Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
@dreamofhugo omggusuwus he’s the most beautiful thing I ever seen in my entire whole life follow me if u stan this KING
@HugoForLife2005 who the fat girl he keeps hangin/w? she needs to leave him alone !!
Only after the last tweet, when it felt like I’d invited Justin Thomson and his school bully mates right into the room to spit at me, did I click the ‘x’. Some days, I found it easier to simply turn my phone off.
In the real world, the weather was glorious, warm enough to stroll along beaches at sunset, kiss in the pool at midnight. Despite it being my first time in America, we didn’t explore much except each other. We made love in his bed. The living room. On his terrace under the stars. On the steps of his pool one day, he fucked me so hard I worried they’d heard my screams in Vegas. There was no romance there, only raw, unadulterated need. His body looked magnificent in the Californian sun, skin bronzed against his tattoos, sheened with water from the pool. The light cast perfect shadows on the deep grooves that travelled from his hips to his groin, flexing and changing as he moved in and out of my body.
That day…I most definitely fucked a rock star.
As promised, he took me to Malibu, introduced me to the record producer friend, Rashaad, who owned a talking cockatiel. It was a cute little thing, white with grey markings, that parroted the same two phrases over and over until it got kind of annoying. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same for Rashaad’s dog, a silver and white Shih Tzu with a pink bow in her hair. She certainly looked cute but I almost lost a finger on her needle-like teeth for being stupid enough to assume Rashaad had based her name – Angel – on her personality.
As it happened, Liam lived with Rashaad. His familiar face helped me feel at ease in yet another ostentatious home overlooking the ocean. He’d asked about Chrissie, which surprised me. I’d expected him to have forgotten her name by the time she’d pulled her knickers up, which clearly made me a judgemental bitch. We went out for dinner together later that evening as a foursome. Some place flashy, naturally. The more time I spent with Hugo’s friends the more I got to know Hugo himself. Each person in his life had a new story to bring to the table, a fresh and funny anecdote, another perception of his personality. I’d never tire of listening to them.
“I’m surprised there aren’t more pictures of his ass on the internet after that day,” Rashaad had said after sharing another memory. Apparently, Hugo had paid to have an entire theme park closed to the public one afternoon so he, his friends, and members of his team could hang out. I couldn’t even guess how much something like that would have cost him.
“I’m confused,” I said, turning to Hugo. “What’s your arse got to do with anything?”
Hugo’s face crumpled, while Liam snorted. “There was an incident with some poorly-fitting pants and the log flumes,” Hugo admitted. “Let’s leave it at that.”
“They took pictures,” Liam cut in, laughing. “The workers. I saw ‘em!”
I couldn’t help giggling too, even though Hugo looked like he wanted to kill us all with his steak knife. I loved the image of him in my head, riding the log flumes, laughing as the water splashed his face. I wished I’d been there to share the moment. “I’m gutted I missed it,” I said.
“We should do it again,” Rashaad suggested.
“I’m in,” Liam agreed.
Hugo narrowed his eyes and tipped his head back, until I asked, “Can we?” My eyes widened, hopeful. I felt like a little kid begging for a new toy on their Christmas list.
His expression melted in an instant. He shook his head, like he couldn’t believe he was about to agree – because he was. I could tell. “Fine. But it’ll be a while,” he said, dampening my excitement. “We’ll have to find a clear date in everyone’s schedules and arrange it with the park. It won’t be during this trip.”
I smiled anyway. I could wait; I’d had plenty of experience in that department. At least, this time, Hugo would be by my side to wait with me. “It’ll be so much fun!”
Hugo looked sceptical for a moment, but soon smiled. “You did hear the part where Liam said he was coming, right?”
Not a second later, a breadstick flew from Liam’s side of the table, clocking Hugo right in the nose. “Just so you know, I licked that before I threw it.”
“What the…” Hugo looked disgusted. Rashaad laughed. Eventually, Hugo chuckled too.
I sat back in my chair, wondering how any of this was real. How was I, Helen Jenkins, sitting in a glitzy restaurant frequented by the world’s biggest celebrities, with one of the world’s biggest celebrities, having the absolute best time of my life? Hugo had said this feeling wore off, that you became used to the luxury and stardom of it all. I loved Hugo…but I suspected he was talking bullshit. There was no way I’d ever get used to this.