Page 13 of Opening It Up (Humbled Superstars #2)

Lily-Mae

I was trying to figure out the next week’s schedule when Harley walked into the kitchen.

He looked rough as hell, like he hadn’t shaved this morning, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“Did you see those flowers on the counter?” he rasped out.

I looked indifferently over at the dozens of bouquets of scarlet-red roses.

“Yes, thank you, they’re very pretty.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said.

“For trying to sabotage my date?”

“For—everything. For lying to you. I’m so sorry, baby.”

“Whatever,” I said.

There was a beat of silence as I turned back to the calendar.

“People seem to only be interested in my celebrity status,” Harley complained. “It’s like no one cares about me as a person .”

“Can’t relate,” I said, marking my upcoming dates carefully, in nice, neat cursive.

“What other kinds of dates are you going on?” he asked. “I don’t like raw fish and women these days seem to want to go to sushi restaurants all the time. You never seemed to care to go to one.”

“Actually, I love sushi,” I said blithely, penning in Leopold - Nobu Uptown 9 pm to the calendar.

“Isn’t that kind of late for a date on a school night?” Harley asked accusingly.

“Not for me,” I said cheerfully. “I feel like I have so much energy these days.”

He frowned, running a hand over his jaw.

“I thought you didn’t like to go anywhere after 7 pm, you said we were past that age of going out late to clubs and such.”

“ You’re past the age!” I laughed. “I guess I’m not at all.”

“We’re only five years apart,” he said a bit sourly.

“Feels like an eternity! Anyways, feel free to pen your dates in,” I said, handing him the marker.

Harley stared at me.

“Go on,” I said encouragingly.

“I don’t have any.”

“What?”

“I said I don’t have any dates.”

“Ah, well, better luck next week,” I chirped, patting his shoulder.

“I don’t want to go out on any dates,” my husband said, his jaw tight. “I’m tired of feeling like I never see you anymore.”

“I feel like I see you plenty ,” I said.

“We haven’t had sex in a while,” he added, after a few more long moments as the grandfather clock ticked in the next room.

“Oh?” I asked absently. “I hadn’t noticed.”

There was a stifled moan that seemed to come from Harley, but I ignored it.

“Oh my god, it’s so damn hard always being triple-booked,” I exclaimed, still staring at the calendar. “Leopold and Brayden want to take me out the same day, of course. I wonder if I could convince them to share time with me. God, it might be more efficient to do group stuff.”

“I didn’t think you’d like this so much,” Harley muttered.

Glancing over, I noticed that his eyes were red-rimmed and raw, and he seemed to be full of a nervous, twitchy energy.

“Like what?” I asked.

“Being in an open marriage.”

“What, like it’s hard?” I retorted.

Harley looked haggard.

“How about this?” I said. “Let’s go on a double date sometime. Me and Leopold, and you and your date. Would that help you feel more comfortable getting back into the dating scene?”

“What about me and you?” he burst out. “That’s who I want to go out on a date with.”

But I brushed off the suggestion.

“Sounds a bit stale , if you ask me. Rather repressive. All you need to do, Harley, is give it a little time. Don’t be too discouraged. After all, maybe your little girlfriend Makayla will be available.”

“I do not want to go anywhere with Makayla,” he said. “We are not dating.”

Now I would have to be an idiot not to notice that Harley was quietly unravelling. He was an orderly, methodical man, and this had thrown off all his normal routines.

But I wasn’t letting up. Not by a long shot.