He let out an exasperated sigh, “Look, it’s better if she doesn’t know. It’s not like she reads the blogs, and you didn’t want to go public anyway, so this sort of works out.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from him. It was pitiful, this cop out of an apology. “So, what you’re saying is that this is really my fault?” I accused, getting more upset by the second.
“That’s not what I’m saying, Mandy,” Joe sighed, “Jesus, stop making it such a big deal.”
“It is a bit of a big deal to me, Joe. You’re outside hanging out with a girl who is clearly still infatuated with you, who refuses to face reality, and I’m kept in the dark about the whole thing? Why is she here anyway?” I thought out loud, having a hard time looking him in the eye. I knew I was slightly overreacting, but it really didn’t feel like I was.
Chapter 12 - Breaking Up The Girl
In a modern culture / My friend you must be careful / They’ve a million ways to kill you / In this dangerous world / There’s an art to growing old / Taking chances / Magic happens / One mistake's all it takes / And your life has come undone / Walk away cause you're breaking up the girl / It’s a drag / I know it's hard / But you're tearing her apart / Walk away cause you're breaking up the girl / I am afraid that there's much to be afraid of / Here today and gone tomorrow / Don’t end up in the gutter / Just like the one before / You’re just the same / Such a loser / You’ve go to let her go because you're breaking up / You’re breaking up the girl
“What the absolute fuck is going on over there?” Steph’s voice rang out from the receiver of my phone, me pinching the bridge of my nose. For the first full day of being “home,” it hadn’t been very relaxing. My head was completely done in, the events of the night before almost being too much to handle. In fact, I had no idea how I was handling it at all.
“Obviously, you know. I mean, you met Joe, you saw how he was acting with me. So yeah, he’s my boyfriend,” I tried to explain, not really knowing what I was explaining.
“Yeah, TMZ did a pretty good job of filling me in on that fact, even if your official statement says otherwise,” she chastised and I winced on the other end, “I do have to say that I’m happy for you, even if you hid it from me.” I did feel guilty that I couldn’t give her a straight answer when it all happened, but there was just too much too quickly, and now, things had shifted again.
“I’m sorry about that, you know I told you everything I could at the time.”
"I forgive you, but only on the condition you tell me everything," and I could tell she wanted details. I obliged happily. I filled her in on London, how I dragged him around and the moment on my balcony, how he shamelessly flirted with me the whole day before the awards, walking me to the door and asking me to be his girlfriend. I daydreamed about our night in Paris, kissing me on the top of the world, playing on the sand and loving every minute I spend with him. It all sounded so fake telling someone else, but it was true, and it was my life.
"...and he sang to me last night, in front of everyone,” and I took a seat at the end of the bed, letting the memory of the night before roll through my brain.
"Oh god, they didn't play your cheesy song again, did they?"
"Hey, it's not cheesy! I kind of like it..."
"No, you like the singer. The song is terrible." She had a bit of a point. It wasn't like it had the most creative or riveting of lyrics, but still, having a song that was my same name was nice, "Anyway, anymore biting?"
I had forgotten that I told her about him biting my lip after the kiss in Philly, and how we had analyzed it to death when I talked to her in New Jersey.
"I mean..."
"Is it still weird?"
"No... I like it..."
"Dirty Mandy!" She exclaimed and I felt my cheeks go red, even just over the phone.
"So, what do you think?" I asked, curious as to her thoughts about him, now that she had met him.
"I think that he obviously likes you a lot, and that he's a nice guy, if a bit of a flirt," she started and my face fell. I never really thought of Joe as a flirt, but he knew what to do to get a reaction out of girls, but then again, that was his job. He certainly flirted with me, but that was because he liked me.
"Really? A flirt?” and I stood to peek out my window, seeing Tiff closing the door on her powder blue convertible and walking up the drive. Why the fuck was she here?
"Yeah, Mandy, big time. He flirted a little with me when I was there,"
"But he just wanted you to like him. You are my best friend, he wanted to get on your good side."
"You said there was that party last night, what about any other girls? Does he flirt with them?" My mind flashed back to his reaction when Tiff launched herself into his arms, the looked of genuine surprise. He didn't know she was at the show, but then I didn't stick around long enough to see how he was with other girls, "I'm going to take it by your silence that he does flirt with other girls."
