Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

GEMMA

A ll my life, I had wondered what it would feel like to get done up by a professional beauty team. I’d had my hair done before as well as my makeup and my nails. All those things that most women liked having done from time to time, but I’d never, ever had an experience like this.

It wasn’t just getting hair and makeup done, or having someone else paint my nails. Half an hour after Noah had left, this team had descended upon our suite and I’d been having the time of my life ever since. Since I’d met some of these people at the party, they weren’t complete strangers to me, and during the course of the day, they even started feeling like friends.

It had started with me being told to take a shower while they got set up, and when I’d emerged from the bathroom, they’d transformed the suite in a semi-salon. Working together like a well-oiled machine, the makeup people had plucked my eyebrows into perfect arches after the hairstylists had applied some product to the strands while it’d still been wet.

Once my face had been deemed ready, a representative from a high-end design studio came in. She’d brought with her an entire rail filled with this season’s hottest creations and the team and I oohed and aahed over every last one of them.

They’d made me try them all on before we’d eventually settled on everyone’s favorite—thankfully including my own. With the choice made, the dress had been hung against the wardrobe and I’d been sat down for the hairstylists to take over.

They’d managed to work miracles even with the shorter length of my hair at the moment, giving me a beautiful updo while whatever they’d put on my hair earlier had made it shine like the sun. A nail technician had arrived to polish my hands and feet. Together with the hair and makeup team, we decided on an exquisite ombre twist of a classic French manicure for my nails.

While they’d all been working, the makeup artists had gotten started as well—and they were true artists. As I stared at the beautiful, deep red, floor-length gown now, I couldn’t believe that the reflection in the mirror was really me.

The beauty team had only just left a few minutes ago after makeup had finished applying the final touches and the hairstylists had made sure my do wasn’t going anywhere. Leaving in a puff of powder and hairspray like fabulous fairy godmothers, they’d wished me luck and waved goodbye, taking all their equipment with them.

It had been a whirlwind of a day. But what an incredible whirlwind it was.

Glad that I had a minute alone, I stood in front of the full-length mirror, blinking at myself. My brain tried to comprehend that the creature in the reflection was me. Not only had my hair been twisted into elegant braids around my head with little wisps of it hanging loose to soften the look, but my eyes were striking and smoky. My skin looked as smooth as porcelain and my cheekbones had never been so high.

All of that would’ve been impressive enough, but the gown and the exquisite heels on my feet along with the rest of it made me look like a celebrity. My legs were suddenly long for the first time in my life, the fitted but dropped-length corset of the dress also elongating my torso and making me seem lithe and slender.

When the door suddenly opened, I spun away from the mirror, smiling as I waited for Noah to come into view, but the young man who walked in wasn’t him. The guy seemed terribly nervous as he glanced at me before quickly averting his gaze.

“Ms. Longstrum? Mr. Parks will meet you downstairs. They’re on their way to the garage now. Mr. Hill sent me to get you. He said that if Mr. Parks came himself, he would—well, never mind. He’ll meet you at the car.”

Possibilities of what Brandon might’ve said sped through my mind and I chuckled. It’s no wonder this poor guy looks so flustered.

“Thank you,” I said, striding over to collect the little purse the designer had left for me on the coffee table. “I’ll be right down.”

He bowed his head before his spine snapped straight and he raced back out of the room. Wow. I need to know what Brandon told him.

After I made sure I had everything I needed in my purse, I took the elevator to the parking garage, walking in just as the limos arrived. Noah stood in front of one, and as he turned to face me, my footsteps faltered, my breath immediately stalling in my lungs.

Holy moly. He looks like a young prince, and I’m on his arm tonight, making me his princess.

I tried to catch my breath as I drank him in. He wore a black tuxedo with a pocket square that matched the color of my dress precisely, and his hair had been styled neatly out of his face but it still had a carefully tousled quality to it.

With his jaw shaven clean and possibly the barest smudge of eyeliner on his lids, he was so freaking gorgeous that my knees went weak. As I raked my gaze over him, he did the same to me, then smiled and stepped forward, extending his hand in my direction.

“Gemma. Wow. You look fantastic.” He cleared his throat, his head shaking as his eyes trailed over me once more.

I giggled nervously, placing my palm in his outstretched hand, but honestly, this moment was just too much for me. It was going to go one of two ways if I couldn’t get myself under control. I was either going to start laughing hysterically or crying, and since I didn’t want either of those to happen, I focused on Noah’s eyes, thinking back to what he’d looked like when we’d woken up together this morning.

“Hi,” I said, looking past the star quality of his exterior and speaking to the guy who never failed to make me laugh. Who always made my heart skip a beat and who could never seem to stop touching me when we were in close quarters together. “How was your day?”

