Page 12 of The Fate Of Us

“Exactly.” Sighing, he stretches his legs to stand up. “And it’s Addy. Just Addy. She’s oneof our closest friends. You’ll both be fine.”

I highly, highly doubt that. Like he said, he didn’t know the reason why we were like thisin the first place.

“You got through the table read fine, right?”

Barely.

“Yeah, I guess we did.” I hadn’t realised how twitchy my hands had gotten since she became the topic of our conversation. I hadto stand up. Do something. “I’m sure we'll be fine.” I lied, standing up to meet him and clasping our hands together, pulling us into a shoulder hug. “See you later, J.”

“Stop by the bakery, if you’re up for it.”

“Sure thing.”

I showed him out a minute later, giving myself a moment alone before I left, too.

And although Jacob was right, about things probably being okay today, I couldn’t shakethe feeling that things were about to get a whole lot worse, before they ever started to feel normal again.

“Normal.”I laughed to myself.

Like I knew what normal felt like.

Chapter five

Adaline

Thefirstdayofa shoot is always the worst. The introductions, the formalities, thehandshakes, and names that I’ll forget after an hour of trying to make a mental map of the set.

Yeah… I hate these days.

Luckily, 'Forever and Always'has one of the smallest casts I’ve ever had the pleasureto work with. What made the nervous sweats start to back away was the fact that I’d worked with everyone before, too.

I starred alongside Nigel Baker, who played Harry’s dad, in a movie I did when I wastwenty, and even now, I can still feel the way my stomach was clenching from laughing too much at one of his outrageously funny dad jokes.

The girl who played Anastasia’s sister, Amber Westbrooke, I’d been friends withsince the first red carpet I attended on my own after leaving California. She found me hunched over in the bathroom, my hands flat against the marble sink, crying and shaking like a leaf caught in a gust of fall wind at how I hated being there.

Neither of us spent much time out of that bathroom. Instead, she sat down on the floorwith me, and we talked. I found out she was younger than me, barely eighteen when I’d just turned twenty. She listed off advice for me that I still carry around, all while begging I tell her where each element of my outfit came from.

I had a lot of time for Amber, and knowing she was on this shoot made those excitedfeelings I’d been searching for start to spike.

There was still the missing link of who was playing Harry’s brother, but I didn’t letthe unknown eat away at me too much.

And then… there was Nate. He and the undeniable feeling that I wasn’t meant to beon the way to the production lot were the only things making me second guess leaving the safety of the car I was in, wondering whether I could get away with staying curled up in the backseat.

Quickly getting off that train of thought, I shake my head, pulling my laptop from mybag in the hopes the distraction of drafting will take my mind off the fact that I’d rather lose every draft that existed in here than head to the lot, along with the reminders of a certain six-foot whatever man who broke my heart.

The only relaxing and quiet parts of the weeks since the signing have been my writingdays, truthfully. They always are. I’d call my assistant and have her cancel my plans for that day, so I could hibernate in my office and type away to my heart’s content.

Which was how I managed to officially finish book number twenty-four.

The only sad thing about ending a story is the fact that, besides Goldie, I had no oneto share my excitement with. Nate used to be the one I’d run to when I’d finished a book. I’d text him to meet me at the bus stop, and within the hour we’d be sitting on Sunfall Pier, the waves crashing over our feet as we sat right on the edge, reading my stories until the sun went down and the stars hung over the city of walking ones.

It was horrible, having all the excitement and pride bubble up inside of me, only forme to look around my office and realise that I didn’t have anyone to tell. No one I could ask if they wanted to read it. It’s gotten to the point now where I’m tired of feeling the sparks of excitement fade away, so tired that I’ve considered taking off the mask and revealing my borderline double life with the people around me.

Well, maybe just one person in particular.

“Want me to drop you here or round the back, Adaline?” My driver, Paulie, calls fromthe front seat, as he makes a turn onto Tenth Avenue.

“Just here would be great, Paulie, thank you,” I shout back to him, casting him aglance before sliding my laptop away. “Do you want anything while I’m in there?”

---