Page 96 of From Me to You
He gave me the biggest smile. “You.”
I nodded as I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his familiar scent, trying to feel better.
I hated this feeling.
I brought my fingers up my chest and traced the ‘J’ on my necklace. It usually comforted me, but now I only felt dread as I clutched it in my fist, hoping that everything would be okay. It should be okay. We would be okay.
<<>><<>><<>>
“Evy, I am so sorry I had to leave the other day.” Katy hugged me from the side while I stirred a spoon in my third coffee of the day.
I set the spoon aside and sighed. I didn’t realize I had put the spoon in my mug when I didn’t even add milk or sugar. My brain had gotten worse.
“That’s okay, Katy,” I said, giving her a small smile. I hadn’t seen Katy all week because she had been busy traveling all over California to speak with potential vendors that the label suggested for her.
She hopped on the kitchen counter and sat on it, her feet dangling in the air. “Yeah, I can’t believe I forgot it. I had been discussing it with Cece the entire week, so I can’t believe we both forgot.” Her beautiful face scrunched up.
My entire body stiffened when I heard that name. I hadn’t seen her since the café. It only made my worries worse because I didn’t know what she had up her sleeve.
“You don’t forget anything, Katy. Was it your idea to go to the café?” Katy was meticulously organized. She had reminders for literally everything especially when it came to work.
“No, it was Cece’s. She insisted it had to be on Thursday because she was busy the other days. And I totally forgot about my meeting because I had somehow swapped my reminder forthe meeting with our café date. Good thing I always set two reminders for everything.” Katy smiled.
My stomach dipped as realization dawned on me. White did this so she could get me alone without anyone noticing. I underestimated her. She was a lot more cunning and manipulative than I thought. It only made my fears worsen.
I hated the fact that Jay saw her at the studio every day. A place I avoided at all costs recently.
“Did something work out with the vendors?”
“Not really. It’s very frustrating with the tight budget we have. And the label isn’t helping out much other than connecting me with people. I only agreed to this deal because it was Pacific White. If it were any other label, I would have said no. Until we record and put out the album, we are walking on thin ice.”
“Are they a big deal? Pacific White?” I asked because I wanted to know if White’s threats were valid. Katy was the only person who could give me those answers.
“Yes, Evy, unfortunately.” Katy’s face turned grim. “They have a lot of influence on the industry, especially now with their current track record. So, it’s important for us to stay on their good side.”
I swallowed, “Can they change their mind? Can they deny the guys from recording the album?”
“Potentially yes. All our deal suggests is that they will produce and distribute one album that we make. There was no set time frame, but the label suggested it would be before the end of this year. And then we had to make a set number of sales before they actually signed us. The full-meal deal kind. That included press, tour, merchandise, and more albums.” She sighed.
“So, they can very well make the guys wait for years before they actually let them put out an album?” I asked, scared to know what the answer could be.
“Yes, they can do that but I don’t think they will. The guys are blowing up all over the media. I even got a call from a few indie record labels that wanted to sign them.”
My heart got excited for a second. “Indie record? The guys can sign with them? Won’t that be good?”
Katy shook her head. “I mean, indie is all good, but it would take years for the guys to make a substantial name in the industry. Usually, indie record labels don’t have the connections or the budget. It would be like we have to start all over again. A label like Pacific White is the endgame, Evy. There are some labels bigger than Pacific White, but it would be hard to get in without the right connections. The guys need this if they ever want to make it big.”
I sighed as all my excitement vanished in a second. I just hoped that the guy’s talent would be enough for them to record this album, which I already knew was going to be amazing. I hoped that White didn’t interfere because of her delusional obsession.
“Hey, Lan. What’s wrong?” I heard Katy asking.
I turned to see the guys entering the room with a dejected look on their faces.
Something was wrong, I felt it. I immediately rushed to Jay’s side, who took a seat on the plush leather couch.
“Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?” I asked him, taking a seat beside him.
“What happened was the label fucked us up!” Mikey scoffed. He crossed his arms over his head and stared at the ceiling, blowing out a breath.