Page 83 of Off Script

Show, his ass. This had stopped being a show a long time ago. He was in deep now. He was . . .

No. Love wasn’t in the cards for him. He’d decided that. But if this wasn’t love, what the hell was he feeling?

By the time they landed and reached the Plaza hotel in New York, Tristan had worked himself into such an inner crisis that he was even quieter than Jada. He couldn’t think of anything witty to say to cheer her up and didn’t have a plan for what they should do, other than check into their room and stare at each other in the growing awkwardness. As they reached the reception desk, they were saved from that fate. Tristan’s co-star, Davie, as well as their director, Bryan Ryder, were also in the lobby and noticed them immediately.

“Hey, Tristan!” Davie called with a cheerful wave. Tristan waved back as the director and actor walked toward them.

“Hey, guys, nice to see we’ve all arrived in one piece,” he said, before placing his hand on Jada’s back. “This is Jada.”

For some reason it felt weird to tack on the obligatory “my girlfriend.” First, because everyone here already knew about their “relationship.” And secondly, because all the alarming thoughts from the plane ride hadn’t stopped screaming at Tristan in bright, red letters: Commitmentphobe in COMPLETE DENIAL. No one called him out on it, though, because they were too busy gawking at Jada.

“So you’re the enchanting Jada Berklee. It’s nice to meet you at last. Tristan wouldn’t stop gushing about you during the press junket.” Davie shook her hand.

“Lies. Wild exaggerations,” Tristan interjected, his internal panic still strong.

Everyone continued to ignore him, chitchatting about their flights and how nice the hotel was (“Whirlpool tubs, guys!” according to Davie). The conversation started to wind to a close as the front-desk clerk handed Tristan and Jada their key cards. The reality of Tristan and Jada coexisting in a hotel room in stony silence loomed closer until Bryan stopped them from heading up.

“Last thing, I promise. I’m not sure what you guys have planned for the evening, and I know you have some appearances tomorrow morning before the premiere, but did you hear about the Legends exhibit?”

Not much of a museum person, Tristan had not, but Jada’s face lit up.

“Yes! It’s the new wing in Madame Tussauds about LGBTQIA+ heroes. It finally opened?”

“Premiere is tonight, and one of my friends is being immortalized there. I can get you guys in if you want to go,” Bryan offered.

Jada’s head whipped toward Tristan and she gazed up at him with beseeching eyes. It was the first sign all day that her old spark might come back.

“Yeah, of course, we want to go. Thanks, Bryan.”

After agreeing to meet up at Madame Tussauds that evening, Tristan and Jada made their way up to their room. Jada came back alive, chattering the whole while.

“Thank you, Tristan. I know you’re not really a museum guy—”

“Hey, I like culture. Just not stuffyoldculture.” Tristan complained as he held the hotel room door open for her.

“I know. Trust me, this will be more fun.” While she unpacked, Jada went on to list everything the new wing was supposed to include and what celebrities were supposed to show up. “It’s going to be an extremely hot guest list. Besides, it’s another good photo op for us, right?”

Tristan’s genuine smile faltered. “Right,” he said, trying to keep his tone light.

Jada spent the next half hour looking up other news about the exhibit as well as deciding on her outfit for that evening. Tristan used the downtime to check the times and events scheduled for tomorrow. There were a lot of appearances to put in before the premiere that night, so he wouldn’t get to see much of Jada during the day. It was actually a good thing that they’d get to spend tonight out on the town. He had the unsettling feeling this might be one of the few times they’d get to truly enjoy their trip.

27

Working in the world of entertainment, Jada had been to plenty of her own premieres and opening events, but something about visiting Madame Tussauds for this historic exhibit gave her an extra thrill. She always found the art of creating wax masterpieces fascinating. And while other Tussauds locations had figures of Laverne Cox and other iconic people within the LGBTQIA+ community, it was completely different for a location to dedicate a whole new section.

A nagging part of her admitted it also had to do with being in New York with Tristan. Taking a trip together held a “seriously dating” vibe. When their journey first started, she kept reminding herself about Tristan’s comments and that it was all pretend, but being aloof hadn’t worked as well as she’d hoped. Tristan’s concern about her phobia on the plane had started to melt the ice. Once he agreed to a night of museum sightseeing on her behalf, her mood thawed completely. Now, she was just excited to create this new memory with him. Even when their deal was over, at least they would have this evening as a reminder of the good times they’d had together.

Around eight o’clock, they were both dressed up and ready to go. With the Plaza only a short walk away from the museum’s prime Times Square location, they decided to take in the sights. With her arm draped through Tristan’s, Jada took in the majesty of the city as they traversed the bustling sidewalk. The multitude of lights from the skyscrapers and flashy awnings smiled down on them as the nighttime breeze spurred on the prospect of a new adventure. As they passed by the array of theaters and gaudy restaurants, Jada’s fondness for the city reemerged. New York might not be the only city in the world, but the energy here was truly special.

“God, if it weren’t for the fact that so many bigwigs still call Hollywood home, I swear I could live here,” Jada confessed to Tristan. “To hell with the four-hour traffic jams and a vegan spot on every corner.”

“I did live here for a while afterGarcia Central. Had a few recurring roles here and there before my first big film. New York certainly has its charms,” Tristan agreed.

Jada hummed, already knowing what charms he must be referring to. “Ah, so this is when the playboy ways picked up, huh?”

An unmistakable blush crept over his face, but Tristan marched onward. “My point is, I’ve always thought about getting another place here. Then we could visit whenever we wanted.”

Jada stumbled, her steps coming to an abrupt halt at this revelation. She should have coolly played it off, but his casual tone had thrown her. What was wrong with this man? One minute he was reminding her they were only in a temporary arrangement, the next he was going on about buying a place for them to have their own getaway spot.

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