Page 99 of In Love with Lewis Prescott
“Supporting cast, actually,”he corrects. A flustered smile tugs at his mouth, and that dimple I love so much appears in his right cheek.
“I suppose that’s the perk of having your own production company,”the interviewer says.“You get to be the starandthe boss.”
He seems to ignore the cheeky look she gives him and dives right into the project. “It’s a coming-of-age romance about a nonbinary teenager. It’s our first big project, and I’ve never been so excited to work on something.”
Joy bursts in my chest. Lewis started his own production company and optioned that script he loved so much. He’s taking control of his career—he’s making his dream come true.
The interviewer says something about Lewis parting ways with his old agent, and I catch myself starting to smile. Good. That guy was the fucking worst.
“I’m sure you’re aware, but there’s some news that’s leaked out about the circumstances around you getting fired from your old show,The Best of It. You’ve employed almost all of the crew from that series, which unfortunately has been canceled. There are a lot of rumors floating around about what actually happened and what caused you to hide from the public eye for some months. Care to clear that up?”
Lewis doesn’t even blink at the question.“Absolutely. What happened was this—the showrunner, Darren Grabel, was sexually harassing multiple crew members onthe show. With their permission, I confronted him and told him to stop his predatory behavior. But he refused. And he was enraged that I called him out. In retaliation, he fired me.”
I glance around to see all my family and friends glued to the TV, listening intently to Lewis.
“That’s why I acted out at Chateau Marmont and left LA for a time,”Lewis says.“I was angry and frustrated because I wanted to help, but I couldn’t. I needed some time away to process things and figure out where to go from there.”
The entire time he speaks, the interviewer nods her head, the expression on her face thoughtful. Then she holds up a hand and flashes a blinding smile.“Okay, well, I wasn’t going to say it, but since you brought it up, there were some intriguing photos taken of you leaving a home in Half Moon Bay just over a month ago, looking disheveled, like you had just rolled out of bed.”
Lewis is unfazed, like he was expecting her to segue into this.
“There were also photos of the homeowner taken later on. She looks like a lovely young lady. What is your relationship with her? People have been speculating that you’re an item—orwerean item.”
I flinch at her pointed tone before holding my breath. In the past when Lewis has been asked about his personal life, he shut down the interview or simply walked off. But he stays seated in his chair, his expression focused. The only sign that he’s even slightly agitated is the slight bulge in his jaw muscle. He’s biting down.
“I hate talking about my relationships. You know that. But I’ll make an exception just this once. The time I spent in Half Moon Bay was life-changing. The people I spent time with were incredible. I’ll never, ever forget them. And I wouldn’t be here right now, pursuing my dream, had I not met one very special person. It’s why I’m here in San Francisco, actually, hoping that maybe I’ll have the good fortune of running into her after all that we’ve been through. She believed in me when no one else did. She’ll always have my heart. Always.”
I don’t catch what the interviewer says in response. My heart is thudding so hard, so fast that I can’t hear anything else. I have to rest my hand against my chest to ground myself, it’s so disorienting. Has it ever beat like this? Frenzied and out of control, like I’m sprinting and falling and floating all at once?
No. Never. That’s because my heart belongs to Lewis. He still loves me—enough to break his “no talking about dating and relationships during interviews” rule. Enough to spill his feelings on national television, something he’s never done before. Enough to film a project in San Francisco, on the off chance that he’ll run into me again.
And I realize, right then and there, that I want him. Screw our different worlds. Screw everything that’s happened between us. Screw the mistakes we’ve made. Screw what anyone else thinks or says or feels.
He’s put himself out there, beating heart out in the open for all to see—for me to see. And I know in this moment that I want him, that he’s the one for me.
I register the tightness of Naomi’s grip on my arm.
“...did you hear what he said? Harper, he wants to be with you!”
I nod quickly. “I need to get to Lewis. I need to see him. I need to tell him how I feel about him. Right now.”
I glance around for my phone, but I don’t see it anywhere. “I—I could unblock his number and call...”
Loud chatter sounds around me. Mom, who’s sporting teary eyes but this time with a smile, hands me my phone. I tell her thanks and quickly unblock Lewis’s phone number, but when I dial him, it goes straight to voice mail.
I bite back a groan, then try again, but still nothing. My head spins. How will I get ahold of him? He’s in San Francisco, but I have no idea where he’s staying...
“His phone is going straight to voice mail,” I mutter as I frown at my phone screen. “How am I gonna find him if he won’t answer...”
Maren and Naomi chatter about driving into the city and searching every five-star hotel. Simon gently explains that Lewis is probably staying under a pseudonym and likely won’t be easy to find.
“Wait! Everyone, shut up!” Naomi yells while pointing to the TV.
The interviewer closes out the segment and says something about a press conference happening this evening at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco with the cast of the upcoming movie. I wait for one of them to specify a time, but they don’t. The interview ends.
“You should go see him, Harper!”
“Yes! Tell him you love him!”
