“We went to high school together, but we were never really friends. Didn’t run in the same crowds. But after I graduated and moved back home, we ran into each other at a coffee shop andstruck up a conversation.” She smiles, and the sight of it nearly has me swerving into oncoming traffic. “We’ve been inseparable ever since.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah. I wish I’d known her in high school. It would have made those four years so much more tolerable, but I’m glad to have her now.”
Clearing my throat, I hold myself back from reaching out and covering Indie’s hand with mine the way I want to. I hated that she felt alone throughout high school. Hated that all I could do was text and call her when she was struggling on the other side of the country. “How long have you two been living here?”
“Oh.” She shifts in her seat, her fingers twisting together. “Um, we’re notlivinghere. Just staying for a bit. We’ve been here since the end of February.”
Shit.Staying for a bit. That’s all?
“Oh yeah? And how long are you hanging out in the Twin Cities?”
“Um, the tentative plan is three months.”
Three.Months. They’ve been here since the end of February, and it’s already the second week of April. That means they’re halfway through their stay.
It’s not enough.
“That’s cool.”Lie. “What brings you to Minnesota?”
Indie sighs. The sound is tired. Defeated. “I’m sure you’ve seen the news about my parents.”
“Yeah.” I wince, shooting her a sympathetic look. “I was sorry to hear about the divorce.”
“Thanks. It’s been…interesting.”
Interesting is one way to put it. I obviously haven’twatchedher parents’ sex tape, but I’d have to have been living under a rock not to know about it. “Do they know who leaked the sex tape?”
She chokes out a laugh at that. “Nope. I’m half-convinced it was one of them. Neither has been booking as many high-profile projects these days, so I wouldn’t put it past one of them to leak it, hoping to reignite some public interest. Hell, maybe it was a mutual decision.”
Robert and Vivian are both nice people. Much nicer than you’d expect an A-list actor or actress to be, when the whole world fawns over their every move. But they aren’t devoid of the narcissism that often walks hand in hand with fame. I’ve seen people with much less notoriety get a big head at the first brush of fame. Hell, hockey players are some of the most arrogant assholes you could ever meet. And Robert and Vivian aren’t just hockey-player famous.
The entire world knows who they are.
But the sad fact of the matter is that Hollywood is often a young-person’s game. In an industry that values beauty, youth, and novelty above almost anything else, even the most famous actors in the world eventually live to see their star dim.
I can’t imagine either of Indie’s parents are happy about that.
“Have you avoided seeing anything too traumatizing?” I ask, smiling. I hate that she’s being forced to deal with any of this, but it does give us something to talk about. And at this point, I’ll take what I can get.
“Oh, god. No. I’ve seen far too much of my father’s ass. No one should have to see the things I’ve seen. Nor should any child be forced to know what their mom’s sex noises sound like.” Indie makes a disgusted face. “I swear I hear that shit in my nightmares.”
“I’m sure. Not enough therapy in the world for something like that.”
“Exactly,” she cries, laughing. “At least when they film movies, I know when to close my eyes to avoid seeing any titsor ass. When it’s out there on the internet, it’s like avoiding a million jump scares.”
She’s beautiful when she laughs. I’ve missed that sound. Way more than I realized. I want to hear it every day. To clear the air between us and deal with whatever made her run away and deprive me of that glorious laugh.
But then her expression shifts, and I know I can’t. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s reading a situation, and we’re nowhere near where we need to be to have that conversation. She’s still holding herself back, and I’ll have to play it safe and smart. That means showing Indie she can trust me. That I still care about her. I need her to remember how good we were together before I attempt to reopen old wounds.
I’ve spent ten years waiting for Indigo Bloom. I can be patient. Because letting her run away from me again isn’t an option. Which means I’ll do whatever it takes to win her back. Even if that includes ignoring the elephant in the room. For now.
ten
INDIGO
It would be all tooeasy to let myself fall for Sebastian Navarro again.