Chapter 20
SIX MONTHS LATER
‘You’re going to be late!’ Alison shouts at me from the kitchen. And she’s right – I am. My new publicist is meeting me at the event in about half an hour and I’m still in the spare bedroom of Alison’s flat, putting the finishing touches on my eyeshadow.
I was offered the full works for this evening – a stylist, hair and make-up – but I said no.
I thought it would be more fun for it to be just me and Alison.
The marketing agency Alison is working for has a few luxury-clothing clients, so she managed to source a dress from a relatively unknown French designer for me.
It’s black, with beading embroidered all over it.
A corset at the top. And I’ve done my make-up myself.
Using tips Sarah gave me, the last time we met for coffee.
‘Seriously, Lara!’ Alison yells. And I stumble down the stairs, almost stacking it in the heels she lent me.
She sighs. ‘Finally.’ She’s dressed up too – she’s coming as my plus one. I offered tickets to my parents too, but they’re coming to the LA premiere next week instead. Alison’s wearing a dress by the same French designer, in a midnight blue. Stars embroidered across it.
‘You look beautiful,’ I say.
‘We don’t have time for this,’ she says, rushing me over to the door. And we run together down the stairs.
This time, I feel more prepared – for the photos, the interviews.
I grew pretty well-versed in the press training Alessandro insisted on sending me to before the press tour, so I wouldn’t say anything stupid.
And for the most part, I didn’t. Although it was a little weird to spend so much time sitting next to Avi, dodging pointed questions about our relationship, we managed.
Georgia, my new publicist, has been helping a lot too.
Still, I blink a little as the cameras flash in our faces when we get out of the car. Alison takes my hand firmly, though, and we walk up towards the red carpet.
We get to the main crush of people – crowds milling around.
People in glittering jewellery and beautiful dresses.
And Alison keeps grabbing my arm, telling me she thinks she’s seen Jonathan Bailey.
Who I know for a fact is not here – he’s currently filming on-location in Bali, on a project I was offered an audition for a few months ago.
I’m searching the crowds too – for my publicist, namely. But also for someone else.
And then I see him.
He’s talking to an interviewer, but mid-sentence he looks up and catches my eye. Excuses himself and makes his way through the crowd to me.
‘Hi,’ he says.
‘Hi,’ I breathe.
‘I, uh… I’m going to go and check out the bar. Over there,’ Alison says, slipping away.
‘How have you been?’ he asks. He means since the tour – the last time we saw each other. Which was nice, but strange. The time we spent together between interviews charged, somehow.
Like now. A shiver running down my skin as he looks at me that tells me he’s not just my friend. But he has to be. Because that’s been our official line for the press and the one we’re sticking to personally too.
‘Good,’ I reply. ‘You?’
‘Great,’ he says. And I try to build myself up to ask the only real question I want to ask.
Which is whether or not he got the part in the play he auditioned for, on Broadway.
Because if he did, he’ll be in New York for the next few months.
And I will too – I got a part in a new TV series.
One Sienna has actually been cast in as well.
We’ve been texting each other about the script already, making plans for our characters.
After the podcast interview went live, I texted her to say thank you – for being so kind to me, for sacrificing her only protection from the press.
And since then we’ve been talking. It was actually me that put her forward for this series.
But before I can get the words out, a hand lands on my arm – my publicist, Georgia.
‘There you are,’ she says. ‘I’ve texted you about eight times. We should get going on the press circuit.’
‘Sure,’ I say, looking up at Avi.
Georgia is a true professional – she rushes me along, through interview after interview. Stepping in where needed. Flashing me a look if an answer runs too long. Avi is a few people behind me and I find myself aware of his presence.
We make it to the end of the line and I catch the last few sentences of Avi’s interview: ‘…it was an honour to work with her. She’s inspiring. When she enters a room, when she’s on, you can’t look at anything else.’
Oh, my God, I think, feeling suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Because he’s talking about me.
‘And what’s next for the both of you, personally and professionally?’ the interviewer asks, and I tense up immediately.
‘I don’t know,’ he says. ‘But…’ My breath catches and it takes every fibre of my being not to turn and look at him. ‘I’ve learned recently that I don’t think you ever really know what’s going to happen in life. You just have to be honest and hope things fall into place.’
I blink, processing his answer. What can he mean by that? I think.
But right now I have a job to focus on. So I allow Georgia to pull me towards where the cameras are set up. Where Alessandro is waiting.
‘Bambina,’ he says. ‘I am so glad to see you.’ And relief soars through my chest. Because even though we’ve made up over the last few months, I still feel awful about how things went down between us. And so to see him tonight – to have made it so far – fills me with joy.
When Avi and Sienna’s podcast was released, he called me up to say that he was still angry that I was so impulsive – especially given that I knew about their arrangement and the potential damage it could cause to the film – but that he was sorry, for speaking to me more harshly than he needed to.
And grateful too, that I reached out to him after filming, that Avi and I were willing to do that interview.
That perhaps, at some point, we could look at a future project together – which is looking maybe likely, because I’ve heard rumours that the studio might be funding a sequel.
Turns out that no publicity is bad publicity is more true than I’d thought; people have been so caught up in the drama around this film that it’s having a much buzzier release than even the studio expected.
And the early reviews have been good – encouraging.
A few four stars, and even one or two fives.
Praising the direction, the scenery. I only know this from Alison, because I’ve been trying not to get distracted by all that.
To keep my focus on the next project, the next script Nat sends through.
But still taking time to enjoy the journey while I can. The life I’ve been building in the meantime – late night takeaway with my sister, pub trips with Spencer and Hannah. Everything I avoided for fear I couldn’t have it, because it wasn’t for me.
I take my place in the photography line-up next to Roman, who is looking more dressed up than I was expecting; he has a tradition of appearing at premieres either woefully underdressed in a T-shirt and jeans, or with a paper bag over his head.
But tonight, he’s apparently on his best behaviour.
Wearing a luxury custom suit with blue silk lapels.
We greet each other cordially.
I might not like Roman still – we will definitely never be friends – but over the press tour, we’ve been civil. And over time I’ve realised that, though I hate to admit it, we weren’t as different as I thought. We both had the same drive to succeed. His just came out in incredibly bizarre ways.
We take the group photos, then Roman, Sienna and Alessandro move along to the edge of the carpet, and Avi and I have centre stage.
Avi winds his arm around my waist, like he did last time. And this time, I look where Georgia has trained me to: just above the cameras rather than right at them.
‘You look beautiful,’ Avi whispers, leaning down. His breath tickling the edge of my neck. The cameras flash, capturing the moment I smile shyly at him.
And when the screening is over – and everyone has clapped, and Alessandro has given his speech, and made a joke about the PR surrounding the film, and thanked all of us – I head out with the crowd spilling into the night air.
He locates me and I find myself noticing how beautiful he looks in this moment. How much like himself. Even in these clothes. The difference I was seeing before was never the clothes or the flashy lifestyle. It was him – he looked distant from himself. Unhappy.
He doesn’t look that way any more.
‘You seem… like you’re doing well,’ he says, smiling. ‘Taking to this fame stuff like a natural.’
I nod. ‘I am,’ I say. ‘I’ve got the right people around me. You seem good too.’
He nods. ‘I am. I’ve been thinking a lot lately. About my life. What I want.’
I catch my breath, trying to figure out exactly what he means. But then he continues, looking at me in a way that makes me feel like I’m on fire.
‘I got the part in New York,’ he says.
Oh, my God, I think. A rush of joy flashing through me. It spills through every part of me, getting bigger the longer I look at him.