Page 24 of Shy Girls Can't Date Celebrities
I flinch. “What?”
He rubs the back of his neck, looking down at the mattress. “What happened between us?”
“Nothing.”
He looks up with his eyebrows lifted. “But we’re not friends anymore?”
“We don’t have to talk about this,” I rush, waving my hands. “I’m just so happy to see you. The past two years don’t matter.”
He sits forward. “Two years? Have we not talked in two years?”
I fidget in place, clutching my elbows. “There’s an update here and there, but I wouldn’t call them conversations.”
He winces. “Don’t tell me I became a star and was too arrogant to keep in touch.”
“I’d never call you arrogant. You’re the sweetest.”
“Then, what happened?” He rubs the heel of his palm against his forehead. “After my headaches weren’t so bad and I got my voice back, I started asking about you. All these people I don’t know were visiting me. None of them knew your name.” He leans forward, urgency in his eyes. “How could they not know you?”
“Well, they’re people who work for you, right?” I reason. “They probably don’t know your school friends.”
“But you’re not just a friend, you’re...” He swallows hard, sitting back. “Well, youweremore than that.”
I rub the space on my chest over my heart. “It’s okay. I’ve never held it against you. Heck, I’m the one who told you to go on TalentQuest.”
Wyatt frowns, looking down as he kicks out his feet below the bed. “Why...” he stammers. “Why wouldn’t I keep in contact?”
My eyes water and I hurriedly blink them clear. “Don’t worry about it. You’re busy. I didn’t expect daily updates.”
“But I’ve thought about you everyday I’ve been in here.”
My heart palpitates with mixed emotions.
Wyatt winces. “We didn’t have a fight?”
“No. You just got busy.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“We texted after you left town,” I explain. “And the more successful you got, the more time came between your replies. I was fine with that. One day, the texts stopped. But that was okay. I kept watching your career. I just thought... maybe one day, I’d get another reply.”
“It doesn’t make sense that I was never going to reply.” Reflectively, he looks around our surroundings. “I don’t have my phone because the screen hurts my eyes and makes my headaches worse. But I wish I had it and could prove there were texts that were meant for you.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” I whisper, letting the frown take me over. “I’m not in your league anymore.”
Wyatt looks up with surprise. “You’re always good enough for me. I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you.”
I smile, swaying under his gaze. “Not possible.”
“To me,” he whispers, “we spent yesterday in your treehouse.”
I bite into my lip and then whisper, “That was three years ago.”
“We haven’t seen each other in three years?”
I nod. “After the TV show, you were supposed to come home. But then you got all these opportunities, so I was going to visit you. But you got so busy, the visit kept getting pushed back. And that’s it.”
“That can’t be it.”
