Page 60 of Falling Like Stars

My chest feels full from his love and concern. “I’ll be okay.”

“If you need anything… If you need me to fly out there, I will. Fuck it, maybe I will anyway.”

“No, don’t,” I say. “Let me clean up this latest mess, and then I’ll visit. Promise.”

“Fine. But I’m going to hold you to it, bro.”

“Thanks, man. Talk to you soon.”

“Yep. And call your mother.”

I wince, laughing, and hang up with Jeremy. Part of me wants to call him right back, tell him to get over here, then spill my guts. But what’s there to say? More humiliating drama with Eva, half of which I can’t remember anyway. Better to do what I said, clean my shit up, work hard, and start all over again.

Three days later, I’m at the front door of my house in Hollywood Hills. Jackson, my lawyer, has assured me that Eva has moved her stuff out, and the locks were changed after. I punch in the new code to get in and step inside.

“Fuck me,” I breathe.

The house is stripped bare. Not one piece of furniture, not one painting on the wall… The art pieces Eva and I bought together and those I bought myself, gone. The rugs, vases, even the potted plants. I know if I look in the kitchen, every cupboard and silverware drawer will have been cleaned out. I wonder if she’s taken my clothes.

The only item left in the gargantuan living room—made even larger by its emptiness—is my Oscar. It’s standing in the middle of the carpet where the couch I purchased two years ago used to be. There’s a piece of paper folded in front of it.

I crouch down on my heels in front of the gold statuette and pluck the note.

I hope you and your only friend are very happy together. ~Eva

I inhale sharply through my nose, the paper crumples in my hand. Okay, so fuck her. This is what I wanted. Clean slate.

“Maybe not this clean,” I mutter, glancing around.

Upstairs, all my clothes are still there. “She probably ran out of time to take them too.”

The sarcasm rings flat to my own ears. I stand for a minute in the huge walk-in, the emptiness of the house pressing in on me. The events of the last few days—Oscar night in particular—claw at my subconscious with sharp nails.

I lift my phone to my ear. “Andrew. Can you meet me in the office? I’m going back to work.”

“Hey, sure, boss. But you still have a few days left on your self-imposed exile.”

“Don’t need it,” I say. “There’s too much to do and it’s…it’s better that I work.”

Better to be busy, better to be with my team, and keep myself occupied. Keep my career going since that feels like the only thing I’m doing right.

At my office on Beverly Wilshire, I work with the director and the editor on post-production for Midnight Skies. I take meetings, review scripts, and then workout in the gym with my trainer until I collapse into bed at the Chateau every night. I even have lunch with the director/actor duo, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. They want me in a new film Martin’s been working on for a year. Leo’s co-lead dropped out due to scheduling conflicts (official story) and not because he couldn’t handle the material (unofficial but true story). Shooting starts in three weeks. A heavy-duty part that will require me to pour my guts out, scour myself raw. It’s perfect.

And as I work, and work, and work, I think of Rowan and wonder how I can feel lonely while surrounded by so many people who say they love me.

March 13th Edition

Hollywood Heartbreak: ZACHARY BUTLER & EVA DEAN. What Happened This Time???

NOW WHAT? you may be asking, and I’m right there with you. In a dramatic twist that could rival the melodrama of my favorite soap operas, it seems the once-fairytale romance between Zachary Butler and Eva Dean has come to a shocking and sudden (final?) conclusion. Our sources have confirmed that Eva packed her bags and moved out of their lavish Hollywood Hills mansion.

To add fuel to the fire, our beloved Butler has blocked his ex-fiancée on all of his socials, which is about as final a step as one can take. Could the mysterious production assistant, recently photographed with Zachary, be at the heart of this dramatic breakup?

What’s even more wild is that all of this drama unfolded shortly after the couple’s seemingly unified appearance at the Academy Awards. Eva was all smiles as they walked the red carpet together just before Zachary won Best Supporting Actor for his phenomenal performance in Crazy 8.

True, we’ve all wondered this before, but is this really the end of Zachary and Eva’s Hollywood love story? Or is there hope for yet another reconciliation? And what role, if any, did the production assistant play in this dramatic turn of events? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: this story is far from over. Stay tuned!

Chapter Seventeen

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