That gets her attention—her head whipping in my direction. “No one gets to kill him except me, and I can’t do that and go to jail. I have too many plans.” She’s joking now—the mood lighter. I resist the urge to tell her if she’s doing it right, she won’t get caught. “He lands in Los Angeles tonight.”
“That’s far enough away from San Diego,” I chime in.
She crosses her legs and faces me. “How did he get a world tour? Isn’t a huge deal like that elusive for solo artists? For people like Henry? I knew he was working on stuff when we were together. He’d play small joints and beg radio stations to play his new single. A world tour is Aerosmith status. Where everyone wants to see him, right? I haven’t kept up with him or his career after the, well, you know. He was rocked and blocked from my life.” Aara blows out a breath. “Should we search for him online and see what comes up?”
I put my hands on her shoulders, fingers reaching behind her head. “It doesn’t matter. A lot of shit artists get world tours.” Not a full lie. “I’m sure he knows the right people.” Aurora Ball. That’s how he got the tour and I’m pretty sure we both know it. I release her and watch as the intoxication happens. The effect I have on her is immediate.
Her phone pings with another text from her mom. We both look down at it and it’s another apology. She flips her phone over so she can’t look at it. “We shouldn’t search for him. You shouldn’t care.”
“This is what happens when I’m careless. When I make mistakes, they haunt me forever. It’s not typical.”
She scoots up to sit on her knees and I pull her into a hug. I feel those words in my soul. “Because you’re not normal. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“You’re touching me an awful lot,” Aara says, leaning her weight into my body. “This goes against the rules.”
“Just comforting a friend.” I rub her back innocently. “See? Harmless.”
“Except it’s not,” she says, leaning away. “Everything about what I feel for you is harmful. You’re going to haunt me, Luke Hart.” She licks her lips. “I know it.”
