“For real, though. You should read your reviews, Teddy,” Liz says, swirling her wine around in her glass. “Even though I still think the Internet and social media will be the downfall of our generation, it’s amazing what you can find on there.”
And Teddy’s had just about enough of this.
“Definitely some amazing things,” he agrees. “Like those superinsightful Psychology Today articles I use to research roles—you know, like the ones that talk about the differences between a psychopath and sociopath? Or help you figure out why you have so many deeply rooted insecurities? They’re great. I can send you some links if you want, Liz.”
Will snorts into his salad. Tanner, who’s been participating in the adult half of the conversation most of the night, still muffles a guffaw with his napkin. Teddy can’t see what Bennett’s doing because he’s too busy staring down Liz, but he’s pretty confident Bennett got a kick out of it, too.
Meanwhile, Liz looks totally calm, though Teddy’s willing to bet the wineglass in her hand might shatter at any moment.
“Oh, man,” Tanner chimes in, leaning over and hooking an arm around Bennett’s shoulders. “Don’t you guys just love family cookouts? Who wants to go play Ping-Pong?”
* * *
“So, you any good at this?” Tanner asks when he and Teddy step down into the garage. The Ping-Pong table is already set up in the middle of the room.
“I’m all right,” Teddy lies. Ping-Pong is his go-to pastime on set. And he was so thankful for a reason to get up from the dinner table that he only feels mildly guilty about leaving Bennett and Will back inside with Liz.
“We can definitely still play if you want,” Tanner says, walking over to an old refrigerator on the back wall. He pulls out two beers and adds, “But I figured you could use a cold one after we forced you to sit through dinner with our extended family.”
“No worries, man. Are your parents gonna be cool with this if they walk out here, though?” Teddy asks. He’s actually been wondering about this since Tanner snuck him and Bennett a few this afternoon.
“Yeah—they’re pretty lenient with us once we go to college, as long as we don’t go, like, bat shit crazy or anything,” Tanner says, snagging a couple of paddles off a shelf. He hands one and a beer to Teddy and asks, “Are you not twenty-one yet?”
“Almost. September.”
Tanner walks to the end of the table. “Nice. Yeah, Bennett’s got, like, another three years. But again, once college rolls around, our parents kind of mellow out.”
“Speaking of—what do you think Bennett’s going to do about college with the movie?” Teddy asks. It’s nosey and probably overstepping a boundary, but Liz asking about her roommate situation at dinner had gotten Teddy thinking. If Bennett’s going to be on set in Wilmington for filming, how is she going to go to school?
“No idea. I didn’t even know the movie was happening until you blew her cover yesterday,” Tanner says.
Teddy bursts out laughing as he positions himself on the other side of the Ping-Pong table. “I felt so bad about that. I thought you knew already or else I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Tanner says. “I’m just glad they’re finally making the movie so I don’t have to read the books … shit—” He grins. “Don’t tell her I said that.”
“You’re good.” Teddy laughs again. “You should read them, though. I’ve only read a few chapters of the first one but I’m a big fan so far.”
“Oh yeah! Congrats on getting the part, bro. That’s awesome,” Tanner says, knocking him a practice serve, and Teddy isn’t sure if he’s least prepared for the impressive top spin or for Tanner congratulating him on a role he hasn’t landed. Either way, the ball ricochets off Teddy’s paddle and bounces across the garage.
“Oh, well, thanks, man,” he says, chasing after it. “But I just auditioned yesterday. I probably won’t hear anything for another month or so.”
“Wait, I thought Bennett said you were, like, slated to be in talks soon or some—what, why are you looking at me like that?” he asks when Teddy whips around. Then Tanner’s eyes go wide and he curses under his breath.
“What?” Teddy says, which is surprising, considering it feels like he just lost all motor function capabilities.
“What? Nothing,” Tanner spouts off, breaking eye contact. “She just said you auditioned.”
Teddy can’t breathe.
“Bullshit,” he says as he bends down to pick up the Ping-Pong ball. It’s the only thing he can think to do at this point.
