Page 64 of Would You Rather
I let out a laugh, trying to hide my discomfort.How did I end up dating him? Well, the thing is… we’re not. It’s all fake, and you’re all being lied to.I clear my throat and paste on a smile. “We met in a blackout, actually.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows raise. “That sounds interesting. Tell me more.”
I glance at Lucas for a second, and I can tell he doesn’t know where I’m going with this. “Well, it was just us in the elevator when it broke down,” I admit. “We were stuck in there with no lights, no form of contact, so we got to talking and...” I smile up at him, “The rest is history.”
His brows bunch together as he looks at me. “I was completely hypnotized,” he says, his eyes never leaving mine. “I knew I couldn’t let her go without asking for her number.” It’s not even close to what actually happened between us, and I don’t know which version of the story I prefer.
“Talk about a meet-cute,” Sarah says, smiling at us. “I mean, we all see the way you look at her. I’ll tell you, it’s been a long time since someone has looked at me like that. And that photoshoot?” She blows out a breath, waving a hand in her face. “It was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I think back to that photoshoot. It seems like just yesterday, but so much has happened since then. I still remember it, his breath hitting my skin, his hand on my cheek. I don’t think I’ll ever stop remembering it.
“Was that the first time you had done any modeling?” she asks me.
I nod. “I was terrified at first.” I let out a nervous laugh. “But Lucas calmed me down and made me feel comfortable.” And the thing is, I don’t even have to lie. It’s the truth.
“Well, you’re a natural,” Sarah says. “Lucas taught you well.”
“I didn’t need to do much teaching. The camera loves her,” he says, glancing down at me with a smirk.
“You are right about that,” Sarah says before turning her attention back to me. “So this is your first celebrity relationship. How does that feel?” she asks. “It must be nerve-wracking having paparazzi around you guys all the time.”
“A little,” I admit. “Sometimes they appear out of nowhere, and it’s surprising for sure. Especially when we just want to go out like any other couple, but I guess we can’t really do that.”Especially because we’re not a couple at all.I bite back the truth as Sarah nods sympathetically.
“That’s got to be tough, but if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have known about you guys. And we love you so much.” The crowd cheers again.
“I like that I don’t have to hide her from the world anymore,” Lucas says. “I want everyone to know how amazing she is.”
God, he knows all of the right things to say. I’m even starting to believe him.
“So, how did you know she was the one?” she asks Lucas. “After all, we’ve all seen the pictures of the various different girls throughout the years.”
Sarah laughs, and the crowd follows, but Lucas stiffens, his touch stopping abruptly on my leg. “Yeah,” he says, laughing a little, which I can tell is fake. “I guess it did take me a while to want to settle down.” He removes his hand completely from my leg, and I feel the emptiness soon after.
“So what was it about Madeline that made you change your mind?” she asks.
We didn’t know what questions they were going to ask, so while we came prepared, making up a story on the spot was a little harder to do. I turn my head to find Lucas already looking at me. The look in his eyes is intense, making my stomach swirl with nerves.
He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he says, “Every other girl stopped existing the minute she came into my life.”
“Well done,” Ana says when we walk backstage. “That went better than I expected.” She hands me a cup of coffee and I gladly take it.
I drop down on the white couch they have in the room backstage and blow out a breath. It went way better than Ithought, but I’m so glad that’s over. I take a sip of the coffee and hum, my eyes closing at the warm, sweet flavor on my tongue.
“The comments are amazing,” she says, looking down at her phone. “Everyone is loving this relationship. You guys are great.” She grins, focusing her attention on me. “Especially you, Madeline. I knew you wanted to be an actress, and the audition tapes I have seen were great, but I don’t think I realized how talented you are until I saw that performance out there.”
My cheeks start to heat as I smile at her. “Thank you.”
“I’ll tell you what,” she says. “I know somebody in the movie business. Monica Harrington, you know her?” My eyes widen. Do I know her? She’s only one of my favorite directors ever. She must be able to tell from my expression because she laughs. “I can’t promise anything, but I can try and see if I can get you an audition.”
That’s the best news I’ve heard yet.
“Really?” I ask her.
“Of course. I told you this would be beneficial to you, and I plan on keeping my word. You’re getting so much recognition already. We might as well see if we can get you something out of it.”
My lips part and I struggle for words. “I’m… thank you,” I say, unable to think of anything else. An audition. I might actually get an audition withMonica Harrington.
“Don’t mention it. Just enjoy it, and speaking of…” She glances down at her phone. “Next week, you guys are attending a gala together as a couple, obviously.”
