Page 99 of Love is an Open Book
Jayla’s perfectly shaped brows arch in surprise. “Seriously?”
“I was in college, and I’d always had a soft spot for the friends-to-lovers trope. But then I got dumped, by a former friend.”
Rob frowns in sympathy and, man, I can see why his fandom goes so hard.
Blinking to regain my composure, I say, “It soured me on the friends-to-lovers trope. And along the way, other life experiences bore that out. I decided Sydney and Victor would be happier as friends.”
“Sydney maybe,” he says. “But no way would Victor be okay with that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Victor’s been gone for Sydney since day one.”
That’s not how I wrote it the first time around, but it does align with what I discovered as I went back through the books, analyzing things from Victor’s perspective instead of Sydney’s. I can’t believe Rob saw it, too.
Jayla is nodding. “Sydney is just too stuck on her idea of what love looks like to see it. But we figured that you’d be able to get them both out of their own heads. No easy feat, we know.” They share another look, and that’s when I realize how close they are on the couch. Almost as if they’re cuddling.
“Are you two...” I stop myself, because I’m 90 percent certain asking celebrities if they’re dating is the number one intrusive question.
But Rob bites his lip and nods. “We’re together, yeah. You’re actually one of the first to know, so keep it under wraps, okay?”
I don’t dare look at Sera, but out of the corner of my eye, I see Joe hand her a glass of water. I could go for a glass of something stronger, though maybe that wouldn’t be the best idea since I already feel dizzy from the surreal situation. “But I thought you were just friends.”
“We were,” Jayla says. “But I realized my feelings were deeper than friendship.”
“And I told her I fell in love with her at our first table read.”
She rolls her eyes indulgently. “Love at first sight is not a thing.”
“Agree to disagree,” he says, nestling closer, the sleeve of his somehow-expensive-looking white T-shirt bunching as he threads their hands together. “But the point is, we’re excited to give Sydney and Victor the happy-ever-after they deserve. And we want you to write it.”
“No offense to the show’s writers,” Jayla adds. “But this story is yours to tell. And from what I’m hearing, you need to do it for yourself, too.”
I hesitate, expecting the usual twist of nerves, but all I feel is anticipation. Optimism. A desire to tell themyes, I’ll do it, not because I have to, but because this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fix what went wrong for two characters who deserve a full dose of happiness, and I want to take it.
So I promise to give it one more try, already getting nerves from all the apologies I’ll have to make, but ready to get back to the book. Jayla says she can’t wait to see me at the season premiere, and after a few more minutes of surprisingly chill small talk, we end the call.
I close my laptop just to be safe and find Sera looking shell-shocked.
“Rob and Jayla are a couple. And we’re the first to know.”A slow grin spreads across her face. “Once the news gets out, I’m about to become insufferable.”
I laugh but I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. He liked her from day one? That strikes a chord, and I realize why. It’s the pattern I’ve been seeing during this rewrite. Victor didn’t fall in love with Sydney over the course of this book. He fell for her years ago, when they were trying to keep the peace between their friends, the rival bookstore owners.
His love continued to grow during book two, the second-chance romance between his cover-model college roommate and the one who got away. And when Sydney’s editor friend was squaring off with the director of marketing at their publisher, Victor was on the sidelines wondering if she would ever see him as more than a friend. Then she came up with the idea of method acting and gave him the hope he’d been craving for years.
The solution was in front of me all along, but I couldn’t get inside my characters’ heads because I’ve been too stuck in my own. Jayla and Rob have been playing these roles for three seasons, and their insight woke me up to what I’ve been missing: Victor loves Sydney for who she is, not because of role-playing smoke and mirrors. He’s not faking it, it’s not new, and she can trust his commitment because she trusts him.
I stand up, grabbing my laptop.
“Where are you going?” Joe asks.
“To finish this book.” And then, I’m going to tell Gavin he was right. Friendship alone isn’t enough. Not anymore.
Thirty-Three
Mia
Much as I’m yearning to see Gavin, I decide to wait to talk to him until after he gets back from Wisconsin. I stand by what I told him about not wanting to affect his decision about his future. He deserves space to make his choice.
