Page 17 of Shapes of Love
“You okay? You look tired,” they say.
I’m always tired, I want to say. But this time it’s my fault. I stayed up until sunrise writing a demo. Just me and my guitar in an empty house with an audience of plushies.
My attention is stolen when my phone rings.
Kai.
I chew on my lip, hesitating before ignoring the call. I told him I was busy today and couldn’t hang out, which isn’t a lie, but it isn’t the truth, either. Mia’s right. I need to be careful. Restarting our friendship means opening myself up to the possibility that I could hurt us both.
He could walk out of my life again.
“Who was that?” Shirley catches a glimpse of the caller ID before I hit Decline. “Who’s Kai? A date?”
I blink a few times, processing. Date?
Oh, right, I haven’t told Shirley I’m aroace. I didn’t know them as well when we started working on my first album, so I’ve been vague about my inspirations when they ask about my songs. They’ve never pressured me to disclose anything I wasn’t ready to share, either.
It’s not that I don’t want them to know. I just didn’t know what to tell them.Hey, Shirley, what’s your favorite Taylor era? By the way, I’m aroace, and all my love songs are made-up.
But the thing is, I trust them. When I’m in their studio, I’m home. I’ve missed our sessions like someone misses breathing when they’re underwater. I don’t want to work on a new album without them getting to know the real me.
“Kai’s one of my best friends. We used to date, but we broke up when I realized I was—”
My phone rings again. A cold shiver runs up my spine when Marissa’s name flashes across the screen. I pick up before wondering why she’s calling.
“Hey, girlie,” she starts. I stiffen. She only calls megirliewhen there’s bad news. “Can you meet me at your place for a quick meeting?”
“Sure. Um, is everything okay?”
“Maybe it’s best if we talk about this in person? Bring Kai with you.”
“Kai?” I frown. What’s going on?
“See you in an hour?” In the background, I hear the sound of her clicker, then a car door being opened. “I’m heading there now.”
She hangs up before I can tell her I’m at the studio and I can’t just leave.
“Is everything okay?” Shirley’s eyes are sympathetic. They scoot closer to me.
“Yeah. No. I don’t know.” I shake my head, trying to recalibrate my thoughts. “I might have to go. I don’t know what’s going on.”
A text from Marissa comes through. It’s a link to a press article.
My body turns to ice when I read the headline:THE IDENTITY OF THE BOYFRIEND REVEALED: MEET KAI OLIVEIRA, SASSY’S ON-AND-OFF BOYFRIEND.Below, there’s a picture of me and Kai in his grandpa’s shop, taken from the opposite building, followed by another one of us riding his motorcycle.
I can hear my own ragged breathing as I clutch my phone. How did they even know where we were? I didn’t tell anyone. Did someone follow us?
According to multiple sources, Sassy and Kai dated in high school before calling it quits, but they reconnected thanks to her music. Kai Oliveira, 20, is an aspiring artist, and a current undergrad student at—
A call from Kai flashes across the screen, obscuring the rest of the article.
“Sasha, what’s going on?” His voice crackles in and out of reception, as if he’s rushing somewhere. “Everyone in class was asking me if I’m dating Sassy.”
“There’s an article about us. I had nothing to do with it.” I’m not sure when I’ve started pacing around the studio, but I stop in my tracks when Kai doesn’t say anything. “I’m sorry. I’ll fix it.”
Kai’s voice softens. “Sasha, are you okay?”
“I am, and I’m sorry. This is really unfair to you.” I swallow hard. We just became friends again. I don’t want to lose him due to some stupid rumor. “Can we meet?”
