Page 119 of Wish You Were Her
“Oh, yeah?”
“He apologized. I said he has to order every single book Matuschek Press publishes and put each one in the window.”
“Seems fair.”
When the fireworks began, Allegra and Jonah were more interested in each other, the fireworks between the two of them finally directed in the right path. As Jonah kissed her, he caught sight of a pair of girls filming on their smartphones. He drew back and cleared his throat.
“Don’t want you getting on anymore morning shows,” he said quietly. “That Julie woman might explode.”
Allegra rolled her eyes and then smiled at him. She pressed her lips to his once more and spoke softly against his mouth.
“Let them look, I don’t care.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Eight months later
The reporter fromArchitectural Digestwalked around Allegra Brooks’s apartment with the photographer and openly marveled at the decor.
“This is not the apartment of a regular nineteen-year-old,” Madison Swayne told Allegra Brooks, who was dressed in loose Levi jeans and a vintage crop top. Her boyfriend had his arm around her waist and wore a discerning expression. His protectiveness radiating from him like a warning to strangers.
Any disrespect would earn them a sharp word and an order to leave.
“All thanks to Jasper Montgomery,” Allegra said, handing the designer’s business card over. “She’s available to answer any questions, probably with better detail than me.”
Madison took in the reception room of the classic apartment. The wallpaper was a fine teal with flecks of foiled gold. The chandelier was vintage and not too grand. The room was not designed around a television, as though it were a nucleus dictating the rest of the furnishings. There were shelves of books everywhere and the sofas and chairs were all turned to face the coffee table in the middle of the room
“And you met your designer on holiday last summer?”
“Sort of. She’s a good friend now.”
Madison cast another quick glance at the boyfriend. “And you’re an editor, yes?”
“A junior one. I’m still learning.”
Madison knew a lot about him from her own internet sleuthing. He was young but his first poetry anthology had been reprinted multiple times, helped along by Allegra posting a picture of it to her millions of followers on publication day. A small subsection of her fans were dedicated to learning more about him. Madison had looked over their messages on a forum. They liked how publicly grumpy he seemed, only ever smiling if Allegra was speaking to him. He avoided the limelight and it only made him more enticing to his new online fans.
“What’s it like going out with one of the most in-demand actresses of our time?”
Ever since Allegra’s speech at theMade in Waitingpremiere had gone viral, she had been in extreme demand. Her schedule was full for the next few years and she had written some essays on neurodivergence in film that had started numerous industry conversations. A hashtag about disability representation in media had caught fire as a result, and she was now in a position to be very picky about her projects.
Jonah Thorne merely smiled at the question, before nodding to the coffee table. “We got that for five pounds at a flea market.”
Both the subtext and the remonstration were clear. She was not in their home to hear about their private life.
“Do you,” Madison had no idea of how to phrase her question so it fell out rather bluntly, “want to talk at all about being autistic?”
Something unnameable passed through Allegra’s eyes andthen she smiled and gave a small hiccup of a laugh. “No, not really.”
Madison was both taken aback and a little embarrassed. She had hoped that maybe Allegra would share some secret about interior design and autism. Not that Madison knew anything about the latter, hence why she had asked.
A boundary made clear.
Allegra showed them the kitchen and a few of the smaller rooms but the bedroom remained unseen, another boundary the young actress was very clear about. Madison couldn’t help but notice the pair as the photographer took shots of the apartment. They were always touching, in small almost unnoticeable ways. He was always checking on her and she was always throwing him reassuring smiles. It was as if they were communicating telepathically.
Madison took notes with only the slightest feeling of envy and bitterness.
“Do you two have any plans for this evening?” she asked, as they were packing up their equipment to leave. When the pair looked reticent to answer, she added, “Off the record.”
