Page 47 of The Grumpy Actor

I don’t know what to say.

“I just want you to be careful not to get hurt this time. I don’t know what happened with you two the last time, but Liam genuinely seems like a nice guy.” Mom moves closer and takes my hand in hers. “I’d hate to see you get hurt again. Not when you’ve completely fallen for him just like back then.”

Even Mom can tell that I’ve fallen for him again.

Tears sting my eyes as my heart tightens with pain.

I’ve fallen in love with him again, and just like back then, he’s still not looking for that kind of commitment.

I’m only going to get hurt. I need to quickly end things between us. Maybe that way, I’ll be able to lessen the impact of the pain when he leaves.

Chapter 14

Liam

Iturnontomyotherside but still can’t find a suitable sleeping position. I adjust my pillow, but I know very well that’s not the reason for my lack of sleep.

The dinner at Sophie’s house was phenomenal. I loved getting to know the people she grew up around. Being with her family made me wish I was a part of it.

However, I can’t stop thinking about the fact that Sophie denied our relationship in front of her family.

While I can imagine her reasons for taking such a step, it still hurts that it happened.

It shouldn’t hurt this much. This is another sign that my feelings for Sophie are so much deeper than I ever knew.

Things have changed, but I can’t really explain how.

The thought of it scares me. But the fear isn’t exactly similar to the one I felt seven years ago.

Seven years ago, I’d been scared of the possibility of the unknown and the probability of my career ending before it even started.

Now I’m scared of things ending between us. The fear is eating into me so badly that I can’t even function normally.

I know things have to end eventually. After all, I’ll be going back to LA once this shoot ends next week. LA is where I belong. It’s the place where I’ll continue to hone my craft and make my mark in the movie industry.

Still, I don’t even want to think of the possibility of leaving.

A small part of me wants to remain in Surfside Haven. Though it isn’t exactly Surfside Haven that’s the draw. It’s Sophie.

I want to remain here with Sophie and forget about life in any other place.

That thought alone is scary. Feelings that strong can’t be normal.

I try to find a suitable sleeping position again, but sleep still refuses to claim me. It isn’t until the early hours of the morning that I finally drift off.

But that sleep ends as the door to my room bursts open with a bang.

I blink as I force my tired eyes open. Julian rushes to my bedside, his tablet dangling in his hand.

His mouth moves, but I don’t hear what he’s saying. He taps my shoulder, and I shake the sleep off.

“Are you awake now?” Julian asks.

The panic in his voice causes me to sit up. “What’s wrong?”

“This is what’s wrong.”

He shoves his tablet at me. I stare at what appears to be the front page of an article, but when I see who it’s about, my eyes widen.

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