by Maya Hughes
“There’s a catch to the contract,” he said solemnly. Unwrapping his hands from around her waist he held both of her hands in his. He was looking down at where their hands were joined, not saying a word.
“Okay, what is it?” she said, holding onto his hands, and sitting down on the seat next to him.
“I can’t go with you to the premiere in December.” He gulped, averting his gaze, and training his eyes on the floor.
“That’s not that big of a deal. Is that why you’re so freaked out?” She leaned down and tried to catch his gaze.
“Gabe, it’s not the end of the world if you can’t get me a ticket. I understand. I might even have to go back home before then to get things ready for classes in January anyway,” she said, reassuring him. It didn’t seem to be working, as he still wouldn’t look at her.
“It’s not that I can’t get you a ticket, it’s that I’m not allowed to go with you.”
She let go of his hand and slid hers back across the table.
“What do you mean you’re not allowed to go with me?”
“It’s not that I don’t want you to be there,” Gabe continued but wouldn’t look up at her. “It’s just that Aaron and the studio think it would be better if there was some hype about the movie. To help drum up more buzz. And they want me to go with Lesley.”
“She is your co-star. That’s understandable.” He shook his head and finally glanced up at her.
“They want me to go with her as my girlfriend.”
Her jaw dropped and her heart stop before it came roaring back, beating a mile a minute. The studio wanted him to be with Lesley, not just for pictures, but as his girlfriend. So where did that leave her. Was she even his girlfriend?
“They’re pushing for some magazine photo spreads, gossipy-type stuff to get the name of the movie out there and they think that some on-set romance would help with that,” he continued. “We can still be together. We can still go out and have fun; it’s just got to be a bit more planned out to ensure that the paparazzi aren’t there and our photos aren’t taken. And if they are, we have to say we’re friends.”
“What?!”
“It’s only that Aaron and the studio think that it would be best if there weren’t any pictures out there linking me to anyone romantically other than Lesley. The public would see through it.”
“Yes, because it’s a lie!” She pushed her non-existent glasses back up the bridge of her nose and noisily slapped the table in frustration.
“Are you ashamed of me? Is that what this is about?” Her voice quivered and her tongue was numb. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears built behind her eyelids.
“No, of course not!” he exclaimed, reaching for her hand. She pulled it back off the table and into her lap.
“You’re going to be the star of your own little fairytale and that doesn’t include some geek from the shore town that doesn’t know how to fit in,” she accused, standing up from the table. That got Gabe’s attention. He finally looked up at her, but she couldn’t read exactly what he was thinking.
“Alex, that’s not it at all. I really care about you,” he said, standing and holding onto both of her arms. He stared into her eyes.
“I really do care about you, but this is something bigger than I imagined and I didn’t think that it would come with so many strings, but it has. Strings bigger and more controlling than I could have imagined.”
“It seems that you’re perfectly fine with those strings, Gabe. You asked me to come out here with you. You made the big pitch about how much fun it would be and how great it would be to spend time together and now ...” she shrugged and stared at him with such disappointment in her eyes.
“I know, it was wrong, I shouldn’t have made you come out here,” he said as tears poured down her cheeks. “I just didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t think it would be like this. But I am glad you’re here now. We can still have a lot of fun before you leave.”
“Why would I stay Gabe? Answer me that—why should I stay here knowing you can barely be seen in public with me?” He floundered, unable to respond.
“I’m sure you just can’t wait to get rid of me. Now the movie’s getting buzz, you’re going to be a hot new star, and I’m just some chick you screwed while you were bored on set.” She stormed into the bedroom, grabbed her suitcase out of the closet, and started emptying drawers.
“Alex, what are you doing? Of course, we’re going to do this together; we just can’t be out in the open about everything.” She snapped up from her packing and stared at him, like she was seeing him for the first time.
“Not out in the open about everything? Well, if you think I’m a woman you can screw behind closed doors and then pretend you don’t know in the light of day, fuck you!”
She grabbed the rest of her toiletries and shoved them into her suitcase as best she could. She stormed out of the bedroom and grabbed her phone and purse off the bar.
He stood in front of the door. “You are not leaving until we talk this out. I don’t want you to go. This isn’t coming out right at all.”
“I think it’s coming out crystal clear. We’ve talked, you’ve said what you had to and so have I. Let me ask you a question. Will I be your date at the premiere?”
He stared at her with his mouth open like a fish out of water. Exactly.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.” Alex looked at him like he had smacked her. Gabe struggled to tell her just what was happening. He didn’t want to mention the penalty clause for not going along with it. As it was, she thought that he couldn’t be with her because of the studio. If she knew that he was choosing to avoid the financial penalty over her, that would only make it worse. Could he have explained this better?
“I would never be with someone who is ashamed of me.”
“Alex, I’m not, of course I’m not. You don’t understand.” He pulled his hair and turned away from her, trying to think. “There are things going on that I don’t have control over. Things that I can’t change. And I don’t want you to get hurt,” he said, turning back to look at her. She stared up at him with tears spilling down her cheeks and such disappointment on her face that it almost made his knees buckle. He was ruining everything. It was all falling apart.
