Page 69 of With Stars in Her Eyes

“No. I… it was the air purifier.”

“I never thought of air purifiers as being tragic.”

“You used it to help me… I never asked you to do that. And it just made me a little emotional in a way I wasn’t expecting. Also, I really did want to get home and bake for you. I bought a lot of frozen potatoes. But then some really shit news was literally waiting for me on my doorstep, and I went into crisis mode. I think Denise is going to kill me when I get back because I left three messages with her too after I got off the plane. I didn’t want you to think…”

“That you didn’t like my move? Or that I made you cry?”

Courtney’s voice shook with more laughter. “Yourmove?So do you take all the girls’ aura photos?”

“No, but I thought I should step up my game. You’re, like, really, really pretty. I’m… I’m glad I didn’t make you cry.”

“I almost couldn’t talk to you when we first met because you are so beautiful and confident and scary.”

“Scary?” My bottom lip pushed into an overdramatic pout even though Courtney couldn’t see me. “No one has ever said I was scary… I’m a Libra, remember? Everyone thinks I’m too nice. Or too sweet. Or too boring.”

“You’re definitely too beautiful for me to think straight around. But like in a witchy sexy princess with a million dimples sort of way.”

“Areyoudrunk?”

Courtney snorted. “No.”

“Where are you?”

“Brooklyn.”

“Why?”

Courtney made a growly sound in her throat. “Contractual obligations and some other legal bullshit. Trying to figure outwhat to do. I had to go to a few events. Play for a bunch of things so I wouldn’t get sued. It’s a long story. But basically…”

The next thing I was aware of was hearing her name.

“Thea? You still there?”

I yawned. “Yep. Did you saysued?”

Courtney sighed. “Yes, but it’s really going to be okay. You should go to sleep.” She yawned too. “I should too.”

“Can I hear you play soon?”

“Sure.”

“When are you coming back?”

“I’m going to find out tomorrow. I’ll text you when I know the plan.”

CHAPTER 23Courtney

I rolled over on the hotel bed. Five-star hotel rooms felt just as lonely as the cheap ones, but at least the sheets were nice, and the thermostat was adjustable.

The bed was too damned big. Of course it was. Demetrius had arranged it. He probably felt guilty, but none of this was his fault. I had been crying for an hour after getting off the phone with Thea. I wasn’t even sure how much Thea had heard of my rambling.

God, I felt sick.

This moment sitting alone reminded me of the last time I was in a strange bed.

There had been no throw pillows there. There had been no curated art on the walls.

There, everything had been a sicklier version of cream, gray, and pink. The sheets had scraped over my skin, which was already raw from tape and bruised from being stuck over and over again in an effort to coerce the blood from my reluctant veins.