Chapter 3 #2
“You two know each other?”
I widen my eyes at him. Don’t say anything… don’t say anything…
But of course, he does.
Ryan rolls his eyes. “She’s my best friend’s little sister.”
My face heats. “And he’s a jerk.”
“Sorry to blow up your spot, but she asked. Did you expect me to lie, Chirp?”
Oh. My. God. I could kill him right now. I grate out, “Don’t call me that.”
“Wow! You two have some amazing chemistry.” Jennifer gives us a grin. To Elena, she says, “Maybe you could play up the history on the show.”
A look of puzzlement flashes across Ryan’s handsome features. I can’t say I blame him. I’m super lost right now.
“Ooh.” Elena smiles, tossing her dark mane over her shoulder. “You know, Jennifer, I think you might be right. Wren is going to be an excellent bachelorette.”
“Wait. She’s a part of the cast now?” Ryan asks, jerking his thumb in my direction. “Chirp, I thought you were working as someone’s assistant or something.”
I couldn’t glare at him any harder if I tried. I’ll murder him, Agamemnon-style. I will Clytemnestra his ass in the bathtub and he’ll never see it coming .
Ryan fucking Haart. He starts to put his shirt back on and all his muscles flex. My heart does that stupid flutter thing it’s been doing since I was twelve.
He’s also fucking awful to me. Literally the meanest, most immature guy I’ve ever met.
“Do not call me that.” I cross my arms. “And yes, I just agreed to be a bachelorette.”
“Do they know we don’t exactly like each other?” His gaze bores into me. “I don’t think they’re looking for the kind of fireworks we would put off.”
This is a nightmare. A full-on, pantsless-in-public, teeth-falling-out dream. Except I’m awake, and he’s standing there shirtless and smug and real.
Please don’t make me be nice to Ryan. But also, please still give me a chance at that big fat bonus.
“If you two can’t work together…” Elena starts.
I turn my eyes to Ryan, ready to plead. He studies me for a beat and then shrugs. Casually, like it’s not really his business either way.
“It won’t be a problem,” Ryan says, waving her concern away. He smiles at her, his expression tightening. “We can work together just fine. Right? We don’t have to actually fall in love or anything.”
He shoots me a withering look. I might hate Ryan, but I jump to agree with him.
“Absolutely. We’re both adults. We can playact.”
Fake it. Smile. Pretend he hasn’t been the star of every secret daydream and every worst moment since I was a teenager.
“If you think so.” Elena purses her lips for a second. Then her phone vibrates. She sighs and checks it, then tsks. “Jennifer, the rep from Alice + Olivia is here with several rolling racks of clothing. Can you sign for it? I have to go return this call.”
“Of course!” Jennifer says. She gives me a wink. “I’ll see you later, Wren.”
The two women hurry off, Jennifer’s heels clicking all the way down the hall. My gaze slides to Ryan. He purses his lips, shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and sizes me up.
A part of me, in the back of my head, says Yeah, of course Ryan is the bachelor you’re supposed to lust after. You didn’t think getting a hundred grand was going to be easy, did you?
Eventually, I break the silence, leaning against the wall. I’m careful to put a couple feet between us. Just to be safe. “So…”
If I stand too close, I’ll remember too much.
How he used to ruffle my hair and call me kid .
How I once stole one of his T-shirts and slept in it for a month.
How we once ruined a fancy New Year’s Eve party by fighting so loudly that we missed the countdown—I shattered a champagne flute, he yelled over the rest of the restaurant, and now we’re both banned from Atlanta’s finest five-star restaurant.
Ryan smirks, which makes me faintly nauseated. “I’m surprised to see that you even made it to work. I just assumed you’d be too busy being your usual charming self. You know, starting fights with priests, glaring at anyone who breathes, and giving panic attacks to puppies.”
My brows lower and I glare at him. “And you’re so charming?”
He laughs, which makes me want to punch him right in his pretty face. “You know what?” I put my hands on my hips and slant a look up and down his body. “I can’t decide whether you are more delusional or cocky.”
It’s easier to insult him than admit how badly I want him to look at me with something besides disdain. Easier to pretend I hate him than admit I’ve never really stopped wanting him.
He flashes me a smile. God, how great it would probably feel to slap him. My fingers itch with the desire to cause him bodily harm.
“It’s only cocky if I can’t back up what I’m selling.”
I can’t deny what everyone in Atlanta already knows about Ryan Haart’s reputation, so I change the subject. Crossing my arms, I roll my eyes and groan. “Just because you have a big ego doesn’t mean you aren’t the worst human being on the planet.”
Ryan folds his arms across his chest and smirks. “You’re never going to win The Last Kiss . You realize that, right?”
