Page 16 of Beneath the Fame

“I won’t judge you if you do, but Iwouldbe remiss if I didn’t ask…do you justwanta drink, or is there something you’re trying to get away from?”

I stared at him for a moment, then put the bottle down, stepping away from it. “Fuck it then, I guess,” I said, unable to keep back…not frustration, something else.

Something I couldn’t pinpoint.

Alec’s eyes went wide. “Hey, my bad. I wasn’t?—”

“No, it’s fine,” I interrupted. “I just…I don’t know. I’m in a weird space.”

He nodded. “I get it. Look, Nolan said you’ll be back on set tomorrow, right?”

“Uh…yeah?”

“Cool. I’m gonna get out of here then, let you kinda…process. That’ll probably help you be ready to go right into getting these scenes together tomorrow.”

“Or we can do it now?” I rushed out, surprising myself with the urgency of my words. “I mean…run through the lines, at least,” I clarified.

Did I really want to run through the script with him right now?

Hell no.

But I also…didn’treallywant to be alone.

“I always get two hard copies of the episode—in case I misplace one, you know?” I added, trying to further convince him not to leave.

Just like when I asked him to come in, he didn’t seem all the way certain, but he took the script I handed him from the organizer I kept on the counter, opening it to find his part before he looked at me again.

Expectantly.

Shit.

I hurriedly flipped to my own first lines, taking a deep breath as I surveyed the words on the page.

As if I didn’t already know them by heart.

Suddenly, nerves flooded my belly, and for some reason, I couldn’t myself to evenstartthe first line, I was so overwhelmed with that unnamed emotion that I couldn’t do much of anything other than just…choke.

“I…I’m sorry,” I stammered, dropping the script onto the counter as I shook my head. My eyes burned with unexplained, unprompted tears as I took a few steps back. “You probably should go, ’cause um…I’m kind of a mess?”

“No, you’re not,” he immediately responded, his eyes filled with empathy that killed my ability to hold those confusing ass tears back. Before I could even wipe my face, he’d already approached, enveloping me in an embrace that was just…

Exactlywhat I needed, somehow.

As embarrassing as it was, I didn’t even bother trying to pull away, or even stop crying.

I just…let it happen.

I didn’t feel like playing into the untouchably confident, tough-girl exterior Ihadto display for the public, I just wanted to…be.

And Alec…let me.

There was nothing sexual about his embrace, no weird slippage of his hand, no too-tight hold, and it was beyond refreshing. We both knew he was attracted to me, but the fact that he hadn’t let that bleed into any of this interaction when it so easilycould’ve.

Well…

Thatwas sexy tome.

I knew better than to pull away from crying into his chest to look him in the eyes—I knew exactly what it would do to us.

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