Nobody Falls for the Opening Act (Break the Rules Book 2)

Chapter 25

At 7:59, freshly showered and dressed in layers, I make my way downstairs to the hotel lobby. I use the few precious moments in the elevator to check myself over, but there’s little a girl can go wrong with in a pair of jeans, an old T-shirt, a leather jacket, and some boots.

Suddenly, I hear Katrina’s voice in my head, pestering me for not wearing something a little more feminine for my date with Harvey Moon.

“This isn’t a date,” I say before I can stop myself.

This is just a friend doing something nice for his friend.

And yet, my gut tingles with nerves; nerves usually felt in date-like situations. I fiddle with my hair and touch up my lip gloss. I do all the little date night fidgets while Katrina’s giggle echoes from absolutely nowhere.

I ignore it as the elevator opens on the lobby and I see Harvey. He’s standing near the front desk, wearing an outfit similar to mine. Jeans and a shirt. A black jacket. Nice and casual and friendly, just like he said it would be.

As I approach him across the lobby, I notice that he’s talking to some woman.

I look her over. She’s in her mid-forties, if I had to guess, with vibrant natural red hair tied back in a ponytail. Jeans, too. A thick turtleneck sweater.

Very casual.

She reaches out and touches Harvey’s arm as she laughs.

And very friendly.

Harvey spots me, and his smile widens. “Hey, Addison!”

“Hey,” I say, pausing in front of them.

“Addison, this is Ms. Johnson,” he says. “She’ll be our guide for the evening.”

“Guide?” I ask.

Ms. Johnson steps forward, her hand leading the way. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she says. “My kids are big fans of yours.”

I shake her hand, appreciating her tight grip. “Thank you,” I say. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Also, you can call me Lacey. Please.” She rolls her eyes at Harvey. “This one insists on calling me Ms. Johnson.”

“I’m just being respectful,” he says with a shrug.

Lacey lets it go. “Are you two ready to fly?”

“We are ready,” Harvey says.

“Fly?” I ask.

Lacey’s laugh echoes throughout the lobby as she turns around and walks toward the exit.

“Harvey,” I say once she’s out of earshot, “who is that woman?”

“She’s our guide,” he says again. “You ready to go?”

“Ready to go where? And why do we need a guide?”

He offers me his hand. “You’ll see,” he says.

I stare at it for a long moment, feeling the rush of nerves tickling inside, before I finally just give in and take it.

“All right,” I say. “I’m ready to fly, I guess.”

No.

Uh… No.

Absolutely mother fucking not.

“Harvey,” I say.

“Yes, Addison?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

He laughs. “What’s wrong?”

I gesture at the large basket sitting on its side in the grass; a basket that can fit about five people if they like each other enough. The balloon is being inflated with fans as Lacey and three other people prep for the launch. Something about how the cold air helps distribute the hot air or something. I was too busy fighting panic to listen to the science of it.

“You can’t expect me to get in this thing,” I say, wincing at the balloon. It appeared so strong mid-flight, but now looks flimsy and as thin as skin.

“Why not?” he asks, smiling.

“Because I don’t want to die tonight!”

“You’re not gonna die. It’s one-hundred percent safe. Right, Ms. Johnson?”

Lacey looks over and nods. “Perfectly safe!” she says.

“See?” Harvey nudges my arm. “You’re gonna love it, Addison.”

I look up.

All the way up.

“Oh, wow,” Harvey says.

“What?” I ask stiffly.

He smiles. “Addison Abbey, are you afraid of heights?”

“No,”I say. “I’m not afraid of heights. I’m afraid of falling out of a basket suspended in the sky a thousand feet above the ground!”

“Three-thousand feet, actually,” Lacey says with giddiness I can’t possibly fathom.

“Oh. That’s better,” I say, my chest gripping with nerves. “That’s much better.”

Harvey gently takes my arm and guides me a few feet back. “Addison.”

“What?”

He looks at me with soft eyes, and the tension in my shoulders relaxes. A little. “You don’t have to do this,” he says. “But I really think you should.”

“Why?”

“Well, you like to watch the stars, right?”

He waits for me to reply, so I shrug and say, “Yeah.”

“Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to be among them?” he asks. “For real?”

I look up again, taking the moment to do just that. I picture myself there, floating in the sky with the stars, remembering how good it feels to look up at them from the ground. How wonderful it feels to breathe in those moments.

My curiosity spikes.

To be up there with the stars.

To be up there with Harvey Moon.

“You know the stars are a ka-jllion miles away, right?” I tease.

He smiles. “I was being poetical.”

I take a breath, holding it tight. “It’s perfectly safe?” I ask.

“Super perfectly safe.” He nods. “Ms. Johnson says she’s gone up at least two hundred times without incident.”

I exhale slowly, the stars above calling to me. “Okay,” I say, extending my hand to him. “But take my hand and do not let go of it.”

Harvey smiles and happily entwines our hands together. “We’re ready, Ms. Johnson!” he says.

“Come on aboard!” she says. “We’ll lift off in a few minutes.”

Harvey tugs me toward the basket. I walk forward on wobbling ankles, fully relying on him to keep me going. With the help of the others, we climb into it, the weight of our bodies helping to keep the basket on the ground as the balloon grows to its full size above our heads.

Lacey goes over a few last-minute safety checks with the others before climbing in with us and telling them to let go of the basket.

I squeeze Harvey’s hand, and he squeezes mine.

And then… we lift off.