All Chapters of Play Me Like You Mean It: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

We ate the rest of the meal in quiet, the weight of everything we didn’t know how to say sitting between us, both of us lost in our own thoughts.Zayne didn’t say a word the entire ride back to the hotel. He told me he needed to make a quick call and stepped out, leaving me alone in the suite.After I showered and changed into my nightwear, I sat by the window, staring at the skyline fading into night. I had never seen him this distant before, and the quiet was starting to weigh on me.After what felt like hours, the door finally opened. Zayne walked in without a glance or a word and went straight to the bathroom. The sound of running water filled the room. When he came out, a towel hung low on his waist, droplets tracing the line of his chest. He went to the closet, grabbed a fresh shirt and pants, and changed. Then he took his laptop, sat on the bed, and opened it, his eyes fixed on the screen like I wasn’t even there.I watched him for a while before getting up. I walked over, gent

When we got back to the hotel after rehearsal, all I wanted was sleep. Zayne kissed my forehead, said he had a few things to handle, and left. The minute the door closed, sleep won.The next thing I knew, my phone was ringing somewhere near the nightstand. I blinked at the screen, half-awake. Cade.I stared for a moment, debating. Before I could decide, the call ended and a message appeared:Pick up, please. Just once.The phone rang again.I sighed and answered. “Cade?”His voice came through thick and slurred. “You picked up.”I sat up, rubbing my eyes. “Have you been drinking?”“It doesn’t matter.” A shaky laugh. “You left me, Mira.”“Where are you? Are you safe?”Silence. “I’m fine. That’s what hurts more, you asking like you care, when you don’t.”“Of course I care, Cade.”“Then why are you with him?” he shot back. “Why are you doing this to me?”“Cade, you know why. You caused this. Please, you sound drunk. Try to get some rest.”He exhaled, the sound raw. “Rest is one thing I h

We left the after-party late, the city still alive outside, silence sitting between us. I almost asked Zayne what was going on with Kim, but I stopped myself. If there was something to find, I’d rather see it than be told a lie.So I kept quiet.When we got back to the hotel, he kissed my temple and said goodnight. I lay awake longer than I meant to, watching his back rise and fall beside me, trying not to read into silence that might mean nothing at all.Back in LA, I made sure I was around him more than usual. Lunch at his place. Late dinners at mine. Errands together. He never seemed to mind; if anything, he liked it. He’d reach for my hand without thinking, make space for my plans without complaint, and fall asleep with his arm over my waist like it was the most natural thing in the world.There were no strange calls, no locked doors, no flinching when I picked up his phone to check the time. Nothing to suggest a secret. If anything, he was more present than ever.Which would have

I barely remembered the drive. Just the red lights I hated, the hum of the tires under me, and my hands gripping the wheel until they hurt. One thought ran through my head on repeat: let him be okay.I called his line once. Nothing. Again. Still nothing.“Come on, Cade. Pick up.”The car was too quiet except for the engine. I didn’t care that I’d left Zayne’s office without a word. There would be time for regret later, if Cade was still breathing.Another red light. I didn’t stop. I blew through it and prayed I wouldn’t be a minute too late.When I pulled into his driveway, I didn’t even close the door behind me. The front door was still open, the same way I’d left it. That scared me more than anything.“Cade?”No reply. I went straight to the bedroom.He was on the floor beside the bed, his phone blinking on the sheets.“Cade!” I dropped to my knees, shaking his shoulder. His skin was hot and damp, his breath shallow. “Cade, please wake up.”He stirred, his voice rough. “Mira?”“Stay

We agreed to move forward. Zayne asked me to start choosing him on purpose, not as an afterthought. I promised, and I meant it.I kept close to him after that, making sure he knew he came first. I wanted to do the small things that reminded him he was always on my mind. Every morning for a week, I sent something to his office: a cup of coffee even though his assistant already handled it, a bottle of his favorite cologne, lunch from his go-to restaurant, and a silver pen engraved with his initials.He called them cheesy, but I watched him arrange each one neatly in his study at home. That was all the proof I needed that he valued them.I started spending most nights at Zayne’s place. Jesse teased that I’d basically moved in. He’d grin and say it was time to start collecting a “brother tax,” claiming Zayne owed him for stealing all my time. I’d swat him playfully and pretend I wasn’t already picturing what the closet would look like with my things in it.Cade stayed quiet. The season pi