Page 37

“You know it’s bullshit…since when do you…fuck off with your clicks.” Alec’s face is red and his voice full of fury. When he sees me in the doorway, he says, “Gotta go,” and hangs up.
“You okay, Viking?” He takes a small step toward me and stops.
I nod, then shake my head, which means my head is moving in a spastic circle. Alec takes my wrist and guides me to sit on the couch.
“Everything okay with your mom? It got kinda loud in there.”
“You’re worried about my mamma?” I sputter, cataloging the events since last night that got us here.
“Families are tricky.” Alec shrugs and I realize he has no idea what sort of parents I have. Mine are mostly supportive, unlike his.
“She’s worried I’m going to fall in love with Lars and only visit Sweden a few weeks a year.” I manage a half smile.
“Is Lars bi?” he asks, but I won’t answer. I stare him in the eye, wondering if I have made the same mistake as in my past.
“Fucking Page Seven. I’m going to murder Britt.” Alec scrubs a hand over his face.
“Did the article say he’s bi?” I ask, my anger mounting.
“No. Not one word, just the insinuation in the caption to get people to click on two hot dudes holding hands.”
“We weren’t holding hands.” My tone is clipped, trying not to accuse him.
“I know.” He smirks instead of being annoyed.
The confirmation of how he knows is a hot iron to the stomach. My mind filters through the facts. He knows the people at Page Seven and has been in contact with them. It’s logical to conclude he gave them my name and has known all day the picture would be in the press. “Who were you talking to?” I demand.
Alec blinks and his head rears back. “My friend Britt from Page Seven. I was—”
“I’m sure you got what you needed,” I spit out the words. At least he didn’t lie. It’s a small thing in the face of betrayal. “I suppose you are interested in my fame.”
“So you really are famous,” Alec says it as statement but tilts his head in confusion.
“In Sweden, yes. In Europe, moderately. Here, no one cares I am a washed-upfotbollplayer.” My voice is harsher than necessary because he must already know. The question is how much more he wants. How is he going to use what he knows against me?
“Oh, here we care about washed-up football players, just not soccer players.” He fights to keep his lips from turning up. "Can I assume that I won't be attacked by paparazzi when I leave?"
“Why are you still here?” I seethe. Alec loves the spotlight. He thrived with the attention at the charity event. This is exactly the sort of thing to feed his ego, dating a famous person and using me to be fame adjacent.
I have told him things that no one else knows and those will certainly be in the tabloids within the next few days.
“Wow. Okay.” Alec stands. “I thought I was bad at relationships but you…” He lets the sentence go unfinished. “I might never be a decent partner, but I am a decent human. You told me you want privacy and details of your friend. I assumed you came here to get away from articles like the one in Page Seven.” His words hit harder than a punch. “I thought you might need a friend. My mistake.”
My door slamming leaves me alone with my self-righteous anger. It’s better that things end now before he gets a taste of fame and doesn’t want to give it up. I thought he was differentfrom my exes, but I should’ve known better. We are not meant to be––I forgot that for a minute.
Chapter sixteen
Alec
Too Good at Goodbye by Sam Smith
I’m having a hard time concentrating on Em’s question regarding our appointment system because I can’t get over Von’s assumptions. I’m not upset he didn’t disclose his past since we’re just having fun. It’s that he assumed the worst of me. I shake the thought to rid my mind of Von and focus on Em.
The shop isn’t busy and we’re up at the front counter with a view of the street from the large picture window and double doors.
In the week that I’ve trained Em, I found his story similar to mine. He had shit parents, ran out of money, and had to drop out of school. He tells me basic background stuff and how he was lucky to have an art teacher who helped him get into college. It’s obvious he had a massive crush on that teacher.
He’s personable, attentive to the client’s needs, and a kick-ass artist. Em’s also a flirt and fun to hang out with, so he brings me out of my sullen mood.