Me: Is she in bed?
I text Cori, and she doesn’t get back to me right away. She’s been my saving grace this whole time. When I finally explained to her what happened, she was angry and sad for us. She then stored my name in her phone as Brianna just in case Kellie saw the texts.
Cori: She cancelled her dinner with Tommy and is lying in bed watching the skyline.
I put the phone on my chest, then look out my own window at the skyline, wishing I was with her and that she was in my arms. I close my eyes, seeing her face smiling and then laughing. I can still hear her laughter, and with that, I slowly drift off to sleep. In the past week, I’ve slept maybe a couple of hours a night, never really letting myself sleep in case she needed me.
I open my eyes eight hours later, and I jump out of bed, grabbing my phone and checking to see if I missed anything. I guess knowing that we were going to finally be together, my body let go, and I finally slept.
There are a couple of emails from Rachel about a possible lead to the amethyst heart that was sent. She is waiting on a reply from one man, and I know it has to be the key.
Dante sent two texts, both confirming what I already knew—that she is staying in, and the second is a list of things that she will be doing the next day. She has a couple of radio interviews, she is going to be on Good Morning America, and then she will be on The Howard Stern Show.
I see it’s almost four a.m., and I know I’m not going to be sleeping anytime soon, so I get up and change. Going to the gym, I push my body for a couple of hours, stopping when I get a text from Dante with a picture, and my hands almost snap the phone in my hand.
Dante: My view does not suck.
The picture is of Kellie wearing tight white jeans that cup her ass perfectly, the same ass that I bit a week ago. She is wearing a light pink shirt that ties at her neck and goes long to her knees, leaving her whole back open down the middle. Her long hair is piled on top of her head in a huge bun, and she is wearing the same color shoes as the shirt.
Me: Why are you taunting the beast?
Anthony replies, and I see that it’s a group message. Dante replies right away.
Dante: I’ve been up since two a.m. when she decided that it was a good idea to bake fucking banana bread. Guess who had to follow her to the kitchen and watch her?
Me: Well, your shift ends tonight at eleven, so you can sleep then.
I answer them, then I smile.
Me: I’m adding Rachel to this group text.
I laugh, knowing that Rachel will skin Dante’s balls. The two of them are like oil and water but never letting the other one go. They had been dating in secret for the last two years, but when push came to shove, they finally told us.
Dante: Fuck off.
Dante: I’m working. I have to go.
I turn on Good Morning America and wait to see her come out. I walk to the kitchen where I make a protein shake while I watch the show. Hunter comes in search of coffee. “Dalia put on the coffee at six,” I tell him, and he just nods. Kellie’s name is finally announced, and I see her coming out. She looks like she’s lost weight. Her eyes are a light green shade, and she smiles the whole time, but her smile is the fake one she reserves for the press. It isn’t her smile that she gives me that makes the side of her eyes crinkle, and it isn’t the smile that makes her eyes crystal green.
“So what are your plans after the tour?” one of the co-hosts asks her, and I wait to hear her answer.
“That is easy to answer,” she says, and the sound of her voice just makes everything okay. The tightness in my chest lets up a bit, my breathing comes out a touch easier, and I feel like it’s going to be okay. “I’m going to be holed up in a secret location enjoying me time.”
“If only she knew,” Hunter says, sitting down next to me, and I look over and glare at him. The interview is over, so I turn off the television. Our phones beep and when we both look down, we see it’s from Dante.
Dante: Change of plans. She’s hitting Live with Kelly and Ryan. Last-minute drop-in.
“I hate these last-minute plans,” I hiss and then turn on the television again. This time, she walks out, and I stop breathing. She’s still in the white jeans, but she’s changed her top, and her hair is now cascading down. Her shirt is a blue and white striped long-sleeved shirt ending right before the waist of her jeans, and it cuts right down the front in a V.