Page 23 of Beneath the Fame

“Didn’t y’all have scenes together just yesterday?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but like…that’swork. It’s different. Andthatwas awkward too, honestly,” I admitted. “I have no idea what prompted me to like…take it therewith him…”

“Uh…maybe that scene y’all had to do?” Elodie suggested, laughing. “I mean, I wasn’t on set, but Ididread the script, and let me tell you…I know what would’ve been waiting for Shaw in the dressing room after.”

I grinned. “Yeah, but…that’sy’all.Y’all had history, and were still in love, and all that. Alec is…a friend. He’s so damn sweet—the day that stupid-ass video came out, you know he came by my house and brought a bottle of my favorite perfume? I started crying like a freaking baby, and he wasn’t even weird about. He held me, and…shit, we kissed.”

“Okay, you play too much,” Elodie fussed, giving my shoulder a gentle shove. “Talking aboutyou don’t know what made you take it there. Between that interview, a sweet-ass gift, a kiss, and freak-nasty simulated sex, um…I’m a little surprised your virtual pussy is the only one you’ve put on him.”

I rolled my eyes. “Why, ’cause that’s the typical slut thing to do?”

Immediately, Elodie’s face pulled into another frown, and she shook her head. “What? Van,no. Don’t even play with me like that, you know I’m not on that type of time,” she said.

“Yeah.” I sighed. “I know. Sorry. Projection.”

“Well, if you know, thenstop,” she insisted. “My whole point is that…it seems like there was a lot contributing to the exact perfect conditions for something to pop off between you and Alec. I mean, the man is fine, talented, and just honestly…cool.He’s easy to be around, easy to talk to, and heclearlylikes you. If you did take it all the way there with him…what would be the problem?”

My eyes went wide. “All the waytheremeaning…what exactly?” I asked. “Like…fucking him?”

“Likedatinghim,” Elodie corrected. “I feel like he’s probably good for more than a fun ride.”

“Which is exactlywhyit’s never going to happen,” I explained. “Can you imagine the field day the blogs would have? Not to mention, it would ruin his image.”

She scoffed. “Girl,bye—have you not seen that man trying to get the internet to understand he is good and grown?” She shook her head. “And besides that…learn from my mistake, sis. Don’t let these people who have nothing better to do than talk about people that don’t know they exist have you second-guessing yourself, and…whether or not you’re good enough for him.”

“I didn’t even say all that.”

“But you’reclearlythinking it,” Elodie countered. “But girl…be forreal. You would honestly elevate his platform, and besidesthat…doeshecare about these fans he would supposedly lose? Because again, going back to that interview…”

“He wasdrunk.”

“And we all know what they say about that, don’t we?”

I sighed. Of course I knew she was referring to the old cliché of a drunk mind speaking sober thoughts, but I wasn’t so sure.

Actually…I was quite confident he wanted to sleep with me—that was nothing. Half the damn population wantedthat.

But where it came to something deeper, somethingreal, I?—

Wait a damn minute.

Why was I even thinking aboutthat?

“El, I know you’re all wrapped up inlove of my lifemode with Shaw, but that’s…it’s not my reality,” I explained. “That’s not where my head is.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “That’s the same thing I thought before Shaw and I got together the first time though—just a heads up.”

“El.”

“I’m just saying.” She laughed, tossing her hands up. “I think sometimes…we kinda get stuck in our ways with certain things, even if that’s not really serving us anymore. I don’t want to see that happen to you.”

Shit.

Leave it to Elodie to put something like that on my mind five seconds before we got called back to set, ready to resume shooting for the day. I managed to bury it enough to keep my preoccupation from affecting work, but once I landed in my trailer for the night, it was all I could think about.

Was I really just stuck in my ways?

Maybe.

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