheek. “You need to get some rest before the show tonight,” I murmured as I led him toward his bedroom. He followed, and now that he’d told me his news, the last of the adrenaline seemed to evaporate, leaving him exhausted. He settled on the bed, and I tugged off his sneakers.

“This is amazing,” he mumbled. He rubbed his cheek against the pillow. “I’m going to write the perfect song…”

I pulled the comforter across the bed, covering him. I brushed the hair back from his forehead, my heart throbbing with love as his lashes fluttered.

Steve’s comment to me the night before swirled through my head: “He’s going places you’re not going to want to follow.”

That seemed abundantly true, especially considering Nash had been on stage, enjoying the adulation of the crowd, when Steve said it. Nash craved the spotlight while I wanted to sit in a cozy chair and read a book.

A few hours later, Nash knocked on my bedroom door. He poked his head inside. “Hey, can we talk?”

I closed my book and sat up, tucking hair behind my ear. Inwardly, I groaned. I was in a pair of black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt atop my sleeping camisole. Nothing about the outfit was sexy. I’d wanted to feel comfortable as I settled into the self-pity building in my head.

Tomorrow, I would go back to the last two weeks of my program. Nash would continue to tour, but I’d promised to visit him on the weekends as he and Cam worked their way up the East Coast.

He closed the door behind him, and I thought I heard him lock it.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Where is everyone?”

He tensed for a moment. “Steve’s talking to my mom. Again. You know how long those calls go. And Chuck and Cam went to meet up with a friend.”

So, we basically had the large, connecting suite to ourselves. A shiver slid down my spine as I considered my options. But then I shut down my hope that Nash would kiss me. He needed a friend—was desperate for the connection—and I’d promised myself I would be that for him. Even if it hurt.

Especially because it hurt.

“You don’t seem excited about my record deal.” He settled his hip next to mine on the bed.

It was a cushy mattress, and we rolled closer, separated only by the comforter and our pants. Need curled in my belly.

I forced the smile he needed. “Oh, I am.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll get to tell people I was there for the birth of Nash Porter, Superstar.”

His smile turned shy. “You really think I can be that? A superstar? Like Cam and Asher?”

I reached up and touched his cheek, letting my fingers linger. “I think you’re going to blow them all away.”

He studied me, no doubt looking for any insincerity. But he found none. I’d known, even as a small child, that Nash was destined for that stardom he’d mentioned. He practically shimmered with talent and possibilities. The fact that I’d held his interest this long was a gift.

“One of Asher’s stipulations was that I had to finish high school before I record my album.”

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