Page 97 of Smash

His eyes narrowed. “Of course I do. What do you think, I stop caring about you because he found out about us? That’s not how it works, Talia. Even if we’re not together, I want you to be happy.”

I wanted to tell him how much I’d missed him, how much I still thought about him, but it didn’t seem right, considering I was supposed to be trying to fix things with Calder.

Rafe closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, the pain was palpable. “I still can’t get over what I did to him.”

“I’m sorry I put you in that position.”

He scoffed. “I very willingly put myself in that position, and for the record, I wouldn’t change a thing about the experience we had together, as fucked up as that is. The only thing I regret is hurting him. I don’t regret you, Talia.”

A bittersweet warmth filled my chest. I don’t regret you either. There was so much I wanted to say, but I remained silent out of respect for Calder.

Rafe slipped his hands into his pockets. “Actually, there’s another reason I came by.”

“Okay…”

“Calder isn’t the only one leaving town.”

My heart dropped. “What do you mean?”

“In a few weeks, I’m going to Vegas.”

Adrenaline coursed through me. I tried to remain calm on the surface, though. “Oh?”

“I’m going to meet with this team my manager hooked me up with. They want to talk about investing in a show for me out there.”

Emotions swirled through me. “Rafe…wow. That’s amazing.”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure if it’s the right thing, but I at least need to hear what they have to say. They have all these plans that they want to show me, venues and stuff.”

“Who’s going to take care of your aunt?”

He let out a frustrated breath. “I’m trying to work out having some friends stop in for shifts while I’m gone. She’ll be getting out of her cast soon, but she’s fragile, and I don’t want her to get reinjured.”

I shook my head. “You don’t need to make any arrangements. I can help her. I’m right here.”

He looked skeptical. “I wouldn’t want to put that burden on you.”

“I love Rosemary. It’s no problem at all. I’m not home during the day, but I can give her my number in case of emergency. I’m just a short train ride away if I ever needed to come back. I can borrow your monitor and keep close tabs on her when I’m home.”

“Are you serious about wanting to do that? I don’t want you to feel obligated.”

“Yes, of course I’m serious. I mean, it won’t be forever—just until you get back from Vegas.”

Rafe let out a relieved breath. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

I smiled. I did love Rosemary, but doing this also made me feel like I had some insurance that Rafe would come back. Ridiculous.

The thought of him leaving somehow felt more devastating than the prospect of Calder taking that job in London. I couldn’t figure out why. Would I be going with Calder if he got the job? Or was it something else?

Rafe moved toward the door. “I’ll let you get back to your night. I just wanted to tell you about Vegas. But it’s not for another few weeks. Calder will be back by the time I leave.”

As he turned to go, I suddenly felt panicky. “Wait.”

He turned.

My mouth opened and closed a few times. I didn’t want to go back to the loneliness I’d felt before he knocked on my door. It wasn’t so much about being alone as it was being left with my thoughts and worries about the future.

“Would you want to watch a movie or something?” I finally spit out.