Page 14 of Official

“You’re very calm for someone who’s just lost his jobandgirlfriend.”

He gasps. “She was not my girlfriend. How dare you,” he says, his voice laced with sarcasm.

I burst into laughter. “Zoey St. Claire is crazy famous, though! It wouldn’t be the worst thing to be associated with her, especially in your position.”

“As a new writer for serious TV? Yeah, being tied to a girl who’s barely legal to drink and is on track to be the nextHannah Montanaisn’t exactly what I’ve aspired to all my life.”

“I’ll give you that.” I lean back in my seat as we merge onto the interstate toward LAX. “Why did you take a job as an assistant, though? You don’t need the money, since you’re legit rich. I mean, we’re jetting off to Maui on a moment’s notice, for God’s sake.”

“You have my Venmo information, by the way, so feel free to pay me back for your half. We have the next several hours, so you have plenty of chances.” He chuckles, and the glimmer in his eyes matches the sparkle across the ocean in the mornings.

It reminds me of the way he chuckled last night, so open and free.

The sharp dip of his upper lip came and went as we laughed over silly things—there were a lot of those. He seemed to be on a mission to make me forget the day I had, and he did a damn great job of it as we traded stories of our pasts.

I never realized it before, but Xander’s a good listener.

I shift in my seat as I peek over at him. “Technically, you invited me, so…”

He bursts into laughter, and although I have every intention of paying him back the moment we get to the airport, I enjoy teasing him.

After all, he can afford twenty tickets to Maui without blinking. His mom’s done well, making a name for herself in Hollywood for years. His stepdad is a hotshot tech developer, who’s too smart and intuitive to be human.

That’s how Xander describes him, anyway.

Being an only child, Xander has reaped the benefits of his parents’ good fortune and has been well on his way to making his own. This new gig will just keep the ball rolling for him.

“Are you going to answer my question, or what?” I lift my eyebrow.

“I needed to prove myself and network with the right people. Flashing my birth certificate hasn’t always been enough, so I went the more practical and hardworking route. You know, paid my dues and shit. But I messed up with Zoey and am afraid I lost a lot of points with some of my colleagues.” He rubs his jaw, and remorse rolls down him in waves.

“Everyone makes mistakes,” I offer lightly, honestly surprised that he feels guilty over something like this.

Xander Logan isn’t exactly the type to dwell over heartbreak.

I’ve never actually witnessed him ache over any woman he’s gone out with in the three years I’ve known him.

“You’d think I’d know better by now,” he mumbles and squints in the mirror as he switches lanes. “Plus, I just…”

I angle my body toward him and hold the seat belt out from digging into my shoulder. “Yeah?”

He leans an elbow on the window and rubs his chin, his square jaw clenched—wait, is he nervous to tell me? Seriously? He’s never shy around me.

This has to be some parallel universe because the Xander sitting next to me is not my brother’s best friend that I’ve come to know.

“Okay, you’re being weird,” I tell him. “And now youhaveto tell me.”

“I like being on a set,” he blurts, but I don’t get it.

“You’re a screenwriter. Of course you like being on a set.”

He shakes his head, fumbling over his words worse than I imagine a first-time actor might. If I’m being honest, it’s kind of endearing. “It’s more than that. I feel like… Sets are… It’s like this: you feel at home in the gym, right? It’s your safe place. Your happy place. It’s where you feel the most like yourself. You get a rush, even.”

“Yeah,” I whisper, my teasing grin faltering.

“It’s how I feel when I’m on a set. In the writers’ room. Anywhere near a production, no matter if it’s the nextiCarlyor whatever.”

I gulp—I know the exact feeling he’s describing, and it’s a powerful one. There’s something about the thrill those happy places can provide. The inspiration the air sparks. The comforting feeling of being in the right place at the right time.

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