Page 20 of No Holds Barred

“I-I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” Hope muttered. “Be honest, remember?”

Angelica swallowed and nodded. She closed her eyes and put her hands against the table. It was cold. She used the temperature to center herself. Hope was right. Something was wrong. Hope’s fingers were against her wrist, cold and firm.

“I’m going to ask you a question, and I need you to be honest and not offended.”

“All right,” Angelica whispered, but she still couldn’t see anything.

“When’s the last time you ate something?”

Angelica shook her head, her eyes springing with tears. “I honestly can’t remember.”

“Today?”

“No,” Angelica answered, biting her lip. “Coffee.”

“That doesn’t count,” Hope answered, pushing her fingers harder into Angelica’s wrist. “Yesterday?”

Angelica frowned as she thought through everything they’d done yesterday from filming introductions to background meetings. Lyric had handed her some food, but she hadn’t eaten it. “Just coffee.”

“The day before that?” Hope sounded deeply concerned now.

“Yes, some breakfast.”

“Jesus, Ange.” Hope let go of her wrist. “Thanks, Cadence. Drink this. Now.”

Angelica lifted the cold glass to her lips and sipped it. It felt good going down her throat, but it didn’t help her rapid heart rate either. But the good news was, she could see again. Though looking at Hope’s concern was probably worse than not seeing it.

“I’m fine,” Angelica whispered, wanting only Hope to hear her.

“You’re not, and I can’t in good conscience cook you anything to eat right now. I have no food in the kitchen.” Hope bit her lower lip. She was crouched down next to Angelica, her fingers still curled around Angelica’s wrist. “Keep drinking the water, because we’re going down the street to get some food in a minute, and I need to make sure that you can make it there.”

“That’s really not necessary.”

“Oh. It is.” Hope clenched her jaw.

Angelica had no doubt that she wasn’t going to budge on this one, but she hated being an invalid. And she hated being the center of attention more than anything.

“Cadence, we’re breaking from filming for a bit.” Hope shifted, pulling the microphone pack from behind her back and setting it on the table. She beckoned Angelica to lean forward, and did this same with hers.

Cadence sat next to them and looked directly at Angelica. “I thought you two actually hated each other after being on set with you the last few days.”

Angelica blinked, not quite sure where to go with that. She flicked her gaze to Hope. Her brain wasn’t working well enough to come up with any sort of answer.

“We do hate each other,” Hope answered, not moving her eyes from Angelica’s. Those crystalline balls held more pain than truth in them. “And on occasion, we don’t. For the last two years, we’re the only ones who have had each other’s backs. And I suppose that doesn’t stop in season three.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Angelica swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat, though it wasn’t because of how she was feeling physically. It was because Hope had such raw honesty in her statement. Angelica had nearly forgotten all about that. She couldn’t stop the smile that reached her lips when she looked at Hope this time. The distant memory of how they’d started coming back full force.

“So, we’re going to get dinner, and then we’re going to have this conversation that you’re insisting on.” Hope looked from Angelica to Cadence.

“Josef is insisting,” Angelica corrected.

“Right.” Hope frowned. She let go of Angelica’s hand.

Angelica missed that touch, but when she looked up to meet Cadence’s gaze, she was surprised by the understanding and curiosity that she found there. She’d forgotten just how astute and observant Cadence could be. Clearing her throat, Angelica drank more of the cold water and let it settle in her belly. She needed to be more careful.

They both did.