Page 20 of Between the Lines

“I know,” she whined. “But I can’t help it if I can’t sleep. And everything that’s supposed to help just makes me feel groggy and weird, so I’d rather have to get the bags under my eyes fixed in makeup then be mumbling and all that because I’m barely awake trying to recite my lines.”

“I guess that makes sense, but still. You need to at least be in the bed.”

“Iknow.” She rolled her eyes then stuffed a few more fries in her mouth. “What areyoudoing up?”

Sitting up a bit straighter, I answered, “Well, I was passed out on my couch and then I got a text from a certain someone…”

She cringed. “Oh. My bad.”

“Yeah,yourbad,” I chuckled. “Why am I awake.”

“I can let you go.”

“I didn’t say all of that,” I told her quickly, before she hurried off the line. “I’m just fucking with you.”

Just this conversation was refreshing, after the awkwardness that lingered between us all summer.

The look on her face at that award show that night?

Haunted me.

There I was thinking we were good, that the breakup was this thing we mutually agreed was best for both of us.

We’d be friends.

Not cordial, butfriends, the same way we’ve been before romance was in the equation.

Although…if I was honest, romance hadalwaysbeen in the equation.

But friendship definitely was too.

Ellie and I got along on that level amazingly well, which was part of why we clicked. Yes, we were attracted to each other, absolutely, but the chemistry between us wasn’t only sexual.

We laughed for real,talkedfor real,related to each otherfor real, before I was ever actually invited inside her.

That’s why we both thought we’d be able to go back.

And then I saw her face.

I’d just wanted to congratulate her on the award, a major milestone that was absolutely well deserved. I wasn’t trying to hurt her by approaching her, which was precisely why I had left Stella at our seats.

It wasn’t about rubbing anything in her face.

I wasn’t even like that with Stella for there tobeanything to rub in her face.

My PR said I needed to take a date, and since she worked for Stella too, it was an easy recommendation. Publicly, I hadn’t been in any serious relationships, but the industry machine preferred their heroes coupled off.

As much as fans wanted to see me as romantically attainable, being single wasn’tactuallyworking in favor of that image.

Having a woman meant I was stable, relationship material.

Being single meant I just wanted to hoe—that’s what the narrative was.

There wasn’t anything wrong with Stella by any means, but at the time, it was just…a mutually beneficial agreement. Really, I wanted to ask Ellie, but I didn’t think it would be a good idea.

Considering the way she reacted to me, maybe I was right.

And it was a reaction she didn’t even remember having.

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