Chapter 11 Luca #2
We started speaking to one of the other agents—well, Jack did. I stood beside him, ignoring their conversation and observing the bar.
Where is she?
We’d been there twenty minutes, but I’d yet to spot Matilda.
Instead of our attendance being a complete waste of time, I took the opportunity to watch the other celebrities and their partners. The room was a mix; some partners stood together, and others stood with their friends or agents.
Asha and her partner, Alice Avril, were downing shots together at the bar, looking like besties, as Jack would say. They obviously had great chemistry, and I made a mental note to try to dig into how their rehearsals were going.
Jessica Bennett—the TV news host—and Nate looked cozy in a corner of the room. His arm was over the back of the booth, and they were turned in, facing each other. She spoke animatedly with both hands, making him laugh and flick a bit of her hair.
They are definitely fucking.
It happened a lot on film sets, so it must happen in TV, too. I’d learned the hard way that it was more drama than it was worth.
I finally spotted Matilda ordering herself a drink at the bar. She was still in her tights, shorts, and oversized hoodie from earlier, sporting her workout clothes like everyone else in the room.
The bartender smiled at Matilda as if she was the first customer he’d served all day. Moron.
She ordered her drink, and they chatted as he mixed it. Just as I’d decided to move closer to hear what they were talking about, a hand slid across her lower back. I narrowed my eyes as it began to trace small circles.
It took me a second to realize it was Mark’s. He’d been pretty scarce around the studio over the past three weeks, and I’d actively tried to avoid him.
A few skaters noticed the overly familiar greeting between the two but didn’t look shocked.
Casually, Matilda stepped out of his hold, and his arm fell to his side.
I could just about make out his frown from where we stood.
He rested his arm on the bar, trying to enter her personal space again, not looking pleased by her evasion.
She played with the hem of her sweater, tugging it down slightly before dropping it and pulling her ponytail over her shoulder.
He scanned her face, his eyes hardening at whatever she said.
And as if by magic, my fist tingled like it was ready to hit something.
“What’s up with them?” I asked, interrupting whatever Jack and the other agent were talking about. They turned their heads to where I nodded.
“Don’t know,” Jack answered, sipping his beer. “She was a bit cagey about him the other week.”
The other agent stepped in closer, voice hushed. “They used to date, I think.”
Although that had been somewhat evident before I’d asked the question, the answer still surprised me. They were so different.
“Tony said that Mark was running his mouth about her the other day,” the other agent continued. I figured Tony must have been his celebrity client. “Speaking a load of shit that insinuated that they were together, or had been, at least.”
“Like what?” Jack probed.
“How Matilda was a good ride, but not worth the hassle, stuff like that.”
I didn’t bother to mask my disgust. Matilda might have been a pain in my ass, but hearing someone she’d trusted badmouth her—especially at her workplace—made my blood boil.
“What a dickhead,” Jack scoffed.
“Yeah, he’s some kind of narcissist. Matilda seems nice, too. It’s cruel of him…but I guess that’s showbiz.”
I couldn’t have agreed more.
“She is nice,” Jack said. At the bar, Mark’s lip curled into a disdainful smirk, slight mockery in his narrowed eyes as he tried to close in again.
Fuck this.
My legs moved of their own accord, the only thought in my mind that I did not appreciate Mark’s attitude toward Matilda. She was visibly uncomfortable, yet no one was intervening.
The space between us grew smaller and, noticing someone approaching, Matilda glanced toward me. Our eyes instantly connected.
My body thrummed at the look of relief that crossed her face at my arrival. After a few moments, her expression cleared and was replaced with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Matilda,” I greeted my partner, placing a hand on the small of her back in solidarity.
I didn’t bother greeting Mark.
“Hey,” she said on a soft sigh. “You OK?”
“Just coming to see if you’re joining us for a drink.” I nodded my head toward the table, while avoiding looking directly at Jack. I didn’t need to see him to know he’d be wearing a shit-eating grin. If Matilda was shocked by my out-of-character display, she didn’t show it.
“We’re actually in the middle of something,” Mark interjected.
I lazily turned my head, offering him a bored look. “Funny, I don’t remember asking you.”
Matilda choked on her drink, which she attempted to hide behind a cough. A smirk twitched on my lips.
“Excuse me?” Mark scoffed.
“You’re excused.” I said and turned to Matilda, flexing my fingers where they pressed on her back. I was glad Jack wasn’t close enough to overhear this exchange; otherwise I’d be hearing from him about my “attitude.” “Ready?”
Matilda blinked once, too slowly to be natural, before her smile slid back into place as she nodded. “Sorry. I’ve…got to go,” she told Mark and let me guide her away. Before we fully turned, I caught sight of Mark downing his whiskey and slamming the empty glass on the bar.
“What was his problem?” I asked as we headed back toward Jack and the other agent.
“Oh, he’s just like that sometimes. I think he’s stressed trying to organize the show and stuff.”
Stressed trying to organize the show. It looked like more than that from where we’d been standing. It looked like he was trying to hit on her, she shut it down, and he didn’t like it.
“Isn’t that his job?” I pressed.
“Yeah, I guess.” She shrugged and laughed it off. She glanced down to where my hand was still against her back, and I tore it away like it burned. Why the fuck are you still touching her?
“Hey, Jack, Sam,” Matilda greeted them, her voice betraying no hint that she’d been uncomfortable twenty seconds before.
Of course, she knew the agent by name.
“How long have you guys been here, anyway?”
“Only about twenty minutes. I don’t think we’ll stay for long,” Jack offered.
“Yeah, me neither. It’s been a long week, right?” We all nodded, and she continued, “Sam, how’s Tony getting on? Is he enjoying training?”
Sam laughed. “He’s enjoying it, I think. He isn’t used to the physical aspect, though; the training is intense.”
“Isn’t it?” Matilda agreed. “I’ve been skating my whole life and still find the step-up for the training hard.”
“Yeah, I think he’ll get there. He just hasn’t got the confidence at the moment.”
“Oh, he will. Sometimes, it takes a while for it to click.” Her lips wrapped around her straw as she took a drink. “If I’m free and he needs extra help, I’m more than happy to.”
My eyebrows furrowed in disbelief, my mouth slightly agape as I twisted my head to look at her. My mind reeled. Did we not speak about this earlier?
When she caught my expression, a flush crept up her cheeks. A sheepish smile played on her lips as she amended, “I can offer some pointers.”
“Thanks, he’d appreciate that,” Sam told her, and I fought not to roll my eyes.
“Anyway, I’ll leave you guys to it. I’d better say hello to everyone so I can go home unnoticed and take a long bath.” Don’t you dare think about Matilda in the bath, flushed and covered in bubbles.
She held up her drink in a silent cheers, Jack and Sam returning the gesture.
They waved goodbye to her as she turned and darted off in a flurry of pink hoodie and blond ponytail.
“You ready?” Jack asked, after downing his drink.
“Let’s go.”