It was the Friday of the Best Label Awards ceremony. Raindrops drummed against my apartment windows. I stood in the middle of the living room, folding a giant pile of laundry. 

Ava was working the morning shift but promised to stop by later. I couldn't wait to see her. Too busy recording our second album, I spent way more time at the studio than at home, sacrificing sleep and hot meals.

Our goal was to drop a single in August. It would placate Wyatt and give our fans something to look forward to. Good things couldn't be rushed, but at this point, I would do anything to get rid of the pressure we were under. 

Before my thoughts veered into the territory of worries and stress, I reached for the remote to turn on the TV.

The intercom buzzed right away. For a moment, I thought it was Ava, but she would open the door with her key. I tossed the remote onto the coffee table and went to the front door.

Frowning at the image on the intercom screen, I let my guest in. 

Riley stepped out of the elevator. I opened the door wider. "Come on in."

Her wet hair stuck to her mascara-stained cheeks. She made her way inside my apartment with her eyes downcast. Once we were in the living room, Riley's body shook with sobs. 

I put my hands on her shoulders. "What happened?"

She held her hand up, asking me to give her a moment.

"I'm sorry." She sniffled. "There were paps, and my car was too far. I didn't know where else to go."

"It's okay," I said. "Here, take these."

I fetched a tee and a pair of sweats from the pile of folded clothes and handed them to Riley. "The bathroom's down the hall. Coffee?"

"Yeah, it'd be great. I'm freezing."

I went to the kitchen counter to fix the drinks. Riley reappeared in the room a couple of minutes later, wearing my shirt and sweatpants. 

I nudged her toward the couch. "Let's sit."

Riley curled her hands around the mug and stared into it as if it held all the answers she needed.

I wanted an explanation for her tears and the unexpected visit, but pushing wouldn't make her talk. I sipped my coffee and waited for her to say something.

"Noah and I had a fight," she said, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence. 

"A bad one?"

Riley nodded. "I'm sorry for turning up here like that. I needed to talk to someone who'd understand."

"That's what friends are for. What exactly happened?"

Leaning against the back of the couch, Riley rubbed her eyes. "I got a new role. It's a great movie, and I'm honored they chose me."

"What's the problem?"

"It has sex scenes. And Noah didn't take it well. True, I've never filmed anything explicit, but only because the roles they offered were unimportant. It's different this time.

"I thought he'd support me. He always has, after all. It's just a job, and I sure as hell won't develop feelings for the fellow actor because of fake-humping him in front of the cameras. I didn't expect him to get so jealous."

I twirled the mug. "We all have insecurities, Riles."

Riley wiped a tear off her cheek. "But he knows me like nobody else. He's the guy who held my hair as I puked my guts out when I got too nervous before my first audition. There isn't a single thing Noah doesn't know about me."

I admired my friends for being the kind of couple they were — trusting and understanding. I never doubted they were made for each other.

"Did you talk, at least?"

"Not really," Riley said. "I told him the news over lunch at home, and he lost it. I drove downtown to clear my head, but the rain started when I was at the park, and I got soaked. I couldn't risk running into paps in my state."

"Yeah, you don't need that crap."

Riley downed her coffee and looked at me. "Why doesn't he trust me? We've been through so much. Why doesn't he see how important he is to me? This role will give me more exposure and benefit my career. I thought he'd be happy for me."

"I'm sure he is."

Riley snorted. "Right."

"I really think so. You need to talk to each other instead of assuming things."

"I'm going to use your bathroom," Riley said and rose to her feet.

I took my phone to see if Ava texted. She didn't, but a text from Noah was on the screen.

Noah: Riley and I had a fight. It's raining, and I worry. I've checked every spot she likes downtown. She might need a friend to talk to. Let me know if you hear from her.

Sighing, I typed the reply.

Me: She's at my place. Come over.

When Riley sat in her spot on the couch, I turned the screen of my phone around to show her the texts.

