Page 79 of Billionaire's Second Chance

"Ava, open your eyes," Greg whispered loudly and pinched me.

I listened. My eyes widened, and I forgot to blink until the movie's end.

Watching myself on the screen always felt like an out-of-body experience. I knew I had said those words and done the things that I was doing in the movie, but it didn't feel, sound, or look like me. The woman on that screen was named Rose, not Ava. She looked like Ava, but that's about all they had in common. Rose carried herself more intensely. She had a bitter past and an unclear future that her eyes strived to understand. Her face creased in different places than mine. Her voice sounded different. Rose carried emotions that I didn't even know I had.

I had disposed of Rose as soon as I heard Sandy's last 'Cut.' But what if parts of her had stayed with me? How could I be sure anymore that I had left this role unscathed, back to my pure, authentic self?

"May I?" Damon zapped me out of my existential thoughts.

He had sat near Sandy for the movie's beginning but then made his way through my row and asked Greg to scoot over one seat.

"Sure," I smiled, happy and relieved to see him.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I hate looking at myself," I confessed, happy to look away from the screen and into his eyes. "I'm too critical."

"As every talented actor is!" He comforted me, placing his hand on my knee. "I think you're great!"

I believed him. His hand remained on my knee for the remainder of the show, squeezing it tight during the intimate scenes, glancing at me with the side of his eye.

As the final credits rolled, everyone erupted in thunderous applause. We stood together, acknowledging the ovation and sharing this priceless, private moment of triumph.

My mind shifted the bump forming in my belly. Damon had been ecstatic at the news, surprising me in every way possible. I wanted to give our child the best future, with or without him in the picture. But now that it seemed like he wanted to stay, my heart jumped with joy at the idea of us raising a child together.

In just a few weeks, Damon had managed to disarm my resentment, dismantle my walls, strip my clothes, and plant the most precious surprise inside me. I was utterly and foolishly in love with him. The future didn't matter if he wasn't going to be in it. Any future would be worth it if only he were in it.

"Thank you, Ava." He peered at me while everyone else was slowly sifting out of the theater. "You saved this movie."

"No, Damon. Thank you." I looked up at him, my eyes swimming in gratitude. "You inspired me to give my all."

I walked before him through the hallway, feeling his burning gaze over my bare back. I turned to glance at him, smiled, and disappeared into the crowd, which engulfed us with congratulations, questions, and small talk.

The celebration continued at an extravagant after-party—a glamorous affair filled with laughter, music, and the clinking of champagne glasses.

We didn't care for any of it. Damon and I glided through it all, oblivious to the glitz and glamour surrounding us, until he knocked on my hotel suite later, wearing nothing but a robe and that mischievous smile of his.

24

Damon

“Wow,”Gregexclaimed.

The warm lights lining the living room walls glowed warmly on our faces as we stepped inside. The clock on the wall read 7:20 pm. He was supposed to be here at five o’clock.

“What took you so long?” I scolded him.

“Try getting away from Ava when she’s feeling chatty,” he defended himself.

“Please, make yourself comfortable,” I said, walking to the bar. “Whiskey or water?”

He sank into the couch and looked around. I would have been flattered by this audacious awe in any other situation, but my mind was elsewhere. Weeks had gone by since we had wrapped up the movie. Ava and I had come out to our closest friends and family, but we were still keeping a low profile, even though her belly was beginning to show under her flowing dresses and oversized shirts. Greg had been a wonderful friend throughout, but tonight I needed him to be a double agent.

“Whiskey,” he said.

I poured two generous servings of aged whiskey and observed him. He always loved to put up an act.

He must have forgotten the part where I instructed him to dress for a ‘dinner party.’ His outfit screamed beach.

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