Young Adulting

by Christina Benjamin

  He was the only thing standing between me and everything I’d ever wanted.

  Isabelle Ellis was the happily ever after I’d been chasing my whole life. And once I got my confession out of the way everything would fall in place. We could be together, work on my film together, and life would be…well, pretty much perfect.

  Izzy could stay in LA and live her dream, and I’d get to make my movie and date the girl of my dreams. It was a storybook ending and I’d do anything to make it happen.

  I awoke to Shari’s dazed face staring down at me.

  Not really how I want to start my day. Thanks, Shari.

  “Can I help you with something?” I grumbled trying to rub the sleep from my eyes.

  Shari was gawking at my bare chest enough to make me self-conscious. I looked down to make sure nothing scandalous was exposed. Nope. Still in my boxers, but apparently that was eyeful enough for Shari.

  I pulled my feather-light comforter up and cleared my throat, pulling her attention from my abs, or whatever had her practically salivating.

  “Shari, why are you here?”

  “Oh, right. Um, I’m supposed to tell you that you’re not needed on set today.”

  “What?” I glanced at the time. I wasn’t due on set for another hour and I was hesitant to believe anything my forgetful assistant said. With my luck she’d screwed up the date and I’d get chewed out by the director again for missing a reshoot. “Are you sure?”

  “Yep.”

  “Who told you I’m not needed?”

  “Scott.”

  Hmm…something was up. Scott Mercer was the most efficient director I’d ever worked for. He kept Hermosa Beach on a tight schedule and never ran over on anything. He was a great guy and one of the only reasons I’d been able to tolerate the campy teen drama for this long. If he was canceling a shoot this close to wrapping, something was majorly wrong.

  I quickly got out of bed and grabbed my phone, half expecting to see headlines that hell hath frozen over. But what I saw was actually worse. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. But a quick scroll through my social media confirmed my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.

  My heart dropped as I tore my eyes away from my phone to look at Shari, who was watching me like I was some sort of zoo animal. “Did Scott mention why he was canceling today’s shoot?”

  “No, but I was there. An explanation wasn’t really necessary.”

  “Well,” I said trying to keep the annoyance from my voice, “Could you perhaps elaborate for those of us who weren’t on set this morning?”

  Shari’s cheeks turned pink as she failed at her lazy attempt to hold back her smirk. “Um, I assume it was because Elena had a meltdown while in makeup and knocked over a light tower when she stormed off set.”

  Crap! So she’d seen the tabloids then.

  I clenched my fists, cursing the paparazzi. Why did they have to turn every innocent kiss into a scandal? Last night my dreams had been filled with happy Hollywood endings, but reality painted a much different story this morning.

  Telling Izzy the truth about Leo today would be even more difficult thanks to the paparazzi. I guess this was my punishment for waiting. As if the pressure I was under wasn’t enough, now I had the whole world watching as the tabloids gave their ridiculous interpretation of my relationship with the…what had they called Izzy?

  Oh yeah, the Innocent Iowan Ingénue.

  I glanced at my phone again, clenching my jaw as I refreshed my screen to see an even clearer shot of my lips locked on Izzy’s. The clever headline read, Intern-al Affairs Heat up in Hollywood. Out with the old and in with the new. Henry Landon trades Elena Rhodes for Intern from Iowa.

  Counting to ten did nothing to dispel my anger. I gripped my phone tighter as another headline popped up, sending my heart skittering into a pit of despair. Hawkeye hottie gets hot and heavy with Hollywood heartthrob.

  The picture made it look like I was practically undressing Izzy on the street. It didn’t help that the strap on her sundress had slipped halfway down her shoulder and my hands were everywhere they shouldn’t be. Her hands were in my hair. I shuddered at the memory. Even now, if I closed my eyes I could feel the ghost of her lips on mine, the lingering scent of her fragrance.

