Author's Preface
Sevan: They think I’m an RN. Did you do that?
Private Number: Yes. And I can undo it and replace the criminal record in your file at any time.
Sevan: Wtf? They called me for a MEDICAL EMERGENCY.
There was no response.
Sevan: How did you know they would decide to use me?
Private Number: There was an opening.
Sevan stared at the text message for a long moment. Meika’s private healthcare provider had “resigned.” Nina said so. Had that healthcare provider been employed by Meika directly, or by the record label and management company that seemed keen on controlling Meika’s life?
Sevan’s fingers moved slowly across the touch keyboard.
Sevan: Did you cause that opening?
It was a long moment before the response came.
Private Number: He needed to be fired anyway.
This person was in HR at RedViolet. Or some similar high-power position that enabled both the editing of one employee’s file and the termination of another. But this person was not Lara Dovan.
Sevan: How did you know he would ask me to stay?
Again, there was a delay before the response came.
Private Number: Like I said, I know about Miami.
And it was an entire fifteen seconds before Sevan fully understood that message. No. No, you do not know about Miami, he wanted to respond. The supposed hookup. This person had decided that since Sevan and Meika had apparently hooked up in Miami, Meika would choose to keep Sevan close. Like a hookup even meant any kind of genuine connection.
But they hadn’t hooked up in Miami. They hadn’t made any kind of connection. And Meika still asked for Sevan to stay.
Private Number: That was the last question I’m going to answer. From now on, you get paid for every report you send. You understand the control I have over your employment. I want a summary of every day, including today. And going forward, I will require pictures with each report, preferably video when possible and audio recording when applicable.
Fuck you, Sevan heard in his head.
It had nothing to do with the suicide attempt, Sevan realized in the following moment. No one knew about the suicide attempt. The NDAs were to cover a hookup that never happened. And this nameless person behind the private number had selected Sevan because they believed Sevan and Meika shared a connection in Miami. The person behind the private number thought Sevan would be able to get close to “Avis” in a way that no one else could.
Sevan’s eyes traveled silently upward off the screen of his phone to survey the condo’s kitchen. Meika was sitting at the island counter, eating another plate of food Nina had brought.
Sevan’s vision leveled back to his phone. He opened a web browser. How old is Meikhyel Callisto? His fingers typed the question into the search bar.
“This was seven hundred?” Meika asked softly, a finger dipping to indicate the dinner plate he was halfway through. He was looking at Nina.
Seven hundred what? Sevan’s brow dipped. Meika had left the condo again not long after getting back from his San Diego event, and he had been gone the entire afternoon. It was dark outside by the time he returned—sweaty and worn out like he had completed a workout.
But the main thing Sevan cared about was that someone had shown up around the same time to give him his phone back, along with a duffel bag of essentials. Some of the items in the duffel were newly purchased, others were Sevan’s existing possessions from his apartment.
Sevan’s worn-out clothing was apparently not up to par. The duffel included three changes of plain black business casual clothing, all with the tags still on them.
“Meikhyel Callisto, known as Avis, is twenty-five years old. Born December 24th…”
“Yes, seven hundred,” Nina said.
Sevan glanced up from his phone again. Surely not dollars. Then what—
Calories.
Seriously? Sevan cleared the search bar and typed in a new question: “How famous is Avis?”
“Avis is a highly prominent global pop star, commanding tens of millions of monthly listeners on Spotify and over a billion streams on viral hits like ‘Touch Point’ and ‘In the Dark’. He has achieved multiple #1 Billboard hits, headlined major world tours, and ranked among Billboard’s top pop stars.”
That was a stupid question, Sevan silently decided. He didn’t even know what the answer meant. Maybe he had been hoping for a comparison to someone he had heard of. Like a comparison between Avis and Justin Bieber in any other measure than how much his sister apparently disliked them both.
“Are you spending the night?” Meika was looking up at Nina again.
“Not tonight, no.”
Sevan sensed she was about to glance at him, and he quickly lowered his eyes back to his phone.
“What is Meikhyel Callisto’s ethnicity?”
