Page 119 of Scandal
“Really?” I nearly bolt upright.
My mum gently pulls me back down. “He’s going to head to the local police station in the morning to meet with the detective inspector.”
“So we won’t know anything until tomorrow?”
My mum squeezes my hand this time. “It is ten at night, darling.”
“Right.” I nod, feeling slightly delirious. I’m so damn tired. “Of course.”
“Go spend some time with Mercury,” my mum encourages. “Talk to her. And for god’s sake, get some rest.”
“All right,” I agree, feeling slightly better. But as I say good night and head for our suite, it all vanishes the moment I step inside and find a pile of suitcases by the door.
MERCURY
“What the fuck is this?” Asher’s eyes look wild as he takes in the pile of suitcases by the door and then lifts his gaze to meet mine. The cuffs of his shirt are rolled up to his elbows, and he looks dead on his feet. But his whole demeanor shifts the moment he sees my damp cheeks. His gaze darts around the room as if he’s searching for danger. “Have you been crying? Did something happen?”
I wipe my tear-stained face, trying to regain some composure, which is pointless because I lost it hours ago. “Nothing has happened. I just want to go home.”
He visibly flinches. “Why?”
“Why?” A pained laugh escapes my throat. I watch him stare blankly at my suitcases. He hasn’t taken a single step further into the room. “Asher, we’ve barely spoken in a week. Do you really need to ask me why?”
He runs a hand through his messy dark hair. “I’ve just had a lot going on.”
“We always have a lot going on,” I argue. “The number of events and scheduled appearances we do is actually insane. But we’ve always managed to juggle it. We’ve always made time for each other. Until now.”
He finally tears his eyes away from the luggage to look at me from across the room. “So one bad week and you were just going to leave? Without even talking to me about it first?” His words are harsh, but his voice lacks the conviction to back them up.
He sounds so damn tired.
“I’ve tried to talk to you, but you shut me out. I came to Scotland to make sure you were okay. I wanted you to know you weren’t alone, and for a while, I thought I was actually helping.I thought, together, we might have a chance.” I take a steadying breath, my emotions getting the better of me. “But I refuse to stay and be someone who causes you harm. You’ve had enough scandal in your life.”
“Scandal? What are you talking about?”
“Isobel told me about all the bad press,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. I can already feel the tears rising as every word she said floods back to me.
Forgettable.
Unimpressive.
Boring.
“What bad press?”
I stare at him, trying to tell if he’s pretending to be clueless or really doesn’t understand what I’m saying. “The interview with my sorority sister. The rumors that we’re faking it. All the stupid bets the fans are making about when you’ll eventually tire of me.”
“Fucking Isobel,” he curses under his breath.
Even as she kept going on and on, giving details I knew she couldn’t have made up, I had hoped she might be lying. “So it’s true, then?”
“There was some chatter after LuAnn did the interview withCelebrity Insider, especially since she lied and said the two of you were practically BFFs and she’d never heard you mention me before.”
I don’t know what is crazier—Asher using the term BFF or the fact that LuAnn Miller would actually pretend to be my best friend just for fifteen minutes of fame.
“And the rest of it?” I ask. “Do they really all hate me?”
“What?” His expression softens as he takes a step forward. “No, love. No one hates you.”
