Page 31 of You. Me. Us.

Hillary looked up at him, her eyes still glistening with the remnants of joyful tears. “But what about my writing? My job at the magazine?” she asked, a hint of uncertainty creeping into her voice.

Julius brushed a stray lock of chestnut hair from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. “This doesn’t mean giving that up,” he assured her. “It’s just another way to tell stories, to share your talent with the world. Writing will always be a part of you, but now you have the opportunity to bring those words to life in a whole new way.”

Hillary nodded, a slow smile spreading across her face as she let his words sink in. He was right. This wasn’t an ending, but a beginning. A chance to explore a new facet of her creativity, to challenge herself in ways she never had before.

“You’re still in deep trouble for this little stunt, mister,” she teased, poking him playfully in the chest. “Springing this on me, making me think I was going to a real audition...”

Julius chuckled, capturing her hand in his and bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “I know, I know. But you have to admit, it worked out pretty well in the end.”

Hillary rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Don’t think you’re off the hook that easily. You’re going to have to work hard to make this up to me.”

“Oh, I fully intend to,” Julius said, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “And lucky for us, we’ll have months together on set for me to do just that. Plenty of time for me to grovel, beg for forgiveness, and show you just how incredible you truly are.”

Hillary laughed, shaking her head in amused disbelief. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“Impossibly charming, impossibly handsome, impossibly in awe of you,” Julius listed off, punctuating each word with a quick kiss to her nose, her cheeks, her forehead.

Hillary swatted at him playfully. She wasn’t certain what had just happened, but she couldn’t deny the warmth that blossomed in her chest at his words. Couldn’t deny the way she’d felt up on that stage doing something as insane as thinking she could act.

fourteen

. . .

Julius nervously perchedon the edge of his plush couch, bouncing his knee with restless energy. His eyes were glued to the glowing screen in front of him as he repeatedly refreshed the entertainment news site, waiting for the latest updates. The soft hum of his computer was the only sound besides the tapping of his knees against the couch, and the faint smell of coffee still lingered in the air from his morning brew. Anxiety prickled at his skin, making every passing second feel like an eternity.

Where’s the damn casting announcement? It should have dropped five minutes ago.

This wasn’t even for him and he was more nervous than he’d ever been for a movie announcement.

He glanced at his phone, tempted to call Hillary and share in the anticipation together. But he assumed she was buried in work at the magazine, trying to wrap things up before diving into a month of acting boot camp with him and then months of filming.

He smiled, picturing her brow furrowed in concentration as she put the final touches her Muse exclusive article about theaudition experience. That article would hit the web any minute now, too.

Julius refreshed the page again.

Still nothing.

He stood and paced around his loft, needing to move. It had been a week since he’d surprised Hillary with the audition, and they’d barely seen each other since, each consumed by preparations for the whirlwind ahead.

He missed her.

Missed her more than made any sense, but then, nothing had made sense since he’d laid eyes on her. She was everything he hadn’t needed, and she’d gotten under his skin. They should be awaiting this news together, the first of what he hoped could be of many press releases about their careers they could share together.

He loved that she loved her job, but she talked about it with so much terror he couldn’t help but want to show her there was other work. Potentially harder, with shitty hours, and dangerous stunts, but the payoff would be the same. He didn’t want to change her, only open her eyes to the things she didn’t want to see for herself.

“You’re being pushy.” He ran a hand through his hair. “She should have left your ass the minute you bombarded her.”

It was astonishing she hadn’t.

Grabbing his phone, he pulled up her name, thumb hovering over the call button. She’d insisted on going into the office today despite his pleas to take the day off. Stubborn woman. But that fire, that drive—it was one of the things he liked so much about her. It sparked off her like embers from a campfire, warm enough to get someone’s attention and dangerous despite the small size.

His phone pinged with a news alert, and he nearly dropped it in his haste to check. His face broke into a grin. There it was, the casting announcement.

Hillary’s name leapt off the screen in the first line of the press release. She did it. She was going to be his co-star.

Julius let himself fall back onto the couch, his earlier restlessness now transformed into a bubbling excitement. He moved to the second open tab and refreshed it. Grinning like a fool to see her Muse exclusive article as the home screen article. He couldn’t help the surge of pride in his chest at how quickly she had completed her article. The soft cushion of the couch enveloped him like a warm hug, adding to the sense of comfort and joy he felt in that moment.

He scrolled quickly, knowing he’d need to read it later, but wanting to see how many comments it had.

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