Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 92422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
It's next-level swoony.
Colby nods toward the stage. “Maybe you should get up there and sing. You’ve got an amazing voice. More people should hear it.”
That’s all it takes for my mouth to dry, making it impossible to swallow. “No thanks. It’s just a hobby. Something I like to fool around with.”
He raises a brow. “I don’t know many people who can write music and play the guitar. You must have been in choir or taken vocal lessons when you were younger.”
I don’t want to lie…
But I’m reluctant to share the truth.
“In middle school, I took choir and then yeah, I had some vocal training.”
“I’d love to hear the song you’ve been working on while you play the guitar. When we get home, will you do that for me, sweet girl?”
I chew my lower lip as the prospect circles around in my brain.
Would he recognize my voice if I did?
It’s a scary proposition.
“I’ll think about it.”
He presses closer until his lips can drift over mine. “Want to get out of here?”
Actually, I do.
I don’t care if we’ve been here for less than an hour.
As I nod, a trio of girls take over the stage. They’re giggly and obviously drunk. They crowd together, hovering over the computer before choosing a song.
Colby strokes his fingers along my palm. I hadn’t realized until now that he was holding my hand. Even more surprising is how much I enjoy it.
Want more of it.
Want more of him.
Somehow, when I wasn’t looking, he forced himself into my life, and now I can’t imagine living without him.
How ironic is it that our relationship feels more real than anything else when all I’ve done is hide the truth and lie?
I blink back to the moment when the girls take their places center stage and wait for the music to start. As soon as I hear the first few chords, my belly crashes to my toes and bile rises in my throat.
Shake Me Like That.
My hit single.
The one that had millions of views in less than twenty-four hours. It’s what catapulted me from teen living in obscurity to household name in less than a month.
If I had to pick one defining moment when the course of my life altered drastically, it would be that song.
It’ll always be synonymous with my rise to fame.
Before I realize what’s happening, the entire bar is belting it out with the girls who are prancing around and putting on a show.
Colby smirks as he watches them.
It’s a shock to realize that he’s mouthing the lyrics as well.
The pounding against my ribcage turns painful. Any second, my heart will explode from my chest.
Once the last notes fade, the girls take a bow, and the crowd whistles and claps their approval.
“Now that I have a little more time, I’ve been binging the show, trying to catch up. Is Bebe still MIA? I haven’t heard anything new lately,” Carina says.
“Yeah, I think so. So weird,” Stella adds before taking a sip of her beer.
“I’m dying to know if she’ll accept Axel’s proposal,” Viola says, which is a surprise. I didn’t think she was interested.
There must be a confused expression marring my face because she shrugs as color pinkens her cheeks. “I checked it out after you guys were talking about it the other week and fell down the rabbit hole. What about you, Britt? Are you a Bebe fan?”
How am I supposed to answer that?
I pull the collar of Colby’s jersey away from my neck. It’s as if the material is choking me.
“I’ve, ah, seen the show a time or two.”
That’s not a lie.
While the rest of my family enjoys watching themselves on screen, I don’t. I obsess about all the little things that bug me about my appearance.
“I wonder if she’s in rehab. Didn’t her mother say in a recent interview that she’s at a retreat for rest and relaxation? I’m pretty sure that’s Hollywood speak for when someone’s detoxing,” Fallyn adds.
The beer I just consumed threatens to make an encore appearance.
I swipe my sweaty palms against the thighs of my jeans. It takes effort to fight down the icy shards of panic that are multiplying in the pit of my belly as I attempt to keep my voice level.
Instead of getting drawn into the convo, I turn to Colby. “Are you ready to go?”
He nods before rising to his feet and pulling me up with him.
“What I’m ready for is to have you all to myself,” he whispers before pressing his lips against my cheek.
If he notices that I’m trembling from head to toe, he doesn’t mention it.
30
COLBY
A strange silence falls over us as we leave the bar amid boos from our friends. It’s like the mood has shifted, and I’m unsure as to the reason. For the duration of the ride back to the apartment, she stares straight ahead and chews her lower lip as if lost deep in thought.