“Too late,” she whispered as she wrenched open the door to the hotel suite and stormed down the hallway.
Gabe pounded his fist against the door as it closed. He turned around and banged his head against it before finally sliding down the door, knowing that running after her would only make this worse. Why had he listened to Aaron and signed that damned contract?
He hadn’t thought that they could even demand anything like that. But what kind of life could he lead if he were millions of dollars in debt? He would get through this, figure something out and go to Alex after, when he could explain. His time with her had been some of the best he’d ever had and that included living his dream on set, and look where he was now. Alone again.
It wasn’t until the next afternoon, after sending eighty unanswered texts begging her to talk to him, making fifty unanswered calls, and leaving at least forty voicemails that jammed her inbox, that he began drinking. It was a very awkward night of sleep wedged against the couch with a bottle of Jack when he finally realized that she wasn’t coming back. He’d hoped that she might have seen some of his messages, listened to his voicemail, and come back.
He pleaded with her to come back, even told her about the contract relationship clause and penalty for breaking it. At that point, he had nothing to lose. Cracking open an eye was beyond painful. His head was throbbing, his stomach was a mess, and his mouth tasted like he’d eaten a bag of sawdust before he passed out.
How could he have been so stupid? He crawled into the bathroom to relieve himself, splash some water on his face, praying that the room would stop spinning. Leaving his pants behind in the bathroom, he decided a boxer day would be just what the doctor ordered. His press events didn’t start until tomorrow. Afte
r gulping down a liter of water and some aspirin, he made his way back to the couch and just lay there until sleep overtook him again.
He awoke groggy and looked out the windows to see that it was now midday. Something had woken him up. He jumped up, hoping that she had changed her mind and came back. The room spun and he had to hold onto the wall to make it to the door. The incessant knocking was like a hammer to his head. He opened the door without even checking to see who it was.
Lesley made her way inside his suite before he could tell her to go away. Her halo of curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes would captivate most men, but Gabe wasn’t in the mood.
“What are you doing here Lesley? I’m not really the best company right now.” She was wearing some kind of halter top pant suit thing and the pattern on it was making Gabe dizzy.
“Whoa, Gabe. You look like shit,” she said, staring at him with her hands on her hip. “I talked to Aaron and he said you didn’t know about the studio relationship clause.”
“Nope, never even thought it was a thing.”
“Gabe, you’re got to make sure you get a lawyer to help you read these thing in the future. Why do you think there are always so many co-stars in big movies falling in love?” She did air quotes around love.
“I thought it was because of close quarters and spending a lot of time together.”
“Come on Gabe, once you ate that tuna sandwich right before one of our kissing scenes, you were completely off my ‘possibly sleep with’ list, plus Alex is super sweet.”
He chuckled at the mention of the tuna fish sandwich kiss and groaned as he thought about Alex.
“I have completely fucked things with Alex. In a serious way, she stormed out of here last night and it was all my fault.”
“Tell me you did not tell her about the relationship clause.” She gaped at him.
“Yeah, I did,” he groaned.
Lesley moved behind the bar and started to pour a drink, “Would you like one?” she asked, tipping a glass toward him and unscrewing the cap on a bottle.
“It’s really not a good time. I have to start the press tour prep tomorrow and I’m still nursing a hangover from last night,” he grumbled plopping down on the couch.
“Gabe, it’s not going to be a big deal. We just have to make sure we’re seen together, flirt a bit and that’s all. Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to jump your bones,” she said, putting the top back in the bottle.
“It’s not about that. I know there’s nothing happening with us. I don’t think I should drink right now. My stomach is a mess.”
“I think maybe you need a little hair of the dog.” She sat next to him on the couch and held out the glass to him.
“You’re not going to make me drink alone, are you?” She rattled the glass and the ice clinked against the sides.
“You know what they say, the best way to get over a hangover is to get blitzed all over again.”
“Who the hell says that?”
She shrugged.
“People,” she said vaguely. Gabe grabbed the tumbler from Lesley’s hand and chugged it, hoping that it would get her out of his hair sooner. “Ta-da, finished my drink, now you can go.”
And in that moment, he knew that hair of the dog was not the way to go. The drink immediately came right back up with burning bile and everything else he had tried to choke down last night and this morning. And it all landed all over Lesley’s hair, chest, and lap.
“Oh shit.” He stood quickly and glanced around for something to fix this. Since he didn’t spot a time machine, he grabbed the towel he’d used to dry his face earlier that was laying on the floor. He attempted to use it to wipe up the mess that was all over Lesley, but he was only smearing it and making it worse. She stared at him completely aghast and trying not to throw up herself. She stood with her arms out at her side.
“Wow, I guess I that’s what I get for trying to cheer you up, huh?” she said, chuckling and gagging at the same time and pinching her nose to avoid the horrific smell that was coming off her. At least it all seemed to be contained to her body and hadn’t gotten all over the room.
