He pulls away looking like a World War II soldier about to go off to war instead of a hockey player going to practice for a few hours. “I have to get going. My commute is a lot longer from here.”
Viv pouts and lets him ago. “I know. Okay. Have fun training.”
“Have fun singing.”
He starts toward the door.
“Oliver, wait!”
He turns, and she runs after him, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him down for one last lingering kiss. For the record, this is every morning. I roll my eyes and focus back on my screen. At least they’re distracted from me.
“I’ll let you know about tonight,” she says as he finally pulls away.
“Great. Text me later.” He blows a kiss and finally disappears for real.
Viv returns and grabs a yogurt and spoon, looking semi-recovered from their separation. In their defense, we’ve only been back from The Genevieve Fox Farewell Tour for a couple of weeks. After months apart, things should level out once the honeymoon period is over, especially if Oliver officially moves in.
One can hope anyway.
“Okay. Now, we can have real girl talk,” Viv says, the yogurt spoon still in her mouth. She’s back in my personal bubble again, and I swallow.
“Girl talk? Like about bras and periods and stuff?” I quip, still fake interested in whatever I’m looking at on my screen. The network settings. Yep, I’ve opened the network settings apparently, and I quickly search my desktop for a better cover in case she checks my screen again.
“Yeah. No. You know exactly what I’m talking about. So be honest. Do you have a thing for Julian or not?”
She waits, and I pull in a deep breath. She’s not just my boss; she’s my best friend. Plus, given our convoluted working relationship, she actually has a personal and professional stake in this matter.
I sigh and look up at her. “Okay, fine. Maybe I’m starting to think he’s not as awful as I originally thought.”
She rolls her eyes. “Not as awful as you thought? Wow, rein it in, tiger. That kind of passion can be dangerous,” she says sarcastically. If only she knew. Why do I think she probably will soon?
“I’m just saying, we’re polar opposites. How would a relationship with him even work?” That’s when I realize how much that question has been weighing on me since things started heating up between us. We’re so different. We clash all the time. It makes no sense that I’d even be attracted to him, but I’m long past the point of fighting that reality. Doesn’t mean I can’t be rational about the rest. People resist unhealthy attractions all the time.
She doesn’t look impressed with my defense. “Um, that’s exactly why it would work. You two are fire and water. You’d balance each other out perfectly. He’s all passion and wears his heart on his sleeve. A hurricane in human form. You’re a pristine lake, absorbing any disturbance with a ripple or a wave, but always settling back to level. He needs that voice of reason to hold him back. And you, my friend, could use some sparks in your life.”
“I have plenty of sparks, thank you very much,” I mutter.
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
I swallow and stare at my screen again. “The last book I read was really good.” I cringe the second my mouth starts uttering those words.
Viv snorts a laugh. “Right. Well. Should you decide you’d like more passion in your life than a really good book, you have my full support to date Julian Campbell.”
I almost choke on my coffee. “Wow. Thanks, Mom.”
Viv shudders. “Please don’t compare me to your mother. How’s that going anyway?”
“How are things going with your mother?” I counter.
She smirks. “Touché. Seriously, though. You may not see it, but it’s so obvious. Julian is perfect for you. He’s hot, talented, and I’d venture to say more than meets the eye—and he’s very pleasing to the eye as it is.”
I shake my head and try to quell the storm raging in my stomach. He’s all those things. And more. So much more. Why he doesn’t share those sides with the rest of the world, I don’t know. Naomi and I may be the only two people on the planet who know how amazing he really is.
She leans forward with a mischievous look on her face. “Plus, with all that fire, I bet he’s great in bed.”
Now I legit choke. “Viv!”
She shrugs. “What? Tell me you haven’t thought about it at least once. The way you guys clash, we all have to think about it, believe me… waaait…”
Crap. My face is burning again. Red hot, and my eyes are doing this weird darting thing. I try to focus them but now it feels like my lips are contorting into strange shapes instead.
“Hang on… no…” Viv breathes out, eyes wide. Soon she’s inches from my face. “You already did!”
“What? No,” I lie, not sure why. She obviously knows it. After years of living in each other’s shadows there’s almost nothing we can’t read.
“You did! Oh my gosh! Hadley!”
I close my eyes and release a heavy breath. “Fine. Yes. Maybe I did.”
“When?!”
“Monday night after that thing with my family. But then it was so weird the next morning at rehearsal, and I thought… Well, it turns out his attitude on Tuesday had nothing to do with me.”
“How was it, though?” she asks in a low, conspiratorial voice.
I can’t help but smile at her sorority girl transformation. “Um…” I bite my nail and grin.
She returns it, clapping her hands. “I knew it! It was good. Told you.”
I groan and cover my face with my hands. It was good. Really good, and I want to do it again, pretty much all the time, but…
“What if things don’t work out, though?” I ask, my voice dropping. Her humor fades as she studies my face. “We all have to work together. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize your career.”
Viv sighs and takes my hands, tugging gently. “You spend so much energy protecting me, Had. But I’m not the only one who matters in this relationship. Your happiness is just as important to me, okay? For once in your life, make a decision with your heart, not your head.”
She grins. “It wouldn’t kill you to break a rule or two.”
The problem with discussing Julian Campbell with your boss over breakfast is that your mind and body are already primed for a reaction when actually encountering said hot musician. And yes, I notice how good he looks the second Viv and I enter the studio. He’s already strapped in and tuning when we approach, and Viv elbows me in the side with a knowing grin.
“Hey, Julian,” she calls out.
He must have had his in-ears in and didn’t hear us enter, because he jolts when he sees us and tugs one out. Unlike the Tuesday studio greeting, a smile spreads over his lips and lands in my chest. I swallow the strange effect that has my skin getting all warm and prickly again.
“Hey,” he says to Viv. His gaze slides to me, and really unlike that greeting, his smile grows into a half-grin. “Hey, Hadley.” His eyes hold mine much longer than they need to. Days of trauma mix with smoldering embers in that single look. Captivated, I can’t tear my gaze away.