Page 17 of The Kissing Part
He clears his throat, shifting uneasily.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” I gesture toward the wet bar. “It’s fully stocked, and there’s water and almond milk in the fridge.”
“No, thanks.” He looks around at everything but me. “So, I guess we’re in for the night.”
“We could go out if you want.”
“No unnecessary trips until we have a handle on what Matt’s capable of. I’m going to review the security footage from when he came in this morning and tell the staff not to let him in again.”
“Frankie already took care of that.”
“He left you alone on set to deal with stuff here?”
“Only for an hour while I was filming. There was security in place.”
He shakes his head. “I want a guard with you at all times. I want to catch this asshole violating his restraining order. I’ll let the local police know about it so we can act fast. Jail time might make him reconsider his obsession with you.”
“Or at least give me a break for a few years.”
He plants his hands on his hips. “Hopefully he’d get some counseling in prison that would redirect his focus.”
Our gazes lock for a moment before he looks away. Another awkward silence.
“I can cook us dinner,” I offer. “Stir-fry and brown rice. Would you like that?”
He looks toward the door like he wants to escape.
“You know you’re not a prisoner here,” I say. “Door’s right there.”
“I’m not leaving you until I know you have a reliable guard in place.”
“Okay, well, I’m going to cook dinner.”
“I’ll check on some work email.” He sounds so distant. I miss the warm, fun Owen. I know he must be in there somewhere.
He turns to go. I stare at the tense set of his shoulders. He’s not comfortable with me after all the years that’ve passed between us. Would it help if I told him the truth? I never forgot him, never really got over him.
I ghosted him because it was too painful to have my heart with him, knowing I had to pursue my career no matter where in the world it took me. And I didn’t think it would be fair to either of us to have a long-distance relationship. We were so young. I always hoped we’d reunite down the line when the timing was better and get back together. Maybe I should’ve said that back then.
But how could I make a promise I wasn’t sure I could keep?
Now that we’re older…God, I had this whole rosy future in mind. He’d forgive me, we’d pick up where we left off, and then we’d meld our careers together. I’d get him security work for the movie studios I work for, and he’d travel with me from set to set around the world. Mackenzie told me their company was looking to expand to new industries. My career would boost his. I confess that Claire’s happy marriage to Jake made me dream big. Fantasies. Ridiculous fantasies.
Still, I have to do something to bridge this distance. We were close once.
“Owen?”
He turns, his expression reserved.
I step closer. “I know we didn’t leave things on the best of terms between us. I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be. I’m over it.”
He turns on his heel and heads into the guest room, shutting the door behind him. I stare at the closed door, my mind scrambling for how to fix this.
If he won’t accept my apology, how else can I make things up to him?
6
