Page 97 of How He Got the Girl
He presses a finger to my lips. “You don’t have to say anything. I didn’t say I’m falling for you because I needed you to say it back. I said it because it’s become such a large part of me that I couldn’tnotsay it. It’s like going up to someone I just met and not telling them that I’m Griffin Reynolds or an actor or falling for Veronica Mallory Porter. It’s just who I am.”
A tear leaks from my eye at his last words. I never knew I could be loved so deeply by someone. Sure, my friends and family love me, but this kind of love feels different. I feel pursued, understood, and cherished on a level that no one else has ever shown me.
He wipes away the tear with the pad of his thumb. “Don’t cry, beautiful.”
“It’s the good kind,” I assure him.
Griffin wipes his brow. “That’s a relief. Because if I told you I was falling for you and you were crying sad tears…I’d probably become a hermit or an old man who sits on his front porch yelling at the neighborhood children to stay off my lawn.”
“How would you become an old man so quickly? Is there a Hollywood secret to aging that fast?” I laugh.
“I don’t know, but I’d find a way.” He smirks.
“Well, then it’s a good thing I wasn’t crying sad tears, because I’d hate for you to deprive the world of your handsome face inmany movies to come.”
His smile falls, and he sits back in the seat.
“Did I say something?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Griffin clears his throat. “I wasn’t planning on telling you so soon after saying I was falling for you, but I need to be honest.”
I lean forward, bracing for whatever bomb he’s about to drop.
“You mentioned seeing my face in many movies to come, and that might be a little sooner than expected.”
I blink. “What do you mean?”
Griffin’s eyes are full of pity. “Yesterday, when I was at my meeting with Karina, the director ofThe Heartless Princecalled.”
“Griff, that’s great,” I exclaim, squeezing his arms. “Did she want you to audition?”
“I actually auditioned for her yesterday. It was all very spur of the moment.”
My mouth drops open. “Seriously?” He nods, and I pull him in for a hug. “Congratulations! I know this is your dream role.”
“It’s everything I’ve been working toward.” Griffin presses his lips into a firm line.
“Then why don’t you sound excited?”
“Because if I get the role—and according to Karina, I’m at the top of a short list—it would mean leaving Louisville sooner than expected.”
I take a deep breath, finally understanding his hesitation. “Leavingme.”
He winces. “Yeah. They won’t start filming until summer, but I would have to go to LA for strict physical and combat training for the movie.”
“I’m so happy for you.” I am, even if the thought of him leaving makes me heartbroken. Even if all I want is for himto tell me that he wants me to come with him, or that he still will prioritize our relationship.
But why would he do that when I can’t even admit that I think I’m falling for him too?
IwalktoMallory’sfront porch, eager to see her for the first time since we’ve returned from LA. Telling her about my audition for the fantasy movie was both relieving and terrifying. I felt so much better not holding that information back from her, even if it was only for a day. But talking to her about the potential of leaving in the next few weeks physically makes my heart ache.
We ended the conversation with her telling me she was happy for me and that she wants me to pursue my dream, but it still makes me sick to my stomach. I already left her once for an audition, and it took me three years to find her again. We’re officially dating now, but it doesn’t seem wise to start our relationship by spending months apart, where I’ll have very little time to talk to her, and be three hours behind her, thanks to time zones. I don’t want this to be something that ends up coming between us.
I inhale a deep breath and release it slowly through my mouth. I’m getting ahead of myself. I haven’t even been offered the role. There’s still time to figure it out.
After my heart returns to a normal rhythm, I raise my hand and knock on the front door. I offered to help Mallory bake cookies for her upcoming school fundraiser, and Ifigured it could be a fun activity for us to get a few photos or videos to post together.
It’s refreshing being able to post footage together for real, like the ones we shared on social media from the red carpet. Although I had to stop reading the comments on that one before I started to track down and punch every man leaving comments about how hot Mallory was.
