Page 129 of The Fate Of Us

I’d always remembered that moment as the one where I felt my feelings change for Nate.

Every time he called me Firefly, I suppose, was another piece of my heart being broken off and handed over to him. This time was no exception either.

“So,” His voice caught my attention, my eyes focusing on his. “What are you waitingfor?”

My head fell forward with a smile, stretching ear to ear and probably making me looklike a fool. I felt like anything but a fool, as I lifted my head to Nate and shook my head. “Nothing.”

I felt his grip on my hand drop as he took a step back from me. I surveyed the chaosaround me, crew members and cameras and chairs and boom mics and lights… and I twisted my body toward the exit, toward the sea of trailers I could see lining the parking lot. I took one last look at Nate before I started walking, who nodded his head at me with a smile.

Then, step by step, I started walking back the way I came. I started to leave the set. I wasleaving. I’d never be back on one again. I was finally doing it.

Adrenaline coursed through me, powering my steps, turning them into strides as Istormed across the field. I picked up my pace the closer the exit became, that smile not budging from my face.

I caught eyes with Asher as I looked to my left, and tossed him a wink, earning me asweet smile. My eyes scanned past the trailers, searching for the car that had dropped me off, praying it was still there to make a quick escape. It was, luckily, the shiny black surface gleaming in the sunlight.

My steps quickened, my escape route confirmed, and all the weights I’d kept slung overmy shoulders fell off one by one—

“Adaline?”

My feet froze, still tingling from the energy I had surfing my body, as I turned around tomeet the voice that had called me.

Eleanor.

Her perfectly cut hair swished above her shoulders as she stopped before me, her creamgingham dress swaying in the sudden breeze. “Off so soon? Have they already filmed the scene?” she asked, looking down at the watch on her wrist. “I could have sworn Sebastian said they were shooting at—”

“Eleanor, I’m quitting.”

The sun hid behind the clouds, which seemed to have appeared from nowhere, themoment I stopped talking. I thought it was because Eleanor was about to scream the set down, become the ice queen she pretended to be that day I met her. Her face certainly told that story, the drop of her smile, the colour drained from her plump cheeks. Like she’d made eye contact with Medusa and turned to stone.

And then… as the sun crept back from out of the shield of the clouds, a smile, bright andrelived, bloomed across her face. “Well, that is just music to my ears.”

My brows tangled and knitted. “What?”

A quick chuckle fell from her mouth, highlighted nose tipping in the air as she said, “Iread what you sent me, Adaline.”

Oh God. Ihadsent her some of my work.

On the day of the improvised line, when she said I was a genius, she demanded I send her a sampleof what I’d written. I hadn’t thought much of it, the memory of my shaking whilst I pressed the send button only filtering through my mind in sections.

I met her icy stare, the contrast from her bright smile almost making me lose my balance.

But before I could say anything, let alone ask what she thought, her head pulled back. “And it was… it was breathtaking.”

My eyes dove left and right before I jolted my head forward. “Really?”

“Yes,” she nodded down at me, the sun backing her, making her glow. “And I’ll tell yousomething Adaline; a talent like that should just be hidden away.” Her airy voice fought against the breeze as she carried on. “Take it from someone who was told that they’d never get anywhere with their writing, that it was a waste of time and nothing great would ever come from it.” I didn’t miss the way the memories glazed over her eyes, before her head rattled, remembering where she was. “And well….” she lifted her hands and gestured to everything I’d just walked away from.

This was her dream.

Pulling at the fingers that had fully regained their feeling, I tiled my head and rushed out,“I’m so—”

Her palm stretched out. “Oh, don’t you dare eventhinkabout apologising, you don’t needto.” The delayed shame pushed my head down. But one quick reminder of what I was finally doing slowly brought it back up, along with Eleanor’s voice. “And don’t worry about the movie. I can make some changes to the script, we’ve already filmed the ending so it shouldn’t be too hard to tweak some scenes.”

Her laugh was a spawn of a mischief that I hadn’t known could be so innocent. “We’lltell them it was a mutual agreement, a conversation about artistic differences or some crap like that.”

She nods at me, a proud look playing across her face.

I couldn’t help but smile, the beauty of the unknown dancing in the edges of my mind asI locked eyes with Eleanor. “Thank you, for the opportunity.”

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