  Panic sliced through me. I had to fix this. I couldn’t let that kiss be whittled down to nothing more than a memory. But that’s exactly what would happen if Izzy’s boss saw the tabloids before she pitched Beyond Sunset. No one would take her seriously. They’d think she’d only picked me for a role in the film because she was involved with me. And if it came out that I was also the writer…

  I had to fix this.

  I rushed around the bungalow collecting my wallet, keys and laptop.

  “Who is that girl in the photograph?” Shari asked, being no help at all.

  “Never mind who she is. Can you get Heather on the phone, please?” I said, mashing a baseball hat on to hide my unruly hair.

  If anyone could fix this disaster it was my publicist. Heather Warner was the best in the biz. And she was currently my only hope, because if she couldn’t figure out a way to spin this, I had no idea what to do. The only thing I did know was I couldn’t let Izzy be a victim of my carelessness.

  I didn’t regret that kiss. Not one second of it. But I did regret that I’d been impulsive enough to do it on the street. I should’ve known better. And now, because of me, Izzy’s chance at the job she so desperately fought for might be ruined.

  I took a glance in the mirror, deciding to add a pair of dark sunglasses. I definitely wanted to go unnoticed today. I had a feeling Izzy wouldn’t appreciate being a spectacle and me coming to see her at work would definitely be that. But some risks were worth taking.

  “Heather’s with a client,” Shari said, covering the mouthpiece of her phone like an amateur.

  “Fine, just have her call me back,” I grumbled.

  “Are you going to talk to Elena?” Shari asked as I was almost to the door.

  “Elena?” I paused, turning to look at my assistant. “Why?”

  “She was pretty upset that you cheated on her.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and blew out a breath. “Shari. I didn’t cheat on Elena. She broke up with me. Twice. So if you’re worried about anyone in this situation, it should be me. Because if I can’t fix this paparazzi scandal, I’m going to be out a job and you will too.”

  By the time I parked on the West lot and skulked my way to the studio buildings, it was lunch time. I’d heard back from Heather, but her brief text of ‘I’ll handle it’ didn’t exactly leave me feeling confident.

  Being here might not be the best idea, but I needed to talk to Izzy. I’d texted her twice but hadn’t heard back yet. I checked the time again. Her pitch meeting should be over by now.

  Was it a good sign that she wasn’t picking up?

  Maybe that meant her boss liked it and wanted to hear more. Maybe they were drawing up contracts right now.

  Or maybe she was being told to clean out her desk because they’d seen the tabloids.

  There was no way to know and it was driving me crazy.

  I was contemplating whether to wait in the lobby or take the elevators up to her offices when I heard the haughty voice of one of her co-workers. “It’s not fair. She’s sleeping her way to winning the competition.”

  I ducked my head as two girls exited the elevator I’d been about to get on. I recognized one as the bossy brunette who Izzy worked with.

  Her black-haired cohort snorted in disgust. “Please, there’s no way Henry Landon would sleep with her. I mean he’s dated some questionable girls, but even he wouldn’t slum it with some country bumpkin from Iowa.”

  “Well it certainly looked like he was enjoying having his tongue down her throat in those photos.”

  The other girl’s sigh was world weary and cynical. “Taylor, after what was printed about your father, you of all people should know you can’t believe everything you read in the tabloids.”
<
br />   “But what if it is true? I mean it’s kind of genius. Getting a hot celebrity attached to a script is a guaranteed win.”

  “Kinda makes me wish I’d thought of it,” the other girl teased.

  Taylor growled. “It makes me so mad. Colin thinks she’s little Miss Innocent. Meanwhile she’s going around town flashing her skin for the win.”

  “You know what they say. There’s more than one way up the ladder. Some people climb it, some lay flat on their back.”

  The girls snickered and I snapped. “Spoken like someone familiar with the technique.”

  My voice echoed off the marble of the empty lobby, startling the girls who’d been walking toward the floor-to-ceiling glass doors.

  Both girls whirled around, gasping when they realized who I was. No point in keeping my sunglasses on any longer.

