Page 47

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Clarissa," says Dad, knocking on my closed bedroom door.

Rolling out of bed to answer it, I know look like a troll. Now that my parents know my sad situation, I've fluctuated between not caring about how I look and feeling super motivated to be so awesome that my exes will regret their decision.

Today is a troll day.

"Hey, hun," says Dad in his sad-but-trying-to-be-upbeat voice, "your mom and I thought we could all use a little family fun time. Why don't you get dressed and we can leave the house today?"

"Today's not a good day." I start to close the door so I can crawl back beneath my blankets, but he sticks his foot in the door.

"Coffee is brewed and we're leaving in twenty. See you downstairs." Dad heads back down the hall, calling, "I love you!" over his shoulder.

Grumbling to myself, I go into the bathroom to take the hottest shower of my life.

After that, I'm pouring my coffee into the biggest mug I can find in order to endure this.

If I'm not downstairs in time, Dad will come back up here and guilt trip me until I comply, so it's better to just go along with it.

Especially because they really have been understanding with my staying here lately.

I'm not sure they'll be quite as understanding when my boxes arrive from Chicago, but I'll cross that bridge when it happens.

Mom hands me a travel mug as soon as I'm downstairs.

"I can't even sit and enjoy my coffee?" I grumble.

"Of course you can," says Mom. "In the car while we're on our way."

"Where are we going, exactly?" I settle into the backseat of the car, sipping the life-giving brew that is coffee. If they expect me to be upbeat or even alive, they'll have to wait until this entire thermos kicks in.

"It's a surprise," says Dad cheerily as he turns around to back us out of the driveway.

Great. I'm not sure I can take any more surprises. I just watch out the window as the small town I grew up in passes by, then disappears.

It takes over an hour, and I'm starting to have to pee because I drank that entire thermos of coffee.

By the time Dad finally pulls into a parking lot, I'm ready to spring from the car to the nearest bathroom.

Until I look around and realize that we're in the packed parking lot of a community center.

And the sign over the entrance to the building announces that today is the town's comic convention.

"What are we doing here?" I ask, my voice sharper than usual and my eyes narrowed.

"Last time we visited, your roommates talked a lot about all these different comic things and shows and we didn't know any of them, so your mom and I thought it would be a fun family outing to learn more about that stuff."

"I'd rather go anywhere else." If I go in there, all I will be able to think about is my ex-boyfriends, and I miss them so much that if I see a TARDIS I'll probably burst into tears. "We could go bowling."

"I don't think this town has a bowling alley," says Mom, getting out of the car. "Besides, you've been complaining for the last ten minutes that you have to pee. Well, here's the bathroom."

"Fine." I really do have to pee. "But then we're leaving."

"Sure, yeah." Mom isn't really paying attention, instead looking around the parking lot as if it's the most fascinating thing she's ever seen.

I hurry us inside, because we need to make this quick for a number of reasons.

As soon as I've used the bathroom, I'm forcing my parents to drive us anywhere else.

I can't believe that the first time they pick something for us to do as a family, it's this.

They could have picked anything. What a shit time for them to take an interest in my life.

When I come out of the bathroom and head for the exit, Mom slips her arm through mine and spins us around so we're entering the gym instead.

"I want to leave," I hiss, my voice low but insistent. I don't want everyone around us to think this is a kidnap situation. I mean, it kind of is, but not in the way they should panic about. "Where's Dad?"

"I just want to look around," she insists. "Besides, your dad already went inside, so we have to find him."

"One lap and we're out of here," I say. "No stopping at any tables, and no talking to anyone."

Mom ignores me and practically drags me up an aisle. She'd better not make this take forever. This is in and out.

I try to pay as little attention as possible to what's going on around us until Mom halts in the middle of an aisle, pointing at something up ahead.

There's a small rectangle taped off on the floor and in the middle stands all five of my ex-boyfriends.

My heart is trying to escape my chest, and I clutch Mom's arm tight.

What are they doing here? I didn't want to come in because I didn't want to be reminded of them, but I didn't realize I should also be worried about running into them.

There were no public appearances listed on their website. They shouldn't be here.

"What the hell?" I whisper, panic creeping in. I need to get out of here. But Mom's grip on me is tight, and I'm rooted to the spot.

As soon as they spot me, Miles picks up a microphone and says, "Thank you all for coming out for our little competition today.

We're super excited to be here with people we care about.

" His eyes are locked on mine, even though he's talking to the entire room.

"We're going to get our live stream going momentarily here, and you'll all get a chance to play against us. "

"While you're waiting though, we recommend you browse all of the amazing vendors here today.

And we'd like to give a very special recommendation for one booth in particular.

" Lionel gestures at the booth right next to them.

"Our girlfriend is selling her romance book today, and she's even here to sign them for you. "

"We should warn you," says Quintin, grabbing the mic from Lionel, "that we were the inspiration for a few of the scenes in there."

I force myself to pry my gaze from them and glance at the booth. Fuck me, there is Sasha, smiling and waving at the gathering crowd of readers.

She seriously texted me that shitty apology, then moved in with my ex-boyfriends? And now she has them promoting her and her romantasy books? This is not okay, and I want to be angry, but I can tell that crying is going to win.

Yanking my arm out of Mom's grip, I fight my way to the back of the crowd.

I need to get out of here before the tears start to fall.

If Mom and Dad want to look around, they can, but I'll hide in the bathroom until it's time to go.

I'd hide in the car, but Dad has the keys and I'm not about to waste time looking for him.

There's a commotion, but I ignore it. All I can focus on right now is the exit and getting away from this gym.

"I got you. It's okay." Long arms wrap around me, holding me against a solid chest as they stroke my hair.

When I glance up, I'm looking up into Ethan's face, and I try to break away. But his hold is too strong.

