Page 49 of The Invitation
Oxygen fills my lungs, and I stand tall.
“My first impression of Ripley was that he’s extremely good-looking. I had a hard time not wearing a goofy smile the whole night. It’s one of those situations where you see a hot guy, and you think you’d play it super cool if you met them, but then you do meet them, and you’re not cool at all. I just prayed the entire time that I didn’t make a fool of myself.”
“What kind of a first impression do you feel you made on Ripley?”
He watched me walk down the hallway carrying my books. His smile chased away the chill from my fear of starting a new school, so I’d say he liked me back then.
“I feel like we had an instant connection,” I say, figuring that’s what I should say. “Our conversation flowed easily, and he seemed interested in what I had to say.”
Myla smiles. “You seemed a bit intimidated by the menu, and Ripley stepped in to save the day. How did that make you feel?”
A lump settles in my throat as I recall the moment in question.
“I was a little intimidated by the menu,” I say. “When Ripley offered to order for me, I was initially shocked. But the shockwore off fast. It’s such a sexy thing—to have the confidence to read a situation, step in and handle it. And then to handle it with class? It’s very attractive.” I laugh. “He also ordered a perfect meal for me, so that’s a plus.”
I glance over my shoulder to ensure Ripley isn’t standing in the shadows to hear all this. While it’s true, I don’t want him to think I think he means any of it. That would be messy.
“How do you feel about a second date?” Myla asks.
“I’m very excited to see Ripley again. He checked off every box for me tonight, and I feel like there’s still so much to learn about him. It’s great to meet someone with whom you share an underlying nexus from the get-go. It’s the golden ticket.”
“Last, but not least, do you have any indication what your overlapping online searches might be?”
“Not porn, apparently.” I laugh, remembering the look on Ripley’s face. “You know, I’m not sure yet. We had a great conversation tonight, but things were pretty superficial. I know I didn’t tell him what my most searched-for terms are, and I don’t think he would’ve told me his yet. It’s such a personal thing that you do because no one is looking—only now, someone is looking.”
Myla touches the camera again. “That’s a wrap. And good job with the answers, by the way. They were the perfect responses for this first scene.”
“I’m glad.”
She takes my audio pack off my back and shoves it in a black bag at her feet. “That’s it for me. We’re done here.”
“Awesome. I’ll see you soon.”
“Have a good night, Georgia.”
I pace across the asphalt to my car, feeling Ripley’s gaze heavy on my back. I don’t turn to look at him because I’m not sure what that exchange should resemble.Are we still incharacter when the cameras aren’t rolling? Or are we back to normal?
And was Myla serious about our chemistry?
I snort. Maybe I am a good actress, after all.
It’s moments like these that I wish I could read Ripley better. He is so damn charming when he wants to be, and if I didn’t know him better, I’d think we had a connection.Sutton, you’re welcome.
But the truth is that I know not to trust him.
Still, I wonder what he thought of our “date.”
“What does it really matter, Georgia?” I ask, climbing into the driver’s seat. “That’s one fake date down and a few more to go. You’ve got this.”
I turn on the engine, put the car in drive, and leave the parking lot—and Ripley—behind.
Ripley
“Sorry about the delay,” Greg says, shoving his glasses up his long nose. “I gave Myla the good camera. This one glitches from time to time.”
“Not a problem, man. Don’t worry about it.”
I look over his shoulder, watching Georgia move across the parking lot to her car. There’s no one around her, and the area is well-lit. Still, I don’t take my eyes off her until she’s in her seat and the engine is running.
