(#2 in the Undying Love series)
SEQUEL TO 'HOLDING ON & LETTING GO'
***
At seventeen, Troye had his heart shattered, but it was put back together by someone new.
At twenty, Troye had his heart rippe...
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"Excuse me!"
A magazine was slapped down on the table the following Sunday. Aria and I had gathered at our parents' house for our weekly family brunch.
"Would you care to explain what this is?"
I looked up from my coffee. Aria stood on the opposite side of our parents' dining table, hands on her hips as she glowered down at me. Apparently talk of the weather or upcoming award seasons were conversation topics too mild for my sister.
My gaze fell to the tabloid in question. Aria's latest magazine haul featured an edition of People on top of the pile. The headline read, TROYE'S ROMANTIC RENDEAVOUZ WITH NEW BO. The tagline read, Kendall Rose's first brush with modern American royalty on Californian soil. Read the details on page 6!
"You've got to be kidding me." I muttered, eyes sweeping over the magazine. Printed on the cover was a photo of Kendall and I from our gallery trip earlier in the week. This had to be at least the eighth story I'd seen printed using photos from that day to spin some romantic narrative.
"Is it true?" Aria demanded.
A cover line from Us Weekly caught my eye. "That I'm thinking of going blonde? After Zac Efron did it, I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about."
"Not that," Aria said. "The magazine! You and Kendall Rose!"
I stared wide-eyed at my sister. "What?"
Our parents stood in the kitchen behind us. The small radio in the corner was playing some eighties tune. Mom stood at the bench, humming along sweetly as she sliced strawberries and placed them in a small dish. Dad was at the stove, folding an omelette and smiling quietly as he listened to his wife sing. Every now and then they would exchange a word or two before getting lost again in their own little worlds. They weren't listening to our conversation.
Aria seemed to realise I'd checked out too because she reached over the table and slapped me upside the head. "You went on a date and didn't tell me? Troye!"
"Ow!" I batted her hand away. "Geez, woman! Stop hitting me. I didn't go on a date. It was for work."
"Work." Aria deadpanned. "Work that had you strolling through Penville Botanical in the middle of the day with one of Europe's most notorious fashion models? Work that saw you photographed riding shotgun in Kendall Rose's convertible?"
"It wasn't like that. Nothing happened."
Aria picked up a magazine from the pile, flipping it open in a practiced manoeuvre and reading directly from the feature article. "OK! says this was your fourth date and that you and Kendall ate gelato before adopting a puppy together."
I frowned. "Damn, I have a puppy with Kendall Rose? I hope it's at least something cute like a border collie. Or a golden retriever. Do you think Kendall likes golden retrievers? We probably named him something like Cooper or Alphie. Those are couples' dog names, right? Or should it be something more masculine like Rex or Diego? Maybe-"
