Blinded (Breaking Free Book 1)

by Maya Hughes

  “I can’t believe I fell for that!” Alex slapped her forehead, closing her eyes.

  “Back to not knowing him well,” Jen said, raising her eyebrows up and down. “It’s not that big of a deal. You go, you hang out and have fun. Go! If you find out he bites his toenails or snores in his sleep you get to have a cool vacation and then you come back early.”

  “I can’t believe you’re seriously pushing for this.”

  “I told you I’m living vicariously through you. I’m going to be stuck studying for the LSAT for the next few months, then heading to law school next fall. That’s three more years of nose-in-books type work. And once all that is finished, what do I get to do? Work eighty-hour weeks for a few years until I burn out or make partner. I need you to do this for me.” Jen sighed.

  “Jen, if that’s how you feel about going to law school, then why are you doing it?”

  “Daddy issues are a real bitch. He always wanted a boy to follow in his footsteps, so here I am doing everything in my power to make daddy proud,” she said with a sad smile. “So, I need you to do this because I know you’re not a risk taker and I know you’ll get your computer science degree, go work for some company, and never see the light of day again. You’ll regret it if you don’t go.”

  She stared at Jen and went through all the reasons why this was a crazy thing to even entertain. She didn’t know Gabe that well. He might be a psycho. What if there was an earthquake? But she kept coming back to how much fun she had with him. How he made her laugh and how he made her feel. Those butterflies were always fluttering whenever he was in the same room. Her phone vibrated on the counter. Picking it up, the butterflies were back in full force.

  G: Finally finished for the day. Completely wiped. Glad you came to set today and got to meet everyone. I know it’s way too early to say this, but I miss you.

  Her heart skipped. She missed him too. This was crazy, she was crazy. Was this what it was like for her mom? Was this why she always picked guys over Alex? That sobered her up. She liked him, but could she let herself fall for him like this? Jen’s words came back to her—this didn’t make her like her mom. She was having an adventure and there was nothing wrong with that.

  How had Gabe managed to work his way into her heart in such a short amount of time? How would she feel when he left? Was he really going to want to be with her for anything more than a couple of weeks? A month tops? A tinge of panic struck her and made her question if she was getting in too deep too fast.

  Then she pushed back at that little voice. She was young and single, without a little girl to take care of at home. Taking a chance with him was nothing like what happened with her mom, she reasoned. She had never let herself fall for a guy before. Why shouldn’t she go to LA and spend a bit more time with him? Her mind made up, she smiled down at her phone, fingers flying across the screen as she typed out her response.

  A: I missed you too. And if the offer is still open, I would love to go to LA with you.

  9

  Alex had visited him almost every day on set for the rest of the shooting and he’d managed to pry another pancake breakfast out of her. When he wasn’t rehearsing or filming and she was working, Gabe became a fixture at the restaurant, which was usually packed with crew members who got tired of hotel or on-set food.

  The bone-crushing hug Ben gave him on his last day showed him that perhaps the business that ran through there was more than he had expected. “Happy to help,” he said, wheezing as air finally rushed back to his lungs.

  Aaron, his agent, flew in a couple of days before they were set to fly back to LA. He’d introduced them and that could have gone better. He spent the entire time trying to size her up and when she finally left and Gabe told him that she would be coming with them to LA, he’d freaked.

  “You can’t bring her to LA with you!”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “You’re going to be busy and there’s a lot you need to know about for the upcoming press tour.”

  “Aaron, she’s coming with me. I already bought her ticket. It’s no big deal. We have a little while before the press tour starts and she’s cool with hanging around for that stuff.”

  “Gabe, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “I didn’t ask for your opinion, Aaron. I’m letting you know.”

  “Fine,” Aaron said, exasperated, before storming out of the room. He hadn’t seen him since then. Aaron’s assistant let Gabe know that he had flown out early and would meet with him once he was back in LA.

  After he persuaded her to let him pay for her ticket, things had been smooth sailing. She’d put up quite a fight about it, until he convinced her that he had some frequent flyer miles he was able to use to get her there. Really, he’d put it on his credit card, but it got her on the plane, so he was happy to stretch the truth there. And once his check came through for the movie, it wouldn’t be an issue anyway.

  The trip to LA was fun and uneventful. There was a car waiting for them at the airport and it took them straight to the hotel. He felt like a fraud trying to show Alex around town; he’d only been there a few times himself and he was usually working, so there wasn’t much time for sightseeing.

  The first week they were in town was a flurry of activity. Gabe had to record a lot of ADR voiceover work for spots in the film where his lines couldn’t be heard clearly. There were fittings for suits that he would wear for the premiers and other events in the coming months. It was all new to them both, so they worked hard at enjoying it and she was happy to be along for the ride. She’d loosened up a lot from her first hesitant orders of room service or letting him pick up the tab when they went out to dinner. He was just happy she was there; paying for a few things to make their time even better was nothing.

