Love in the Mix (Love in the Mix #1)

Chapter 43

forty-three

LUNA

M y heart nearly stops when I hear the reporter repeat the question. "Luna, there's been some rumors circulating about your relationship to ex-model, now DJ, Ruby Knight. Care to comment?"

Shit . The room suddenly feels tiny, like it's closing in on me. The lights are so damn bright, I can feel sweat beading on my forehead. Sebastian squeezes my hand, and I snap back to reality. I glance at him, seeing the worry lines on his face. Everyone's just waiting. Staring at me. The silence is deafening.

I consider bullshitting my way through this. Some vague, noncommittal answer. But why? Why am I still protecting her? Ruby freaking Knight, who stole everything from me without a second thought. She plotted, planned, and wrecked my entire world. You know what? I'm done protecting her ass.

Savannah breaks the silence for me. “We are not here to discuss previous relationsh?—”

“It’s okay, Savannah. I want to answer this one.” I give her a quick glance, then smile at Xavier before squeezing Sebastian's hand. I soak in their support for a second. God, I love these guys. No words can really capture how much.

I take a deep breath, moving to sit a little taller before leaning into the microphone. My voice shakes slightly as I begin.

“Ruby Knight was my best friend while we were in high school and the years after. I supported her through her very public highs and very public lows throughout her modeling and short-lived acting career.” I pause just as Sebastian hands me an open bottle of water, giving me just a second more to collect myself.

“After her last movie flopped, she begged me to show her the ropes of DJing in a time where I was just making myself known in the New York City club scene. We decided to collaborate on a piece together titled “Celestial.” At the mention of the name, the crowd begins to murmur excitedly, knowing they were getting their hands on juicy information. “While we were dreaming of making it big, she was dreaming of cashing out. Two weeks after she ran off with my fiancé and cleaned out my savings, she dropped 'Celestial' on her own platforms. And well, you know the rest."

The entire room bursts into exclamations, questions overlapping each other so much the small crowd seems to be buzzing like bees around an active hive.

One voice rises above the rest. “Why are you just coming out about this now?”

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Savannah’s voice rings out loud and clear. “Sit down! Luna will answer in whatever way she sees fit, but be quiet!” I gaze at her, in complete awe of how she can handle a room. She gives me the nod to continue.

“Honestly? I couldn’t prove it, and fuck, man… I was depressed!” A ripple of laughter goes through the crowd. “It took forever to get over that betrayal, from both of them. Trusting anyone again? That was rough.”

I waggle my eyebrows at Sebastian and Xavier, finally getting them to crack a smile.

“Luckily, I found trust and love in the right people. Sebastian and Xavier found me when I was at a crossroads of what to do, when I was ready to walk away. I was working at a coffee shop thinking that would be the new career for me." Sebastian tries not to laugh, shaking his head. Savannah clears her throat loudly, giving me the “wrap it up” look.

"Look, I never planned on dropping all this today. But here I am, despite Ruby's best efforts to take everything away from me. I found love again, and that brought me back to my music." I feel tears pricking at my eyes, but I'm smiling. "We're stoked to share this new chapter with you all. You can catch our new single 'For Keeps' tonight at Craic."

"That's all for now, folks," Savannah cuts in, hustling us offstage.

Once we're behind closed doors, I let out a shaky breath. My legs feel like jelly. Sebastian pulls me in close, and Xavier wraps his arms around my waist, planting a kiss on my head.

“I’m so proud of you, baby girl,” he whispers, just loud enough for Sebastian and I to both hear.

Sebastian’s hand cups my cheek, tilting my head just enough to rub his lips over mine. "You killed it, princess. How're you feeling?"

“Good, I think.”

“Honey, that better have been worth it. I have to start prepping for the shitshow that’s coming our way.” Savannah huffs around the room, gathering her things.

“I’m sorry, Savannah. I didn’t mean to cause more problems for you.”

She stops dead, turning to me with a wicked grin. "Are you kidding? Let's take this bitch down. I've always wanted to be someone's downfall. This is gonna be fun." She grabs her phone, already texting up a storm. “Look, honey, it took a lot of guts to do what you just did. Your boys are proud, and you’re in love. Who fucking cares what happens next?” She makes her way to the door quickly. “I’ll handle it!” she calls out over her shoulder before she’s out of sight.