it, man.” I sighed one more time, promising myself it would be the last, feeling heavy pressure in my ribs. “She’s smart, sharp as a fucking switchblade and gorgeous. I’m interested in her, undeniably. But we aren’t getting along, and I can’t figure out if it’s by design or by accident.”
“Maybe there’s just something else going on with her. Can you just give her space?”
“That’s all I can do. And it’s stupid.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, waiting isn’t your scene. That’s more mine. But you’re a go-getter.”
I shook my head. “It’s not the end of the world. She makes me feel a little like Liz did. Like I’d drown myself in her, sink until I disappeared. I don’t want to do that again, Tricky. I can’t.”
He watched me, offering a nod. “I get it. I do. Maybe it is for the best then.”
“Doesn’t feel like it. But to quote a great man, Heads and hearts are connected by threads impossible to cut completely. ”
Patrick narrowed his eyes in thought. “Paolo Coelho?”
I smiled. “Joel Anderson.”
A single laugh burst out of him.
“Your interview is tonight, right?”
“Yeah. Not looking forward to it.”
I waved a hand. “It’s not so bad. Just don’t let her strong-arm you into anything, okay?”
“Okay. Ronnie said Annika asked her about me and Rose.” His brand of the brood — something he could have copyrighted — passed over his face.
“Well, you had to figure they’d want to talk about Veronica’s big crush on you, how she broke you and Rose up the first time.”
The brood set even deeper into his face. “She didn’t break us up. I broke us up.”
“And then you took Ronnie to the bar where Rose was bartending, thus barring you from getting back with her when you realized what a dumbass you’d been.”
He huffed. “Still. It’s low. There’s no story there — that whole thing is old and worn out, and I’m with Rose. For good.”
“Hey, I know that. You don’t have to convince me. Just convince Annika and maybe she’ll move down her list until she finds something that sticks.”
“You really don’t think she’s going to try to press the topic with Veronica and me? Try to make some storyline out of it? Because I don’t believe that for a fucking minute.” He shook his head and raked his black hair back with his hand. “If this fucks something up with Rose and me, I swear to God, I’ll lose my shit.”
I angled to face him, looking him square in the eye. “I won’t let that happen. Okay?”
“You can’t stop it if it does. We’ve signed our lives away for this show, and you and I are the only ones who know it.”
I wished I could say he was wrong, but I couldn’t. “This was a bad idea, Tricky. Maybe the worst idea. I just really fucking hope we can make something good of this. In the meantime, talk to Rose and tell her everything. Be honest with her. Keep her in the loop. She’ll be all right and so will you.”
He sighed. “I hope you’re right.”
As I turned back to my station, I hoped I was too.
Annika
That night, Joel handed a girl in his chair the mirror, trying to keep a straight face as the cameras rolled. I was too, pen between my teeth to give my mouth something to do besides laugh.
She looked over her shoulder into the mirror at her new tattoo: a Cupie doll on her right shoulder with a banner up top that said No Ragrets and one below that said #YOLO .
“Oh, my God. It’s perfect.” She smiled in the mirror and beamed at all of us. “It’s ironic.”
He smiled like he was thinking a thousand things, and I wanted to know every one.
“Thanks, man. Seriously,” she said, still beaming.
Joel chuckled as he reached for the plastic sheeting to cover it up with. “Anytime.”
He taped up the sheet and gave her a piece of paper with instructions, rattling off tips for her like he had a million times. She tipped him mightily and practically bounded out of the shop after Shep rang her
“Maybe there’s just something else going on with her. Can you just give her space?”
“That’s all I can do. And it’s stupid.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, waiting isn’t your scene. That’s more mine. But you’re a go-getter.”
I shook my head. “It’s not the end of the world. She makes me feel a little like Liz did. Like I’d drown myself in her, sink until I disappeared. I don’t want to do that again, Tricky. I can’t.”
He watched me, offering a nod. “I get it. I do. Maybe it is for the best then.”
“Doesn’t feel like it. But to quote a great man, Heads and hearts are connected by threads impossible to cut completely. ”
Patrick narrowed his eyes in thought. “Paolo Coelho?”
I smiled. “Joel Anderson.”
A single laugh burst out of him.
“Your interview is tonight, right?”
“Yeah. Not looking forward to it.”
I waved a hand. “It’s not so bad. Just don’t let her strong-arm you into anything, okay?”
“Okay. Ronnie said Annika asked her about me and Rose.” His brand of the brood — something he could have copyrighted — passed over his face.
“Well, you had to figure they’d want to talk about Veronica’s big crush on you, how she broke you and Rose up the first time.”
The brood set even deeper into his face. “She didn’t break us up. I broke us up.”
“And then you took Ronnie to the bar where Rose was bartending, thus barring you from getting back with her when you realized what a dumbass you’d been.”
He huffed. “Still. It’s low. There’s no story there — that whole thing is old and worn out, and I’m with Rose. For good.”
“Hey, I know that. You don’t have to convince me. Just convince Annika and maybe she’ll move down her list until she finds something that sticks.”
“You really don’t think she’s going to try to press the topic with Veronica and me? Try to make some storyline out of it? Because I don’t believe that for a fucking minute.” He shook his head and raked his black hair back with his hand. “If this fucks something up with Rose and me, I swear to God, I’ll lose my shit.”
I angled to face him, looking him square in the eye. “I won’t let that happen. Okay?”
“You can’t stop it if it does. We’ve signed our lives away for this show, and you and I are the only ones who know it.”
I wished I could say he was wrong, but I couldn’t. “This was a bad idea, Tricky. Maybe the worst idea. I just really fucking hope we can make something good of this. In the meantime, talk to Rose and tell her everything. Be honest with her. Keep her in the loop. She’ll be all right and so will you.”
He sighed. “I hope you’re right.”
As I turned back to my station, I hoped I was too.
Annika
That night, Joel handed a girl in his chair the mirror, trying to keep a straight face as the cameras rolled. I was too, pen between my teeth to give my mouth something to do besides laugh.
She looked over her shoulder into the mirror at her new tattoo: a Cupie doll on her right shoulder with a banner up top that said No Ragrets and one below that said #YOLO .
“Oh, my God. It’s perfect.” She smiled in the mirror and beamed at all of us. “It’s ironic.”
He smiled like he was thinking a thousand things, and I wanted to know every one.
“Thanks, man. Seriously,” she said, still beaming.
Joel chuckled as he reached for the plastic sheeting to cover it up with. “Anytime.”
He taped up the sheet and gave her a piece of paper with instructions, rattling off tips for her like he had a million times. She tipped him mightily and practically bounded out of the shop after Shep rang her
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