Page 59 of Anyone But the Superstar

Consoling myself with the thought that I’ll still have an opportunity to meet my sister at the astronaut dinner, I take a deep breath and prepare to be fired. ‘I’m?—’

‘Because I didn’t tell her to.’ Felix takes a step forward, drawing Ron’s attention.

Ron pulls back. ‘And why would you be talking to her?’ He frowns at Felix, and, if possible, his eyes narrow further. ‘She’s an intern.’

Man. Hollywood really doesn’t like interns.

‘Because I hired her.’ Felix thumbs over his shoulder at Mike,now snoring like a top-of-the-line espresso maker in my arms. ‘To look after my emotional support animal.’

My mouth, along with all the others’, drops.

‘That’syouranimal?’ Ron’s voice rises again, this time at a higher pitch.

In my peripheral vision, I notice Park’s shoulders shaking.

‘Yeah.’ Felix crosses his arms, looking every inch the kick-ass-and-take-names action hero he is. ‘Is it a problem to take care of your mental health?’

The vein at Ron’s temple pulses.

‘Sorry about that.’ Amanda, looking badass in a blue NASA jumpsuit, struts through the gathered crew. Her million-dollar smile fading as she comes full stop next to David, her eyes ping-ponging between her soggy co-star, the half-naked astronaut and the apocalyptic expression on her director’s face. ‘Um…’ Settling on me, she raises an eyebrow at Mike. ‘What’d I miss?’

16

LIZ

I feel horrible.

Dropping my forehead on the steering wheel in front of me, I fail to muster up the will to vacate Felix’s rental and head upstairs to the condo. It seems the drive to the parking garage, that I made as if on autopilot, has drained whatever energy I had left after watching my brother’s cat almost drown, my roommate go full-on Tom Hanks inCastaway, followed by my inability to take responsibility for the clusterfuck that is Mike Hunt.

Not to mention thatkiss.

The clusterfuck himself paws the inside of the driver’s side door of the SUV, giving the impression that he’s fully recovered from his skinny-dipping ordeal.

It seems I’m the only one stuck in traumatization mode.

Even Felix rebounded to normalcy once everyone else got back to the job of movie making. He asked me ifIwas okay as he steered me toward the exit of the Neutral Buoyancy Lab. And when I nodded in response, lamely I might add, hesmiledbefore handing me the keys to his rental car.

As if he wasn’t upset, or angry, or even annoyed over thedrama I caused between him and Ron, the director who gave Felix a chance by casting him in his first non-action role. He’s mentioned his desire to step out of his normal shoot-’em-up roles, and I can tell by the amount of prep work I’ve seen him doing – script reading, NASA research, scene blocking – that he’s taking this role very seriously.

And after I fucked it up, Felix seemed more concerned about my emotional state than his career.

It could be that Felix is an exceptional actor. And yet, while that still may be true, I think the real reason is something else. Something I previously suspected the first time Felix chopped parsley at the kitchen island.

Felix Jones is a nice guy. A guy who made a horrible first impression, but has since proven himself a man that goes above and beyond. Even when it doesn’t benefit him. And even when, like today, it actually hurts him.

And what have I done aside from deleting a photo I was never going to sell?

I’ve flashed his mother, drawn him in NSFW poses and paraded a feline PTSD trigger around our shared living space like an American flag on the Fourth of July. And now, with the help of Mike Hunt, I damaged his professional reputation and possibly his future movie options.

Leaning back against the leather seat, I close my eyes. ‘God, I’m the worst.’

Mike, as if agreeing, head butts my shoulder.

It should’ve been the one to jump in after Mike. But I’d been too… too…somethingafter that kiss to think straight.

Obviously, Felix did not have that problem. He’s used to kissing women on set. It’s his job. In fact, he’s probably kissing Amanda right now in the same place he kissed me.

Stupid Amanda.

---