"I'll lock the two of you here if I have to, but you're talking that shit out and going back to being the loving couple you are. Okay?"

Riley's lips parted, but the sound of the front door opening didn't let her say a word.

"Baby." Ava's soft voice carried through the apartment. She appeared in the doorway a couple of seconds later and froze, staring at Riley.

I didn't miss the way her eyes zeroed in on Riley's — my — clothes.

"Ava, baby, this is my friend Riley." I stood and walked up to Ava. As soon as I was next to her, I kissed her cheek and hugged her shoulders. "She got wet, and I gave her my clothes."

"I'm Ava, Jim's girlfriend," Ava said timidly. "And I'm a bit star-struck right now."

Riley laughed and hopped to her feet to hug Ava. "It's so nice to meet you. Jim told us all about you."

"I'm glad we met, too." Ava smiled. "I wish I knew you were here. I would've brought pastries or something."

"It was unplanned," Riley said. "I couldn't risk being seen. I was lucky Jim was home."

I left the girls so they could talk and took the folded clothes to put them away in my closet. The intercom buzzed twenty minutes later.

Noah looked like a mess, too. "Hey, man. Thanks for texting," he said with urgency in his voice. "Where's she?"

"In the living room with my girl. Ava and I will leave so you can talk. Text me when you're done for us to come back."

"Okay. Thank you, Jim."

Noah followed me to where Ava was chatting with Riley. 

Ava smiled shyly at the sight of him. "Ava, this is Noah," I said. "Let's leave the two of them to talk."

"Sure." Ava stood. "It was nice meeting you."

A smile lit up Riley's eyes. "You have my number. I hope to see you again soon. Maybe the four of us can meet for dinner."

Noah's features relaxed at Riley's words. I gave him an encouraging nod and laced my fingers through Ava's as we headed for the front door and exited the condo.

I turned the key in the lock several times. 

Ava giggled. "Really?"

"They're not leaving until they've talked that shit out," I said. "Noah and Riley are a wonderful couple. It'd be a shame to ruin what they have over something stupid."

"Riley told me," Ava said as we got into the elevator. "And I understand her point of view, but I can also understand Noah's."

"For real?"

Drawing her arms around my waist, Ava pressed her cheek to my collarbone. "Yeah. She gets lots of attention, and she's easily the prettiest girl I've seen on TV. There were lots of rumors about her love life. It must be hard for him, even if he knows he's her only one."

"Is it like that for you?" I asked, tightening my hold on her.

"I forbade myself to read stuff about you," Ava said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm an overthinker. If I see something I don't like, it'll be on my mind all the time, like that night I searched stuff about the band on the internet."

"You can always ask me. I'll tell you whether the things they wrote are true."

She tilted her chin up. "I will. I hope they figure things out. They seem like a nice couple."

"They are," I said as we crossed the foyer and walked out of building. It wasn't raining, but the scent of rain lingered in the air. 

"Coffee?" I asked. 

"Always, but can we? Someone might see us."

"Not at the coffee shop across the street."

The place was snug and unremarkable from the outside — a true gem in the city where every beautiful spot instantly turned into the backdrop for the pictures of models and influencers. 

Despite its simple exterior, the interior was tasteful. Travel-themed illustrations decorated the walls, and they played music from different countries instead of the hits you heard everywhere.

I opened the door for Ava and followed her inside. We took a table in the corner, and after ordering a cappuccino for her and an espresso for me, I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her lips the way I'd dreamed of doing for the last week.

"I missed you," I whispered against Ava's mouth.

"Me too. I wish you didn't have an event tonight."

"I wish the same thing," I said.

I also wished they'd let us bring a plus one, and I wouldn't object to Ava wanting to make our relationship public. My worries about someone seeing us together would dissipate if we told the media we were a couple.

Maybe Noah wouldn't be going crazy with jealousy if his girl was his in the eyes of the rest of the world. In moments like this, I questioned my decision to suggest we kept our secret for now. What if Ava got jealous, too? What if she doubted my feelings or started to check the tabloids for mentions of my past?

