Page 37 of Are You Going to Love Me

Eden nodded, stepping out of his hold because comfort outside of Staysha hadn’t been something she’d felt since Poppi departed. As she wrapped her arms around herself, she looked around the space. “Yeah, just recalling my time here.”

Maximus squinted under his thick brows, letting the files of his memory flip through until he found the exact moment. His fingers snapped, and his slack smirk turned into a full, charismatic grin.

It was Eden’s turn to squint. “What?”

“That’s where I know you from.” Maximus wouldn’t tell her that he’d found himself on her page more times than he could count or that listening to her GRWM or ASMR’s helped him fall asleep. Appearing like a stalker wasn’t a way to start anything.

Eden’s brow popped up. “From here?”

Maximus bobbed his head, pushing his hands into his pockets. “You’re Poppi’s Girl.”

Eden nervously laughed. “Wow, yeah. I haven’t been called that in years. It’s still not clicking for me, though. I kinda blocked that whole year out. You know, trauma, grief and shit.”

“Oxygen guy,” Maximus shared.

Eden thought about it before it finally came to her. “Ah yeah. So, what are you doing here?”

“Keon and Staysha got me the part of the DJ. My trailer was too small to focus, so I started wandering. Went from moving packs in and out of here to filming some shit for TV.” Maximus looked around. “This shit is crazy.”

“Indeed,” Eden muttered. “So, you and I should probably figure out the flow of these lines. I’ve been going over them with Stay, and the trailers are definitely too small.”

Maximus’s smirk turned into a smile. “Sure, you ain’t too shy for that?”

Eden rolled her eyes and chuckled as she sauntered over to the leather sectionals brought in by the prop department. “I’m not shy per se, cautious maybe.”

“Heard you,” Maximus buzzed, as he took a seat to her left. He looked down at the script at all the highlighted parts.

“You got them memorized?” Eden asked, earning her a look from Maximus. His eyes were dark but danced like diamonds, suspending her in whatever this was possibly brewing between them. She shook the thoughts away because – no.

“Somewhat, just ain’t that confident with this yet.”

“How do you remember your bars?”

“They play in my head day and night.”

Eden nodded as she pulled out her phone and placed it on the table. With her voice memos were recording, she continued. “Okay so let’s just read through and play it back so you can hear yourself. The first scene is in the parking lot.”

Maximus laid the script on the table and glanced down at his lines.

“Ready?”

He nodded, yielding to her. Eden liked that. Maximus had a way of not overpowering a room, and whether he knew it or not, he was the most powerful in the space. His energy was unexplainable. Comforting?

Eden’s eyes pulled from his and peeked at the script.

Morgan enters the scene from a nearby parked car. She’s been waiting impatiently for DJ Two Tymes to appear. The couple is in the middle of tension and hard decisions around his decision to pursue his music full-time.

DJ Two Tymes’ posture tightens as his girlfriend approaches

DJ Two Tymes: I’ll holla at y’all inside

He gives his two companions a special handshake. They exit to the right. Morgan and DJ Two Tymes are standing in silence.

Morgan: One of us has to say something

DJ Two Tymes looks down at her. In awe of her beauty but disappointed in her lack of support. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and leans his back against his car.

DJ Two Tymes: You said everything you needed to say this morning. All that shit about me throwing my life away and blowing up yours? What the fuck is that about, Morgan?

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