Chinese, was the AI summary answer—with Reddit as it’s source. “Avis has never spoken directly regarding his heritage,” a more reliable-sounding answer read. “He has purposefully avoided the topic in interviews and declined to speak about his biological parents.”
What? Sevan’s fingers froze on the paragraph he was scrolling through. Is he adopted? His eyes lifted. Lifted to the stranger sitting at the island counter slowly eating his dinner, back turned to Sevan. That idea flashed through Sevan’s mind—of Lacey meeting him in Nevada while she was in foster care. Had they shared a foster home? Was that stack of photos in Meika’s bathroom of Meika? Were his parents white Caucasian?
“When did Meikhyel Callisto become famous?”
America’s Got Talent. Age eight.
“Was Meikhyel Callisto in foster care?”
No. “In 2014, documents were stolen and leaked regarding Avis’s adoption. He was adopted through Sara’s Angels China Program to Bernard and Cindy Violet.”
Violet?
“Your meds,” Nina said.
Sevan glanced up to see her passing a small clear plastic cup of pills toward Meika. Meika looked down at them blankly, then silently took the medication with a sip of water. He resumed eating.
Who owns RedViolet? Sevan tapped the question into the search bar and touched the magnifying glass.
“RedViolet Entertainment is a privately-owned record label, media-marketing, and talent management company owned and operated by Bernard and Cindy Violet.”
Sevan’s eyes tracked upward again and traced Meika’s outline. Was that nepotism? Or was it manufactured celebrityhood? Was “Director” Julia Violet—Meika’s adoptive sister?
Meika turned so suddenly, Sevan did not have time to look away. Their eyes met. Meika smiled, swallowed, then smiled again. “Do you want to come to the dance studio with me tomorrow?”
“What?” Sevan’s brows knit automatically. Annoyance rose in his gut.
“Do you dance?” Meika took another tiny bite of whatever he was eating.
“What?” Sevan repeated. Why is he asking me about stupid shit when he still hasn’t told me why I’m here? Sevan’s brow furrowed a second time. He blinked, glanced at the sliding door to the balcony. Do I dance? A small, internal gut twist resulted at the thought. And involuntarily, a paralyzed smile took Sevan’s lips. Just imagining himself—dancing—no. “No. I do not dance.” He glanced at Meika, then turned back to his phone.
“Aw,” was Meika’s only response.
“Is Meikhyel Callisto trans?” Sevan typed the question into the search bar.
No. “Meikhyel Callisto, known as Avis, is not trans. In an interview with Spotlight, he confirmed he is cisgender, though the question frequently arises due to his effeminate features and wide vocal range.”
Then who was that girl in the photos in Meika’s bathroom?
“Meikhyel Callisto and Zhara,” Sevan typed next into the search bar.
“Want to come anyway?”
Meika had turned back, and Sevan met his eyes again. “To a dance studio?” Sevan’s brow dipped faintly. Why? What for?
“Just to see,” Meika answered as if Sevan had asked out loud. He smiled, pressed his lips, screwed his eyes dramatically up at the ceiling. He had an expression catalog like a cartoon character. Endless, expressive, weirdly cute…
“Okay,” Sevan agreed mildly. He brushed a hand across his arm like he could physically wipe off his own irritation. Meika turned back to his dinner, and Sevan looked down at his phone.
There were a million results on the screen. And only a few headlines were necessary to gather the gist.
“Going Strong: Avis and Zhara Celebrate 1 Year Anniversary.”
“Avis and Zhara Lorino Engagement Rumors.”
“What It’s Like Dating Avis: Girlfriend Zhara Provides Rare Insight.”
It was blatantly obvious by the wording that she was the less famous of the two. But she was gorgeous. Tan skin; big, beautiful eyes; tall. She was an inch or two taller than Meika, Sevan observed as he scrolled through the top pictures on the image tab.
And she was in a long-term relationship with Meikhyel Callisto. This was the reason a rumor about Meika having a one-night stand with a man would be disastrous to his reputation. Zhara was the reason.
“He doesn’t seem to like her very much,” Farren had said. It was hard to tell in the overly posed red carpet photos. But there was a separate rumor that speculated Farren might have personal stake in who Meika liked.