"You're quiet," Ava whispered. 

I shook my head. "Just thinking. Was work okay?"

Ava smiled. "Yeah. I had to recommend lots of books today. The hours flew by."

"I'm glad, baby. You can stay at my place tonight if you want. I'll be home late, but you can read or write. Nobody will disturb you."

Ava's fingers combed through my hair. "I'll watch you get all handsome for the event and drive back home. I was hoping to edit tonight, and my laptop isn't with me."

"Use mine."

"My notes are at home, too."

I sighed. "Okay. But I hope to see you tomorrow. It's the label's birthday in a couple of days. I'll have to attend the party as well."

Ava pressed her forehead to mine and kissed my lips. "Done."

We took a short walk in a park next to my apartment complex after finishing our drinks. When it was time to reenter my condo, we stepped into it tentatively. Silence filled the air, but Riley and Noah were there, sitting on the couch, their fingers intertwined.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

Noah smiled, nodding. "It is. We wanted you to be the first to know."

"Know what?"

Riley beamed at me. "I'll be in the movie, and we're going public tomorrow."

"We're making it official," Noah said. "So, I can break into the set and supervise the filming."

Laughing, Riley punched his ribs. "Dumbass."

Noah shrugged. "You love me anyway."

I failed to contain my joy and grinned at my friends. "I'm happy for you guys."

My eyes darted from Noah to Riley and then to Ava. If things worked out for others in a similar position, maybe there was hope for us, too.

***

In the evening, I wished I was folding laundry. The amount of ass-kissing Wyatt did at the awards ceremony was ridiculous.

The company was one of the best in the industry, but had I known someone like Wyatt would work with the band, I would've reconsidered my decision to sign with them.

Wyatt showcased us as his shiny toy, and his assistant was the annoying, sickeningly sweet cherry on top of the shitty cake.

She didn't leave our side all evening, although the guys and I kept to ourselves and paid her no attention. The girl tried to chat with Jay and then Nick. When that failed, it was my turn to be her target. 

"She reminds me of someone," Nick said, eyeing her when she went to get a glass of champagne. "I just don't remember who."

"I don't know why she's following us around. There are lots of other artists who signed with Dream Records. Why us?"

"Let's hide somewhere," Jay offered. "It's half an hour until they announce the label of the year."

Nick groaned. "I'm out of here as soon as they do."

"Same," Fin said. "We can head outside for a bit and breathe some fresh air while nobody's looking."

I glanced at my watch. "Let me get my jacket."

"It was on the chair," Nick said. "But not anymore."

I swept my gaze across the row of plush chairs in front of the stage. I could've sworn I'd left my suit jacket there, but the backs of the seats were empty.

"The fuck?" Jay frowned. "I saw you put it there."

"I'll look for it later," I said, nodding toward the exit. "Let's go."

The air outside was fresh and balmy. Ava took over my thoughts. I pictured her sitting at the desk in her bedroom as she worked on her book. She'd leave the window open because she said oxygen helped ideas flow. It was one of her little quirks I loved. No matter how cold the weather was, she'd air the room at least once a day.

"Time to head inside." Nick tapped my shoulder. I'd zoned out and didn't even know what the guys talked about.

I gave him a sheepish grin. "Sure, man."

"Focus, Jimmy boy." Jay chuckled. I could've kicked the fucker's ass for that nickname alone, but the commotion as fellow musicians searched for their seats distracted me.

"Fuck a duck," Jay muttered. "Your jacket's here."

"I need sleep," I said. "It's been a long week. My vision must've failed."

I shoved my arms in the sleeves of the jacket and sat flanked by Fin and Jay. Nick was by Fin's side, and soon, Cayden and Andre joined us.

If Wyatt were a good person, I'd be sad because Dream Records didn't get the award. 

Instead, I felt nothing but the urge to go home and hear Ava's voice before I got some sleep.