Page 122 of Make Me Laugh

I watch the video one more time, pretending this isn’t my real life and West Parker isn’t fast asleep, breathing softly at the other end of the couch.

I’m dressed in a tight, all black dress with a corset top, sporting a different custom mask than the first video we posted together. This one has no horns or antlers, but the face-piece was made to look like charred bones and is still decorated with the same Hex-like features as all the others.

Blood. Moss. The usual.

I’m meant to emerge from the shadows, like I’d been lurking there the whole time.

West is dressed in the same outfit he wore during the show. His HexedHeroine cut off and a well-loved pair of vintage jeans with his HOTSHOT hat facing forward. I made him help me set the stage lights perfectly, accenting the delicious forearms he’s now fully aware I’m obsessed with.

The video starts with West kneeling down on the edge of the stage, the mic cord wrapped around his wrist. I step out of the darkness, and pluck West’s hat off his head with gentle fingers. I spin it around and put it on my head backwards—an homage to the night he’d done the same to be inside the bathroom of a sport’s bar.

The way he bites his lip wasn’t planned, but it works well for what comes next. I tug the mic cord until his lips crash into mine—except the video cuts a millisecond before they touch. Our followers will never see West jumping down and pinning Hex against the stage in a kiss I have evidence of.

I close my laptop, the temptation to watch the cut clip too strong. It takes almost every bit of control I have to leave West sleeping on the couch, but I know if I wake him, neither of us will get the rest we need.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

THE ONE WITH LILLY HOLLOW

WestParkerComedy posted a collaboration video with HexedHeroine: Blacked out on Halloween. Might have sold my soul. Will report back

Comment: Their lips are touching!!!

Comment: If this is fake I’m gonna sue for emotional distress

Comment: Do you see the way he’s LOOKING AT HER?! Ain’t nooo way that’s fake!

Comment: Hahahahaha I’m gonna die alone *sob*

Comment: Does anyone know if it’s best to bathe with your toaster in hot or cold water?

The show is a few hours earlier tonight, and I’ve already told the boys if they’re going out, they’re going alone.

I’m thirty-two next week, and after the hours I’ve put into this last one, I fucking feel it.

West, Enzo, and Kell are dealing with sound check while I do a quick freshen up in the RV. While I didn’t sleep many nights in here, it has been kind of nice to have a dressing room on wheels.

I can’t be bothered with anything Frankie would approve of tonight, choosing cozy-casual as an excuse to wear my favorite leggings. I leave my hair down in long waves and throw on a simple white long sleeve and my oversized jean jacket with my Docs.

When I’m on my way out, my phone rings. I half expect it to be Frankie—I swear she knows when I think about hers sometimes, but the caller ID doesn’t flash with my best friend’s picture or her name.

Maybe: Lilly Hollow rolls across the top of the screen.

I freeze, staring until I’m sure it’s going to be too late for my body to react and answer the call.

I hit Answer on what may be the last ring. “Hello?” Thankfully, my voice doesn’t quiver like my stomach does.

“Hi, is Jo Daniels there?” A confident voice I recognize from videos makes this situation suddenly click. “This is Lilly Hollow from Hell & Hollow Publishing.”

“Hi Lilly, yes, this is Jo.” I plop down on the two-seater couch, forcing my attention to the phone call and nothing else.

“Jo!” Lilly says excitedly. “Hi! I apologize for the call out of nowhere and again for the emails, but I’ve always been called aggressive, so…” I can hear her shrug, smiling at how well I can relate. “I’ve been traveling nonstop the last two weeks and finally have an hour to myself. Is now an okay time for you?”

Even if it weren’t, I’d make it be. “Now’s great,” I tell her, nibbling on the inside of my lip. “And don’t be sorry. I should be sorry for taking so long to get back to you.”

“I’ve learned over the years everything happens at its own pace, whether we like it or not.” I’m glad she doesn’t pull the usual, good things take time, line. “I know you’re busy, so I’ll try to make this quick. Let me start by telling you how fun the last few weeks have been watching your platform grow. The way you came back after being doxxed is exactly the kind of power I want emanating through Hell & Hollow. You pivoted when you had no other choice. It’s what we’re wired to do as women in business.” Lilly dives into the company’s ethics, pushing the importance of marginalized voices and stories. “I started this publishing company because I was sick of listening to what men thought women wanted to read. I knew what they wanted to read. I was a woman in the publishing industry, but before that, I was a reader telling everyone what we wanted, and no one would listen.”

As I listen to her talk, my nerves disappear almost entirely. I kick my feet in silent excitement. I can’t even believe this is my real life.