  I stepped out of the shadows and advanced on the two bitter nitwits. Even as I did it, I knew I was making a mistake, but I couldn’t just stand there and listen to their degrading lies. “Not that you’re owed any explanation, but Isabelle Ellis and I aren’t sleeping together, and whatever is going on between us, it has nothing to do with my interest in her script.”

  The black-haired girl took a step back, her skin turning the color of paper as she inhaled sharply. But Taylor wasn’t so easily intimidated. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. “Right. So you were just groping her in front of that pathetic dump of an apartment for what, role research? Or is being a celebrity that boring that sometimes you just have to hook up with randos?”

  Rage had my nostrils flaring, my hands clenching at my sides. “That rando is the most talented script developer I’ve ever worked with. Though I can see why you’d be jealous. She’s driven, authentic, and smart.”

  Taylor glared at me. “Well, if she was really smart, she would’ve gone after your father. Everyone knows he’s the one with the real power.”

  With that she turned on her sky-high heels and clacked her way right out the glass doors, her little friend following behind her. I was just about to go after them when I heard my name.

  I turned around to see Izzy standing in front of the elevator doors. Her eyes wide with shock. But worse than that was the hard set of her boss’s jaw.

  Colin Davis stood behind Izzy on the packed elevator. I didn’t know the guy well, but I knew that look. He wasn’t happy. I wasn’t sure how much of the conversation he’d heard, but judging from the scowl on his face it was enough to ask Izzy to stay back.

  Everyone else filed off the elevator and Izzy and I shared a brief look before the doors closed again, blocking her from my sight.

  Panic slithered into my gut.

  Had I just made things immeasurably worse?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Izzy

  Moments ago I’d been soaring with excitement. My pitch meeting with Colin had gone tremendously. Colin had seen those awful photos this morning—Taylor hadn’t wasted a moment showing them to him. But when I’d explained to him that last night was a moment of impulse and had nothing to do with why he’d committed to playing the lead role…

  Well, Colin hadn’t seemed too bothered, actually. I’d promised him that our kiss had been a one-time thing, that it didn’t mean anything, and he’d given me a short lecture about keeping my personal life personal. But then he’d moved on. In fact, he’d laughed and had started in on a million questions about Henry’s level of commitment to this script.

  After that we went through the script and he’d loved it so much that he’d promised to schedule a lunch with the development team. I’d been on my way to the lobby to email Leo and call Henry to share the good news. But then Colin caught the elevator and sidetracked me with his enthusiasm for Beyond Sunset.

  I was living the dream. Until I wasn’t.

  The elevator reached the ground floor, but my dreams kept plummeting to the center of the earth, where they burnt up to nothing but ash as I watched Henry Landon breathe truth to the rumors I’d managed to easily squash upstairs.

  Colin wasn’t the kind of guy who gave tabloids a second glance. But after witnessing Henry defend my honor to Taylor and Kimmie, it was very obvious that there was something going on between us. Something more than just a kiss.

  I felt helpless as I took in the heartbreaking concern in Henry’s eyes, right before the elevator doors shut again, cutting off my view and taking all my hope with it.

  The ride back up to our floor was so silent, I could hear my heart thudding in my ears. I followed Colin back to his office, my tail firmly lodged between my legs and my head tucked down, too afraid to meet his gaze and see the disappointment there.

  Maybe it was because we were both from the Midwest, or because he’d been so nice to me these past few months, but I really didn’t want to let Colin down. But when he finally turned to face me with a sigh, I felt exactly like I had during my last videocall with my parents when I’d had to break it to them that I wasn’t coming home for Thanksgiving next week.

  I couldn’t afford the airfare, and they knew it, but their disappointment had still been crippling.

  Right now, seeing that same look in Colin’s eyes, I shifted uneasily.

  “I thought you said there was no truth to the rumors of a romance,” he said, crossing his arms as he sank into his seat.

