Whisper (New Adult Romance) Read Free

outside, bulbs flashing in the dark as I nearly crashed to the cement. The doorman hustled to help me and I remembered looking over his shoulder, the brake lights of the cab shining as brightly as the stars in the sky.
    A knot swelled in my throat and I turned my head to the side. I couldn’t stand the pity in Leila’s eyes. “He left me. Fucking asshole.”
    She could have said, ‘Well, duh’ or any variation of, but she didn’t say anything. I tilted my head back in her direction, studying her. Her hair wasn’t pulled into a bun as much as a messy ponytail with wiry curls escaping from her clip. Her shirt and jeans were wrinkled, like she’d pulled them on in a hurry. Matched with her gaze and the flush in her cheeks, I confirmed the fact that I’d hung out with the wrong person last night.
    I pulled myself up with a wince, my body berating me for last night. Mercilessly. “You look like crap.”
    The tiniest smile drifted across her lips. “You’re one to talk.” She gave me a final once over and darted from the room. She came back with a glass of water. I expected her to chuck it at me. Drench me back to common sense. I jumped when she offered it to me instead.
    She quirked an eyebrow. “It’s just a glass of water, Mia.”
    My eyes welled with tears as I shook my head. It was so much more than a glass of water. It was the true friendship I’d always wanted. I didn’t believe no strings attached existed for people like me. “You can’t just –” I dropped my head back in my hands, sobs ripping through me, shredding my attempts at pretending I had it together.
    Her arms wrapped tight around me, creating a shield of warmth. She would have snatched the wine bottle away from me last night and ordered a pizza instead. She wouldn’t have let me get trashed then dump me on my doorstep where cameras were waiting to take advantage of my incapacitation. I clasped Leila like my life depended on it. Like she was the only thing keeping me from truly crumbling.
    “It’s okay,” she said, stroking my back. “We’ll figure it out together.”
    I sniffed and wiped my eyes. “Do I even want to see the pictures?”
    She twisted her mouth to one side and shook her head once. “Let’s not worry about that right now.” She rose to her feet and held out a hand. “Why don’t you drink some water, have a little something to eat, get cleaned up, and we’ll go from there?”
    Cleaned up? My senses were growing stronger and when I sniffed again, I nearly gagged.  Beneath the heady smell of cigarettes and liquor, something smelled rotten. I looked down and saw my rug was discolored. With vomit.
    I took her hand, the room spinning before it righted. “At least I didn’t get any on my dress.” I quipped.
    Leila didn’t crack a grin. “I’ll wait on the couch.”
    I shuffled into the bathroom, twisting the faucet until the water pounded my flesh. I wiped away the grime and scrubbed until my skin smelled like my cinnamon soap and my hair was sweet like vanilla. After I pulled on a fresh shirt and jeans, I brushed my teeth until I couldn’t taste the lingering booze and bile.
    When I came out, she’d poured me a bowl of cereal and paired it with a banana that was dancing precariously close to rotten. My stomach stuck its tongue out at my eyes. It wasn’t gourmet, but I was so hungry I didn’t care. Leila let me take a few bites before she asked me the question that filled the room.
    “What happened?”
    “Well,” I swallowed and drummed my spoon against the rim of my bowl. “Scott texted me–”
    “I don’t mean literally.” She moved to the bar, leaning against the granite. “I mean, why would you do it? Things were going so well. You were keeping a low profile, other than being Rachel Laraby’s shadow.”
    We shared a conspiratorial smile. Everyone seemed to think Rachel Laraby, an A-list actress, farted and sunshine came out of her butt. Hell, I might have even idolized her – and then I met her at