"No, I really don't know. I didn't pay attention last night. Something else was going on.” I was so preoccupied by the wonder of Malibu Barbie invading the house that I almost forgot the most important part of the night before.
"What?"
"I got approached by someone."
"Someone." It wasn't a question, or even a statement. She was being purposely condescending, which was both something I hated and loved about her. Steph had just the right way to twist my thoughts around and force me back to reality, which I knew I needed sometimes.
"An editor for Rolling Stone." Silence from the other end and I couldn’t help but nervously chew on my bottom lip.
"Holy fuck."
"My thoughts exactly." I still hadn't really wrapped my mind around it, but one thing I decided right away was that I wasn't going to tell anyone just yet. It didn't make sense to get the family all riled up for nothing, especially just because it was nothing but a business card right now.
"What did they want?"
"They want to talk to me. I guess, somehow, they heard about me and my article. I mean, there was a press release that stated I am a journalist," I reasoned out loud.
"Do you think they want to read it?” She asked and my stomach did a flip. I was trying to not think of it at all. I had sort to forgotten that I was writing an article, after all of the commotion of the last day or so.
"I don't know. I've given up trying to figure out how this business works. I just live here now," I lamented and sat on the bed.
“Well, you are going to call her back, right?”
“Of course I am…” I said unconvincingly.
“Mandy! You have to call her back!” Steph shouted at me through the phone and I actually had to pull the device away from my ear for a moment. She knew me too well, and knew my preference of not talking to anyone in charge or stepping out of my comfort zone.
“Yes, I know. I promise, I will call her sometime today,” and I meant it. It made no sense to put this off.
“Not, sometime. Like, as soon as we hang up, you take a breath and call her! She probably just wants to talk and see what you can do.”
“Yeah, I will…”
“Mandy,” and her tone of voice went as serious as I had ever heard it, “You can’t let this go. This is everything you’ve worked your ass off for. I’m going to let you go so you can call her now,” and we said our goodbyes.
Steph had this odd ability to always be right, and at times it was a bit annoying. Standing from the bed, I fished Joy’s card from it’s place in my wallet, turning it over in my hands a few times. The red RS seared into my eyes, like a branding, and my stomach flipped over just as easily as the card.
I do have to call her. I know I do. I didn’t come this far to just back away from the edge once things got too real. I wanted to take that leap, to free fall, to not be afraid of the unknown and see where I landed. Six weeks prior, I would have. But now?
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Or in my case, roll them.
~~~~~~~~~
The house was eerily quiet for a day where everyone was home. Descending down the staircase, I made my way into the kitchen but stopped when I saw the scene; Kevin, Dani, Nick, Joe… and Tiff, all on the back patio, just hanging out. I mean, I had seen Tiff come up the driveway, but I had no idea she was invited over. And especially since I wasn’t. Before I could decide how I wanted to handle this situation, Kev locked eyes with me and decided for me.
“Hey, Mandy, where have you been?” he called and all eyes shifted onto me, forcing me out onto the patio as to not seem rude. They had been swimming, or were about to, it didn’t look like anyone was wet yet. Of course, Dani was in a very cute yellow one piece with frills going down one shoulder, but Tiff was already laid out on a deck chair, attempting to get more of a tan in a too small hot pink bikini. Being that all my clothes were in the laundry, I was just in jeans and a t-shirt, no makeup, not even lipgloss. I uncomfortably shifted my weight from one leg to the other, an arm across my chest and my other hand gripping my phone tight.
“I’ve been here the whole time, just needed to make some phone calls…” and I trailed off, noticing that Joe seemed to not be as concerned about Tiff’s lack of clothing as I was, “I wasn’t aware that there was a pool party going on.”
“You look familiar…” Tiff said, tilting down her sunglasses as to get a better look at me and I couldn’t help but glance at Dani, “What commercial were you in?”
“I’m not in any commercials, we met last night at the show. I’m Mandy, Joe’s…”
“Intern. My intern,” Joe quickly cut me off and all eyes snapped to him, “Well, not my intern, the band’s intern…” Nick let out a low whistle and averted his gaze from the scene.
“Oh em gee, like Monica Lewinski?” Tiff said scandalously, laying back on the chair, completely unconcerned as to who I was to any of them, least of all Joe. Apparently her single brain cell couldn't retain any information.
“We had this conversation last night...” I finished before rounding on my supposed boyfriend, “Joe, can I talk to you in the living room please?” and I turned on my heel to go back into the house, Joe standing to follow me. If he had a tail, it would be between his legs right now.