  They went to the zoo, did touristy stuff, and spent a nice portion of their time in bed when possible. Their first time together was nothing compared to the evenings they had been able to spend exploring one another’s bodies. The only downside of hotel life was that there wasn’t a kitchen, so none of her ridiculously delicious pancakes could be had. Next time, he would make sure they put him up in an apartment instead of a hotel, if there was a next time. The reshoots were making it difficult to see a future in the movie world for him.

  When his phone vibrated on the nightstand before sunup one morning, he fumbled around, trying to find it. They’d had a late night out at a club the night before. It was the first time he’d gone to an LA club and he wanted to give her the VIP treatment. Someone from the studio had made the arrangements and they walked right in and sat in a private area. It had all been so foreign to him, and from the look on her face, it was foreign to her too, but he was glad they could share in the absurdity together.

  Finally, he located it and hit the home button, squinting as the light from the screen nearly blinded him. He turned down the brightness, so he wasn’t scotching his retina. It was a text from Aaron.

  Aaron: At my office at 8 am sharp

  Aaron was making Gabe come to his office. This was generally not a good thing and he had a lot to do today. A lot of that revolved around a certain studious young lady, who had kept up with her online classwork while they had been wandering all over LA. He hated to wake her, so he debated letting her sleep.

  Alex had been a bit nervous about their time in LA, but doing things together for the first time helped them both with their nerves. He wanted to make sure that she had a great time before her college classes started again in January. He was going to make the most of their time together and perhaps get her to consider moving out here after she graduated. Where had that come from? They hadn’t known each other that long. He liked himself when he was with her. He felt like himself—the happy, pre-college Gabe. While he knew that she was definitely enamored with the new his exterior, when they were hanging out together and being silly, he had the feeling that she would have gotten along with pre-college Gabe just fine.

  The town car pulled up to the front of the buildin
g and he didn’t even wait for the driver to open the door. The quicker he got to the office, the quicker he could get back. The drive to Aaron’s office was traffic-free, which meant they made it in record time. Hoping it was a good omen, he hopped out of the car and headed into the building. Nonetheless, a pit of uneasiness was growing in his stomach as the elevator climbed and shuddered as it stopped at the tenth floor. Usually Aaron would come to him; meeting at the office seemed to mean something a bit bigger.

  He stopped by the department receptionist. “I have an eight o’clock with Aaron.”

  “Yes, of course, he’s finishing up on a phone call and will be right out. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, water, champagne, sports drink?”

  “No, I’m good,” he said as he plopped down on one of the chair in the waiting area. He picked up a magazine and started to flip through it. After looking at his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes, he stood up and started to pace. Aaron finally called out to the receptionist telling her she could send him in.

  He walked into the office and sat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. He sat back when Aaron sat opposite him, instead of behind his giant wooden desk. He wasn’t sure what this newest development meant.

  “I’ve got some excellent news for you, Gabe,” Aaron said as he plopped down a huge folder on the small table between them.

  The huge folder and Aaron's tone got his attention. He sat up a bit straighter. Aaron was doom and gloom and downplayed anything favorable, so this had to be huge.

  “The studio loved the rough cut of the movie. Freaking loved it. And they are confident test audiences are going to go crazy for it. They haven’t even gotten that far yet, but they want you to sign a franchise deal with them. Four movies in the next five years.”

  Gabe jumped out of his seat. “What? Are you kidding me? Are you freaking kidding me?” he nearly shouted as his heart raced and hands started to shake. The studio loved the movie? The studio loved the movie! “They really liked it?” he said, staring down at Aaron. “Holy shit, I can’t believe it. I thought you said with reshoots like we had to do that the movie was sunk?”

  “Well, it looks like we have a Bourne Identity outlier here. Matt Damon thought the same thing; they had to do massive reshoots and usually that’s a terrible thing, but in your case, it looks like it all worked out!”

  He couldn’t believe it and started pacing all over the office. “So, when do they want to start the next movie? What are the next steps?”

  “Next steps are the contracts. They have given you a pretty hefty pay increase for the next four movies with bonuses depending on the box office returns. The press tour is going to be massive. I’m talking three months of non-stop travel and interviews for each one, but we’ve contracted for private travel, great hotels, and events all over the place to increase your exposure.”

  “Wow, I can’t wait to tell Alex about all this. She’s going to freak. I wonder if I can convince her to come,” he said, as a huge smile split across his face.

  “About Alex ...” Aaron started and Gabe’s smile faltered.

  “What about Alex?”

  “I don’t think it would be a good idea for her to be seen with you very much, especially where the franchise is concerned, and the studio agrees.”

  “Why the hell not?” he said, incensed.

  “Well, for one, the fervor hasn’t even hit the country—hell the world—about this series and people are going to be all over you.”

  “Yeah, so what? It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “No, I don’t think you realize how much of a big deal this is. Every moment of your life outside of the four walls of your house—hell even then—are going to be scrutinized. Everyone you’re seen with is going to be living under a microscope. The studio also thinks that cultivating the appearance of a romance between you and Lesley would help raise the profile of the franchise even more.”

