She gritted her teeth, focusing on the room around her. “Maybe don’t go talk to him? This is already way too much trouble.”

Cheryl adjusted her crop top, plumping her glorious boobs. “Just chill. Mr Prawn would probably give up a hand just to stick the other one in you. So, sit here and I’ll go talk to him.”

Before Eden could protest that she had never and would never let anyone fist her, Andy appeared. “Hey, gang.”

“Hi.” Eden studied her media manager. “You look stressed. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, only… would you be up to meeting someone?”

Eden bit the inside of her cheeks. She did meet and greets, but never in the green room. They were a lot of pressure. No one wanted to meet Eden Jade, twenty-five-year-old Jamie XX fan. They wanted to admire a goddess. To touch part of a fantasy they already had. As far as she could tell, a fan’s experience of her had already peaked in their own minds. All she could do was try to not disappoint them.

“I’m so sorry,” Andy said. “I wouldn’t normally ask but he’s a friend of a friend and a huge fan.”

Eden unclenched her teeth, brushing her tongue over the indents she’d left in her cheeks. She liked Andy a lot and she owed him a million favours. “No worries. I can do it. Who’s the girl?”

“Guy. Sloan Williams.”

Cheryl tapped her cheek. “That name rings a bell...”

“He plays AFL. You might have seen him—”

Cheryl gave a small scream. “No! He’s the guy from the video!”

“What video?” Eden asked.

“You’ve seen it! The volunteer firefighter who gives the koala water after the bushfires?”

Eden blinked. “That guy wants to meet me?”

“Yeah.” Andy tilted his head sideways. “Don’t look all at once, but that’s him.”

It was the redhead. Eden’s mouth fell open. “That is not the guy from the video.”

“Hang on.” Kieran was already on their phone. “It might be. His hair was longer, and he was all covered in ash and—got it!”

They held out their phone. Eden, Andy and Cheryl leaned in. The similarities were obvious. The same nose, the same wide, angular face and massive biceps. The redhead was the firefighter who’d melted hearts around the globe.

“Fuck me, he’s hot,” Kieran muttered.

Eden punched their shoulder. “You just said he was a prawn.”

“A prawn with benefits.”

“Backtracker!”

“Hey, I’m cool enough to admit when I’m wrong. And you’re the one who said you liked his body. Bring him over, Andy. This has all worked out great.”

Andy hovered, slightly confused. “I don’t get what’s going on here, but if you want to meet him, Eden, I’ll get him to bring you a drink.”