I let him firmly close the door so we would have some actual privacy before rounding on him again. “What the fuck?” was all I could get out. It was the only phrase that seemed to fully encompass how I felt about what had just happened, between Tiff being here at all, not remembering me from the night before, not knowing who I really was, not to mention the cold shoulder Joe was giving me. What in the actual fuck was going on?
“I know, that wasn’t great, I’m sorry,” he started, pulling a hand through his hair that he neglected to flat iron this morning.
“Not great doesn’t really cover it, Joe.”
He let out an exasperated sigh, “Look, it’s better if she doesn’t know. It’s not like she reads the blogs, and you didn’t want to go public anyway, so this sort of works out.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from him. It was pitiful, this cop out of an apology. “So, what you’re saying is that this is really my fault?” I accused, getting more upset by the second.
“That’s not what I’m saying, Mandy,” Joe sighed, “Jesus, stop making it such a big deal.”
“It is a bit of a big deal to me, Joe. You’re outside hanging out with a girl who is clearly still infatuated with you, who refuses to face reality, and I’m kept in the dark about the whole thing? Why is she here anyway?” I thought out loud, having a hard time looking him in the eye. I knew I was slightly overreacting, but it really didn’t feel like I was. I didn’t trust Tiff at all, and for some reason I had a hard time trusting Joe around her. Not that I thought he would actually do something, but the little voice in my head was echoing Steph’s words. Joe was a flirt, and sometimes had a hard time turning off the charm before it got him into awkward situations.
“She just showed up, I don’t know, she talked her way into the party last night and now here she is. I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark, I swear nothing was planned,” he tried to explain, but the rest got lost on deaf ears.
My phone had started to ring. Joy Richards’ number was scrolling along the top of my screen and my body froze completely.
God, fuck, this was the worst timing. I couldn’t exactly miss her call, and maybe end up playing phone tag, that was if she even took my call again. But right now? I was in the middle of a heated discussion with my boyfriend, and the irony wasn’t lost on me. I either picked up the phone, or picked Joe.
“Do you need to take that?” he asked, a confused look on his face and I let out a frustrated sigh, sliding the arrow to accept the call while taking the stairs two at a time.
“Hello?” I answered and I couldn’t help but recognize the hurt on Joe’s face as I left him standing in the foyer alone with no explanation as to why. He turned to go back out as I quietly closed my bedroom door, feeling my empty heart beating out of my chest.
“Hello, Amanda? This is Joy, we spoke last night?” Joy started and I took a seat on the floor, my legs having a difficult time bearing my weight anymore.
“Hi, Joy, how are you?” I mustered up my best interview voice and feigned enthusiasm. I was excited, I really was, but there was too much pain and anxiety going on outside of the call to really enjoy the moment.
“I’m well, thanks for asking. And thank you for taking the time out to speak with me for a few moments,” her voice was cool but inviting, sounding just like she had the night before, “I’m sorry we didn’t really get a proper opportunity to talk last night, but basically your unique situation really piqued our interest over here at Rolling Stone, and as you may know, the Jonas Brothers are going to be on our cover in a few weeks.” “Yes, I saw the proofs from the shoot, they’re very proud.” “They should be, it’s very exciting to be the cover story, and you should be proud as well. Amanda, we’re interested in running your story alongside their article, but we know that your article and internship still has about… two weeks left?”
If I wasn’t already sitting on the floor, I would be down for the count now. Rolling Stone wants to run my article? To go along with the main cover story? Holy. Fuck.
“Uh, yes, a little less but yeah, two weeks,” I breathed out into the phone, still not believing the conversation I was having. My brain felt like it was short circuiting, not being able to handle everything that was going on.
“That’s still good with our timing, however before we commit to it, we would love to review some of your other articles. What I need from you is a sample of your portfolio, say maybe the three best pieces of writing, one of those being an article of similar nature to the one you’re writing now. Of course, I don’t expect you to have anything exactly like touring with one of the world’s biggest acts, but something compelling, investigative, tells a story from a perspective few have ever heard, that sort of thing. If you can e-mail those over to me today, I can present them to my boss and we can get a decision to you in, lets say, 48 hours?”
“Absolutely, yes, of course I can do that for you,” I answered, probably just a little to eager, “The same e-mail that’s on your card, correct?”