I’m so sorry, Lesley. So sorry,” he said, standing there like an idiot, not knowing what to do. She needed to clean up. “Here, come in the bathroom and we’ll get you cleaned up,” he said, guiding her back into the bedroom bathroom.
“He wants to break things off.” Alex had to video call Jen after the taxi crushed her phone while she was getting her bags out of the trunk last night. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day. Add that to her list of expenses that she hadn’t anticipated.
“Gabe? Gabriel Stevens, the guy who is absolutely ga-ga for you and you’ve spent pretty much every day with for the past couple of weeks? That Gabe broke up with you?”
“Well, no, he didn’t break up with me, but he pretty much told me that he was embarrassed to be seen with me in public and I had to pretend I wasn’t his girlfriend anymore, if that’s what I even am.”
“He what?” Jen shouted, jumping up from her chair. She had to turn the volume down on her computer or she was going to lose her hearing. “Wait, did you say he pretty much told you? What exactly did he say?” Jen glared into the camera like she was ready to tear someone apart.
She recounted their conversation and went over how he’d reacted.
“So, he didn’t say he was embarrassed to be seen with you?”
“No, not in so many words.”
“Alex, you know maybe the LSAT has Swiss-cheesed my brain, but I think you need to go back there and talk to him. You need to figure out what the hell happened at that meeting with Aaron. Yesterday, everything is fine. Today, he has a meeting and suddenly he can’t be seen with you.” Jen sighed.
“Jen, I’m not going to go groveling back to some guy who doesn’t want me. I refuse to be that kind of woman.” The tears she’d managed to keep at bay since she woke up were threatening to spill over.
“Alex…Alex, I know what you’re thinking and you’re not like her. How many times am I going to have to say that? You’re not and I’m not saying that you should keep seeing him or should beg him for anything. What I’m saying is you need to talk to him. Find out the whole story, whatever it is, and then make your decision.”
“Yeah, you’re right! I hate it when you’re right.” She cursed.
“No matter what happens, if you walk away without getting a full explanation, you’re going to regret it. You need to go back there, be calm, and figure this out. If he’s being an asshole after you talk to him, then you kick his ass and come back here and we’ll eat ice cream until our stomachs explode.”
She gave her a watery laugh and nodded her head.
“I’m scared, Jen,” she said, confessing the truth.
“I know sweetie, I know. But every choice you make when it comes to a guy does not go back to your mom. You can’t live your life in a safe little bubble,” Jen reasoned. “Do you want to stay in that bubble forever?”
“No, I don’t. I’m just really scared. I’m putting myself out there and it’s hard.”
“I know, but anything worth having is worth the risk.”
“Right once again. When the hell did you become so wise?”
“I guess you’ve been rubbing off on me. Now go and talk to him.”
“On my way,” she said, ending the video call, grabbing her bag, and hailing a taxi.
11
Seven Years Later
The pattern on the bedspread was suddenly incredibly interesting as Gabe ran his fingers over it. He was laying on the bed staring up at the ceiling, feeling a lot better, physically least. The bed spins were gone and that churning sea in his stomach had died down to a small lapping wave. The fumbling and groans coming from the bathroom let him know that Lesley was having a tough time getting herself cleaned up.
“What the hell did you eat, Gabe? This is so gross!” she shouted.
“I’m really sorry. I don’t really remember. I think I might have ordered so
me room service spaghetti or something last night,” he shouted back.
“Oh sick, it’s all over my freaking hair, Gabe.” She sniffed and then wretched, but thankfully no tell-tale splatter sound. “I’m going to have to take a shower. I will end up puking if I have to smell this all the way back to my place. Do you have some clothes I can wear or something?”
Standing up, he walked over to the dresser and picked out a pair of long boxers he thought she might be able to fit and a t-shirt. He knocked on the door and Lesley’s hand shot out, grabbing for the clothes. He put them in her hand and stepped back as she closed the door in his face.
“Seriously? This is all you have? What about some of Alex’s stuff?”
“She left me remember? She packed it all up and headed out last night.”
All the fumbling stopped and she cracked open the bathroom door, “I’m sorry Gabe. I wasn’t thinking. It will be okay. We’ll get through this.”
“What do you mean we?”
“These press tours are brutal and if they are loving this series and getting great feedback, it means we’re going to have to be on the road for months on end until this thing comes out, and then onto filming and then the tour starts all over again. Having one another to lean on will make things so much easier,” she said with her face mushed between the door and the doorway.
“Lesley, I’m in love with Alex,” Gabe said, sitting on the bed, holding his head in his hands, thinking about how much he had screwed everything up.
“Well, duh. I wasn’t talking about in that way. At least us pretending means there will be less people asking you dating questions that might be hard to answer. I know it sucks. It really sucks,” she said with her gaze drifting off. “Have you told her yet? I’ve seen the way you look at her.”
“No, I haven’t told her and by what happened yesterday, I don’t think she’ll really care about how I feel about her,” he groaned.