Page 100 of Sizzle Reel

“We…don’t think we should try to combine romantic feelings with our professional relationship.”

Wyatt shuts his computer. “What?!”

I exhale. “I’d prefer to not go into detail. It’s still good.”

“Wait. Wait. You and Valeria broke up?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you have sex?”

I click on crew jobs. Not P.A.s. Crew. “Yes. But it…wasn’t straightforward.”

“Okay.” Another pause. “Are you okay?”

I shut my laptop. “Wyatt, when you said Romy was acting weird, were you talking about her liking me?”

Wyatt stares at me, goggle-eyed.

“Can I take that as a yes?” I say.

He grabs my wrist. “You didn’t hear it from me! Rom’s been swearing me to secrecy for, like, three months or whatever. Hell, I—” He leans in closer. “She talked to me about it after you and I broke up. She didn’t want things to get weird if she ever chose to tell you. But she never did. Not even after you came out.”

Was that trip to the AMC when we watched Valeria’s movie supposed to have been a date? “Why didn’t she?”

“I dunno. She was scared. I know she acts all smooth and cool or whatever, but we talked about it and this is all new to her. I’ve been in love more times than Romy, and that’s saying something. And with you, obviously, you’re kind of her dream girl.”

Me? Romy Fonseca’s dream girl? I can’t even picture it, me in a line along with all the cool, tatted people Romy’s mentioned in the past. I can’t see her ever picking me.

My cheeks go hot at the thought. “Well…what’s her deal now? She won’t talk to me and she kissed me.”

Wyatt slams his hands onto the table. A few possible YouTubers glance over. “What do you mean she kissed you?”

I sip my coffee; the heat on my lips reminds me of Romy’s mouth. “She— We were arguing about whether I should try to sleep with Valeria and she kissed me. She said she didn’t mean to and I left.”

Wyatt gives me a look. “And you’re wondering why she’s not talking to you? That’s, like, a sizzling rejection.”

Oh my god. “And I told her I’d slept over. I stayed at her house after…She didn’t want me driving back home at whatever horrible hour it was.”

Wyatt rubs his temples. “Oh my god, Roth, she thinks you’re still fucking Valeria. Yeah, no wonder she’s not talking to you!”

My stomach sinks. “What do I do? It’s so much more than this Valeria thing. I’ve been so shitty to her the past few months. And what if I tell her how I feel and she thinks it’s just me rebounding after Valeria?”

“Well…is it?”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “I don’t know! I just—I always thought I was so far from Romy’s type that it wasn’t even worth pursuing. Of course I thought about just asking her to kiss me so I could get my first gay kiss over with. Valeria was…It was thrilling and addicting and out there, but it was low risk on some level. Like we were never friends. So if I fucked things up with Valeria, who cares? But if I do this wrong with Romy, there goes my best friend on Earth.”

Wyatt breaks into the tiniest of smiles. “I think you really do like her. Ain’t that cute?”

I exhale. “This doesn’t explain what I should do to get her to forgive me.”

“Lune, come on. You know what to do,” Wyatt says.

And that’s all he says on the subject. We go right back to discussing job prospects.

There are actual first A.C. and even D.P. roles on low-budget films. It’s not good money, but it’s practical experience. And it would mean I would get to do what I love to do. It will be consistent work. It’ll pay rent. Romy’s just been doing what she loves, and look at where it’s gotten her. If Romy kicks me out and I have to move back in with my parents, I won’t need the money that urgently any—

No. I’m going to fix this with Romy. I’m going to need rent money.

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