“That’s the one. We look forward to working with you, Amanda,” and Joy finished the conversation.
This was next level. This was the complete opposite of where I was not even five minutes ago. This was it. This was the break, the opportunity that only comes once in a lifetime.
This was my future starting.
Immediately, I dragged my MacBook over to my seat on the floor and scoured my documents folder. Luckily, I was a digital hoarder and never threw out any of my previous works, even ones that I wrote Freshman year English 120, not that any of those would be the ones I would send over. I knew I wanted to send over two of my articles from the newspaper, one of them the front page story, and I thought that maybe it might be nice to throw in a creative writing piece as well, to show my range. I was thrilled to be so spoilt for choice, but that also meant I was going to have to kill some of my babies, so to speak.
Taking five of them, I sent them off to Steph to do a final proofread and to help make the objective choice, and send a quick text to her, relaying the urgency of the situation. This could NOT wait until after work hours, for sure. It was almost surreal, this moment. I never imagined in a thousand years that I would have a chance like this, that my career could start in this way. I wanted to scream it from the rooftop, to jump up and dance, to share it with everyone... but I knew I couldn't. Nothing was set, there was no use in getting everyone excited over what could be nothing. No use in making anyone think that I was leaving yet.
“Knock knock,” came from my door and I quickly closed the lid of the computer, “How are you doing?” Dani asked sweetly, fully opening the door and taking a step into my room.
That was a bit of a loaded question. Obviously I wasn’t okay with the whole situation going on in the backyard, but at present my brain was so wired from the conversation with Joy. It was hard for me to fill articulate the rollercoaster I was on.
“Joe looked pretty pissed off,” she tried again and that information processed a lot quicker.
“Yeah, nothing really got resolved...” I lamented.
“It was a bit like watching a car accident in slow motion,” and she came to sit on the floor next to me, “I don’t think he meant to hurt you like that. Tiff really did just show up, and she has a way of talking herself into situations with him.”
“But that right there, why does he let himself get talked into them in the first place?” That’s what bothered me most about all of this, it just seemed with her he was powerless.
“I don’t know...” she answered quietly and it seemed like finally someone understood why I was currently in my room, “But, I’ve seen you and Joe together and he cares about you so much, in a way I’ve only seen when it comes to his brothers. Joe is bad at breaking away from people who he knows he shouldn’t be around, but right now, being holed up in here with your computer, you’re letting her win.”
I looked at her in confusion. I wasn’t in competition with Tiff, or at least I didn’t think I should be.
“She didn’t know you would be here, she doesn’t have the whole story and you do. You being here ruins her plans too, and right now you’re just letting her get what she wants.”
Oh fuck that. I wasn’t going to let Tiff get anything that she wanted when it came to Joe.
“Right. I need a bathing suit, mine is in the wash.” Dani stood with a huge smile and helped me up, leading me down the hall to her room.
**********************
Slowly, I descended the steps again, a hand on the banister because the sandals Dani lent to me were platforms. I felt more naked than I even did in the red dress or in Cannes, but she assured me that I looked "hot." She let me borrow a blue two-piece she had brought with her, with bikini bottoms that were just a little too small, and a triangle top that had straps that wrapped around my torso. None of it looked bad, the opposite really, I could pull something like this off, but I still felt self conscious. I didn't look like me, but this was war now, and I couldn't hesitate.
Kevin and Nick had made their way into the pool, but Joe had decided to stay back with Tiff, laying in a chair next to her. Dani opened the french doors for me, beaming at Kevin over her handiwork. I tried my best to walk out confidently but opted to take a seat at the end of Joe's lounger. These shoes were impractical and the worst.
Joe gazed at me over the rim of his sunglasses, his face not giving way to any reaction from him, which hurt a little. I had thought that he would at least say I looked nice, or great as he was want to do, "New suit?"
"It's Dani's, mine's in the wash," I sheepishly answered. I didn't want to fight with him, but I wasn't going to be made to feel badly for wanting Tiff to know who I really was, while still keeping the world out. Joe just nodded and pushed his glasses back up, laying his head back.
"It's cute..." Tiff tried and I just gave her a small smile. It was strange, this feeling, even though it had only been a few weeks since I had last felt this way. I felt outside, other, not like everyone else. I didn't like it, and I hated that it always seemed like my position with everything was a direct reflection on how Joe was feeling towards me at any given moment. "If you want to sit, there's a chair over here," and Tiff gestured towards the empty lounger next to her.
