Page 25 of Where the Little Birds Go (Little Bird Duet 1)

She doesn’t understand that I demanded the role as soon as I realized her name was tied to the movie. I shouldn’t have. It makes me scum to need her in my life in any form I can get it like I have a right to claim her time. But I did, and here we are a year after the decisions were made over who would make this an Oscar-worthy performance.

A second hole is left in the hallway.

Chapter Eleven

Kinley / Present

Tears blur my vision as I watch Olivia’s hands shake as they wrap around her phone. Her body slumps forward as her breathing hitches, the camera moving closer to capture the name on the phone as her fingers let it drop.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpers, fingers going to her hair. The cell remains screen-up on the floor, her fiancé’s picture staring back at her as she opens her eyes.

Corbin comes into the shot, kneeling beside where Olivia sits on the couch. When he reaches out, she jerks back and shakes her head.

“Beck,” he says, voice breaking as she abruptly stands up and backs away from him.

Her hands wipe at her cheeks desperately, her skin red and her hair a mess. “I can’t keep doing this, Ryker. Don’t you see that? It’s not fair to him.”

Corbin stands. “What about us?”

Olivia keeps shaking her head.

Corbin steps forward, leaving plenty of distance between them. “What about how unfair we’re being to this opportunity? You can’t just say you’re sorry and leave it at that.”

Hands cupping her face, Olivia tries evening her breathing before looking at Corbin again. “This was a mistake. It’s always a mistake with you, Ryker. We’re trapped and we’re bringing everyone down with us.”

This time Corbin moves right in front of her, tipping her chin up. “We’ll keep making the same mistakes because we never want to learn.”

Olivia pushes his hand away. “Then we’re masochists.”

Corbin smiles at her in a way that is far too familiar. It’s the same smirk he shot girls in the hallway at school. The very same one he’d give me when he was up to no good.

“Welcome to love, baby.”

I blink when Buchannan calls cut and lean back in my chair. Not realizing I’d been sitting forward as they acted out the scene, I quickly w

ipe away a stray tear and smile when Olivia looks at me.

Both she and Corbin walk over to where I sit, but it’s Olivia who embraces me in a tight hug. “I can’t believe you’re crying.” Stepping back, she swipes her own cheeks. “That scene made me tear up the first time I read it. It’s like Beck can’t decide who she’s sorrier to—Ian or Ryker.”

Swallowing, I take a deep breath. “I think when I wrote it I wanted her to feel guilt for what she’s putting them both through. But…” My eyes sneak a peek at Corbin before going back to Olivia’s waiting gaze. “I think she feels sorry for herself because she knows she deserves more but can’t allow herself happiness without misery.”

“Hence the masochist thing,” Olivia concludes in understanding. “It’d be amazing to live in that head of yours for a day. Is that really how you view love? Painfully?”

Pausing, I contemplate giving an honest answer. I’ve thought about love a lot of times, so I know what I believe. As a romance writer, it’s important to have a different view when you’re selling the chemistry written on paper.

“I think real love is almost impossible to find without some form of pain along the way,” I answer truthfully, feeling emotion swell in the back of my throat. “Sometimes you find it with the wrong person at the wrong time and sometimes…” I force a tight smile. “Sometimes you find it with the right person at the wrong time and realize you can’t keep it. Either way, there’s pain that comes with opening yourself up to somebody.”

Olivia reaches out and takes my hand, squeezing it once. “That’s why I love your books. You don’t write about false hope like love is some easy to acquire thing. It hurts.”

I simply nod at her in agreement.

She let’s go of my hand and adds, “But I think that the right person will come along again when the time is right. You know, if it’s meant to be and all that bullshit.”

Choking out a laugh, I glance at Corbin. His eyes are burning into mine, causing me to look back at Olivia and pretend like the source of my belief isn’t witnessing my emotional turmoil.

“You guys did amazing,” is all I say in return, smiling at them both to get my point across. Gripping the arms of the chair, I scope out the crew moving on to the next set they’re shooting on. “This whole thing has been surreal to watch. I never expected to be here.”

“But you are.” It’s Corbin who speaks, causing both Olivia and I to look at him. “I bet everyone is really proud of you.”

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