“Like I would even want to. What would my prize be at the end of the labyrinth? Not exactly Ariadne.”
Ryan blinks. “I don’t even know what that means. No one does.”
“The Minotaur? You know, half man, half bull, lived in this elaborate, confusing structure called the labyrinth. Theseus volunteered to…”
“Jesus, Chirp.” He cuts me off again. “Are you kidding with that story? Get to the point already.”
“Fine.” I glare at him. “The point is that you’re an idiot. The dumbest jock of all the morons.”
“You’re cooked.” He studies me for a moment. I can’t read his expression. “Good luck, Wren. You’re going to need it.”
I turn to stomp down the hallway, but Ryan stops me with a question. “Hey, Wren. Remember that time we played truth or dare in your basement?”
I freeze. How could I forget? It was the night I thought my heart would explode from sheer joy. Then shatter from crushing disappointment. All at Ryan’s hands.
“I remember.” My voice is tight. “What about it?”
He pauses. For a moment I think he’s going to apologize. Instead, he says, “I dared you to kiss me. You chickened out back then. You realize that you’re going to have to do a lot more than kiss me while the world watches?”
“In your dreams, jerkoff.” I wince. I swear, it sounded cooler in my head. As I walk away, he calls after me.
“Bye, Chirp. I’ll be seeing you real soon.”
Raising my middle finger, I stalk away. My heart pounds in my ears.
Making this TV show is going to be a disaster.
As I’m opening the door to the parking lot, Elena catches up with me.
“Carina!”
I stop and wait for her, like a dutiful golden retriever. My work crush on the older producer is almost embarrassing. She holds the door open and I step out.
“Don’t worry about Ryan.” Elena sounds so calm. “He’ll play along.”
I bolt toward the street, desperate to escape. “Why didn’t you tell him I’m just filling in? That I’m still part of the crew?”
Elena smiles. It’s the kind of smile that holds secrets.
“First of all, darling, you’re not a part of the crew anymore.
You’re part of the cast now. But you’ll be my mole, my double agent.
I’ll let you view the footage and brainstorm with you in private.
We can craft your image accordingly.” She waves a hand in the air. “Think of it as acting.”
Part of me cheers. Finally, I’m visible! The rest of me? Terrified. Because being seen means being judged. And I’ve spent my whole life avoiding both.
I’m speechless. This woman is a genius. A manipulative, brilliant genius. Or a psycho. I’m not sure which.
“Trust me, Wren.” Her tone is confident. “This will be good for you.”
“Thanks,” I mumble. She squeezes my shoulder and then turns away, back toward the building.
I’m not ready. I was supposed to be behind the camera, blending into the background, not becoming some kind of on-screen drama magnet. But now it’s too late. The train has left the station with me chained to the tracks.
The walk to catch the subway is a blur. I’m wounded, or maybe just numb.
I pull my coat tighter, wishing I could disappear into the subway walls. The idea of people watching me, like, really watching me, makes my stomach churn. I’ve spent my whole life avoiding the spotlight.
Now they want to aim a floodlight straight at my face.
As I slide into my seat on the train, I just sit and stare into space. My brain practically overheats trying to process everything that has happened today.
Ryan is my tormentor. My almost bully. He’s also the guy I’ve never gotten over.
He was the first boy I ever thought about kissing. And now, somehow, I’m supposed to fake a romance with him on national television. I can barely look at him without flushing. How in the hell am I supposed to pretend to fall in love?
Thanks to Ryan being best friends with my brother, he’s been a fixture in my life since I was twelve years old.
Jay brought him into our lives, and I never got a say.
He’s everywhere. At holiday gatherings. In our group chats.
Even now, when I finally try to build something on my own, he’s here. Again.
Ryan picks on me relentlessly. I’ve always suspected it’s because he knows how I feel. But if that’s true, his reaction to my secret yearning is inappropriate. Not to mention cruel.
Now, Elena is dangling some serious cash in front of me and telling me to play along.
The thing is, I thought taking this job would be a fresh start. I’d do it all on my own, work my way up the ladder. Stretch my wings and try to fly solo.
Now I’m not so sure. Ryan is the rotten apple in my brand-new barrel. If I’m not careful, he’s going to turn this opportunity to mealy, wormy mush.
Maybe I was never meant to leave the shadows. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me that I’m not cut out for this. That I’ll never be one of the shiny girls who belongs in the spotlight.
One thing is certain. I’m in way over my head. But worse than that… I think part of me wants Ryan to look at me. Just once. And mean it.
Filming starts tomorrow. I have less than twenty-four hours to figure out how to pretend I don’t care about him while competing for his fake affections on national television.