bed chem | drew starkey

CHAPTER 32

EARLY APRIL 2024

the morning sun streamed through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the room. drew stirred awake, stretching slightly before reaching out — only to feel cool sheets.

empty.

his eyes blinked open, adjusting to the light. the spot where aurora had fallen asleep next to him was vacant, the comforter lazily tossed aside. he sighed, ruffling his hair as he sat up. the faint sound of movement echoed from the kitchen.

of course.

with a yawn, drew climbed out of bed, pulling on the first shirt he could find before wandering out into the apartment. the smell of coffee lingered in the air, mixing with something sweet. and there she was — standing at the counter, barefoot in an oversized t-shirt, scrolling through her phone while absentmindedly sipping from a mug.

he swore it wasn't fair. the sunlight hit her just right, making her look annoyingly perfect for someone who had probably been awake for a couple of minutes. drew tried not to stare, but it was impossible. she was glowing.

he cleared his throat, forcing his eyes elsewhere. "couldn't wait for me to wake up, huh?"

aurora glanced up, lips curving into a soft smile. "someone had to make coffee."

"sure." he padded closer, leaning on the counter. "or you just wanted the head start on whatever world domination plan you've been scheming."

she rolled her eyes. "actually, I was waiting for you. now go check Instagram."

drew raised a brow. "instagram?"

she nodded, her grin only growing. "trust me."

with a suspicious glance, drew pulled his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and tapping on the app. the first thing that greeted him was her latest post — a photo of aurora, on a massive billboard, impossible to miss. aurora's face dominated the space,  and next to it....

"she gonna make you c*me to her coachella set."

"oh, my god," drew muttered, half in disbelief, half in amusement. he dragged a hand down his face, but the laugh bubbling up was impossible to hold back. "aurora, what the hell?"

she was already grinning, mug in hand, watching him like a kid waiting to see how much chaos their prank caused. "you like it?"

"like it?" he shook his head, scrolling through the thousands of comments. some were in shock, others were losing their minds. the internet was eating it up. "aurora. you're ridiculous."

she shrugged, clearly unbothered. "it's memorable. isn't that what they always say about good marketing?"

drew shot her a look, though his smirk betrayed him. "pretty sure that wasn't in the textbooks."

"it's a statement," she said, lifting her chin with mock confidence. "a little scandal, a little fun. and it worked."

"oh, it definitely worked," drew agreed, holding up his phone. "people are losing it."

"exactly." she tapped a finger against her temple, smug. "now they have no choice but to come... for me."

he groaned at the unintentional double meaning, and aurora's laughter rang through the kitchen. "you're out of control."

"maybe," she shot back, "but you love it."

"god help me," drew muttered, though the smile lingering on his face said otherwise.

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"yeah, but now every interview you do is gonna be like, 'so, about that billboard...'" he mimicked, pretending to hold a mic. "were you trying to be provocative? do you think this sets a new tone for your career? what does your mom think?"