"Sorry, but we're not letting you get away again," he says.

"Come back to Chicago and be our girlfriend again," whispers Helix, stepping around Ethan and wrapping me in a hug sandwich.

"You going to fire your latest girlfriend and kick her out with only a couple hours' notice, too?

Or were you going to schedule out my rehire date to give her some time to pack up, at least?

" I snap, pushing both of them off of me.

No matter how much I miss being cocooned in their arms, I'm not letting them play games with me like this.

"What girlfriend?" asks Ethan. "You're our only girlfriend."

"Don't be obtuse." I point back to the booth, my finger stabbing through the air as the anger I thought would lose out begins to surface. "Sasha is here with you. After the little show you put on when she tried to kiss you, now you're traveling around to comic cons with her?"

"Sasha is here with us," says Helix, looking confused, "but only to help sell books. She knows more about that sort of thing than we do."

The tears bubble back up, pricking at the backs of my eyes. Great . I'd hoped the rage would take over, but it looks like there's a two-for-one deal on emotions today. Lucky me . "I'm very aware of Sasha's ability to sell her books. I don't need to be shown. Thanks though."

Ethan and Helix both look at me, their foreheads creased in bewilderment.

"She's not selling her book," says Helix slowly.

"She's selling yours," Ethan adds.

Now I'm confused. "I saw her up there at the booth with her books."

"No, you saw her up there with your books." Ethan takes a step closer to me, and this time I don't back away, but I don't move toward him, either. "We came here to apologize to you for overreacting. We've wanted to for a while, but didn't know what to do to win you back."

"So when Sasha came by with an idea, we couldn't say no," Helix tells me.

I look from Ethan to Helix, my brain spinning like the loading circle on a slow website. "I don't understand."

"Clarissa, we want you to come back to Chicago with us and be our girlfriend again," repeats Ethan.

"But we're not hiring you this time," says Helix. "We'll still pay for everything because we can afford it, and because we want to take care of you, but we want you there because you want to be there. Not because we're paying you."

"You're … not dating Sasha?" My brain refuses to process everything. There are too many people around and too many new pieces of information, and I'm completely overwhelmed and overloaded.

"We're definitely not dating Sasha," says Helix.

"You're the only woman we want to date," Ethan assures me.

"What do you say?" asks Helix. When I don't immediately respond, he says, "At least take a look at the booth we set up for you."

They each take one of my hands, and I let them tug me back through the crowd to the booth where Sasha is framed on either side by a tower of books, talking to readers.

Now that I'm giving the space more than a fleeting glance, I notice that the covers are indeed my own.

In fact, as I look around the space, I don't see a single one of her books in sight.

Which is crazy, because this is definitely a crowd that would love a good dragon book, and she has a few of them.

"Look who we found, Sasha," says Helix, moving behind me and placing his hands firmly on both of my shoulders, probably so I don't bolt again.

"Just a second," says Sasha to a reader before coming around to this side of the booth. "Clarissa, I'm so sorry!"

Sasha throws her arms around me and pulls me away from Helix, hugging me tight.

"I tried to contact you again, but I think you blocked my number.

Not that I blame you," she says, moving back to look me in the eyes.

"You were right, that was a shit apology.

I'm sorry that I was a terrible friend and let my craze for being the best author possible get in the way of that.

There are more than enough readers for everyone and it's not a competition.

We can help each other and both be successful.

" I open my mouth to respond, but she keeps going.

"And by help each other, I don't mean share your boyfriends.

They've made it very clear that you're the only woman for them. Which I completely respect."

Finally, I wrap my arms around Sasha too to hug her back, and then step away, bumping up against Ethan.

"I forgive you," I tell her. "But it's going to be a while until I can trust you again."

"Of course. I completely understand." Sasha wrings her hands, and she really does look sorry.

"This is a good apology though." I wave to the booth.

"Thanks." Sasha laughs sheepishly. "One of the benefits of being a romance author is that I'm a pro at the grand gesture apology."

"Sasha helped us brainstorm ideas for the best way to win you back," Ethan tells me, his arm snaking tentatively around my waist, "and we found that this town was having a comic con. From there it was easy to reach out and ask if we could partner with them for a live stream."

"Good thing we're so well-known, or it would have been harder to get them to agree," says Helix. "But they were eager to have us."

"And when they told us they wanted to win you back," says Mom, who has found my father and dragged him over to the booth, "all we had to do was wait until the day and then get you here."

"On time, of course," adds Dad.

I can't believe this. My head is swimming. "You were in on it?"

"We love you, honey, and we just want you to be happy," says Dad.

"Even if we don't fully understand what you're doing," adds Mom, glancing around at the other booths and all the people dressed in various costumes.

"Thank you." I grab Mom and Dad in a hug. "I appreciate you both so much."

"Does that mean you'll come home with us?" asks Miles, coming over from their little makeshift streaming area where he, Lionel, and Quintin have been watching this whole scene play out.

"Yes." I slide right into Miles's arms and kiss him full-on for everyone to see. It couldn't feel more right. "I'm so sorry for not being upfront with you from the beginning. I promise to be unbearably honest with you from now on."

Until Quintin comes over for a kiss too. "We forgive you. It's easy to forgive the people we love."

"All right, the live stream is set up and we have competitors," says Lionel. He nods in the direction of my booth. "Clarissa, looks like you have a line for autographs."

Turning around, I see that there's a line of people at my table, and my heart soars.

My boyfriends and Sasha seriously set up all of this just to apologize.

I've written a few apologies myself, but this one is easily the best I've ever seen.

Sasha is a very good writer if this is what she came up with.

"Thank you!" I lean forward to give him a quick kiss too, then hurry around to the back of the booth so I can start greeting readers and signing books.