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.He moves closer to me and we’re facing each other with our sides to the window.I smile at him.“You look like a fancy cowboy.”He chuckles and looks down, his dimple popping out, making my insides melt.Nickolas would kill me if I got any bodily fluids on this dress.When Danny looks up again, he moves his eyes around the room before whispering, “Can I kiss you? Or will the fashion police push me through this window?”I giggle and whisper back, “Maybe, if it’s quick they won’t see.”Danny leans in, but it isn’t quick.He brushes my nose with his first, then brings his lips to graze mine.He pulls back and flashes his light eyes up to mine, before looking back down and sealing our lips.His hands cover my neck lightly, with his thumbs on my jaw.I open my mouth and he tilts my head up so that he has better access.Our tongues caress one another’s, as he directs me where he wants.When he pulls back, he rests his forehead on mine, then kisses me again, softly.“Sticky kisses,” he says smiling.I laugh and pull back.“You should take care of that if you ever want your man card back.Danny chuckles as he uses his thumb to wipe his lower lip.The action has the laugh dying in my throat.His lips are so full.I want to feel them everywhere.I want to kiss him for days.I want everything.“You’re killin’ me, smalls,” he says in a rumble before clearing his throat.We hear the shutter of a camera and look over to see Bev messing with her phone.“Time to go.Take care of your lip gloss, both of you,” Bev instructs as she leaves the room again.Danny puts his hand on my lower back as I go back to the bathroom to have Penny fix me.“I love the necklace by the way, Kin,” Danny says as he wipes his mouth in the mirror.“Thanks.Nickolas has a whole thing behind it.”As I talk, Nickolas comes in holding a cameo in his hand.He moves toward Danny and gives him the same speech.When Penny releases me, I move to see Danny applying it to his blazer lapel.He straightens it and looks in the mirror.I see it’s the same color of light purple on dark, set in gold.The silhouette is clearly a child with lilies around it.“You’re wearing it, too?” I ask him.“Of course.This shit is amazing.Nick, you better start having more made.Everyone is going to want these after tonight,” Danny says.Nickolas gives a smile that looks slightly sick as he ushers us from the room.We leave out of the back of the hotel so that no one can see us, and my nerves start jingling on the way down the service elevator.By the time we get to the car, my knee won’t stop bobbing.“Hey.” Danny puts his big hand on my knee.I look over at him.“You gonna be ok, Kin?”I look down and start messing with my phone.“Yeah.Have you talked to your mom? I haven’t heard from her in a while.”He reaches over and takes my phone.“Hey!”“I talked to her before I got dressed.They had fun seeing the horses and he took a two hour nap.Talk to me,” Danny says.I put my finger to my mouth and, remembering my manicure, put it down.“What are we going to say about the call centers? We haven’t gone over that.I don’t have anything set up here.Penny mentioned how we should reach out through social media.I feel so unprepared,” I explain.Danny puts his hand on the back of my seat, wrinkling his jacket.His pin catches my eye.The child and lilies in purple.“Did you choose purple for your sister’s lily tattoo because it’s the color of domestic abuse awareness?” I ask him.“Yeah.Of course.It’s all symbolic.”I sigh and close my eyes as I try to get my thoughts in order for the press.Danny says, “I’ll do most of the talking.Bev set up a Facebook page.It doesn’t have any information on it yet, but we can say it’s there.I’ll say how we’ve teamed together for a good cause, one near to both of our hearts, and with your perseverance, we’re going to be saving lives.”I ball up my fist and hit my knee feebly.“I feel like we’re not ready to make a statement about it.We should have things ready to go and cemented.”Brad speaks up, reminding me that we’re not alone, “Sugar, we don’t have another award show like this for at least another month.As soon as Daniel Walsh gets behind something, our phones are going to be ringing off of the hook with supporters.You need to grab this by the horns while you’ve got the chance.”I study Brad.He radiates douche vibes, and I think he just insinuated that I was temporary.I decide right then, that no, I do not like him, and turn to Bev.“What do you say?”She shrugs her shoulders, looking elegant in a black short-sleeve dress that’s very demure.“I say you put it out that you want to help, are getting things rolling, and are already in talks with several organizations.Getting your name out there will go a long way.”Danny speaks up, “This is a positive step.I haven’t made any statements about what happened with Ollie.I want to do this with you, nationally.Not in one state.For once my fame and the annoying buzzards can be used for good.”I sit back and feel Danny’s hand go to my shoulder, rubbing the stars there.Lu asked me what I wanted to do to make my parents proud.I can do this small thing, gain support, and make it better.No big deal.Lu: YOU’RE ON TV!!!!!!! I SEE YOU! PICK YOUR NOSE SO I KNOW YOU’RE THINKING OF ME!!!!!!!!!Standing on an actual red carpet for the first time is a surreal experience.For some reason, I don’t expect there to be so many people.They’re all yelling names from behind a metal barricade.On the carpet behind me is a huge backdrop with the show’s logo.Entourages outnumber celebrities ten to one as we make our way in a single-file line, just like in elementary school.The only difference is the space between us.Can’t have other people in the paparazzi’s shots.On our side of the barricade are a different kind of paparazzi.They are newscasters and hosts of television shows, sent there to critique choice in apparel.There are bleachers behind the paps, full of fans screaming names with their own flashes.The bright lights shining down on the red carpet make it impossible for anyone to see them.They’re black shadows with waving arms like trees against the fading light of the sun.As soon as another star steps out of a limo, more lights go off, screams erupt from the stands, and then the name calling starts from the people on the ground.Danny keeps his hand on the small of my back as much as possible, but the photographers want pictures of us alone.No one knows my name, so they just wave and yell, “Daniel, let’s get one alone,” or a variation of the same [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]