Page 134 of Drama Queens Don't Fall For Charming Boys

“Invisible, remember?”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. And I don’t really understand why. You’re awesome.”

Her cheeks redden. “Clearly no one agrees.”

“Then ignore them. Focus on the people who know just how great you are.”

Her arms come around me. “You’re so special and amazing, Declan. So sweet and selfless and caring and kind. And there’s something I need to tell you. Something I’ve been keeping inside for a long time.”

I scan her eyes. “What is it?”

She glances around at all the dancing couples. “We should go somewhere to talk. There are sofas in the hallway.”

Taking my hand, she leads me out of the ballroom and to the hallway. We settle down on one of the sofas, sitting side by side in silence. No one else is around, which is great because we’d like to talk without being interrupted.

“So, you know what happened on the set of the movie,” she says after a bit. “The kiss and how I made a mess of everything?”

“You didn’t make a mess of everything, Mia.”

“I did, but thanks for being nice about it.” She pauses. “Isn’t it weird that the kiss sucked that time, but when we kissed on Wednesday…” Her face flushes. “I mean, it was amazing on my end. I don’t know how you felt about it.”

I place my hand on her arm. “It was amazing for me, too. But my feelings for you aren’t because of the kiss. I already told you I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you for a long time and that I’ve liked you for a while. And that was before the kiss.”

“Did you feel that way on set?”

My eyebrows furrow. “Huh? What do you mean?”

Her face is red again. “I mean, did you…like me?” She glances away and shifts in her spot.

“Did I like you when we were filming the movie?” I ask.

She nods. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve kept it a secret for so long. I didn’t even tell my friends until a few weeks ago. My parents don’t know. No one does. I was so embarrassed.”

My eyebrows furrow again. “Wait, I’m confused. Are you saying you liked me when we were doing The Beat of My Heart?”

“I had a major crush on you.”

I just stare at her.

She snorts. “It was so silly of me. You were gorgeous—I mean, you still are—but what made me like you was the kind person that you were. You were so sweet and nice and friendly. Everyone wanted to be around you. I was so excited but nervous to do our scenes together. Didn’t you notice how I turned into a Mia Popsicle whenever you were around?”

I think back to our time together on set. “No. I never noticed. You were a little standoffish. You kept your distance from me and the others on set. I figured you were too busy or didn’t want to associate with us nobodies.”

“What? You and the rest of the guys never included me. You always went out or hung out in one of your trailers and no one ever invited me.”

I frown as I recall the events that took place over the summer. “You were Mia Park,” I tell her. “Someone I was in awe of. I’ve looked up to you for years, always thought you were such an amazing actor. You were up here.” I raise my hand over my head. “And me and the others were down there.” I wave my hand below my waist. “None of us thought we were even close to your level and couldn’t imagine someone as great as you would want to hang out with us. And even when I tried to talk to you, you were…distant. But that was okay, because I knew I was nothing compared to you.”

Her gaze drops to her lap. “You’re basically saying I was a snob.”

“No! Not a snob.”

She looks at me. “I was distant because I had a huge crush on you and I didn’t know what to do about it. I never felt like that before. It was like something shut down inside me every time we talked. But when we were filming our scenes, I was normal and was able to talk to you. I guess it was easier to interact with you as someone other than Mia.” She shakes her head. “It was so stupid.”

I place my hand on her cheek. “Mia, I had no idea you felt that way about me.”

She shrugs. “It didn’t matter. You and the guys always did your thing and I was left out. It hurt me. And then the disaster kiss happened and I thought you and the guys were laughing at me. I know now you weren’t laughing at me, but back then I thought you were. It crushed me so much, you have no idea. First you ice me out, then you make fun of me. I felt like such a loser.”

I bend forward and wrap my arms around her. “You’re not a loser and I hate that you felt that way. I’m really sorry we didn’t include you. I honestly thought you weren’t interested. Of course I would have asked you to hang out with us.” I smile. “There’s no party without Mia Park.”

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