Page 33 of The Fake Script

She seems nice enough, and Auston is clearly fond of her, so I don't say anything. But that's not usually how it goes when someone lays a hand on me without my consent.

“Are you a model?” she asks, and I almost choke on my saliva.

If she wasn’t so extravagant, I’d assume she was messing with me. “No, I’m a bookseller.”

“And a movie consultant,” Auston adds, giving me a wink.

“With that figure?” Edith continues. “That’s such a shame. If you ever consider switching to modeling, do call me, dear. You two make a marvelous couple. I can already see a campaign starring the two of you.”

I plaster on another smile. “Thank you.”

Once she leaves, Auston says, “Sorry. Edith is a little extra, but she’s harmless.”

I clear my throat. “Right.”

“Do you want something to drink? That bar looks fun.” He glances at the tiki bar that looks like it belongs on a beach somewhere, complete with a thatched roof and colorful string lights.

I nod. “Let’s go take a look.”

The cocktail list suits the theme, too, with drinks like Pineapple Paradise, Coconut Crush, and Mango Madness. We order two virgin versions of the cocktails, and I stay away from the “crush” one. I don’t need any more of that.

A few people interrupt us as we sip our drinks, and Auston puts on his charming smile, introducing me as his girlfriend. He’s playing the role perfectly.

“So, you attend a lot of these parties?” I ask, sipping my Torture Typhoon or whatever it’s called.

“It’s part of the job, I guess.” He leans against a giant palm tree, and I’m pretty sure if anyone else attempted that, they’d be flat on the floor by now. But Auston makes everything work in his favor. He might also have a bionic eye when it comes to set materials, instinctively knowing the difference between solid objects and flimsy props. “Not my favorite thing to do, though. I’d prefer to stay home watching a good movie, you know? But once I'm here, it's easy to act like I belong and I actually enjoy it.”

I cock my head to the side. “So, you’re introvertedandextroverted.”

He looks up with a thoughtful expression. “I guess. I enjoy being alone, but I also don't mind working the room. Does that make me completely insane or something?”

A light laugh escapes me. “Maybe. But in a way, it also makes sense. You don’t have to be completely one way or the other. You can be a mix of both.”

Truth is, that’s exactly how I categorized him back in high school. I saw him content to be walking by himself, not looking for company. But when company found him, he put his big smile on and became the entertainer. But I won’t bring that up. We have rules, after all.

“Which direction do you lean toward?” he asks.

“I'm definitely on the introverted end of the spectrum.” I nod firmly. “Staying home with a good book is my jam, but I’ll admit, I’m not having the worst time here tonight.” And no one is more surprised by that statement than me.

He breaks into a laugh. “Wow, you really know how to give your boyfriend a compliment.”

I press my lips together. “Now you can see why I don’t do boyfriends.”

“Well, well, if it isn’t our new lovebirds!” Madison exclaims with the biggest fake smile in history. Despite her spiteful aura, she looks amazing. The pink and yellow fabric draping her body covers all the sensitive places while revealing just enough of her shimmering golden skin.

“Hey, Madison,” Auston says,looking away.

“So, how did you like your first red carpet, Eva? Hope it wasn’t too scary for a media-shy person like you.”

Auston opens his mouth to defend me, but I’m faster. “It’s Emma. And I actually really enjoyed it. Auston was such a gentleman and helped me through it.”

He places an arm around me, and I pretend it didn’t just launch my heart on a rollercoaster ride. If I act like I’m unaffected by him, maybe my body will get the memo. Actually, scratch that. Iamunaffected by him. This is just a weird reaction arising from the situation, that’s all.

I lean into him and place a hand on his torso. His heart is beating fast. Way too fast for someone who’s not about to have a heart attack. I hate how Madison gets to him.

“Who knew you’d acclimate to fame so fast? I guess you don’t mind the spotlight after all,” she says, shooting Auston a sharp glare.

When her eyes return to mine, I hold her gaze. “I guess not. In fact, I kind of like it.”

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