Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
SABRINA HAD BARELY MADE IT out of the studio before her phone buzzed in her bag. at first, she thought about ignoring it, but something told her to check. when she saw the name pop up on the screen, her stomach dropped.
barry keoghan.
she hadn't heard from him in over a year—not since they'd worked together on that movie, not since they'd had that awkward almost-something that fizzled out faster than it started. and now, out of nowhere, he was texting her?
barry hey, sab. i'm in LA. fancy a catch-up? it's been ages.
sabrina blinked at the message, her mind racing. after everything that had just happened with jaxon, the last thing she needed was barry showing up and dragging her back into the past. but then again, maybe that's exactly why she should meet him. a distraction. a break from the emotional trainwreck her life had become.
before she could second-guess herself, she typed out a quick response.
sabrina sure. i'm at the studio. swing by.
part of her immediately regretted it. but another part—the part that was still reeling from the fight with jaxon—wanted to see barry. maybe being around him would remind her of a time when things were simpler. when she wasn't tangled up in rumors and headlines.
either way, barry was coming. and whether she liked it or not, her past was about to collide with her very messy present.
_______________
jaxon hadn't stopped moving since he stormed out of the studio.
his mind was spinning, replaying every word of his argument with sabrina. he could still see the hurt in her eyes, hear the sharp edge in her voice as she accused him of pushing her away. and she was right. he had pushed her away—because he didn't know how to handle the pressure, the rumors, the feelings that had been creeping up on him since the collab started.
you're not a placeholder.
he had meant it. but saying it out loud had only made things worse.
he was halfway across town when his phone buzzed. at first, he ignored it, too caught up in his thoughts. but then, another buzz. and another.
finally, with a sigh, jaxon pulled his phone from his pocket. a text from ross.
leech dude, you need to get back here. ASAP.
xeno what now?
leech barry keoghan just showed up.
jaxon froze.
barry keoghan?
he had heard the name before. knew he and sabrina had worked together. but what the hell was he doing at the studio? and why now—of all times?
