“Lots of publishing houses want his autobiography, and I’m not saying he should do it, but I know you can help him figure it all out.” He claps Noah on the shoulder. “Not on this trip of course, but I don’t want to keep forgetting to put you two in contact, so just give him your card or something, okay? And you.”
He points a finger right at my face, less than an inch away from my nose.
“Contact him. I don’t wanna hear you whine about this again unless it’s to tell me you’re doing it or not doing it, all right? All right.” He nods to himself and leaves.
And I . . .
I’m left staring at a pair of wide, nervous brown eyes.
“Sorry about that,” I say for some reason.
“Don’t worry,” he says quickly, then reaches back for his phone and holds it out to me.
I’m not too old that I don’t understand what the gesture means.
We’re not exchanging cards, because that’s not something people do anymore.
I put the top of my phone over his and his contact appears on my screen only a couple of seconds after.
“Thanks, Noah Ellington.” I keep staring at the screen, at the letters of his last name for longer than necessary, just buying myself a few more precious seconds to get my breathing in order, my reaction to him in check.
“No problem, Chase Knightly,” he says, when I feel like I’m strong enough to look up again. “And no pressure on callingor anything. If you have any questions, though, I’ll be more than happy to answer any and all of them for you.”
He gives a tiny, frankly adorable nod, and then just... leaves.
It feels too sudden, too harsh.
I’ll see him again soon enough,I reassure myself for some strange reason, then once more stuff every unwanted feeling and thought down deep and bolster myself to have a good fucking time.
CHAPTER TWO
Noah Ellington
“Wow, you look—”Petra exclaims as I’m shown into the drawing room of Shelton Hall, Ru’s family home, or rather mansion.
“Is it too much?” Sudden nerves at her reaction bubble up and I look down at myself. I did think long and hard about what I wanted to wear to the wedding, but the pale blue suit won. I’d bought it on a whim a few months ago, and I’ve been waiting for an occasion to do it justice. Nate told me he and Ru were wearing white, so I thought the blue would be okay, paired with a crisp white shirt and of course a bow tie. One of my favourites. It’s silk, and also light blue, but has tiny flowers outlined in dark blue ink on it.
“Gorgeous, I was going to say gorgeous.”
“Oh.” Petra takes hold of my hands and laughs. A friendship with Petra was one of the most surprising results of that weekend in Ibiza for the bachelor party a month ago. I’d gone because Nate is a really good friend, which still baffles meafter two years. I like him a lot, but we couldn’t be more different. He’s loud, American, confident, extremely wealthy, and did I mention loud? How he could be friends with me—quiet, usually nervous, rather be reading than partying—is a mystery. Well, not a total mystery, as Nate is smart and he can be serious, but yeah, he likes to party, and Ibiza was definitely that. Not that I don’t like to party, just not twenty-four seven. Luckily they’d arranged two villas, so I could escape the music when it was too much, and I spent some of the weekend with Petra, Jenna, and Nate’s sister Chelsea.
“I knew it was a good idea to ask you to be my date today.” I try not to flinch at the worddate, and she laughs again. I remember her asking. I was sitting on the couch one morning. It was early and not many people were awake yet, and I was rereadingFrankenstein, an old favourite, because I love a good horror story and I needed something familiar to disappear into when there were too many people around. Petra had plonked herself next to me and asked if I’d be her date.
“Surely you don’t need a date for your own brother’s wedding,” I replied without even looking up from my page. “Also, I’m gay.”
“Well duh,” Petra said, and I looked up, but there was only a kind smile on her face. “Please, it’s the society wedding of the summer and I need some good eye candy on my arm.”
I’d never been calledeye candybefore, and I studied her face again, finding no hint of irony. It was flattering, but still.
“Don’t you have any straight friends?”
“I don’t want to be photographed with any single straight guys. I can’t stand the gossip, the speculation, and the labelling, especially when I’m bi.”
Huh, that was something I didn’t know, not that it was any of my business, so I focussed on something else.
“Photographed? I thought it was a private wedding?”
“It is but Nate and Ru are allowingRenownmagazine exclusive rights to cover it.”