Page 67 of The Fate Of Us

“You look like you’re being led to your death.” Sniggered Asher from beside me inthe car, a freshly pressed suit covering his statue-esque body and layers of dusty blonde groomed to perfection.

“I think I’d prefer that,” I said as bluntly as my voice would allow.

Another snigger from Asher, his head falling back against the headrest. “For someonewho hates acting, you sure love being the drama queen.”

My elbow met the side of my rib cage, staggering a grunt out of him, mixed with alaugh. “Asshole.”

“Hey, you’re the one who asked me to come with you.” I eyed him. “Forgive me foradding some humour to this situation you hate so much.” I narrowed my eyes. “And you look phenomenal, red suits you.”

I let my head fall back to the leather headrest, sighing a laugh before fluttering myeyes shut. My hands skated on the ruby silk dress that covered my legs, reminding me that although my thoughts were a mess, Ididlook phenomenal.

He was right in other ways too, Ihadasked him to come with me tonight. Not for anyother reason than I didn’t want to be the third wheel to Jacob and Flo. This was his night, and hers, and having me follow behind them like a little lost dog wouldn’t have done anything for my pride.

But at the same time, I don’t think I could have faced coming alone. So I pulled Asheraside yesterday, asked if he was invited, and when he told me he was, I pathetically begged for him to come with me. He was a gentleman about it, though, he knew I hated this life, the mandatory appearances, and he said if I needed an arm to lead me down the carpet so I didn’t pass out, he’d be there at 7:00 PM to pick me up.

“You ready?” Asher asked, his voice barely loud enough to beat the screamingpouring in from outside the doors. I hadn’t even realised we were nearly there, but now that I did, I wondered whether I even wanted to leave the safety of the car. “Addy?”

Hearing him call me that made my head swish toward him. He was my friend, strangely,considering how much he used to confuse my thoughts, but now he was, and he’d promised to look after me tonight.

I’d be okay.

“Ready,” I whispered, as Asher dished me a smile before both of our doors opened,spilling in the screams and the lights.

I plastered that rehearsed smile on my face, letting the confidence that this gownbrought take over.

Like a flash, Asher was at my side, ushering us away to the beginning of the carpet. Ilifted my head to take in everything that was crowding me, blown up pictures of the movie poster with one of my best friends in the centre lined the wall of the building, pride bubbling in my chest.

Cameras, both inches from the ground and twenty feet in the air, lined the carpet,ready to capture whatever stars were here at every angle imaginable.

Without second guessing, I slipped my arm under Asher, letting him escort me down the startof the red velvet runway. I looked up at him, shooting him a grateful smile, before he nodded. A conversation without the need for words is an essential skill to learn in a place like this.

Within moments, we were swept away by the current of press and reporters, pulledapart, and separated to talk into microphones about how utterly grateful we were to be here. I stumbled from news outlet to news outlet, answering every question I’d already been asked a billion times, before I found myself in front of a keen-looking woman, with a microphone the size of my head in her iron-clad hold, and a smile that was like a camera flash.

“Miss Moore!!” she called, even though I was right in front of her. “Got a minute toanswer a few questions? I’m such a huge fan!”

“Sure!” I beamed, not letting my smile falter.

Her giddiness was kind of infectious. “Awesome! So firstly, it’s lovely to see you here supporting your ex-co-star! Do you see each other often, you and Jacob Emerson?”

An easy answer: I could happily talk about my friends all day.

Some truth shone in mysmile. “We do, actually! I’m sure it’s no secret that his girlfriend and I are besties, and I’m so lucky to have such amazing people like them in my life!”

“That’s lovely!” She looked down at the question sheet in her hands, her bouncyblonde curls swaying in the night air before bobbing her head back up to me. “It’s also nice to see some of the cast from the book adaptation you’re currently filming, care to tell us about how that’s going?”

Well, my love, it’s going horribly, if I’m being honest. I want to scream and leave andnever come back! I actually want to pursue a career in writing so I never have to walk down another red carpet in my life!I dream of saying, but instead…

“It’s going amazingly. I’m so lucky to have found another cast I get on with so well.”

She narrowed her eyes in a way that made me scared for whatever was going to come outof her mouth next. “And I saw that you turned up with Asher Hartford, you lucky thing,” she beamed as she nudged me. “And so recently after you two were spotted leaving in a car together and showing up at his bar later in the evening.” Prying witch. “Is anything blossoming there?” she asks, shaking her shoulders and looking like she’d pass out from anticipation any second.

“Only a really good friendship,” I say, knowing it won’t be enough to convince her.Knowing that, come tomorrow morning, whatever article she’s writing will say the exact opposite of what I’ve told her.

“That’s so interesting!” Something dropped in my stomach at the way her toneswitched. “I had the chance to speak to Nate Patricks earlier, who said that you and Asher are practically inseparable on set, living in each other’s pockets!”

I’m going to fucking kill—

“Care to offer your side of things?”

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