Page 44 of When the Stars Rise

“He’s doing a track day in New Jersey with another YouTuber.” I try but fail to keep the worry from creeping into my tone. Not that anyone notices.

“What kind of car?” Jules asks.

“Lamborghini.” Apparently, racing a Lamborghini around a track is a ‘safe’ way to have fun.

At this point, I don’t even bother arguing. He’s going to do what he’s going to do, and it’s up to me to accept it or not.

Liam nods. “A Lambo is a solid choice. But I’d like to take a crack at the Ferrari SF90.”

Jules shakes his head. “Mate, the Aston Martin Vantage is where it’s at.”

“Nah, give me a Porsche 911 GT3, and I’ll leave you all in my dust,” Aiden says.

I zone out while the guys debate whether a Lamborghini can outperform an Aston Martin, a Porsche, or a Ferrari.

After Noah walked away on Thursday night, he returned to the room about an hour later.

I asked him if he punched anyone. “No, but I was tempted,” and that was it.

We went to sleep without discussing it further because I had to be up early the next day for my TV appearance. As it was, it took a lot of makeup to cover the circles under my eyes.

Yesterday, after I performed onGood Morning America,it was non-stop promo and publicity until last night’s show, so we haven’t really had a chance to talk.

I don’t know if he planned the track day before or after he crashed the launch party, but it doesn’t matter. I refuse to spend my entire day worrying about him. So I did a dance-cardio class that kicked my butt, and now I feel slightly better.

After we put in our orders, I notice one of us is missing. That’s how quiet and unobtrusive Caleb is. “Where’s Caleb?”

“Probably off meditating or hugging trees,” Aiden says, drumming his fingers on the table.

“Dude is weird,” Liam says.

I squeeze the lemon in my sparkling water and take a sip. “What’s so weird about meditating or caring about the environment?”

“Tell her what he does every morning.” Liam jerks his chin at Jules, who’s been sharing a room with Caleb.

“He wakes up with the sun and bangs a gong, chanting as the sun rises,” Jules says. “He’s a lot deeper than us.” He nods a few times. “More in touch with his spiritual side,” he deadpans.

Aiden snorts. “As he keeps reminding us. The dude’s so arrogant about it, too. That’s what pisses me off. He acts like he’sso much better than us because he went off and lived on some ashram or some shit like that.”

“I believe it was a Tibetan spiritual retreat,” Jules says.

“I think he lived with the monks or something,” Liam chimes in.

“I was like, ‘Dude, if you’re so against Western philosophy and have such an issue with capitalism, what the fuck are you doing on a world tour?’” Aiden says.

“What did he say?” I ask.

Aiden points at me. “He’s here for you.”

My eyes widen. “For me?”

I sit back when our food is served and take a bite of my turkey club before prodding them for more answers. “What do you mean, he’s here for me?” I ask, genuinely curious. “He hasn’t said more than two words to me the entire time.”

Aiden takes a big bite of his burger and talks with his mouth full. “Yeah, well, he seems to think he’s your spiritual guide.”

I don’t even know what to think about that. I’m wracking my brain trying to think of any conversations I’ve had with Caleb, but I’m coming up empty. Anytime I try to include him in a conversation, all his responses are monosyllabic. Sometimes, he just nods or shakes his head.

“And how exactly is he guiding me?”