He smiled, gaze hooked right back on mine. “It was alright. Yours?”

“Like a fairy tale,” I said honestly. “Your beauty team is fantastic. Obviously.”

“They had a pretty great canvas to work with today,” he replied, wrapping his fingers around my hand before opening the door for me.

We climbed into the limo together, scooting up to make space for the others. All the City Lights guys looked amazing tonight, but none of them held a candle to Noah.

As hard as it was to stop staring at him, I still had a bone to pick with Brandon. Chuckling, I turned to the ever mischievous Mr. Hill, arched my eyebrows, and waited for him to glance at me. “Hey, what did you guys tell that hotel porter you sent to the room to get me? He could barely look me in the eyes and he practically ran out straight after he told me to meet you downstairs.”

Brandon smirked at Noah. “You’re welcome, bro. Did you really want another guy alone in the room with her looking like that?”

“No,” Noah responded gruffly, his hand sliding possessively onto my thigh. I loved it, but they still hadn’t answered my question.

I turned to Jack next. “What did Brandon tell him?”

“That if Noah saw you before the event and there was a bed nearby, he was going to make us late. That’s not the exact quote, but I’m sure you can fill in the gaps.” He shrugged when Brandon shot him a glare. “They also might’ve warned him that they’d slice off his balls if he stared at you inappropriately and told him to make sure you got downstairs as soon as possible.”

“You’re both awful people,” I said, turning to them with a smile on my lips. “I’m sure you weren’t being serious about his balls, but you’re going to apologize to him when we get back, right?”

“Now that I know he didn’t check you out?” Noah pretended to think it over. “Maybe.”

Brandon shook his head. “No way. I’m not apologizing. What I said was one hundred percent true.”

I laughed, shaking my head at the duo. What they’d told the poor guy had been better than I’d been expecting, but I would be sure to apologize to him myself when we got back. For now, I was just happy that Noah had a friend like Brandon in his life and that they were both so protective of me.

It made me feel special, which I still needed after the warning Mariam had given me.

When we arrived at the grand venue where the red-carpet event was being held, Brandon, Lewis, and Jack climbed out of the limo ahead of us, and Noah turned to me before the door opened again.

“Are you ready to be on TV?”

“Sure am,” I said nervously. “I can’t believe we’re about to complete the list.”

Noah shot me a smoldering smile. “And celebrate in style later?”

“Absolutely,” I agreed, but before I could say anything else, the door opened again and Noah climbed out, reaching back into the car to help me follow.

The next few minutes were like nothing I ever would’ve been able to imagine. Camera flashes came from absolutely everywhere, blinding me while people yelled out even more questions than they had that day at the airport.

Metal barriers had been placed on either side of the carpet, and while I couldn’t see past the first few rows of people even after my eyes had adjusted to the flashes, it felt like there were thousands of them packed around us. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time, and it was all I could do as Noah and I walked the carpet together to remember the advice the beauty team had given me.

Just keep smiling. No matter what happens. Just. Keep. Smiling.

And try not to slip a nip. They had said that as a joke but it sounded like good advice anyway.

If it hadn’t been for Noah’s steady, calm presence by my side, I probably would’ve bolted, but knowing he was there changed everything. It made me feel like royalty as I walked with my hand tucked into his elbow. The smile on my face never faltered and my dress behaved, preserving my modesty.

All the way down, we stopped for pictures, turning into each other and waving at people who called to us as we passed. It took forever to reach the end of the carpet, and when we finally did, a reporter was waiting to speak to us. Noah grinned as we approached the guy, his manner friendly despite all the cameras. I’d never realized exactly how much of a natural he was at this, but he really made it look easy when it definitely wasn’t.

“Tommy,” he said, smacking his palm into the other man’s for a quick handshake. “It’s good to see a friendly face. How are you?”

“Good, man. It’s always nice to see you too.” The guy shook with Noah before he turned back to the camera to introduce us. “With me now, of course, is Noah Parks from City Lights, accompanied this evening by his events planner, Ms. Gemma Longstrum.

The introduction threw me off immediately. Why would Noah have had me introduced as just his events planner? On live television, no less.

With the last item on my list now completed, I’d expected to feel at the very least a tiny hint of accomplishment, but instead, all I felt was confused. Sure, I’d made it onto TV, but I didn’t even hear the rest of the short conversation between the two men.

Noah had me introduced as his events planner instead of his girlfriend. A bad feeling spread through me, starting in my gut and then taking over my stomach. Why would he do that? Is the next event I plan my own breakup?

I felt a touch of pressure on my arm and refocused. Noah was obviously done with the anchor and it was time for us to move on. My feet fell into step beside him, but my thoughts were racing and my heart was getting heavier by the second.

