Chloe shook her head. She couldn’t look at him right now. She felt raw, exposed, but most of all, she felt like an idiot. Her eyes started stinging and she had to blink several times to clear the evidence of her emotions.
She could feel the tension building in Reid as he released a sharp exhale. “What did she say to you?” The sound of his voice, taut with anger, caused Chloe’s eyes to snap to his. His face was hard lines and thin lips. She couldn’t help but wonder if his anger was out of fear that Jess had spilled the beans about his plans to leave LA. Once the idea hit, it pushed away every other thought racing through her mind.
“Nothing,” she assured, her hurt fading into something darker. She started to question so many things he’d said, things he’d done. Maybe he was a better actor than Inky gave him credit for. Maybe he wasn’t the man he claimed to be at all.
Reid’s brows dipped as he searched her face. After a moment, he shook his head. “Why are you lying to me?”
Chloe let out an incredulous laugh and grabbed her bow. “Are we ready to get started?”
Reid’s jaw ticked. “Yeah. Let’s get this over with.”
Chloe turned and walked over to her spot near Drew. “What the hell was that all about?” he whispered under his breath.
She looked at Drew and shrugged, a small smile on her lips. “It’s nothing. You know how Reid is.”
Drew returned her smile and lifted his brows. “I wasn’t talking about Reid.”
Chloe didn’t respond and Drew didn’t push. It was one of the perks of working with guys. They rarely pressed for conversation when it wasn’t wanted.
After a couple of hours, Reid called the rehearsal to an end. “All right, guys. I think that’s enough for today. I’ll see you at the venue tomorrow at five.”
Everyone agreed and started putting away their things. Chloe reached for her case, but Reid lifted it from the floor before she could wrap her hand around the handle. “Are you ready to tell me what’s going on with you?”
Chloe sighed. “You know, I could ask you the same thing.”
“What are you talking about?”
Before Chloe could respond, Jess stepped beside Chloe and bumped her shoulder. “That was amazing, Chloe. I don’t know how you do it. Reid tried to teach me to play his guitar years ago. It was a disaster.”
Chloe shrugged and smiled softly. As much as she hated what Jess told her, Chloe had no reason to be angry with her. “Thanks. It’s just in my blood, I guess.”
“Are we ready?” Reid asked, his posture rigid.
“Yeah,” Jess exhaled.
When Chloe looked over at Jess, she seemed exhausted. Not wanting to stand there a moment longer than necessary, Chloe pulled her case from Reid’s grasp. “You guys get out of here. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
For a moment, Reid stood unmoving before combing a hand through his hair. “See you tomorrow, Chloe,” he said, turning to leave.
Chloe didn’t budge until the sound of their footsteps faded into silence. When she was certain they had left, she fell against the wall and exhaled. The next six months were going to be a nightmare.
Reid was in hell. He was certain of it. Leaning against the counter, he scrubbed his hands over his face. “Jess, come on. We need to go.”
“I’m almost ready,” she yelled from the bathroom.
“Jesus Christ,” he groaned. When she’d shown up in LA, he wasn’t surprised. He expected it. They’d fought for days after the VMAs. He couldn’t even blame her for being angry; she was completely justified. The truth was, that night changed something inside Reid. For the first time in months, his mind was finally silent. The disjointed and erratic thoughts that normally robbed his sleep and tore at his conscience had faded.
“Okay, we can go,” Jess said, interrupting his thoughts.
With a nod, Reid turned for the door. The ride to the venue was filled with silent tension. He hated the way things had changed between them, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get back to the place they once were. He didn’t want to.
Once they arrived at the venue, they walked in through the back, ducking between the bouncers positioned by the entrance to keep the fans at a distance. Jess clutched his hand as they moved down the hall. His entire body hummed with anxiety. “Why don’t you hang out here for a bit?” he said once they were inside his dressing room. “I have a few people I need to talk to. I’ll be back soon.”
Jess acted as though she might protest but then seemed to change her mind. “Okay. I’ll be here.”
Without another word, Reid disappeared into the hall. There was only one person Reid needed to talk to, and this time he wasn’t going to be blown off. Ducking into a couple of rooms, it didn’t take long to find her. He watched her from the hall, not wanting to startle her in the middle of doing her makeup. When she paused to grab something off the vanity, he made his presence known.
“Hey.” He noticed her shoulders tense before dropping.