Page 36 of (Un)Expected

For a moment, Javi’s words played in my mind, begging me to tell Cole the truth. But what even was the truth? That a brief moment between us felt like more? That he was the first person I’d felt something for inyears?

No.All those words would be wasted, given that he already admitted whatever passed between us was nothing more than a mistake. Anything more would be giving him ammunition to hurt me, to make me feel more foolish than I already did.

So instead, I chose to say nothing.

Turning toward the front door, I forwent a goodbye, wanting tobe out of the room as quickly as possible. Just as freedom was within my reach, the door handle turned, and Adam stepped inside.

He glanced at Cole and me, hopefully unable to read the mounting tension between us. “Hey guys…”

“Hey,” Cole called out, his words still brisk. “Alex told me about your second date.” He clapped Adam on the shoulder before heading to the door. “Have fun, man.”

I winced at his words, his kindness from last night replaced by the cold indifference of his first few days here.

As Cole walked outside, he glanced over his shoulder, meeting my gaze, and I let out a quiet gasp, finding it anything but cold.

FOURTEEN

“You decided to sign the contract?”

I hated the excitement in Adam’s voice. It felt like fraud, like I was capitalizing on his kindness to strike someone else down. In truth, the contract was the last thing on my mind when I told Cole about dating Adam. Instead, I was too busy trying to hurt him becauseIwas hurt.

Immature? Definitely.

Pathetic? Oh, absolutely.

However, once I said it, I couldn’t take it back—not when Adam looked at me like his salvation. No matter how badly I fucked up with Cole, I couldn’t make the same mistake with Adam. I needed to be honest and think through my choices.

“I have some questions first,” I said. “If we can work out all of the details, then I guess I’m in.”

Adam nodded, shuffling me toward the dining room. “Of course, whatever you need to be comfortable with this arrangement. Let me call Theo. He’ll be here as soon as he can.”

As we waited for Theo, Adam was a gracious host, offering me coffee and telling me stories about some of his first acting jobs.Apparently, for his first credited job, he was paid with a Walmart gift card and lukewarm craft service meals, which was like gold to a struggling actor.

The conversation inevitably shifted to my background, but that was Pandora’s box, and I wasn’t willing to share that with him yet. Instead, I answered in the most basic ways possible, leaving out any details that might bring up more questions.Yes, I grew up in New York City. No, I’ve only lived here for three years. No, I didn’t always plan on working in hospitality.

Adam listened carefully, hanging on each word. It was different than my conversation with Cole last night—that one flowed easily, with shared jokes and knowing smirks. This one felt more like an interview, like I was on the late-night show couch, and he was the host.

I hated even to think that way. Adam had been nothing but kind and supportive. On our date, I thought our conversation had flowed so smoothly, almost like we were old friends reconnecting after their time apart. Now, there was a divide between us, and I was the one to blame. What was wrong with me? It had to be my head doing what it did best: overthinking and finding flaws where they didn’t exist.

Almost thirty minutes later, Theo glided into the room, looking as dapper as ever in his three-piece suit. I almost wanted to laugh; around here, suits were only broken out for weddings and funerals. Anyone who needed to dress formally for work left them at the office, trading in their ties for comfort wear as soon as they got home.

“Sorry it took me so long,” Theo said, dropping his briefcase on the table. “I wanted to ensure we had everything covered.”

Adam nodded, shifting forward in his seat. “Alex might want to sign. She has questions first, though.”

Theo turned to me. “Ask away.”

“How long are we talking? I know we said until the end of filming, but that could take months. I would like a solid end date before we begin.”

“That’s fair,” Adam acknowledged. “How about six months?”

Clearly, he’d been talking more with Theo since our last meeting. While he seemed as shocked as I was before, now they both appeared to be on the same page. It made me feel out of my league, like I was a child sitting at the adult table for the first time.

Instead of letting my insecurities get the best of me, I tried to keep my voice as steady as possible as I said, “That sounds reasonable. What would I have to do?”

Theo pushed a schedule and other documents over to me. “We’ve plotted some planned dates and other events we would need you to attend. Next to each one is the level of affection we would like to see.”

“How romantic,” I snorted.

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