As we strode into the event together, I had to face the possibility that Mariam had been right. Behind closed doors, Noah and I were way more than just events planner and client, but in front of the world, he obviously didn’t want to admit that we were together.

The rest of City Lights had already made their way inside, and as we joined them, I glanced up at Noah and forced a smile. “Excuse me. I just need to duck into the ladies’ room for a minute.”

“Is everything okay?” he asked, a small furrow appearing between his eyebrows. “You just completed your list, but?—”

“I’m fine. I’ll be back.” I let go of his arm and strode down the first corridor I saw as fast as my feet could carry me without breaking into a full run.

I had no idea why I was suddenly feeling like this had all been a terrible mistake, but I couldn’t shake the sensation. My gut was telling me that something was wrong. That I was missing something or that maybe there was something Noah hadn’t told me.

Just last night, he’d asked me to be his girlfriend and we’d been seeing each other exclusively for weeks, yet he’d given them the instruction to introduce me as his events planner. Why? Is he embarrassed of me? Ashamed? Or is there something else?

I’d never been so happy to see a sign for a restroom as I was when I turned a corner at the far end of the corridor and saw it. I raced toward it, bursting into the bathroom and rushing toward the last stall. As soon as I was safely locked inside, I opened my phone to call my friends, desperately needing them to talk me off the ledge before I went back out there.

With my thoughts spiraling and that bad feeling spreading through my veins like poison, I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it back out there at all. Not with the confusion and uncertainty coursing through me. My heart felt like it was balancing on a knife’s edge and tilting toward being broken.

Clicking into my messaging app, I opened our Girls Group chat to start a video call, but I found a text already waiting for me there.

It was from Laurel and it read, I’m sorry, Gem. Thought you might want to see this.

Dread pooled in my stomach when I saw she’d sent a link to an article that appeared to be about Noah.

Mariam had already reacted to it, sending only the emoji of the face with the single tear on its cheek. An ominous, foreboding feeling joined the darkness that had already been swirling around in my gut, and a cold shiver rushed down my spine.

My thumb hovered above the link for a moment and I seriously debated whether I should open it right then, but when it came down to it, I needed to know. It was better to see it here, where I was alone, rather than be ambushed by something that would break my heart in public.

I finally dragged in a deep breath and clicked on the link, immediately feeling like he’d sunk a letter opener right into my chest when I saw the picture above the headline. It was of Noah with another woman, a gorgeous blonde who was kissing him on the cheek. His arm was slung casually around her waist and she was leaning into him, a gorgeous smile on both their faces.

My heart fell off that knife’s edge, crashing down on the floor and splintering into millions of pieces. According to the date on the picture, it had been taken at that Christmas festival he’d attended while I’d been in Gatlinburg. Worst fears instantly confirmed, a sob wracked through me and my shoulders slumped. My insides felt like they were being ripped apart by an angry bear.

So it was true all along. He really is a player. A player who’s done an excellent job of hiding his game from me.

I honestly couldn’t believe the extent to which he’d had me fooled—or that I’d ever believed any differently. The guy was a complete superstar, the heartthrob of the hottest boy band in the country who had their first international tour coming up soon.

Plus, he was twenty-one years old. There was no way he was going to randomly settle down with an older events planner while his star was solidly on the rise and every woman in the world would soon want him.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I stared down at that picture one last time, my hands shaking so badly I almost dropped my phone. Realizing I couldn’t stay here and I definitely couldn’t be anywhere near him, I called Laurel and hoped that she’d be willing to make the drive.

Franklin, where she lived, wasn’t that far away, and I needed her to calm me down right then. My un-biological sister and one of only two people in the world who might just be able to get me through this with my dignity sort of intact.

“Can you come get me?” I asked when she picked up her phone, my voice so tight and shaky that I barely recognized it. “Like, right now. Please?”

Laurel didn’t skip a beat. “Give me an hour. I’ll be there. I’m sorry, Gem. I couldn’t believe it either, but just breathe, okay? I’ll see you soon. Just keep breathing for me.”

I nodded, knowing I would need every minute of that hour to pull myself together enough to leave this darn stall. As I sat on that closed toilet in the middle of an events space teeming with A-listers, popstars, and all other kinds of celebrities, I tried to follow Laurel’s advice to just keep breathing—and I booked a flight back to Austin for the morning.

I’d had quite an adventure living spontaneously and falling for the boy I could never have, but it had always been bound to end this way. I just needed to get it together so I could leave this event with my head held high, and then I would be able to get back to my regular life.

It wasn’t exciting, but at least I knew it was safe, and right then, adventure seemed very much overrated. It turned out that it was downright dangerous, and I had the absolutely crushed insides to prove it.