Page 43 of Beautiful Noise

So many pointed, whispered, and not so discreetly lifted phones to capture the infamous Eccentric, R&B lover boy, that I felt out of place. I raked my fingers through my hair, tugged at my clothes, and ducked my head, overthinking every aspect of my appearance.

Ezren didn’t seem bothered, but why would he? This was his life. I was so caught up in my head that I startled when his palm met my back and he dropped his face near mine. “Relax, they’ll forget we’re here by the time we’re seated.”

“Not likely,” I murmured and his expression shifted when I glanced up to meet his eyes.

“If you’re uncomfortable…”

“No, I’m fine. I just forgot who you were for a minute.”

In the corner of my eye, I caught a flash. Someone had taken a picture orpicturesand hadn’t cared enough to remove the flash. It was as if they didn’t give a shit about invading our…hisprivacy. They had no idea who I was nor did I think they cared beyond my significance to Eccentric.

“Mr. Shaw, your table.” The attendant motioned to a spot in the corner. There were only a few tables nearby, and none were occupied, which allowed me to relax. Once we were seated, ordered our food, and left somewhat alone, people were still staring but I relaxed enough to push away thoughts of everyone but the man across from me.

“You seem so relaxed. Doesn’t this bother you? The way they stare, record you with their phones.”

“I’m used to it. As much as I’d rather them ignore me, it comes with the territory. If they didn’t acknowledge me then that would mean my music isn’t making an impact. As intrusive as it can be sometimes, I appreciate that they know who I am because that means they know my music.”

“Are you really going to play the humble card?”

The way his handsome face blossomed into a cocky grin was unnerving. “I never assume, Ri. I’m not that fucking arrogant. There are a lot of amazing talents out there. I know I’m one of them but that doesn’t mean the world knows.”

“They know,” I asserted and he chuckled. I glanced around, catching the eye of several people. One woman who had a phone up openly recording us. When I narrowed my eyes, like what the fuck, she rolled hers.

“I don’t see how you can get used to this. It’s a complete invasion of privacy. What if someone posts us online together. There’s going to be a wholewho is Eccentric’s new mystery womanheadline by the time we wake up in the morning.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that narrative went live before we left here tonight but I don’t give a fuck about any of that. Theyspeculate all the time and it never leads to anything. I keep my life private.”

“Which makes the situation that much worse. There won’t be a story to tell, so they’ll make up one, about us, about me.”

He glared my way, appearing slightly annoyed. “We can leave if you want, Ri. I didn’t consider how being seen with me would affect you.”

“Or how being seen withmewill affectyou. I’m a nobody in your world. They expect Eccentric to be spotted with one named models. I’m an irrelevant name and face who works for a cleaning company.”

Ezren just stared, smiling, and after a minute, he offered a gentle shake of his head. “You’re so much like my damn mother it’s scary.”

“Uh… random as hell and not conducive to the conversation.”

“The conversation, no, but very relevant to my thought process. She’s always giving me shit about the women that end up attached to me, like they’re not worthy.”

“They’re not.”

He arched his brow and I added, “Not that I know any of them, because clearly I do not, but I knowofthem.”

“And what do you know, Ri?” He was a little too amused. I hated that I had done a deep dive researching all the women Eccentric had been linked to, doing comparisons of them to me, like I would somehow register for him as someone to be linked to. We had sex and he made it clear that he wanted to engage again, but that did not translate to I want to be with you.

Do I want him to want to be with me?

Yes and that bothered me because of the improbability. Ezren didn’t date. He had sex with women for inspiration then moved on.

But you inspired him without sex.

“Ri…” My eyes shot up to his and he grinned. “That bad?”

“Is what that bad?”

“Your thoughts on the women I’ve been linked to. You got deep as fuck in your head like you don’t want to share. It won’t hurt my feelings. You can be honest.”

I shrugged. “They want Eccentric, not Ezren. Those women were personally content benefiting from your name, your status. It’s not that they’re bad, just not worthy of you.”