  “There weren’t. There isn’t.” Even as I said it, I told myself it wasn’t a lie. Not necessarily. I mean, whatever had gone on between me and Henry yesterday—I had no idea what it meant. Was he serious about me or was this a fling? Was I serious about him or was I confusing my feelings for Leo with my attraction for Henry?

  I licked my lips and took a deep breath, shoving all my relationship turmoil to the side because that was not the issue. It didn’t matter who I liked because my love life wasn’t at stake here.

  My career was. My dreams. My future.

  I met Colin’s gaze evenly. “There is nothing going on between me and Henry Landon.”

  I won’t let there be.

  My heart gave a painful squeeze at the thought of it but I steeled myself against the ache.

  Colin arched his brows. “It didn’t look like ‘nothing’ downstairs. I can’t imagine Henry Landon goes out of his way to defend just any random one-night-stand.”

  One-night-stand. Ugh. My nose automatically wrinkled up in disgust at the implication. It hadn’t been a one-night-stand. It had been...everything. That kiss had been one of the most beautiful, earthshaking, eye-opening moments of my life and I despised the fact that it was being misconstrued to be something tawdry and shallow.

  But Colin was staring at me, waiting for a response, so I forced a shrug. “I was just as shocked as you by his reaction down there.”

  He eyed me for a long time. “So you’re not starting up some sort of romantic relationship with him?”

  I couldn’t quite bring myself to say the words, but I shook my head.

  It was clearly the right answer because some of Colin’s tension seemed to ease away. “Does he know that?” He actually sounded like he was teasing as his lips curved up in a familiar smile.

  “I’ll make sure he knows,” I said. I couldn’t fake a smile in return but my words seemed to be good enough.

  He leaned forward and clasped his hands together. His voice took on a conspiratorial tone. “Look, I get it.” He grinned and I was reminded of our similar backgrounds, the shared ambitions that had brought us both here. “I remember being the new kid on the block. The outsider.” He arched his brows meaningfully. “The underdog.”

  I gave him a small smile in return because it seemed to be expected.

  He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “I understand the need to fight harder and do whatever it takes to get ahead in this town. Between you and me, I’m awfully impressed that you got Henry Landon on board to play the lead role. That took real initiative.”

  I blinked a few times in surprise because...what was he saying, exactly? Something ugly twisted in my gut at the unspoke
n subtext.

  He came to stand. “Do what you need to do to win, Izzy. You know I’ve got your back.” He tapped a finger against his desk as he added, “But you’ve got to be careful. You don’t want to create a bad reputation or no one will take you seriously.”

  I nodded, already backing up toward the door as he turned his attention to his laptop. “Looks like I have to return a few calls. You go on ahead and grab lunch. Pick something up for me while you’re at it, ‘kay?”

  I nodded and left. Fled, really. My head was spinning and my gut was churning as I replayed his words. It wasn’t so much what he’d said as what he’d been implying.

  Like, I’d made out with Henry on purpose just to get him to agree to star in my film.

  I swallowed down a wave of nausea as I got back on the elevator and headed down. I needed air. I needed to get my head on straight.

  I needed to make sure no one ever got the wrong impression about me and Henry ever again.

  Or me and Leo for that matter.

  I gripped the elevator railing as I fought the urge to cry at how spectacularly I’d messed things up.

  What had I been thinking letting Henry kiss me?

  Why on earth had I let my emails with Leo get so flirty and personal?

  This was business. This was my chance of a lifetime and I was risking it all over a boy. Two boys.

  Was I really that stupid? Was I really so immature that I’d trade a dream career for a boyfriend?

  A dream boyfriend, no doubt, but still…

  Colin’s words of warning were still ringing in my head when I reached ground level and the doors opened. I took one step into the lobby before I saw Henry leaning against the opposite wall, concern was written all over his face.

  “How’d it go?” he asked as he pushed away from the wall and headed toward me. A five o’clock shadow from last night covered his jaw and he looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. Everything in me wanted to run to him. I wanted nothing more than to bury my face in his chest and cry as he held me.