Renée perked up. “The creeper who showed up after studio hours?”

Trihn shook her head. Leave it to Renée to only remember that part about him. “He’s not a creeper!”

“Oh, no.”

“What?”

“You like him!”

“Of course I like him! I’m sleeping with him,” she admitted hastily.

Renée’s eyes widened. “I thought you weren’t going to do that again right away.”

“Well, I didn’t plan on it.” Her cheeks heated, and she lowered her voice. “I mean, I really didn’t plan it.”

“What didn’t you plan?” Renée asked, her voice wary.

“Having sex with him backstage at The Met after a performance of Giselle last week,” she whispered.

“What?” she cried.

“Yeah.”

“Were you at least safe?”

Trihn cringed.

Renée’s eyes went as big as saucers. “Are you insane? Are you trying to get pregnant?”

“No! I’m on the pill, of course.”

“Yeah, but—”

“It just happened. We’ve been dating for a couple of weeks, and things just…got out of hand.”

“You need to be careful, T.”

She nodded. “I guess. I don’t feel like I need to be careful with him though. I feel like I just want to get swept away and give him my heart and body and—”

Renée held her hand up. “Okay, I get it.”

“I’ve never felt like this before. Fuck, I mean, I had sex with him backstage! That’s just…so not me.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Don’t use that tone with me.” Trihn crossed her arms and leaned back in the booth. “All my life, everyone has told me to be less serious, to cut loose, to date. Now that I am, I’m getting flak?”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mother you. Sometimes, I can’t leave that shit at home and be happy. And I will be happy for you, as long as you’re not pregnant.”

Trihn threw her head into her hands on the table. “I am not pregnant!”

Renée laughed really hard. “I was kidding! Now, what is Mr. Wonderful doing tonight? I have a little time before I have to be home. I wouldn’t mind meeting him.”

“He’s at work,” Trihn said with a smile. “But maybe we could stop by his office and bring him coffee or something after dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Trihn pulled out her phone and sent Preston a quick text.

I know you’re busy at work tonight, but I thought I could bring you coffee. Let me know when you’ll have a break.

Trihn and Renée finished up their dinner, and Trihn picked up the tab. She ignored the angry look Renée was shooting her way. She knew that Renée didn’t have that much money, and her mom worked too much to try to provide for her kids. Trihn could afford to pick up a meal here and there.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Renée said as they exited the diner, the bell over the door jingling noisily.

“I know, but I wanted to.”

Renée shrugged it off. “Any word from Preston?”

Trihn checked her phone and shook her head. “I guess he’s swamped. This will have to be a quick trip.”

They took the subway to Glitz magazine headquarters.

They ordered coffees downstairs at the Starbucks in the building and then carried them up the elevator to the marketing floor.

Trihn walked right up to the receptionist at the desk. “Hello, excuse me. I was just bringing this for Preston Whitehall.”

The pretty brunette behind the desk looked up at her with wide eyes. “Hi! Sorry, but Preston isn’t in.” She eyed the coffee covetously.

“He’s not in?” Trihn asked in disbelief. “He said he was supposed to be here today.”

The girl shrugged. “He was earlier. I don’t really keep track of everyone’s whereabouts. Did you want to wait or something?”

Trihn looked to Renée for support.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t know what to tell you. Want to text him again?”

Trihn retrieved her phone and frowned when she didn’t see a text message from him. That was so weird. He was always so quick to respond, almost instantaneous normally. If he isn’t working, then what is he doing?

“He hasn’t responded to this one,” she murmured.

“Just try one more time.”

I’m at your work, and the receptionist said that you’re not here. What’s up?

They waited for a few minutes to see if he would respond, and then when he didn’t, Trihn handed over the extra coffee to the overworked receptionist, thanked her, and left.

“Hey, no big deal!” Renée said, patting her on the back. “I’ll meet him another time.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t let this get you down. You were just raving about him!”

“I know, but…”

“Yes?”

Trihn sighed. “I don’t want to think too much into it, but isn’t it weird that he told me he’d be at work today, and he’s not here?”

“Yeah, a little,” she conceded. “But you don’t know what he’s doing. He could be out on an errand or helping someone with work or doing anything. It’s probably best not to freak before you talk to him.”

“You’re right. I’ll just wait to hear from him,” Trihn said. Then, she checked her phone. Nothing. “Well, whatever. Forget Preston. I have a little more time to kill. Let’s get some fucking doughnuts! It’ll probably be the last time I can binge-eat with you before you go to Juilliard.” Trihn laughed. “How are you going to live without the occasional street truck doughnut run?”

“I really have no idea.”

The girls talked and reminisced about old times while finding a street vendor to fill their craving.

Trihn kept waiting for her phone to buzz in her hand, but it never did—not the whole time she was with Renée, not on the subway ride home, and not when she finally fell into a restless slumber back in Brooklyn.

Hey, babe. Sorry. Ended up working from home last night, and fell asleep at my computer.

TRIHN STARED DOWN AT THE MESSAGE on her phone. She was glad to have an explanation, but it left her unsettled. She had gotten so worked up about him not responding to her all night. She had actually wanted to take the subway back into the city and go to his apartment for an explanation.

It was inherently irrational. She was not that kind of girl—or at least she didn’t think she was. She didn’t want to turn into a psycho, wondering what he was doing at night when she wasn’t there.

There was no reason for her to freak out over a missed phone call.

Not a problem. I knew you were busy. Do I get to see you later?

Lunch?

She agreed to meet up with him at his apartment before he went into work. She was prepared to put the entire thing behind her and just enjoy the time she would have with him.

Half an hour later, she was out the door and on the subway into Manhattan. She texted Renée, promising that she would come in to help with Intensive again after lunch today.

Reaching her stop near Preston’s building at NYU, she exited onto a busy street milling with summer students. As she approached her destination, her feet slowed to a stop. Preston was standing at the front entrance to his apartment, talking to a leggy blonde in too-short shorts.

Trihn watched their interaction from a distance. The girl had her hand high against the edifice and was leaning against it. She started laughing and placed her other hand on Preston’s arm. Preston cracked up, too. He rested his hip against the wall and tilted his head toward her. He was clearly listening very intently to what she had to say.

Trihn took a deep breath. This is not what it looks like. She was still jittery from last night, and now, she was seeing things that weren’t there.

She walked right up to where Preston was and smiled. “There you are.”