Page 75 of Love Unexpected
I shook my head. “Not really. I’m freaking out a little.”
She squeezed my hand. “Don’t freak out. This is a good thing, I promise.”
Inside the elevator, Greta pushed the second-floor button instead of the third.
“Why are we going to the studio?” I said, nerves coiling my midsection into a knot.
Greta only shot me a look. “Just go with it, all right?”
I followed her through the annex and into the studio, then through a side door and down a long hallway to the chop shop where all the editing magic happened. The room was empty.
“Just stand right here, okay?” Greta said. She took my shoulders and turned me to face the giant wall of screens that occupied the back of the room.
The screens flickered to life, and suddenly I was back in the VW Rabbit, smiling at Isaac while we buckled our seatbelts with a simultaneous click.
Was I just watching the road trip segment? It could have been, except...all of Isaac’s intro had been cut out, and there wasn’t anything about any of the planned stops we’d made. This was just footage of the two of us. Listening to Red Renegade. Picking out identical snacks at the gas station. Eating black licorice and pickle taffy. Laughing over the dad jokes Isaac told whenever there had been more than a minute or two of silence.
It wasn’t a wonder Tyler had figured me out. Whenever Isaac was talking, I was staring at him with open devotion written all over my face. But the thing was, whenever Isaac was looking at me, his expression was just as enthusiastic. The video cut to the live video Isaac and I had filmed together outside the hotel in Nashville. We reallydidhave a vibe. The video shifted again to Isaac standing nervously on my parents’ front porch. My gut tightened, which was saying something since I was already a knot of nerves.
Isaac wiped his hands down the front of his pants then glanced at the camera, his eyes bright with excitement.
My heart swelled as they moved inside, and I caught sight of my mom. I laughed as she bumbled her way through sending them upstairs, sticking devotedly to the script I’d given her. It had probably taken all her self-control not to say more. And then Isaac was at my bedroom door, walking into my room, looking at my artwork, running his hands along the shelves that held my Red Renegade album collection. When he turned to the collage of graduation photos above my desk, I had to force myself to keep my eyes open. His face morphed from confusion to awareness to disbelief. And then to something else.
He dropped onto my bed, laughing and shaking his head. Tyler zoomed in on his face; only then did I notice the tears collecting in his eyes. Isaac sniffed and wiped at his eyes, then looked directly at the camera.I wanted it to be her,he said.I wanted it to be her.
“I wish you’d been there,” a voice said from behind me.
I spun around.
Isaac leaned against the chop shop door, his shoulder resting against the door jamb and his arms folded across his chest.
I swallowed, willing my nerves to stop climbing up my throat. “Hi.”
He took a few steps forward. “Hi.”
“That was...” I motioned my head toward the wall of screens. “I liked it.”
“Sorry it took so long.” He grinned. “I caught the earliest flight I could, but I’m not as quick as the editing guys; they had to teach me a few things, and there was a lot of footage to get through.”
“You did this yourself?”
He nodded. “I wanted to.”
“So this isn’t...there will be a different video for the road trip segment?”
“This one is only for you. For...us?” He said the word like a question, as if he wasn’t sure if therewasan us. “As for the road trip segment, there’s another video. But it won’t post until you’ve watched it, until you’re comfortable with every single shot. You could tell me not to post it at all and I wouldn’t do it. I need you to know that.”
I started to shake my head. “I’m sure it’s—”
Isaac lifted his hand and caught my chin, stopping my movement. “Don’t,” he said softly, his tone warm and accepting. “You deserve veto rights. You’re in the video. And you’re important to me. It isn’t too much to ask.”
His hand moved to my shoulder then slid down the length of my arm until his fingers curled around mine. “You were right about a lot of things, Rosie. I have lost sight of what I want my show to be. ButRandom Iwill never be more important than the people I care about. I might need reminders every once in a while.” He ran his free hand through his hair. “I don’t always think things through before I want to jump in with both feet. But I can respect boundaries. I can keep things private.”
I wanted to believe him, to trust him. But something still held me back. “That isn’t what you said at Marley’s house,” I said, my words shaky.
He breathed out a sigh. “I know. But I was scared, Rosie. Kissing you was...” He shook his head. “I freaked out. I had no idea how to reconcile what I was feeling for you with what I already felt for Ana. I complained about viewer expectations, but only because that felt easier than sorting out my own feelings.”
I rolled my eyes playfully. “I could have made it a lot easier on you had you just listened to me. I tried to tell you,” I said. “Right after we kissed. I wanted to tell you right then who I was.”
