Page 26 of The Grumpy Actor

Her impatient tone sends a surge of anger through me. I frown. “Are you that eager to return to your date?”

“Yes.”

She’s not even denying it.

I bite down the curse threatening to spill out of my mouth. The best thing I can do in this situation is to keep my composure.

“I don’t like being interrupted. Tell me what you want so I can get going.”

The cold edge in her voice cuts deeper than I expect, hitting nerves I didn’t even know were exposed. She isn’t raising her voice, and the slight boredom I can hear underneath her tone makes me furious. She definitely doesn’t care what I think or do. She just wants to be done with me and get back to her date.

“Last I checked, you’re my personal assistant, and I can call you whenever I want.”

“We’ve already established that fact. Now tell me what you want me to do.”

My jaw tightens as my gaze glides over her figure. The silk dress she has on does little to hide her curves, and every detail makes it harder to stay focused. So not only am I dealing with my anger, but I’m also fighting hard to keep my desire for her at bay.

I’d have bet a fortune before tonight that she was still a little attracted to me after that kiss we shared, but staring at her now, it’s hard to imagine. I thought I did a perfect job moving on, but it looks like she’s the master at this game.

I rack my brain for a plausible excuse as to why I called her here. It’s almost laughable that I, an actor, am finding it hard to create excuses when I embody a lie every day to make money.

“Uhm…where are the revised scripts the director gave you?”

Well, that excuse holds up. Barely. I forgot to collect those scripts from her, and seeing as I’m a dedicated actor, it’s only natural that I’m looking for the scripts now. This can surely be considered a matter of urgency.

“There.” She points behind me.

I follow the direction of her finger to the pile of scripts on the table.

Brilliant move, Liam.

If only I’d paid enough attention instead of brooding about her date, I’d have noticed the scripts there. Now, I absolutely look foolish.

“Great. You can go now.”

“What!” she snaps, letting go of a fury that almost sends me reeling back in my chair. “Did you call me over because of that?”

I shrug, standing up from the chair. “If you’d just handed them over instead of dropping them off as you please, I wouldn’t have had any need to call you here.”

If I thought she’d been angry before, I was wrong. Her eyes darken as her chest heaves rapidly up and down.

“You’re the most selfish, insufferable, and annoying person I’ve ever met,” she hisses, pointing an accusing finger in my face. “How can you have no regard for other people’s feelings?”

Her anger is one thing, and I could have probably handled that, but what really gets to me is the pure look of hurt in her eyes as she stares at me.

The defeat hidden deep within those hazel eyes causes me a level of pain that’s almost unbearable. The urge to apologize claws at me, foreign and unwelcome. I'm not used to feeling this way—like I might actually deserve the way she looked at me.

“I’m so—”

“I was so foolish and naïve to believe you were a decent human in the past.” She glares deep into my soul, snatching my words away from me. “At first, I believed you broke up with me because you had to, and I convinced myself you weren’t half as bad as my heartbreak made you seem. But now it’s clear that you just enjoy hurting other people without reason.”

“Sophie—”

“Please, save whatever you have to say until tomorrow. Since I’m too decent a human to go against my contract, I’ll go right back to work tomorrow. But for now, just let me hate you in peace.”

Sophie storms out the door without looking back.

The door slams behind her, and the silence that follows is deafening. I sit there frozen, the last few seconds playing on repeat in my head.

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