"Here, take mine, I'm going in the pool," and with that, Joe stood from the lounger and straightened out the towel he had draped there. I pushed myself back, settling to lay in the sun.
"You're brave, wearing a strappy bikini like that. Those tan lines would kill me," Tiff commented, not even looking at me.
"Oh, well, I'm white as a ghost so I have no lines to be killed by," I responded dryly, trying my best to make nice.
"Now I remember you!" Tiff cried as she sat up, looking at me, "You're the intern!"
"Yeah... Joe just said that..." I started.
"No, last night, I met you in the bathroom, you were with Dani! And you said you're working for the band! God, sorry it took me so long to put it all together, you just look so different from how you did yesterday," she lectured.
"I look different?" I asked, feeling slightly offended.
“Well, not different. You’re just more natural right now,” and she emphasized natural, but I knew what that meant. I wasn’t dolled up in fifty pounds of makeup and hairspray.
“Again, I suppose I’m just confident enough to not need any enhancements...” I spat.
With that, Tiff sat up in her chair and leaned over to me, lowering her sunglasses so she could look me in the eye, “Joe holds a certain position, and he needs a woman who is at that level, not a girl who needs a team to get ready every time they go out to dinner. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what insults you throw my way, it’s just all the same shit I hear day in and day out from all the other jealous, ugly girls who are mad that I’m with Joe and you aren’t.”
My mouth hung open, unable to even fully process the mouthful she had thrown at me. She was completely fucking delusional.
“Are you fucking with me right now? I’m not jealous, you have nothing I want. You don’t know anything about him, he doesn’t want to be with you, and all you keep doing is forcing yourself into situations to be around him. Have the two of you talked, like, at all? Can you even hold a conversation?” I snarled, my voice rising more than normal.
“Mandy, that’s enough,” Joe snapped, standing at the end of our chairs. Tiff and I were so embroiled with each other that neither of us noticed that he got out of the pool and had heard our fight.
“She just said some terrible things to me!” I defended, desperate for someone to step in and be on my side for just once. Why does everyone make accommodations for her? Just because she knows about one of the Jonas girlfriends? I fucking am a Jonas girlfriend and I was being treated like a child.
“Ugh, I think I’m kind of over the pool,” Tiff scoffed, gathering her things into her beach bag, “Joey, we’re still on for tomorrow?”
My breath hitched in my chest and my eyes found his, however fleeting, before he averted his eyes to his feet, a hand on the back of his neck. I knew the answer.
“Okay,” was all that I could say and I stood, leaving the vicious flip flops there and just going back into the house.
“Wait, Mandy,” I heard behind me, but it didn’t matter. Now I knew exactly where I stood, with the family, with Joe, with this whole bullshit Hollywood life. I was so stupid to think that maybe I could actually be part of this, to even consider for a tiny fleeting moment of giving up my dreams to try to stay.
Climbing the stairs, I made it to the guest room but I wasn’t able to close the door before he caught up with me.
“Please, talk to me,” Joe begged and I stood at the window, watching Tiff get back into her car and disappearing down the street. I didn’t want to turn and face him, swallowing back tears.
“I don’t really know what there is left to talk about,” I responded, my arms firmly folded in front of my chest, still unable to meet his eyes. Joe crossed the room in a few steps but didn’t pull me into his arms, instead settling on lightly stroking mine with the tips of his fingers.
“I heard what she said to you,” he breathed, but somehow that didn’t make me feel any better, “I’m sorry I snapped at you, this whole day has just been so… unsettling.”
“Unsettling?” I questioned, finally turning to face him, wanting him to see the pain that he helped to cause, “Unsettling? For you? Joe, look what I’m wearing,” and I opened my arms so he could really see the seductive, strappy nightmare that I put on in a fit of insecurity, “I just wanted you to actually fucking look at me today.”
“Mandy, I can’t keep my eyes off of you…”
“Really? Because as soon as she walked in, suddenly I didn’t matter anymore,” and I grabbed an old tee, pulling it over my head and putting it on. I didn’t feel like being so bare around him anymore.
“Of course you matter, I told you, I swear I didn’t know she was coming over,” and Joe’s voice started to rise. Oh god, we were actually going to fight.
