Page 75 of A Little Bit Extra

“No, Lucy didn’t say anything. You two just don’t hide it that well,” Marcy says.

Okay, now I’m confused. I thought we were doing a great job hiding our relationship from anyone. We made sure to not spend a lot of time alone in his trailer and I barely talked to him on set.

“But why didn’t any of you say anything?” I ask Marcy.

I barely knew Emmett and did not know if he was the guy I wanted to be serious with. I needed the time we had to confirm that what we had was something worth taking risks for. That I would be okay in a public relationship with someone who has some pull in the industry.

“I’ve known Emmett for most of my life and have never seen him as happy as he is now. I knew something was up when he stopped complaining about the little things and started smiling more. Laughing more. And of course, you two were eye-fucking literally all the time on set. It was getting to be annoying. All of this sexual tension because you two were trying to keep this a secret,” Marcy says. She fills us in on how everyone had a hunch that we were together and just pretended with us they didn’t know. Even Carla knows and said nothing. Apparently, Carla rooted for us too much. She sent me with mail to his trailer so many times, it all makes sense now. She was just meddling and knew all along that we were together.

I laugh. Emmett gives my shoulder a squeeze, which reminds me of the other news we wanted to announce.

“Well, since you all know so much about my life, I hope this doesn’t come as a surprise,” Emmett starts. I grab his hand and give him a squeeze. It feels good to show my affection to him now, in front of everyone. It doesn’t feel as weird as I thought it would, but maybe that’s because everyone seemed to already think we were together in some capacity.

Emmett takes one last deep breath. “I’m going to announce at the end of this week that I’m done acting. Or at least, not pursuing any more big roles. I want to pivot to focus on my writing.”

Again, no one says anything.

Finally, Lane gets up from the couch and walks over to Emmett, who is still standing next to me.

Lane reaches out to Emmett and pulls him into a hug. “It’s about damn time,” he says.

Emmett chuckles. “Yeah, I know.”

And that’s that. What we thought was going to be a big deal turned out not to be a big deal at all. When you have people around you that care about you, you find that not much will shock them. They normally know you more than you know yourself. Like they knew that Emmett and I were together, or something of the sort. And even though everyone didn’t know too much about Emmett’s writing, they were more than willing to support him.

We sit and chat for a little longer about the interview that we’re going to be doing later this week. Emmett still needs to work with his agent to get something scheduled, but we think it’s going to be a video interview instead of a print interview.

Eventually, Tyler speaks up and lets the entire room know that he’s hungry, so we all move to the dining table.

I realize at this moment, looking around the table at everyone, that this is what I’ve been missing. I’ve been missing a community of people to support and push me. After what happened, I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay here for another year. I was constantly pushing aside doubt, reminding myself that acting was my passion. It seemed like my spark was slowly fizzling out. Something that was once a passion of mine was feeling more like a chore. Then Emmett came around, and it no longer matters that my plan has failed. It no longer is my only priority to land a major role.

Now, my plan is simply to be happy and enjoy life with Emmett, however that looks for us in the future. I won’t forget my dream, but I also won’t let it hold me back from having a life like this, surrounded by friends.

My lips curve into a smile as I catch Emmett’s eye, and he responds by smiling back at me.

I realize that regardless of how this week goes, we will be okay. All our friends are behind us. I will be there for Emmett as he announces the next chapter of his career. Even if his parents try to convince him otherwise, he will know that I am here for him. The only task left is to get through the interview.

24

Cassie

There's not much happening during the last week of filming. Even though we aren’t announcing our relationship until the weekend, I notice how everyone acts around Emmett and me.

I first notice Carla. What would have been normal to me last week is not this week. She hands me mail for Emmett’s trailer and when I ask if any other trailer has mail, she says no. I wouldn’t have thought much about it except for the fact that she’s still smiling while looking at her keyboard. I can tell she’s hiding a laugh and is acting giddy for no reason.

“Carla,” I say. I put my hands on my hips and wait.

She looks up at me, her eyes widen. I might have been a little too stern when addressing her, but too late now.

“I know you know. You can drop the act.”

“Hm?” she asks, looking back at her clipboard.

“I know you know about Emmett and I. You can stop pretending. It’s a little obvious now that I know you know and I can’t stand it.” I take a seat in front of her desk, which I never do. I’m normally in and out, trying to keep my mind busy during the day at work.

Carla looks back up at me and practically slams her clipboard on her desk. She lets out the biggest sigh as if she’s been holding it in all morning. “Oh thank god, I thought I was going to burst. I am not good at keeping secrets.”

I laugh. “Well, unfortunately, you need to keep it a secret until Saturday. Emmett and I are doing an interview to announce it to the world.”

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