Page 75 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

I feel their eyes brush across me, painting me in paranoia. All I want is a wall between me and the night.

I head inside the building,

Andrew behind me.

The lobby’s warm when we enter.

Andrew’s got one hand over his heart as we approach. “Bar fight. Giants game. Happened so fast⁠—”

Mickey’s brows hit his hairline when he sees me. “Jesus Christ, Miss Taylor.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m real tough shit.” My smile jumps, and pain licks my lip, making me wince.

The guy Mickey’s talking to turns.

It’s Eli Stone⁠—

black vest, jeans torn to threads.

He’s staring at me, horrified,

a bouquet of roses strangled in his fist.

“Oh my God, Allie. Your face.

“What the hell happened?”

Eli’s closing in, brown hair falling messy over his forehead, chain clinking against denim at his hip, scanning me, horrified.

Beside me, Andrew’s at a standstill.

His brows hitch high, then slam low,

stare sliding between Eli and me.

An awkward laugh pushes out of me, one that stings my lip. “I’m fine, really. Don’t make it a thing.” I wave him off, face tilting away. “What’re you even doin’ here?”

Eli looks to Andrew, Mickey,

then back to me, clearing his throat.

He adjusts his grip on the bouquet.

“I know I should’ve called first⁠—”

“No. It’s fine,”I say. “You can swing by whenever. You know that.”

Andrew’s eyes fall to the ground as he leans against Mickey’s desk.

I step in to shred the tension.

“Eli, this is Andrew. Andrew—Eli.”

“Hey, man.” Eli sticks out his hand.

“Good to meet you.”

Andrew’s head tilts as he takes Eli’s hand. “Eli… Stone?” He huffs a breath. “Trash Romance?”