Page 76 of You and Me, For Real
He laughs. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re hurting. How about we take you to the doctor today?”
My head shoots up. “No. That’s not necessary. Really. I’m not crying because of that. I mean, it does hurt, but it’s something else?—”
How can I say what I’m feeling without completely embarrassing myself? It’ll ruin our relationship completely if I admit to having feelings for him. There’ll be no going back.
“What?” He tilts his head, the earnestness in his tone weakening my resolve.
A tear trickles down my cheek. “You’re toonice.”
He chuckles. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Yes!”
“Why?”
“For one, you have a girlfriend. And I can’t—I can’t—" I can’t even say the words.I can’t have feelings for you.
“About that…I have something I need to tell you.”
I swipe my cheek. “It’s fine. You don’t need to say anything. We don’t need to talk about last night or this morning. It won’t happen again.”
“It’s not that.”
I look away, unsure if I really want to hear what he’s about to say.
He takes my hand in his. “It’s more of I’m not really supposed to…”
He’s going to say he can’t have feelings for me. Or we’re not meant to be together.
He squeezes my hand and stands. “It’s fake, okay? The whole relationship between Scarlet and me is fake.”
I dart my focus to his face. “You sure about that? Because it seemed pretty real for Scarlet when she came over last night.”
His expression is pained. “Trust me, it’s a marketing ploy to ensure the success of our final season. And to help with Scarlet’s reputation. She makes pretty poor relationship choices. Since fans have painted me as some Hollywood Golden Boy, I was the most logical choice—especially given our on-screen relationship. It didn’t take much for people to buy it.
“The only reason I didn’t tell you is because I can’t. Or at least, I shouldn’t. There’s this NDA. I’m legally not allowed to say anything. If it got out, it’d jeopardize my spot in Wesley’s next film. That’s Scarlet’s dad, and who I met with the other night. I just couldn’t give specifics.”
“I’m sorry you felt obligated to tell me.”
He bends and brushes a strand of hair from my face. “I didn’t. Iwantedto. Because I like you.”
“You like me?” Shock ripples through me, and something blossoms within my chest.
“Yes.” His finger curls the strand behind my ear, his thumb tracing my jawline.
“Like,likeme, like me?”
“Yes!” He leans in, his forehead almost touching mine as he whispers slowly, “I really,reallylike you, Ashton.”
“I kind of like you, too,” I whisper back.
His smile tilts. “Kind of, huh?”
“Yeah.”
He purses his lips. “There’s just one problem. Part of the terms of our contract is that we remain a public couple until three weeks after the premiere of our final season ofMalibu Shores.”
“Okay.” I nod, not quite understanding what he’s saying.