Tanner still hasn’t said anything by the time Teddy gets back to his side of the table.
“Tanner, come on, man,” he prods, unconcerned with how desperate he sounds. “This could be the biggest movie of my career so far. You can’t leave me hanging like this. I might die.”
Tanner scratches the back of his neck, looking everywhere around the garage except at Teddy. “God, we all suck at keeping her secrets. No wonder she doesn’t tell us anything.”
That’s probably true, and Teddy’s going to feel so bad later about grilling her brother for information, but he has to know. Right now.
“Do not tell her I told you this,” Tanner warns, pointing a finger across the table. “She was talking this morning about how they’re, like, expediting the casting process because of scheduling, and my mom asked if you were gonna get the part you auditioned for. Bennett said she wasn’t allowed to say, but, I mean, she still told us.” His expression is a little remorseful, but it looks like he’s biting back a grin. “She said they’re gonna have to have more auditions for the girl lead, but that they’re gonna approach you soon about a contract, or something? That’s what ‘in talks’ means, right?”
Teddy stares at him for a moment.
“Oh, FUCK YES,” he shrieks, throwing his arms over his head. He claps a hand over his mouth, panicked that everyone in the house just heard him, but he cannot be expected to hold it together right now. He’s so balls-out excited he’s about to start doing laps around the garage. “Holy—oh my God, Tanner!”
Tanner rolls his eyes and laughs. “Yeah, yeah. Congrats, man. That’s sick.”
Teddy has no idea how this is possible. Like, seriously—no idea. He’s jumping around and fist pumping and he actually does a lap or two around the garage, but that’s fine, because Rita’s going to get a phone call about Teddy’s contract soon, and Teddy might start tearing up if he doesn’t watch himself.
Tanner’s still laughing at him when he says, “Come on, man. Let’s play before I give up more insider information.”
Teddy stops dead in his tracks, grinning like a fool. “Wait, is there more?”
“Stop.”
* * *
Teddy and Tanner play Ping-Pong until the McGearys announce they’re leaving, and Teddy’s secretly glad everyone decides to turn in early that night. He’s still riding an adrenaline high about the Parachutes role when he climbs into bed, and it’s upstaging every other emotion he’s had to wrestle with today. It’s been quite the thirty-six hours, to say the least, and the weekend doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon. Apparently the Caldwells and the McGearys are all going to a big party tomorrow.
An hour of lying in bed later, though, Teddy’s surprised to find himself so wired he can’t get comfortable. He was banking on some kind of emotional crash considering he covered the entire spectrum today. Instead, he thrashes under the covers, kicking the sheets down to the end of the bed, and giving an exasperated sigh every time he has to sit up and pull them back to the top of the mattress.
He thinks about his Parachutes role. And about his text conversation with Chelsea (his breakup conversation with Chelsea). But mostly he thinks of Bennett. They spent almost the entire night together, but it still feels like he didn’t see her at all. And the conversation he had with Liz is still sitting heavily in the back of his mind.
Teddy finally throws the covers off and climbs out of bed. He already ca
n’t sit still, and after drinking a fair amount of beer today, he figures it’d probably be best to hydrate a little. He tiptoes up the stairs and he pauses on the landing when he hears a TV playing softly, thinking maybe he should just settle for faucet water from his bathroom. Against his better judgment, he continues up the rest of the steps and peeks over the railing.
Bennett is in the kitchen. She’s sitting on the counter by the sink, legs dangling over the granite, and she jumps out of her skin when she sees Teddy.
“Boo,” he whispers as he rounds the banister and pads through the living room.
“Jesus,” Bennett breathes out, her shoulders sagging. “Give a girl a heart attack.”
“Sorry.” Teddy grins and strolls around the corner of the bar. “What’re you doing?”
She holds up her glass of water. “Hydrating. You?”
“Same,” he says casually. “Where are the cups?”
“Cabinet next to the microwave.”
