Not If I Date You First

Chapter 47

ADA

Loitering outside Faye and Ariani's apartment building without my Nikon in my hands makes me feel like a total creep. It probably looks like I'm casing the joint. Having Elodie here helps curb some of the awkwardness, but the doorman's keeping a very watchful eye on the two of us.

"How long does this usually take?" Elodie runs a hand over her damp forehead. She glares at the door with so much ferocity, it's like she's trying to drag Faye and Ariani out here by sheer force of will.

"Hours." I bounce my shoulders in a shrug. "If they come out at all."

"Hours?" Elodie moans dramatically. "Why can't you just call Faye? You have her number."

"It's not like she's going to answer after what I did. Besides, this is more of an in-person kind of conversation."

Elodie slumps like she's melting in the thick heat. I can't blame her. It's sweltering out here. Beads of sweat pool on my back, making my tank top stick to my skin. But I'll wait out here all day if it means getting the chance to apologize to Liam.

"You really don't have to stay," I say.

"I'm not going to leave you here alone with two potentially pissed-off divas."

I laugh. "They're hardly divas."

"We'll see about that." She slouches against the brick wall, fanning herself with her hand. My phone dings in my pocket, and my stomach leaps like it has whenever my cell's gone off the past couple of days.

Every time, I can't help hoping it's Liam. When it isn't, my heart cracks a little more.

When I look down, the name on the screen makes me freeze. It isn't Liam, but I certainly never expected to hear from Chrissy again either.

Chrissy: I saw Liam's interview in StarTracker. You were right. I should've done my research. I'm so sorry.

Elodie notices the stunned expression on my face. "Liam?"

I shake my head, but before I can tell her about the text, a black Range Rover pulls up to the curb and starts idling.

A familiar punch of adrenaline rushes through me. I try to peer through the passenger-side window to see if Kenneth, Faye and Ariani's driver, is inside. All I can see is my own sweat-soaked reflection staring back at me.

"Is that their car?" Elodie perks up.

"I think it might be." I glance over my shoulder as Ariani and Faye glide through the doors and down the front steps. They look like they just walked out of a Ralph Lauren catalog. They're wearing matching pairs of aviator sunglasses with baby-blue lenses that obscure their faces.

Ariani sees me standing here and whips her glasses off, pushing them on top of her hair. She nudges Faye and jerks her head in my direction. Faye looks over and stops walking, mouth dropping open.

"Um, hi." I'd rehearsed what I was going to say over and over in my head last night, but now that I'm here, I can't remember a single word.

"What? No camera today?" Ariani's voice is cool as she stares me down.

"No camera. I quit my internship."

"You quit?" The look in Faye's eyes is guarded.

"I couldn't do it anymore. Not after what happened to Liam."

"You mean after what you did to Liam." Ariani's words are cutting, but her face doesn't hold the anger I expect to see there.

"Yes. After what I did." I swallow, glancing down at my Nikes, which are starting to look the worse for wear after a summer of chasing celebrities around the city. "I totally understand if you guys don't want to talk to me. What I did was terrible, and I regret it more than I can possibly tell you. But I swear, I didn't sell that photo."

Faye's lips are turned in a frown, but she gives me a tiny nod. "You have good timing at least."

"I do?"

"We were just on our way to see you."

"You were going to see me?"

"We had this photographer practically ambush us last night after we got home from dinner," Faye says. "She told us a crazy story about how she'd been the one to give Liam's secret to the press after Mia told her a super messed up version of it. She also said she submitted that picture you took without you knowing about it."

Chrissy. I can't believe she did that.

"We wouldn't have listened to her, but, well, we know Mia." Ariani flicks her hair over her shoulder. "We also know more than a few things she'd like to keep out of the headlines herself. So I may or may not have called her and said that if she didn't tell me the truth, I'd give her a taste of her own medicine. She sang like the spineless songbird she is. She said she was just trying to get Liam back." Ariani rolls her eyes, making a disgusted sound.

"Kenneth was going to drive us over to your house, so we could see if your story matches theirs," Faye adds.

My head snaps back in surprise. "You know where I live?"

"You aren't the only one with sources, picture girl." Ariani tilts an eyebrow at me.

"So is it true? Is that what happened?" The look on Faye's face is both hopeful and wary.

I nod. "It's true. I'll tell you everything, but I'm really hoping you'll help me explain it all to Liam."

Faye bites her lip, glancing at Ariani.

"What did you have in mind?" Ariani narrows her eyes.

"Are you still interested in interviewing a paparazzo on your channel?" I ask.

Ariani's eyes blink wide.

"I've spent the entire summer trying to expose other people's stories," I say. "It's about time I tell my own."

Ariani turns to Faye, but she's smiling a little as she says, "What do you think, Boo?"

Faye takes off her sunglasses and folds them over the collar of her shirt, "I think Liam should know the truth. He deserves to be happy, and I've never seen him happier than he was with you."

My heart gives a pang of joy and so much regret.

"But, girl," Ariani holds up a finger. "If you ever hurt him like that again, I will find the biggest cup of green juice this city's ever seen and dump it over that pretty head of yours."

"Never again. I promise."

"Alright, then. Let's do this." Ariani grins at me and nods her head back toward the building.

I pull out my phone as Elodie and I follow her inside.

Opening up Chrissy's message, I type, 'Thank you' and hit send.