Page 167 of Lovestruck at Sundown
I knew I could get another job in L.A. with William’s help, but I’d landed this one on my own, and that ought to count for something. This was my dream job. Even if it wasn’t making me rich, it could help me gain more recognition as a photographer in the long run.
“I want to say yes because I hate denying you anything,” I said as I straightened and sat cross-legged next to William, who rolled on his back and placed his hands behind his head to look at me. “I read all these romance novels where men keep telling women they want to give them the moon, the sun, the stars. And I get the feeling. I would give you the universe if you didn’t already have it at your feet.” William shook his head, but I continued before he dared to deny my scientifically approved affirmations.
“If I leave New York and follow you to L.A.,” I continued. “Somewhere down the road, I’m going to resent you—just as much as you would have resented me if you had rejected the four-movie MC Comic deal to avoid moving to the West Coast and complicating our relationship dynamic.” I paused, lettingmy words sink in. “This is what I meant earlier when we talked about the Gustav Wagner role you rejected to avoid associating yourself with Arabella for my sake. As thankful as I am that you won’t have to work with that woman, I fear you’ll come to regret it one day and put the blame on me.”
“I would never blame you for my choices.”
“As long as you’re choosing these things for yourself.”
William took his hands to his face and ran his fingers through his hair. “Fuck, I know. We’ve talked about you coming with me in the past. I know New York is your home. I know how excited you are about your new job and how much you love having Cecile and the rest of your friends around. It wouldn’t be fair to rob you of that.”
I crawled over him, leveling my face with his and taking it between my hands. My heart ached so much from having to accept our fate that if he had asked me to go with him one more time, I would’ve probably damned it all to hell and caved in. But he didn’t.
“I wish we had it easier.”
“I know,” I said. We had to follow our paths and keep choosing each other every day until they merged. And they would. I knew in my heart that they would. “We should never haggle away our dreams for the sake of comfort.”
William left forthe airport early in the morning, having slept only a few hours. He was flying on a private jet owned by the production company with three other cast members and two film executives, so he didn’t have a say in choosing the departure schedule, or else we would’ve left much later. His work commitments didn’t start until the next day anyway.
Since it was Sunday, I decided to catch up on sleep and only left my bed to pee and eat. Cecile came looking for shelter in the afternoon. The guys were busy watching football at their place, and she wanted a break from all the yelling and the testosterone. We ordered a large pepperoni pizza, and I gave her all the details about what had happened with my dad and William while we ate.
Cecile was devastated when I told her the missing truths about my mom and dad’s story. She held me for a long moment, repeating over and over how sorry she was after I told her my mom had been pregnant when she died. Despite feeling overwhelmed upon learning the final piece of truth, an unexpected sense of peace washed over me as the hours passed, knowing I finally had the whole picture.
After we moved on from that topic, Cecile said she was proudof me for choosing to pursue my dreams instead of sacrificing them to follow William’s footsteps. She agreed that all we had to do to keep things working was maintain a clear and honest line of communication.
After a long and highly emotional conversation, our bellies full and bodies tired, we retreated to my bed. While Cecile read a book, I drifted off for another nap.
I woke up around forty minutes later to Cecile’s “Merde!” as she struggled to silence the incoming call on my phone. I groaned.
“Qui est-ce?” I asked who it was with my eyes still closed, feeling like I’d woken up in another era.
“C’est Aaron,” she whispered. “Le prendras-tu?”
“Give me.” I grabbed the phone and took it to my ear.
“Hey … No, I should get up anyway. What’s up? … Mhm … Mhm … Oh, Okay … Uh, sure. I’ll meet you here … Yeah, you’re fine … See you in a bit.”
“Aaron’s coming over,” I said with a yawn. “He wants to talk.”
“Should I leave?”
“No, of course not.” I got out of bed and stretched my arms over my head. “He’s going to update me on something about Agent Mark.”
“Oh, I’m definitely staying then.” She grinned.
“Of course you are.” I chuckled. “I see Tobias’s gossipmonger tendencies are rubbing off on you.”
“What an ugly word,gossipmonger,” Cecile said in her cute French accent, scrunching up her nose.
“It doesn’t make it any less true.” I quirked up an eyebrowteasingly.
My phone chimed with an incoming text.
Tobias:I want Cecile back. I barely saw her all week.
She left her phone here, and I can’t talk to her.
Me:If you want her, you’ll have to come and get her.
