Page 58 of Wait For It

Georgia nodded to herself. “You think that just because he’s famous that he wouldn’t look twice at a girl like you. See, that tells me we have quite a bit of work to do.”

I blew out a frustrated breath.

Makeup? Hair? I tried it already.

Her eyes flashed with amusement. “No, no. Nothing silly like that. Last night wasn’t you—that was Helen. Now, it seems to me that you’ve gotten comfortable being what everyone else wants. But if you knew who you were, my dear, you’d see that it’s young Killian who should be questioning if he’s good enough for you.”

I let the notion sink in before shaking my head, unable to imagine Killian second-guessing himself on anything, especially not where I was concerned.

He’s avoiding me.

“And?” Georgia waved a hand dismissively. “Find out why.”

My vision blurred. I already knew why.

He doesn’t want anything to do with me.

Her eyes squinted as she read the words before chuckling to herself. “You’re just willing to give up then? Throw in the towel now that you know who he really is?”

Yes.

No. As much as I wanted Killian to mean something for me, I had to consider the ramifications of pursuing my feelings. I would be giving up any chance of hiding, any chance of never being found.

And yet, I still wanted him.

More than I’d ever wanted anything.

“Imagine if Nickie had given up on Terry when she didn’t show up at the Empire State Building,” Georgia said with a thoughtful frown. “If the movie had ended with him assuming she was avoiding him or had changed her mind.”

I don’t know Terry or Nickie, for that matter.

At least, I didn’t think I did. Maybe they were the people she’d been sitting with at dinner before rescuing me from myself.

The woman scoffed. “An Affair to Remember, Ariana! Surely you know one of the most romantic movies of all time?”

I shook my head, skeptical that a movie fitting my circumstances even existed. It didn’t exactly seem like a standard plotline.

“Oh, dear. Well, we are going to remedy that right now. I know they’ve got it in the video library downstairs. Tsega, dear, please tell me you’ve seen it.”

She looked almost guilty as she shook her head. “I don’t really watch a lot of television.”

“Girls!” Georgia all but roared with a grin. “How do you expect to find love if you aren’t brushing up on the classics? They’re practically how-to guides. Just maybe don’t rely on them for fashion advice, right Ariana?”

I cringed. It seemed I wouldn’t be living that down anytime soon.

One trip to the library, and two hours later, the three of us sat sniffling our way through the end credits.

“You see—” Georgia tried before hiccuping. “I just—”

I clenched her hand in mine and nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. While the only similarity between Killian and Nickie was the fact that they were both well-known—one for baseball, the other for his love of women—the story resonated, nonetheless.

“Isn’t it just magical? ‘If you can paint, I can walk.’” She clutched her chest and fell back dramatically in the chair. “In case either of you were wondering, that was a swoon and not some medical emergency.”

Tsega brushed away the tears on her cheeks with a grin. “I think we caught on to that, Georgia.”

“Good. Good. Now, Ariana. Instead of fixating on how you don’t feel as if you belong in Killian’s world, have you considered things from his perspective? He’s surrounded by actors every day. How refreshing would it be to spend time with someone who didn’t want something from him? Someone who wasn’t using him?”

I fiddled with my necklace before giving her a reluctant nod. Inside, I was being eaten up with guilt. I’d wanted to use Killian as a means of escape. At least I had in the beginning.

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