  Gabe stood looking out the window over the city that he almost had in the palm of his hand, and didn’t know if he wanted it anymore. He loved Alex, he knew that. But this was a dream he didn’t even know he had. He would talk to her, he could explain it.

  “I’m not sending her away. She’s going to be here until her next semester starts in January and she starts classes again.”

  “No one said you had to send her away. I can arrange for things for you guys to do and ensure that there aren’t any photos taken. Or make sure that the photographers know you’re just friends. For any official events, she’s going to have to stay away. Lesley is your love interest as far as anyone outside of you, me, Alex, and the studio goes. That’s the agreement you must make to get this deal,” Aaron reasoned.

  “Yeah, I understand. I just don’t know how I’m going to explain this to Alex,” Gabe said as he flopped back into his seat. “Can’t you go back to the studio and have that taken out? I can just be friends with Lesley.”

  “Gabe, you don’t really have a choice. In the first contract, it stated that if you backed out of the franchise they would hold you personally liable for damages,” Aaron said, sitting down on the glass table in front of him.

  “What?” he asked, shocked at the revelation. “Why didn’t you tell me that was in the contract? I was supposed to be going back to school in January. What if I’d wanted to do that?” he questioned.

  “Gabe, come on,” Aaron said, giving him a disbelieving look. “Would you honestly turn down the chance for a four-film studio deal with points on the back end because you want to go back to college? Or for some girl?” He started to speak up, but Aaron cut him off. “I know, I know—you really care about this girl, but she knows this is your dream. If she cares about you, of course she’ll be supportive,” he said, pulling a pen out of his inside jacket pocket.

  “The studio needs this all by ten a.m., so let’s get signing.” Aaron said as he held out a pen to him.

  He stared at the pen for a long time. This was a dream he’d only recently discovered. The chance to star in a major studio franchise. How many people got to do that? He could get her to understand. He was sure she wouldn’t want to be in the limelight anyway. She wasn’t an out-there person. This would work.

  He’d make sure she knew how much he cared for her and wanted to be with her; they just had to play by the studio’s rules. All that ran through Gabe’s mind before he grabbed them and started signing where the sticky notes said he should.

  This would definitely work. She would understand.

  10

  Alex woke with a yawn and stretch. She turned to Gabe’s side of the bed, he wasn’t there. Pulling up the sheet and sitting up, she noticed there was a note on his pillow that said he’d be back by nine, and to order room service if he wasn’t back by the time she woke up.

  Alex called down and placed the order for them both and started to unpack some of her things. He said they would be here for about a month before a small press tour started for Stargazer. The movie wouldn’t be out until Christmas, but after they wrapped the reshoots the studio wanted some good press about the progress. Since the spring semester didn’t start until mid-January, she had a lot of time to relax and spend time with him.

  A couple of people had recognized him since they’d been in LA, which was a lot of fun. The promotional billboards and advertisements were going up even though the movie wouldn’t be out for a few months. It was crazy to think that people would be recognizing him more and more. His profile would be raising significantly in the coming months and she pushed back her fears about what that would mean for their very new relationship. This was a relationship, right?

  He took pictures with his fans and signed an autograph or two. Even with those fears creeping up, she was so proud of him. She knew Gabe was going to be a huge star, mainly because he starred in every one of her dreams and she could imagine that happening for women all over the world. That was both very cool and incredibly frightening. He was going to be the center of attention once things really started picking up
for Stargazer.

  The front door opened. “Alex, are you up?” he called, walking back to the bedroom. She threw on her shorts and met him at the bedroom door.

  “You get a nice pre-toothbrush kiss, mister.” She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “You know I don’t mind.” He gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her tight against him.

  “Great news. The studio wants to sign me for four more movies,” he said, more subdued than she would have expected.

  “Are you serious?” she said, jumping up and down in his arms and squeezing him even tighter. “That’s amazing!” She pulled back expecting to see a look of absolute joy on his face, but he looked practically despondent. Her heart sank. How could this not be the most amazing news?

  “What’s wrong?” She brushed his hair back from his forehead. Gabe rested his face against her hand. He nuzzled her hand and gazed into her eyes.

  “What’s wrong? You’re really starting to freak me out.”

  “Alex, I—” A knock on the door stopped him from finishing his sentence and he slumped into a chair.

  “One, second. That’s the food. I ordered room service for both of us.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along into the living room. She led him to the table and went to open the door for the room service. Signing for the food and tip, she closed the door behind the waiter.

  “Gabe, what is it? We should be celebrating this, right?” Unexpectedly, he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to him. Resting his face against her stomach, he just held her there for a while. She smoothed his hair and running her fingers along his scalp.

  “You’ll do great. Don’t worry about that. Remember, you were just going about your day minding your own business and someone picked you out of a crowd. And not only that, you went to the audition and got this part. You didn’t even think the movie would be a success. You’re still registered for classes in January because you were so sure it wasn’t going to happen, and look where you are now.” She pulled back to try to look him in the eye.