Page 83 of Shapes of Love
Someone must have told the press that Kai and Asher were together, and that if they went through the trouble of hiding a camera, they’d get the latest exclusive.
“Someone from your team told them,” he says.
My body turns to ice. “That’s impossible. Nobody on my team knows about you and Kai.”
“The paparazzo that sold the picture was the same guy your team hired when those pictures of you and Kai first leaked, at the ice cream shop. He said he was hired by thesame team.Yourteam.” His lips twist into a scowl. “I know it wasn’t you, but—”
“What do you mean, when those pictures of Kai and me first leaked?” My mind reels. “That wasn’t staged. It was an accident.”
The picture someone took of Kai and me was totally random. He rescued me from the meet and greet, and we went somewhere private to talk. No one knew where we were going to be.
“It wasn’t.” Asher makes a face, like he’s genuinely confused. “That’s why I thought you and Kai were PR from the start. Those pictures of you two were paid for, a photo op. I’ve been in this business long enough to know they were staged. It wasn’t an accident.”
My heart thuds so loud it pounds against my ears. I scramble for words, but they get stuck in my throat. What does he meanstaged?Who would do that? Did someone hack me? That sounds unlikely. They would have exposed Kai and me when we started to date. Did someone tell them where we were? The only people I share my location with are—
Oh.
“I—I have to go.” Realization dawns on me like a sunrise after a sleepless night. “I think I know who’s behind this.”
Pressure builds behind my eyes, and I only realize that I’m squeezing my hands into fists because of the way the edges of my phone dig into my palms.
“Who?” Asher’s expression hardens.
I contemplate telling him, but I don’t know for sure yet,and I don’t want him to do anything that might damage his reputation further. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
For someone who doesn’t trust anyone, it surprises me how fast his answer comes.
I was right. This was never about Asher. It was always about me.
I convince Shirley to let me borrow their studio for the evening. I need somewhere private, and I don’t want to do this at home with my moms and Sonia around.
I’m too embarrassed for them to find out. I’m embarrassed that I was so naive. For bringing the wrong person into my life. My family’s lives. For trusting without reservations.
I drum my fingers against the mixing table, the soundproof walls making the silence ring across the room. My pulse skips a beat as the door opens.
“I brought us pizza to celebrate ‘Summer Blues’ charting at number one again. Girl, your first album is having a major moment. Five of your songs are the top sounds across social media,” Marissa says. She walks in with a pizza box. I don’t know what expression my face makes, but she seems to catch on quickly that something’s wrong. “Sash. Is everything okay?”
Anger simmers in my chest, but I push it down. We’ve always celebrated together like this, as a team, whenever I accomplished a milestone. Because Sassy isn’t just me. It’sme and her, my music and her guidance. She’s been with me through my first album release, when I opened for artists that she spent months booking for me, when I received my first award nominations that she submitted me for. She’s been my biggest supporter, but when I look at her, all I feel is ice crawling through my veins.
“I know it was you.” I need to throw the words out before I throw a punch. It feels like I’m staring at her for the first time. Someone I don’t recognize. “You leaked those pictures, didn’t you?”
“What pictures?” She’s frozen for a second, brow pinched as she studies my face, like she has no idea what I’m talking about.
“Why don’t we start with the one of Kai and me at his grandpa’s shop?” I spit out. “You called the paparazzi on us.”
A shadow crosses her expression, a brief hesitation that makes her jaw tighten. She regains her composure and stretches her lips into a smile.
“Are you crazy? I didn’t even know where you were going to be. You ran from the meet and greet, remember?” She opens the pizza box and offers me a slice, as if asking me to drop it. “I think you’re just hungry and tired. Have you been eating regularly? We both know you’re not the best at taking care of yourself. It’s making your brain obsess over strange things.”
There’s a patronizing edge to her voice that I hadn’t noticed before. Maybe it’s because I’m older than when I started working with her, but I hear it now, and I hate it. I hate that I missed it, and that I allowed myself to be manipulated like this.
“Except you did know where I was. I shared my location with you,” I say.
When the pictures of Kai and me were leaked, I thought the PR relationship was collateral. A price to pay for my carelessness. Not only had I accidentally liked that post saying I was aroace, but I had also let myself get caught hanging out with Kai. The post was my mistake, but Marissa had planned to coax me into a fake relationship one way or another. She just needed to find some way to get me to agree. The like gave her a reason. My mind races at the realization. I don’t know how deep this goes. Or if people from my label are involved.
All I know is I’m a puppet on strings.
