My good mood evaporates, and a familiar pain spreads across my chest.
“Don’t read them.” Audrey snatches my cell, slipping it in my purse. “They’re just jealous hos.”
We head out to the marquee after that, and I force myself to relax and enjoy the party. Everyone I invited from school is here, and now my parents have left us alone, the alcohol is flowing, and we’re working up a sweat on the dance floor. The band is amazing, and I’m having a great time until stupid Nate McAndrews opens his big mouth. “Hey, sexy,” he says, throwing his arm around my shoulders. “How come Reeve deleted the video?” he asks, his beer breath fanning across my face.
“What?” I shout in his ear, sure I must have misheard him.
“It’s gone from all his profiles.” He arches a brow. “You didn’t know?”
I have tried calling Reeve several times, but he’s obviously working late. I sent him a pic of me in the sexy black lace bra and thong set he sent me, as well as a picture of me in my party dress. I designed and made the black minidress with a gold and emerald trim that brings out the green flecks in my hazel eyes. The dress is short, emphasizing my long legs. I left my hair down and styled it in soft curls, just the way Reeve likes it. Mom hired her makeup artist to do our makeup, and I asked her to use the makeup Reeve bought me. It might seem silly, but it makes me feel closer to him.
I hate that I haven’t actually spoken to him yet, and my birthday will officially be over in three hours, but I know he’ll call or message me whenever he can.
“It’s true,” Audrey says, showing me her phone. Reeve’s Insta profile is displayed on her screen, and the video post is nowhere to be seen. “Maybe he spotted the nasty comments and took it down.”
That must be it, I think as my cell vibrates in the pocket of my dress. My lips pull into a smile, and a relieved breath escapes my mouth when I see it’s my boyfriend. “Hang on a sec,” I shout into the phone, rushing across the marquee. “It’s loud as fuck and I can’t even hear myself think.”
Reeve chuckles, and the sound does funny things to my insides.
“That’s better,” I say, as soon as I’m outside. The cooler air is like a balm to my hot skin, so I don’t mind the slight breeze wafting around me. “Hey, baby,” I purr. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too, and I wish I was there.”
“Thank you so much for my flowers and the gifts, and that video message was beautiful. I tear up every time I look at it.”
“I sent it to you privately since I was forced to take it down from social media,” he admits, adding, “I hope you don’t mind.”
“What do you mean you were forced to take it down? By who? Did Bianca make you do it?” I knew there was a reason I took an instant dislike to his agent.
His sigh trickles down the line. “It wasn’t Bianca. It was Cassidy. She’s been hired to handle PR for the movie, and she threw a massive hissy fit.”
“Why?”
There’s a pregnant pause. “I guess it doesn’t look good I have a girlfriend.”
Unease slithers through my veins. I’m not stupid. I’ve been expecting this, but it still hurts. “Oh,” I quietly say.
“It’s probably for the best. Some of the comments were nasty. The last thing I want is you becoming a target for crazy bitches.”
Loud music mixed with noisy chatter fills the line, and I frown. “What was that?”
“Someone just opened the door.”
“Opened the door where? Aren’t you at your hotel?”
“We’re at a club. We worked late tonight, and a few of us decided to go out for drinks.” Reeve is the youngest of the main acting crew with most of his costars being in their early twenties and legally able to attend clubs and drink alcohol. I am guessing the PR person pulled some strings to get Reeve in, and I’m sure his costars are sliding a few beers his way.
“Dude,” a male says in the background. “We’re going to head back to the hotel bar.”
“Okay,” Reeve says.
“Wait. Is that your girlfriend?” another guy says, and there’s a few seconds of muffled talk.
“Happy birthday, Vivien,” the stranger says down the line.
“Thanks. And you are?”
A deep chuckle tickles my eardrums. “I’m Rudy. Hasn’t Reeve told you anything about me? I’m offended, man,” he says, clearly talking to Reeve. “And here I thought we had the bromance of the century.”
“Don’t sweat it, Rudy,” I say. “He’s told me all about you, including how you enjoy pranking everyone on set.” Rudy had a main role in a popular Netflix show last year, and he’s garnered quite a following. With his blond hair, blue eyes, flirtatious manner, and jokey personality, he is the perfect choice to play Jackson Lauder. And just like Camden and Jackson are friends in the Rydeville Elite books, Reeve and Rudy have become close too.
“Did he tell you about the lube in his sneakers?” Rudy asks, clearly smothering laughter.
I giggle. “He did, and he also told me how you swapped the sugar for salt and put toothpaste in his shampoo.”
“I still owe you for that,” Reeve says, sounding distant. “Give me that.”
“My turn,” a high-pitched clearly feminine voice says, and I gulp over the sudden lump in my throat.
“Hey, Vivien. It’s Saffron. Happy birthday! Did you like the lingerie I helped Reeve pick?”
What?!?! All the blood drains from my face, and I’m grappling for a response that doesn’t involve me screaming at her to stay away from my man.
“Viv?” she asks, and my natural instinct is to snap that she has no right to call me that.
“You went shopping with Reeve?” I finally manage to say, trying to ignore the anxious fluttering in my chest. My heart is racing so fast I can feel it thudding against my rib cage in panic.
“We did it online one night after work. That photo he has by his bed is so sweet. You make a cute couple.”
Words are spoken in the background, but she must have her hand over the phone because I can’t hear. Or maybe the sirens blaring warning signals in my head are drowning everything out.
“I’ve got to go, but I’m so looking forward to meeting you. Buh-bye,” she says, as I fight a full-body shiver and narrowly resist the urge to throw up the vodka shots I’ve consumed.
“Hey, it’s me,” Reeve says, sounding a little sheepish.
And so he should. “Why was she in your hotel room, and were you in hers?” I hiss.
“Babe, calm down.” His cool tone only pisses me off more.
“You let her choose lingerie for me?” My voice elevates a few notches as anger comingles with fear and hurt and a ton of other emotions.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“I’m glad you realize how bad it sounds,” I snap, pacing back and forth across the lawn.
“Don’t overreact, Viv.”
And that’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. “Don’t tell me not to overreact! You know how I feel about her, and yet you spend time with her in a hotel room and let her pick an intimate gift for my birthday. How the fuck do you expect me to react?” I shout.
“I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.” He lowers his voice. “How much have you had to drink?”
“How much have you?” I retort.
“Our car is here. I have to go. We’ll talk again tomorrow when you’ve calmed down.”
The fucking nerve of him to try to turn this back around on me. I have every right to my feelings, and he should be bending over backward to apologize. “Reeve. Don’t you dare hang up on me.”
“I love you, Viv. We’ll talk soon. Go back to your party.”
There’s a click and then silence. I stare at my cell in utter shock and disbelief. Rage simmers in my veins as my brain struggles to comprehend how my boyfriend just hung up on me mid-argument.
9
“Hey.” Audrey tugs on my arm, her brow creasing with worry. “What’s wrong?”