After his meteoric rise to superstardom, Jim O'Brien is no longer a small-town boy who plays in bars and dreams of success. His handsome face is plastered on the covers of celebrity gossip magazines, and his voice alone is enough to make girls swoon...
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Sunday night sucked.
Ava and I came back to the city on Sunday afternoon. I kissed her in my car for longer than it was usual — or acceptable — and watched as she trudged up the steps of the porch of her house.
My apartment felt empty. I turned on the TV to get rid of the silence and busied myself with the chores I'd neglected for the last week.
My bed felt empty, too. I spent Saturday night with Ava in my arms, relishing in the warmth and the softness of her naked skin. I lost count of how many times we made love. She woke me up in the middle of the night, and I woke her up at dawn. We skipped lunch and didn't leave the bed until it was time to go home.
My home didn't feel like home without her in it. The bed was too big, and the sheets were too cold, and it was too damn hard to fall asleep.
Knowing what awaited me in the morning only made my insomnia worse.
***
I didn't hate Mondays, but the meeting with Wyatt in a couple of hours could change that.
I couldn't force anything down my throat other than my usual pitch-black coffee. I took a sip and reached for my phone. It buzzed in my hand.
My lips stretched into a smile. I got comfortable on the stool and accepted the video call. "Kennedy."
"Hey." Aiden laughed. Judging by his button-down, he was at work. It was early afternoon in Paris. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"
"Nah. You know I hardly ever sleep in."
"How's it going?"
"Good. What about you? I guess there's a reason why you called."
"I haven't talked to you in forever. I loved the videos of the show you sent me, by the way."
"Thanks. I wish you and Ellie had been there."
"Believe me, we would've loved to, but it's been insane over here. Anyway, I just wanted to confirm you're coming to Paris as you told me."
"I'm your best man. How could I not?"
Aiden chuckled. "Fair enough. We decided to go on a camping trip — just a couple of nights in the woods outside Paris."
"Awesome. Count on me. How's the wedding planning?"
Aiden shrugged. "Cool. Ellie suggests things, and I mainly say yes. I don't care about anything other than marrying her."
"As it should be. I'm happy for the two of you."
"Thanks, Jim. Fuck, I can't wait to talk to you in person. I gotta go back to the office." Aiden nodded toward a guy to his right, who came to get him.
"No worries. Hug Ellie for me. I'll email you the deets of my flight; I've already bought the ticket."
