Two Arts

Chapter 33

A.N. Hang in there. Don't forget to vote. ♥️⭐️

The car ride to the event was awkward, but probably just for me.

Sadie and Ember made small talk all the way over, and I couldn't help but notice how the blonde looked at my girlfriend with admiration and glee.

It was high school all over again.

Sadie was on an unreachable pedestal and everyone either wanted to be her or sleep with her.

In Ember's case, my guess was that she wanted both of those things.

Sadie's eyes casually swiped over James' hand on my knee and only then she allowed herself to look up at mine, searching through my thoughts like an open book.

She casually winked at me and my heart sped up. I felt James snort and look away.

What a night awaited us.

Watching Sadie on the carpet consolidated all of the ideas I had already formed about how the industry perceived her and the way she was able to carry herself.

A herd of photographers were all pressed one on top of the other behind railings at the entrance of the venue, and the second Sadie was out of the car the flashes became one continuous light, which got even more intense and bright the moment Ember stepped out of the car right behind her.

I followed James' lead in giving them time to walk through the short stretch between the street and the massive glass doors before we slipped out of the other side of the car and walked casually along one of the fences.

"Now they do the actual red carpet, some together and some separately, and we just hang behind and see if Sadie needs anything," James explained to me in a reassuring tone.

"Thank you," I told them, and hoped they knew how much I appreciated the sudden cease-fire in favor of being my support system in such unusual circumstances.

James nodded and shrugged.

Sadie on the actual carpet was something I wasn't prepared to see in person.

Each one of her details shined under the flashes.

She bathed in the attention and she shimmered.

She appeared several inches taller than she was in the way she stood so effortlessly confident and proud.

She was a timeless sensation.

People were shouting her name and she was making a dance out of giving everyone a crumble of the attention they craved and letting them starve for more—which I'd find out would be a constant that night.

A Goddess.

James nudged me and snorted when I had to close my mouth and shake my head to mentally step out of the wild dreamy state I had fallen into.

Sadie never looked at me but I never stopped looking at her.

Past a certain point in her walk, Ember reached her and my chest tightened immediately, completely irrationally.

I took a deep breath and without meaning to I looked away, finally taking in how many other famous people were all around me. I hadn't realized. I didn't care.

I looked back at Sadie, who was firmly holding Ember at her side for the photographers.

They looked at each other fondly.

I held my breath.

Something I couldn't point out hurt inside me.

Sadie's eyes darted to James for a split second and her friend poked at my side quite hard, it tickled.