“And now you’re going on a date with her tomorrow? Why? What possible excuse could you have this time?”
“It’s not a date! It’s an appearance and I’m going for moral support, as a friend…”
“Friend?! For fucks sake, Joe, she thinks you sang to her last night! That slut does not want to be friends with you! And she won’t stop until one of two things happen: either you tell her to stop, or she gets what she wants,” I seethed, knowing in my heart I was right. I’ve known girls like Tiff, hell, I’ve even tried to be like her, and she won’t let go gracefully. She’s not as dumb as I wished she was, she knows what she’s doing, and the only one who could put an end to all of this was currently pacing around my room.
“I thought you were better than that,” was all he said, an observation, not a statement or question, and it felt like another arrow going right through my chest, “I thought you were better than catfights and names, than to stoop to games to get what you want.”
“Please, Joe,” and I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer, “She’s going to want more tomorrow. She’s not going to leave you alone until you’re hers.”
The silence hung in the air between us and I wanted so badly to just close the distance, to take the steps and have him wrap his arms around me. I wanted to apologize for showing my truly ugly, jealous side. I wanted him to stay. I wanted him to say he would stay.
“At least with Tiff, what I see is what I get.”
**************************
I didn’t go down for dinner, saying that I had a headache, which wasn’t far from the truth. I needed a cigarette so badly, but I didn’t have any and as far as I knew, I wouldn’t see Garbo again until probably my last day, to say goodbye. I had showered and changed into my pjs ages ago, and now I just laid on the bed, computer to the side, absentmindedly clicking on shit that didn’t matter.
Were we together still? Was it that easy to break us up? After everything Joe had said to me, in London, Paris, Cannes, hell even LA, was any of it true? He acted like he was so deep into me, into this, into what this would turn into, but all it took was one flash of someone else’s tits for me to become an afterthought. And the apologies, god the apologies, he would know he was doing something wrong and still go ahead with it, asking for forgiveness after.
Why was everything so wrapped up in Joe anyway? I had earned a standing in this family, in this company, before he and I ever even kissed. None of that went away just because he and I had a fight. Was it different because there wasn't anything going on right now? All the other employees of the company had gone to their own respective homes, so why was I here still? I know it's because Denise wants to give me an inner perspective, so that I write something unbiased and true, but their personal life becoming my own was definitely a blur on the line of professionalism. Maybe it would be easier when I wasn't an employee, but for now, I didn't even know where I stood.
Steph emailed me back, ranking my articles from strongest to weakest, and echoed my sentiments that I should include a bit of creative writing as well. Using her suggestions, I crafted an email over to Joy, attaching all the articles in their intended print layout, and held my breath as I hit send. There, it was done. There was no turning back now, and my future was in someone else's' hands.
This should have been a happy moment, one of excited anxiousness, like when you're applying to colleges or auditioning, and instead it was in quiet solitude. I know this is the right thing to do, but was it really for the best? What was that line from The Devil Wears Prada?
"My personal life is falling apart."
"That's what happens when you start doing well at work. Let me know when your entire life goes up in smoke, then it's time for a promotion."
**************
Blue skies, birds chirping, Denise already in the back garden after making cinnamon rolls for everyone. LA certainly had it's own magic, that was for sure. I could only wish some of that magic would sprinkle down on top of my head, instantly making me feel better. Sadly, even though Disney was in the picture, no such luck for me. I dragged myself out of bed and dressed for comfort, as always, braving that the kitchen might be fairly empty for the mid morning and I might be able to snag a cinnamon roll. They always were my weakness.
Nope.
“Hey,” Kevin tried lightly, sitting at the island with a few papers around him. Of course, he was still working , even though everyone else had decidedly claimed this time as a vacation.
“Hey,” I responded in kind, “Working on your break?” And I nodded to the papers.
He laughed lightly, “Yeah, a little bit. Just looking over some of our contracts to see if I need to call the lawyers.”
“Lawyers. Uh oh, that sounds ominous. Did someone break the NDA?”
Kevin laughed again, although this one was a bit more strained than the last. I just picked at my cinnamon roll, not sure what to say. I was only joking when I said someone broke the NDA, but from the look of him, someone actually did.
“Yeah, or rather, is about to. Dani and I have decided to go public.”
A/N: It’s not quite dead yet. Figured I might as well post since the JB are back. Any comments are welcome! Thanks for reading!
