Everywhere: Book 3 of the Nowhere Trilogy

9. Feeling Good

It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life, For me - Nina Simone

5:52 PM Thursday, November 18, 2021

Chele's lips burn where his touched hers, and she reaches with her fingertips to brush away the sensation. Instead, she ends up pressing her fingers to her lips as if to hold the kiss there for an eternity. Eyes glazed over, she nearly bumps into Mandy.

"There you are!" her boss exclaims. "I've been looking for you." Her gaze wanders beyond Chele's shoulder. "Harry! Just the man I needed!" With that, she skirts around Chele who is slowly emerging from her Harry haze.

Turning, Chele spies the man who had most recently had his lips planted on hers as he removes a toothpick from the side of his mouth.

"Mandy! What can I do for you?" Harry glances at Chele, returning his eyes quickly to the publicist.

"Can you plug the travel blog tonight, Harry? It's called Moore on Tour: Stylish Adventures, and the first installment will post tomorrow morning." Mandy sounds proud, and Chele's chest swells with the positive tone.

"Sure," Harry replies, "Great name by the way."

"All my idea," Mandy brags, her hand on Harry's arm, clearly feeling up his bicep.

When Chele's eyes finish rolling around in her head, she notices the smile on Harry's face as he watches her over Mandy's shoulder.

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5:58 PM Thursday, November 18, 2021

The response from the new blogger brings a smile to Harry's face, and he knows there's a story behind the story. He can't wait to hear it. Feeling a momentary pang of guilt for almost being caught in a compromising position with Mandy's newest hire, Harry tilts his head and examines Chele in the background. Although he knows she's right about not revealing their history, he desperately wants to grab her around the waist and spin her around in the air. She would laugh. It's a sound he longs to hear as Chele has been so serious since her arrival.

His nerves have settled like sand on the bottom of the ocean after being stirred up by someone's feet. Maybe he could get a doctor somewhere to prescribe Chele's kisses to cure his anxiety? Derek's smiling face appears behind Chele, and Harry grasps at his presence as an excuse to ditch Mandy. The woman can be a bit cloying. It appears she's not only on his publicity team, she's also on the fangirl team lately, and he senses that she would love to sink her highly-manicured claws into him. But there's only one woman for Harry, and she refuses to be alone with him these days. Reminds him of their time in Nowhere actually.

Only this time he agrees with her.

In Nowhere, everyone knew they were together, and some were nosy and judgmental about it, but they all have kind hearts so no one really gave them any crap. In the real world beyond that small town, the speculation would lead to all kinds of rumors. Make no mistake, Chele's life would be left in shreds and tatters should word get out this time. Feeling his hands starting to form fists, he greets Derek. Time to work off some of his anger at a situation he cannot control.

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8:59 PM Thursday, November 18, 2021

There are no butterflies in Chele's stomach tonight. She's got a great seat at the Forum, her notebook and pen in her hand, and a soda from the concessions. Nope. Absolutely zero butterflies. It's actually more like an entire herd of wildebeests and bison stomping around as they paw at the ground in preparation for an attack on their prey.

Voices drift her way, "He's so fucking hot! What do you think he'll wear for tour this year?"

"Oh my god! Did someone see him enter the arena? Why is everyone over there screaming?"