Free Melody of Truth (Love of a Rockstar Book 3) by Nicole Simone Page B

of a telenovela: styled black hair chopped into layers framed a chiseled jaw line and a strong nose. Clicking the link under his headshot, his bio loaded on the screen. I wasn’t an aficionado of literature, but a second grader could put together the rhythms he did.
    “I don’t understand. What else is there besides his appearance?” I asked.
    Ash reclaimed his phone and scrolled through Marco’s portfolio of poems with a similar scowl. “Beats me.”
    For a fleeting second, I considered the idea that Melody’s personality was as shallow as a wading pool and that she thought a man having good hair was enough reason to marry him, but our varied conversations during the past two weeks dispelled the absurd thought.
    “We are idiots when it comes to relationships.” I sighed. “You let the love of your life go and I form a crush on a woman who is getting married.”
    “Thanks for bringing that back up,” Ash said.
    “Sorry but it’s the truth. We should run off and join a monastery.”
    “I would miss sex too much.”
    “Yeah me too.”
    Ash continued to play on his cellphone while I went to brew a new cup of coffee. The lack of sleep was catching up to me. Resting my head against the upper cabinet door, my eyes closed.
    “Dude, he’s illegal.”
    “Who?”
    “Marco.”
    The excitement in his voice peeled my lids open. Ash jabbed at the screen. “He’s originally from Spain and he's here in the United States on a six-month student visa.”
    “He’s a student?”
    “At Columbia University, but that’s beside the point.”
    “Then what is the point?”
    “He’s marrying Melody to gain citizenship.”
    “No…”
    “Yes!” Sean waved his phone in the air as if he had struck gold. “It makes sense now why she chose this job instead of gallivanting off to Africa. Since she's marrying someone who isn’t an American citizen, she would have to prove they love each other in the eyes of the government. Also, it says it right here in this pompous literary journal.”
    Reporter: Congrats on your rather quick engagement.
    Marco: *laughing* What can I say? When you know you know.
    Reporter: So it has nothing to do with your visa expiring soon?
    Marco: After arriving in New York, my close friendship with Melody developed into love. I won’t lie and deny that the visa situation has hastened the progress of our relationship, but only because I can’t imagine spending another day apart from her.
    Sean gagged. “How freaking corny.”
    It struck me that Melody’s mother’s death hadn’t only smashed her heart into smithereens, it had also destroyed her belief in love so much that she was now entering the safest form of marriage she could possibly agree to: a business proposal.

 
     
     
     
     
    SECURING MY HAIR INTO A high ponytail, I squeezed my legs into a pair of skinny jeans and slid a purple V-neck over my head. The mad dash progressed into the bathroom where lipstick and a light dusting of bronzer were applied to my pale features. I shouldn’t have gone back to sleep after Sean accidentally woke me up. With his hair smashed on one side and his eyes hooded, he’d looked dead sexy in the morning light. If our situation were different, I would have invited him to cuddle with me naked—although fully clothed cuddling was pretty spectacular too. I vaguely remembered the sensation of his arms encircling my waist, tugging me into the crook of his chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lulling me into a dreamless slumber.
    My smile collapsed when I saw Marco’s name flash across my phone’s screen. It was as if he knew I needed a reminder of the reality waiting for me at home and wanted to administer a heavy dose of remorse for my actions.
    Sean and I needed to keep a strictly platonic friendship, meaning he wasn’t allowed in any of my hotel rooms from here on out. We had to stick to restaurants, parks, and other locations that didn’t have a bed present. Otherwise, I was at risk for losing my