Teddy leans a hip against the kitchen island, and a few things register with him as he eyes the plastic tumbler in her hand: Bennett’s wearing plaid pajama pants and a soft-looking T-shirt, her hair is piled messily on top of her head, and there’s a pair of square, thick-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. And it’s strangely adorable.
“Cute glasses, nerd,” he teases.
“Real nice, Buzz. Make fun of the blind chick.”
“That sounds like a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Blind as a bat, honest.” Bennett shrugs. “Glasses since fifth, contacts since sixth.”
Teddy shudders. “Yikes. The idea of putting something in my eye every day wigs me out—I’m glad I don’t have to wear them. No offense.”
Bennett levels her gaze with his over her tumbler. “None taken,” she says after a long sip.
“So, like, exactly how bad is your vision, then?” Teddy asks.
“I’m nearsighted, and if you were standing three feet away from me and I wasn’t wearing glasses or contacts, I still wouldn’t be able to see your face.”
“There’s no way it’s that bad.” Teddy moves to stand directly in front of her—what he thinks is about three feet away. “Take them off and tell me how many fingers I’m holding up.”
“Wow, didn’t see that one coming,” Bennett says, and sets her tumbler down on the counter next to her. Her pun clicks with Teddy as she slides the frames off her face, and it takes a conscious effort to not reach out and ruffle the bun on top of her head. Instead, he holds up four fingers and watches as she squints hard at them.
“Four?” she says after a moment.
“See? A bit of an exaggeration.” But when Teddy sticks his tongue out at her to prove his point, she just stares in his general direction, eyes unfocused.
Maybe she is blind.
She squints again. “Are you sticking your tongue out at me?”
Teddy hums and moves closer, sticking his tongue out again.
“You’re a real charmer, Sharpe,” Bennett says, pushing her glasses on again. Teddy wonders just how off her depth perception is without them, because he can see the exact moment when she registers the amount of space that’s no longer between them. She shifts back a little on the counter, and it doesn’t matter if it’s just a subconscious movement or something else, because either way Teddy’s not about that life.
“Hey,” he says softly, taking another step toward her and hoping he won’t scare her off. He brings a hand up to grip the back of his neck, thinking about how much he wishes he could ask her about the Parachutes role. “Thanks again for letting me stay this weekend. Seriously.”
“No worries,” Bennett says to her hands, then she meets his eyes and grins. “I’m glad you did.”
“Yeah?” Teddy grins back. “Me too.”
“Now that I’m thinking about it, though,” she says, her tone light, “I never stopped to consider the possibility of you being the psycho stalker fanboy type. Maybe you’re the real criminal mastermind here.”
“Have you noticed we talk about stalking each other a lot for two people who met yesterday,” Teddy says. “Not that it matters, since my odds against you are better than yours are against me.”
Her mouth drops open. “Hey, watch it.”
“What, you think you can take down all this?” He gestures down his body. “All this—solid muscle and pure athleticism? You don’t stand a chance.”
Bennett bursts out laughing.
“So I gotta tell you something,” Teddy says after a moment, just because he wants to get this out of the way now so he won’t feel guilty about his shameless attempts at flirting later. Bennett’s smile vanishes as soon as he says it, though, and the unease that shows up on her face puts a knot where Teddy’s heart is supposed to be. “I mean, it isn’t anything bad,” he adds quickly. “I just had a weird conversation with Liz tonight while you were on the phone.”
Bennett keeps her gaze steady, eyes giving nothing away. “Oh yeah? About what?”
“Honestly? I’m not even sure,” Teddy hedges, rubbing a hand over the top of his head. “She kept asking for the real reason why I’m here, and then things kinda went off the rails.…”
“And ended up where?” Bennett asks.
“Well, I was afraid she was somehow going to guess something about your movie, so I kind of told her … there was something going on between us? To distract her?” Teddy says ruefully, eyes dropping to the granite countertop.
“I see,” she says, and when Teddy finally works up the nerve to steal a glance at her, he’s pleasantly surprised by the way the corner of her mouth is quirked up.
Teddy scuffs the ball of his foot on the kitchen floor. “Yeah—so I just wanted to give you a heads-up, in case she says something. Which I’m sure she will.”
