Thrive (Addicted, #4)(22)

I just hope there’s no friendly fire.



*



“For Christ’s sake, give her space,” I say, trying not to touch Rose. She’s having a hard time shielding her face from cellphone cameras. She uses the blonde wig to hide, which helps some.

We just need to reach the elevator. Connor already texted me and said they’re waiting in line for the panel with Poppy and Sam.

No one noticed Lily dressed as Catwoman.

“Are you in love with Loren or Ryke?” people keep asking. Through my visor, everyone and everything is tinted red.

Rose surprisingly keeps quiet. She must be literally biting her tongue to stop from lashing out.

“Are you in a fight?” someone asks. “Why aren’t you holding Lily?”

“Yeah. You always hold Lily!”

Shit.

Rose glares at me out of the corner of her eye. This is a girl who I’ve never even hugged before. Fuck, besides Connor, I’ve only ever seen her hug someone maybe three times in my entire life.

“She’s sick,” I say sharply, my voice like fucking knives right now. “So you should all back up in case you catch it.”

The crowds start rocketing backwards like I said she had the bubonic plague. Jesus Christ.

“Does she have herpes?” someone asks.

Anger twists my face, my jaw clenching. “No,” I sneer, trying to find the source of that voice. My heart beats rapidly.

“You sound awfully defensive.”

I stop dead in my tracks, the cameras clicking, and now the real press shows up, pushing through glass double doors, padding along the ugly hotel carpet. About to bombard us.

“Come on, Loren,” Rose says under her breath. She grips my forearm tightly and literally pulls me into the elevator. Before the doors shut, two people sprint towards us, a girl cradled in a guy’s arms. I repeatedly push the button to close the metal doors. But I stop the moment they slip inside, when I recognize the girl with the bright orange wig and the guy with the green leather jacket.

“Finally we fucking found you,” Ryke says, his arm underneath Daisy’s legs and against her back. At first I think they’re playing around, but Daisy wears a faint, pained expression.

I frown. “What happened?”

Ryke very carefully places her feet on the ground, and she leans her weight against him. “She popped her knee out of the socket doing a fucking backflip,” he explains.

“I was in character,” she adds, bending down to massage her knee.

“Hey, stop, Dais.” He moves her hand away. “Wait for some ice first.” He looks up at me and then completely freezes when he sees Rose.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she snaps.

“You’re wearing Lily’s costume,” is all he can fucking say. He’s staring at Rose like he wants to bang her.

I smack the back of his head.

He blinks a few times, as though it just now registers in his brain who she is, along with her boyfriend’s identity. “I’m just fucking surprised. Give me a minute to process this.”

Rose fixes the wig on her head. “Process it and then move on.” She looks to a confused Daisy. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you in the room.” She asks, “Where’d you run off to anyway?”

“Outside,” she tells her. “I just needed some fresh air.” The elevator abruptly stops on our floor, and Daisy almost topples over, teetering on one leg. Without asking, Ryke swiftly lifts Daisy back in his arms. A smile spreads across her face.

I internally shake my head. Then my phone buzzes in my belt, distracting me. I take it out.

This is the second best day of my life. The director just accidentally touched my pinky finger!!!! – Lily

I smile so goddamn much that I can hear my father yelling at me for it. He used to do that when I was a kid. Be serious for once in your fucking life, Loren.

My lips fall. I text back: What’s the first best day? I press send in an instant.

She’s quick to reply.

The day I fell in love with you. – Lily

I shut my eyes for a second, and I try to remember that day. I try to transport my mind back to that place. But for every warmth there is cold. For every ounce of light there is blackness.

And for every happy memory, there is grief and pain.

I can’t remember that day without crawling through it all.

So I open my eyes, and I let it drift away.

It’s okay.

I’m going to make new best days with Lily Calloway.

I can feel it.





{ 9 }

0 years : 03 months

November





LILY CALLOWAY


Our annual Thanksgiving tradition has been put to rest, buried with other normal things that I can no longer do. We usually have a pre-meal at Lucky’s Diner before eating with our families, but I haven’t been back in three months: my twenty-first birthday when the manager refused to close the blinds.

Last Thanksgiving, the only people who knew about my sex addiction were Rose, Connor, and Ryke. Before all of that, we used to just sit at a family dinner table, carrying a lie in our hearts. Now that my addiction is out in the open, the event has been more awkward and uncomfortable for every person involved.

My mom hasn’t even looked at me, and the weight only slowly ascends off my chest when we take a break before coffee and dessert.