Page 18 of Beyond the Red Carpet

The warmth of Kate’s body pressed against Vanessa’s side sent sparks dancing across her skin. The gentle pressure of Kate’s arm sliding around her waist felt both foreign and achingly familiar. This wasn’t part of the plan. None of this had been part of the plan.

“Thank you.” Kate’s fingers curved against Vanessa’s hip, anchoring them together. “Though I still can’t believe it. It was completely unexpected.”

Evelyn’s knowing smile only intensified the ache spreading beneath Vanessa’s ribs.

What’s meant for you won’t pass you by.

But this wasn’t meant for her.

This was meant for the cameras, for the headlines, for salvaging her reputation.

10

Kate leaned against the bar’s polished mahogany, her fingertips playing with the stem of her wine glass. A group of actors surrounded her, mostly people she’d worked with, but her attention drifted across the room.

Through the sea of designer gowns and tuxedos, she caught fragments of Vanessa’s silhouette. She stood among a group of industry veterans, her presence commanding even from a distance. The way she tilted her head when she listened, the subtle arch of her eyebrow when something amused her. Kate had memorized these small gestures throughout the evening.

“...don’t you think, Kate?”

The question snapped her focus back to the conversation. “Sorry, what was that?”

Her co-star from her latest film repeated his question about their upcoming project, but Kate’s gaze wandered again. This time, she met Vanessa’s eyes directly. The connection lasted only seconds before Vanessa turned back to her conversation, but it left Kate’s skin tingling.

An hour had passed since they’d last spoken. Vanessa had been chatting with Evelyn Coleman when Kate had felt the weight of Vanessa’s gaze from across the room.

It was almost imperceptible, but Kate noticed, and she had guessed it was a silent invitation to join them. She had been wanting to meet Evelyn, an actress she’d always admired. She just had to figure out how to keep her nerves in check.

As Kate had made her way through the crowd, her heart had started to race. She told herself it was the thrill of interacting with a Hollywood legend, but she knew it was more than that. Being near Vanessa always seemed to leave her feeling slightly off-kilter.

She had grown accustomed to Vanessa’s gaze throughout the night, but this time, it felt different. More intense, perhaps. Or was she imagining things? After all, Vanessa was acting. It was only natural that she would look at her from across the room.

Kate remembered the moment with crystal clarity, approaching Evelyn Coleman in what had felt like slow motion. She’d spent years watching Evelyn’s films, studying her technique, dreaming of working with her someday. When she came out just a few years ago, Kate couldn’t believe it.

Standing there, with Vanessa beside her, it all felt a little surreal, like this couldn’t possibly be her life. The words “Ms. Coleman” had tumbled from her lips, her voice carrying that reverent tone she couldn’t quite suppress. When Evelyn insisted on first names, Kate’s stomach did a small flip. Here she was, standing beside two of Hollywood’s most accomplished actresses, and one of them, as far as the public was concerned was her girlfriend.

But it was Evelyn’s comment about how well she and Vanessa looked together that had sent Kate’s mind spinning. Without thinking, she’d pressed closer to Vanessa, her arm finding its way around Vanessa’s waist. The contact had been electric. Kate remembered how solid and warm Vanessa felt against her, how natural it seemed to curve her fingers against Vanessa’s hip.

The words she’d spoken, about not believing it, about it being unexpected, had carried more truth than Evelyn Coleman could have known. The way Kate’s body responded to Vanessa’s proximity, the flutter in her chest when their eyes met, none of that had been a performance.

In that moment, surrounded by the glittering crowd of Hollywood’s elite, Kate had felt both powerful and terrifyingly vulnerable. Her fingers had trembled slightly where they rested against Vanessa’s dress, and she’d prayed no one would notice how her heart had stuttered when Vanessa leaned into her touch.

Kate lifted her glass to her lips now, using the motion to steal another look at Vanessa from across the room. Vanessa’s midnight blue dress caught the light as she shifted her weight, the fabric hugging her curves. Their eyes met again, and this time Vanessa held her gaze for a second longer.

Kate noticed the shift in Vanessa’s posture, how her body had tensed ever so slightly. Following Vanessa’s line of sight, Kate spotted Lauren across the room, radiant in a red dress that drew every eye as she entered the room. Vanessa and Lauren’s gazes had locked, an invisible current of history crackling between them.

Kate set her glass down and moved through the crowd. Her steps quickened as Lauren’s presence cast a shadow across the room. The faces around her blurred - actors, directors, producers - none of them mattered. Her focus remained on Vanessa.

She slipped between conversations, offering quick smiles and half-formed apologies as she navigated the space. She reached Vanessa’s side and placed her palm against the small of her back. The fabric of Vanessa’s dress was cool beneath her touch, but she felt the heat of Vanessa’s skin through the thin material.

“Sorry to interrupt.” Kate addressed the small group around them with practiced charm. “Would you mind if I borrowed her for a moment?”

Vanessa’s body relaxed slightly under Kate’s touch as they moved away from the crowd. Kate guided them toward a quieter part of the room.

“Thank you,” Vanessa whispered, her voice barely audible above the party’s hum. The careful mask she wore for the cameras slipped just enough for Kate to glimpse the vulnerability beneath.

Vanessa downed what was left of her drink. “I knew she’d be here. I just-”

“Look at me.” Kate angled her body to block Lauren from view. “What do you want to do?”

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