He took one look at her and frowned. “Why are you so red?” he asked. “Did you drink tequila again? Because you know you can’t handle that type of alcohol. Don’t think I forgot about the time you threw up over my brand-new Nintendo because you took one too many Jose Cuervo shots.”
“No,” she squeaked. “It’s not tequila. It’s just, um, really hot in here.”
I coughed out a laugh, and she kicked me under the bar. Hard.
“Okay, whatever.” Drunk Vincent didn’t question my proximity to his sister the way Sober Vincent would’ve. He barely glanced at me as he grabbed another pint from Mac. “Acting weird all night,” he muttered on his way back to the dance floor.
Scarlett and I exchanged glances.
We had to tell Vincent about us soon, but I allowed myself to enjoy the night for what it was: a celebration with friends (and a new frenemy) after a hard-earned win.
The day had been a mess almost from the start, but I couldn’t deny that this was one of the best nights I’d had in a while.
It was normal, Scarlett was with me, and that was all I needed.
CHAPTER 35SCARLETT
If someone told me at the beginning of the summer that Asher and Vincent would spend a night drinking and hanging out together peacefully, I would’ve asked what they were smoking. The idea was absurd.
However, their brief truce on Saturday gave me hope that they could not only tolerate each other, but that they might actually be friends. They just had to set aside their pride and admit their rivalry was played out. At this point, they were holding on to their grudges for ego.
I didn’t say any of that to them. They had to figure it out themselves.
Vincent returned to Paris that morning to wrap up his affairs, but he’d be back next Monday. That meant Asher and I had one week left to enjoy our alone time together—or so I thought.
“I have some news,” Asher said, his face unusually somber as finished up practice.
I’d run through the first half of Lorena’s third act after his training today. I hadn’t danced in Yvette’s place again during rehearsals since my disastrous debut, but I’d worked on the choreography in bits and pieces like Asher had suggested. So far, I wasn’t pushing myself past my limits, and I felt pretty good about my progress.
However, my thrill at nailing the third act faded at his tone.
“Good news or bad news?” I asked warily. If it was good news, he’d look happier, but if it was bad news, he’d be more upset. Right?
“It depends on how you look at it.” Asher rubbed a hand over his face. “I have to go to Japan this week. Aoki Watches is my biggest sponsor, and they want to fly me out to do some press and promo for the launch of their spring collection.” A grimace crossed his face. “I got the email from my manager this morning. We were originally supposed to shoot the promos later this year, but a scheduling conflict came up and they had to shift everything last minute.”
“Japan?” I sucked in a sharp breath. That wasn’t a quick trip to, say, France or Italy. That was halfway across the world. “How long is the trip?”
“Three days. I leave on Wednesday.”
Wednesday. That was in two days, which meant he’d be gone until Sunday. That ate up the full remainder of our time together before Vincent’s return.
“Oh.” I swallowed past the irrational lump in my throat. “That’ll be fun.”
I shouldn’t be upset. It wasn’t like I’d never see him again, and it was ridiculous to feel like Asher was abandoning me because it wasn’t his choice to leave.
At the same time, it was the end of an era. This summer had changed everything—my self-esteem, my willingness to leave my comfort zone, my relationship with others and myself. It was our little bubble against reality, and I wasn’t mentally ready for it to just end without a proper sendoff.
We had one week. I’d prepared for that. I’d planned for that. Now, we had two days, including today. Maybe not even that, since he probably needed to spend tomorrow packing and prepping for his trip.
Asher’s face clouded at whatever he heard in my voice. “Scarlett—”
“Make sure to eat all the food for me. Ramen, sushi, matcha…and beef. Kobe beef is world famous, right? I bet their fish and steak is amazing. Will you be in Tokyo? You should visit some of the temples if you have time. They look beautiful.” I prattled on, hoping the words would bulldoze over the hollow cavern in my chest. “The time difference will be killer, but if you don’t FaceTime me at least once to show me the sights, I’ll never forgive you. Oh, and I—”
“Scarlett.”
I stopped, slightly out of breath from my rambling. “Yes?”
“Come with me.”
“Come with you to where?”
“To Japan.”
My lips parted. Surely, he was joking. “I can’t go with you to Japan!”
“Why not?”
“Because I have a job! I have practice. I have…” I floundered, trying to come up with other reasons and failing. “I can’t just drop everything and fly to another continent with you. What will I tell Vincent? He’ll be suspicious for sure.”
“Vincent isn’t here. By the time he finds out, we’ll have told him about us already,” Asher said calmly. “I also asked Carina about your schedule after I found out about the trip. She mentioned you had quite a few days of holiday leave you need to take before summer’s end or you’ll lose them. Where better to enjoy them than in Japan? With me?” His roguish grin matched the teasing sparkle in his eyes.
Typical Asher.
But I couldn’t be mad because he was right. I hadn’t taken a proper holiday in too long, and Japan was on my bucket list.
“I don’t know.” My reflection stared back at me from the studio’s mirrors, its face wracked with indecision. “Leaving for Asia with less than forty-eight-hours’ notice is wild.”
