I Don't Do Relationships

You're What?

I could tell Chris was bothered the rest of the day. The problem was, I couldn't tell if it was because of me or his co-star. I'd been kind of quiet because I was lost in my own thoughts. He was in interviews but when we did interact, I could tell he was running through things in his head like I was.

Was this Veronica just being her meddling self or was Nicky behind it? It even crossed my mind to message him on Instagram to ask him, but if I did that, I'd want to discuss it with Chris first.

I just couldn't see Nicky having any reason to try to start any drama. We hadn't spoken for years up until the last few months, so there's no way he would think it would be okay to try anything. He'd made no effort to reach out before that night he saw me with Chris. It just didn't make sense to me.

When we got back to the hotel, Chris had to meet with Megan for a few things so I went to the suite. Once I made my way up, I put the key card in and immediately unlocked the joining door. Scott left their door opened so we could just open ours when we didn't need privacy. He and Calvin were sitting down and watching tv.

Walking in, I went straight to Calvin since he had room beside him and sat down, placing my head on his shoulder. He immediately questioned me. "You okay?"

Scott spoke up before I could answer. "You got a dose of the glorious press day, huh?"

When I didn't immediately speak, Scott grabbed the remote and turned the tv off before scooting forward, obviously waiting for me to answer.

I'd texted Calvin and Scott about what Ashley said at lunch so they already knew what went on. "It was tiring for sure, but it doesn't help when my mind is just running away with all kinds of scenarios about what Ashley said."

Scott questioned me. "What's going on? You said the three of you kind of shut her down and Megan removed her from the situation. Did something else happen?"

Calvin's arms wrapped around me tighter. He knew firsthand how quickly my mind could play tricks on me, especially when it came to Nicky. It wasn't something I really wanted to go into with Chris or Scott so it was a good thing I had Calvin. He was there soon after things ended all those years ago so I knew what he was trying to do by squeezing me. I had told the Evans boys a lot, but there were some emotions I knew I had blocked out over the years. I didn't want them coming back though, but my brain was feeling differently. I was remembering some dark times that I wasn't even sure were real at first.

"Nothing else happened except for my thoughts running wild. I don't trust Veronica and never have, so the fact that she now knows Ashley, who obviously doesn't care for me, worries me. Ashley definitely has her eyes set on Chris, or has at some point. You can tell."

Calvin spoke quietly from behind me, not letting go. "I think my question is, what has Chris said? You seemed better earlier."

With the expression he made, I couldn't tell if Scott was irritated with Calvin's question, or concerned for the situation before I answered. "He hasn't said much of anything actually. Granted, he and Henry have been in interviews all day, so we haven't had many opportunities to talk anyway, but he seems distant. Whether it's just him being tired or zoned in on answering the questions without saying the wrong things, I don't know. I can understand if he's just burned out from the amount of press he's had to do. But he knows I haven't spoken to Nicky since he helped my grandparents pack up."

Scott returned my nod and defended Chris. "I'm sure it's just from being on the go for so many days straight and all the interviews. He doesn't do well with press."

All I could do was try to give a tight smile to Scott and tried to rest my eyes that were burning. I couldn't tell if it was from the bright lights all day or if tears were threatening to fall. I tried to relax, taking in the comfort Calvin was giving me. I must have been even more exhausted than I thought because the last thing I remember was when I closed my eyes.