Page 39 of Three's a Crowd
Zach laughed. ‘One of the perks of stardom: getting served before everyone else,’ he said with an embarrassed grin.
Daisy shook her head. She still couldn’t get used to Zach being famous. It obviously had its upsides, but she couldn’t understand how he coped with his every move being documented and gossiped over.
‘Do youlikethe fame?’ she asked him, tucking into her delicious-smelling food, unable to wait a moment longer.
‘Sometimes,’ he said, looking up from his meal that he’d started devouring too, ‘but a lot of the time, it’s a pain in the arse, to be honest.’
‘Yeah, I bet,’ she said with a grimace.
‘The most brilliant thing is, you can be as boring as you like and people still want to talk to you.’
‘God, how sad,’ she said, then wrinkled her nose at him when she realised he was only joking.
‘Some people really get off on the power of it, though,’ he continued. ‘There’s this one guy,’ he paused as if wrestling with himself about whether to continue or not. ‘He’s been in the business for a long time, but he’s only just starting to get notoriety now.’ He picked up his drink and took a swig before continuing.
‘About a year ago, when I was trying to transition from TV to film, I went for a part that I felt really passionate about. It meant a lot to me – exactly the sort of project I should be getting involved with. It was low budget, but the script was sensational. Anyway, it caused a bit of a stir and my agent pushed for a meeting with the casting director. I met up with her and was desperate to impress her.’ He put his cutlery down now, to continue with his tale.
‘One of the main characters reminded me of you, as a matter of fact, and I loved the story,’ he continued quickly, before Daisy could interject with a question.
‘So, I met with this woman, who could have secured me the part. I knew I was perfect for it and so did she. She even said as much. But there was a catch. She suggested that she’d only guarantee me the part if I slept with her.’
Zach paused at this point in the story and looked at her, as if to gauge her reaction to it.
Daisy, who had been feeling increasingly uneasy throughout the telling of the tale, bristled with anger.
‘I told her no,’ he said forcibly, ‘and she turned really fucking cold and told me she’d “get back to me”. I knew what that meant, of course. I’d blown it, but for the sake of my professional – and my personal – pride, I couldn’t have gone through with it. I wanted to win my parts on pure talent. Anyway, I later found out the actor who got the part agreed to sleep with her. The guy I justmentioned. He was the one who told me, so I know it’s true. We have a bit of a rivalry going, which started years back when we found we were always up for the same parts.’
He let out a resentful snort.
‘So, he lorded this role he’d won over me. The casting director had apparently told him she didn’t think I could hack it in the business and he took pleasure in reminding me of this every time we bumped into each other, which was a lot, unfortunately, as we move in very similar circles. You’ve probably heard of him. Nathaniel Kingson?’
He looked at her expectantly.
Daisy dredged her memory for the name and came up with a blank. She hadn’t had much time for watching films over the last few years; work had been all consuming and she and Adam had preferred to go out for meals with friends if they had any free time, instead of going to the cinema or watching a movie at home.
Throughout his story though, Daisy had felt her anger grow on Zach’s behalf. She couldn’t believe anyone could be so petty and was proud of Zach for standing up for his principles.
‘Yes, I knowofhim. He’s awful,’ she lied, determined to support him in her renewed role of friend. ‘Absolutely no charisma. And you were right not to sleep with that despicable casting director as well. She’s giving women with power a bad name,’ she finished angrily. ‘As if we don’t have it hard enough as it is!’
Zach smiled a gracious smile. ‘Thanks, Daisy. It means a lot to hear you say that.’ He looked at her intently, his eyes searching hers.
Her stomach did an involuntary flip.
‘I was really fucking mad with myself for getting into that situation,’ he continued, ‘even though it was out of my control. And I’m really sorry about this… but I’m afraid it impacted onyou too. This all happened just before I came to stay with you and Adam in London. I was in a bad place. I’d lost the part and been made to feel like a fool, Lola was driving me nuts and I knew she was bad news but was finding it really hard to break up with her. And I was really messed up about whether I wanted to stay in a career that was so fickle and soul destroying. I’d had such a positive experience till then and I just felt really… disappointed. That’s the thing: when you’re doing well, you feel like you can conquer the world, but when things go wrong, it’s crushing.’
He swiped an agitated hand through his hair. ‘I felt like I was losing control of everything. So, I have another apology to add to the list. I acted like a total shit towards you, and Adam too, and I’m so fucking sorry, Daisy.’ His face was a picture of contrition. ‘You’re one of my oldest friends and I can’t stand the thought of losing you. Or Adam,’ he added.
Throughout this confession, Daisy felt tears welling in her eyes and she had to fight to stop them spilling over. She cleared her throat. ‘It’s okay. I forgive you, and so would Adam if he knew why you’d acted that way. Not that he knows about what happened that day between us,’ she added, her cheeks heating.
She’d never breathed a word about what had gone on between her and Zach that fateful night, or any of the other times they’d clashed. If that’s what you could call it.
Zach was looking at her intently now. His dark features still set in a frown.
‘It’s okay, Zach, really. Let’s just forget it happened, okay?’ she said, giving him a smile, which thankfully he returned.
Killer smile, she thought, once again having to force down the fluttering feeling deep in her stomach.
‘Do you want any dessert?’ he asked. ‘Coffee? Another drink?’