Bennett hums and waits a few seconds before asking, “So, does that mean there is, then?”
Teddy freezes, eyes flicking up to hers. “There’s what?”
But instead of answering him, she reaches for her water and downs what’s left in a few quick gulps. Teddy steps closer to her when she’s done and slips the cup from her hand, now actively ignoring the stutter step in his pulse. Bennett doesn’t move as he refills it at the sink, or when he steps right into her space again to give it back.
“Nah, you drink that. I need you on your day-party A-game tomorrow,” she says, pushing the water toward him.
“Ah yes. Good lookin’ out, Caldwell. Cheers,” Teddy says, and it sounds surprisingly smoother than he’d been expecting. He throws her a wink in between swigs for good measure, then sets the cup down and leaves his hand splayed next to her thigh on the counter. “So what were you asking a second ago? Does that mean there’s what?”
There’s not much room between them, and Teddy can practically feel it when she sits up a little straighter and shrugs innocently.
“Can I offer you a pointer?” she asks, her voice slung low in a murmur that has Teddy leaning toward it.
“Hmm?”
“If you’re planning on making a move here, now’s probably a good time,” she says, and God bless. For all Teddy knows his heart could have been beating this fast the whole time he’s been in the kitchen, but he’s certainly aware of it now.
“Really? What kind of move, Caldwell?” he asks, grinning like an idiot. In a heroic display of confidence, Teddy reaches down and lightly grips the backs of both of Bennett’s knees. Her pajama bottoms hold no traction against the granite as he drags her forward. He pulls her right into him so she’s straddling his waist now.
“Not bad,” she teases, tipping her head from side to side.
“Oh, just not bad?” Teddy says, smoothing his hands along the outsides of her thighs. Then, just to prove his point, he ducks his head and presses his lips to a spot on her neck just below her jaw, and the giggles he gets in return are honestly the best thing to happen to him all night. When one of Bennett’s hands ends up at the nape of Teddy’s own neck, he draws back just enough to smirk at her.
&nbs
p; “You know, I’ve kind of been thinking about doing this all day,” he says.
Bennett looks unconvinced. “Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious.” He traces a thumb along her collarbone. She squirms a little, clearly ticklish, and Teddy wiggles his eyebrows at her. “Don’t pretend like you weren’t thinking about it, either, Caldwell.”
“Don’t flatter yourself there, superstar,” she murmurs, smiling into it as she leans a tiny bit closer.
Teddy tips his head back and groans, “I hate it when you say that,” even though the massive smile on his face suggests otherwise.
And just as he’s meeting her gaze again, Bennett’s leaning all the way forward and telling him he’s taking too long and suddenly she’s kissing him, and Teddy’s not sure what he’d been expecting here, but he’s smiling so much that he actually has to stop for a second to try to wrap his mind around what’s happening.
“Jesus,” he mutters, then tilts his head the other way and presses his lips to hers again. He kisses her slowly at first, but after a few seconds, Teddy can’t help upping the tempo a bit. Bennett grazes his bottom lip with her teeth, and things get a little overwhelming after that.
“Teddy,” she sighs against his mouth, which only encourages him more. He wraps an arm around her lower back, hauling her even closer, still feeling like he can’t get close enough.
“Teddy,” she whispers again, gripping a fistful of hair and wrenching his head back. It takes a second for him to focus on her face, and he smiles lazily at her when she has to straighten her glasses. “I’m scared someone’s gonna walk in on this.”
“Fine.” Teddy grins, then leans back in and whispers, “Come downstairs with me, then.”
CHAPTER TEN
“Teddy.”
“Mmm…”
“Teddy,” Bennett whispers again, and in his half-asleep state, Teddy reaches across the sheets to pull her closer to him.
He comes up empty-handed.
Confused, he lifts his head and peeks open an eye, and it takes him a second to remember that, sadly, no one slept on the left side of his bed last night. He rolls over and finds Bennett smirking down at him.
Love Scene, Take Two Page 9