Page 71 of You and Me, For Real
Ashton angles her body more in my direction, the remote forgotten in her lap. “Would you still pursue the same career if you knew life would turn out this way?”
I rub the scruff on my cheek. “I don’t know. Acting is the only career I’ve known and the only connection I have to my dad. If it weren’t for my career, I’m not sure we’d have much of a relationship.”
“That can’t be true.”
“Sadly, I think it is. I do love acting though. There’s just a lot of extras that comes with it that I don’t particularly care for.”
“Like what?”
“Well, for one, your life is subjected to public scrutiny no matter how personal it is.”
She makes a face. “Trust me, I know that part all too well.”
“Is that why you left your family and the show?”
“Partially. And partially because of my toxic relationship with my mom. Her manipulation and control over my life wasn’t healthy. It took a couple of years of therapy to untangle that web.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Though her comment makes me question the health of my own relationship with my father.
“You do know you can keep your personal lifemorepersonal, right? You don’t have to put everything on social media. You even told me this, remember?” She arches an eyebrow and crosses her arms.
I raise my hands. “Fair point, but for my line of work, the public perception carries more sway than you’d think. They need to see me as a real person they can connect with and all that. Not just posts about my career.”
She sits up straighter. “I get that, but it doesn’t give people the right to dictate how you live. You’re allowed to have privacy.”
A part of me wants to argue, but given the fact that I barely have control over my personal life anymore, she has a point. I’m trapped in a fake relationship for crying out loud.
“You’re right. It’s something I need to work on. You share more, and I’ll share less.”
“Deal.”
I nod toward the TV screen. “Try that app. I think you’ll find plenty of options on it.”
Her gaze lingers on me for a few seconds longer, enough to make my skin prickle from her scrutiny. She opens her mouth as if to say something but changes her mind and turns back toward the TV.
The need to tell her about the fake dating contract presses against my throat, the secret needing to be let out. I never would have agreed to it if I’d known she was a possibility on the horizon. I’d just been solely focused on my career.
Is it too soon to mention it? Can I trust her with this secret? The key to the success or failure of my future career? Each person who finds out only heightens the risk of a leak, and my months of sacrifice to work with Wesley will come crumbling to pieces.
What if she doesn’t even feel that way about me?
Even if her feelings don’t match my own, our relationship will continue to teeter in a state of awkwardness until I come clean about everything.
“Oh, I love this one!”
Her excitement jolts me from my morose musings.
“Have you seen it?”
The screen displays Drew Barrymore in a…fairy costume. The title readsEver After. “I’ve heard of it. Can’t say I’ve watched it.”
“Are you kidding me? This is a classic! A Cinderella retelling.”
“Of course. Silly me. Can there even be a more perfect option?”
Her gaze shoots to mine, eyes narrowing. “I hear your snark, young man, and it’s not appreciated.”
I laugh. “Sorry. I guess you’ve seen this?”
