Page 121 of When I Picture You

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Is that my girl?” Renee said as Lola entered the house. Lola’s body flooded with hot, exhausted relief. She launched herself into Renee’s arms and hugged her tight.

“I missed you,” Lola said into Renee’s shoulder. She was blinking back tears, still. She hadn’t entirely stopped crying since Gloriana’s call.

“It felt like forever,” Renee said. “Kiss me?”

Lola rose up on her toes and kissed her, her lips firm and insistent against Renee’s mouth. She needed it to mean something. It was the last kiss they’d share before she told Renee that everything had to change.

Renee broke the kiss and grinned. “You want to go upstairs?”

“I have to talk to you.”

Renee’s face fell at the wavering in Lola’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

Just then, Renee’s phone buzzed on the hall table. Reflexively, both Renee’s and Lola’s attention snapped to the screen.

You gonna ignore this too?

Renee had the pictures up in seconds. “Whoa.”

“I know, I just saw it,” Lola said. Panic thinned her voice. “My team got a denial in the article. Actually, they offered to put out astatement denying the whole thing, but we agreed that ignoring it is best—unless you want me to say something.”

Renee looked up from her phone. “What are you talking about?”

“Like it’s a violation of privacy or the photos were taken out of context or something. I know what you’re thinking, but these things always blow over and everyone will forget about it eventually.”

“You thinkthat’swhat I’m thinking?”

Lola stared at Renee, her tired brain racing. She’d been certain Renee would be upset that their private moment had been thrust into the spotlight. She’d been trying to reassure her, but Renee just looked confused.

“I don’t need people to forget about this, Lo,” Renee said. “Yes, it’s messed up. This isn’t how I wanted everyone to find out we’re together, but I don’t want to keep hiding. People are going to find out soon anyway, with the film and everything.” Renee thumbed through the photos again. “Honestly, we look really cute—although it’s weird they didn’t publish the actual kiss. What was a pap doing in Petoskey anyway? Maybe it was, like, a nature photographer in the wrong place at the right time.”

Lola didn’t know what to say. How could Renee talk about the photos like she might post them on Instagram, when that paparazzo could easily have blackmailed Lola, like someone just did to Nash? Not that Lola had told Renee about Nash’s situation, but Renee had to know those things happened. The pap had obviously sat on the photos for so many weeks to sell them when it would really hurt. But of course Renee didn’t understand. She didn’t have Lola’s status. She was, like Gloriana had said, a graduate student.

“It’s better not to fan the flames of this kind of thing,” Lola said. “Gloriana asked that for the time being, when we’re in public, we keep it strictly to filming.”

Renee started. “What the hell?”

“She doesn’t want us to be seen out together unless you’re with the camera, that’s all.”

“Oh,that’s all?” Renee rolled her eyes. “Did you tell her to go fuck herself or should I? Oh—Lo, youdidn’t.”

“Only until this blows over!”