Page 94 of Love on the Main Stage
“Uh, sweetie, you’re famous. Iknowyou’re famous.”
I did a double take.
“She’s cute. Don’t hide her away. She’ll be all over the tabloids.”
I immediately recoiled. “Well, that’s not really… we’re not going to court the press. I don’t do that.”
“Oh my god! Is she not out yet?”
She wasn’t—not really—but that wasn’t what bothered me. “It’s not that. I’m just a private person.”
“Respect,” he nodded. “Sorry. I guess… I have never been famous. She’s cute. A good dancer.”
“I love her,” I said. “She is just so wonderful.”
Every time I said it, things felt more real.
“Aww, you are so cute—both of you. I wish you the best. Plus, I am a terrible dancer, and my boyfriend is living for this.”
I grinned. “It’s good all around. I miss places like this. It really is a gem. I kissed a girl for the first time after getting in here with a fake ID.”
“What?” He scoffed. “That’s funny.”
“It was a million years ago. I used to be badass.”
“Queen, you still are,” he said in English. “She’s living proof. Also, I saw that set you did at that festival. It was amazing. ‘Balcony’ has exploded.”
“I’m recording it later this week,” I admitted. “It’s… not what I thought it would be. I didn’t expect it to be a live single.”
“Well, it showed all the emotion that went into it. It’s relatable.”
I smiled, feeling uplifted, as Betty and his boyfriend returned smiling.
“You had fun?” I asked.
“So much. But now, I think I’d like to take you home,” Betty said.
Chapter 38
The Surprise
MARY
“Stop,” Betty breathlessly pulled back mid-kiss
Panicked, I looked up and pulled my hand from her bare breast.
“No, don’t worry.” Betty shook her head, nostrils flaring as she caught her breath and rolled into Norwegian. “It’s not anything you did. But… I brought some… things.”
“Tings?” I asked, pulling the word out that confused me.
“It’s a cognate. Sorry. Things.”
“Not to Swedish,” I said. “Sakeris ‘things’, love. Can we… stay in English? It hurts my brain.”
“I didn’t realize I wasn’t… sorry. Whatever you were doing with my nipples was… otherworldly and I lost it.”
I laughed. “Okay, so things? Do we mean toys? Because… we can justsaythat.”
