4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Liam
I frown; my nose scrunched in confusion.
“This doesn’t make any sense. Why on earth is he spending his days pining for her when he decided it was best to let her go because they had different views and ambitions?” I blurt out, throwing the script to the side. “No one seriously does that.”
Julian glances at me from where he’s lounging on the couch. He returns his attention to his phone, pretending not to hear what I just said.
“Honestly, my brain hurts just thinking about this script.”
“You start shooting in less than twenty minutes, and all you’ve done is grumble about the script.”
So now he’s decided to reply to me. Best friend, indeed.
“If the script wasn’t obviously so cringe, dumb, and unrealistic, I wouldn’t be complaining so much.”
“Funny how you’re saying that about a movie the whole world is looking forward to, "Julian says flatly."
“What world?”
“You must be kidding.” Julian sits up, placing his famous teasing gaze on me. “The great Tim Herbert is directing, and for the first time, the world’s favorite actor will be starring in a rom-com, which your fans have been begging for. Everyone expects it to be the movie of the year.”
I shake my head. “I wouldn’t put so much hope on something filled with so many contradicting and confusing actions. The male lead doesn’t even know what he wants. One minute, he says he’s better off without her. The next, he’s heartbroken because he never loved anyone like her. Come on!”
“There’s nothing confusing about that. It’s a universal experience with everyone who’s ever been in love,” Julian says. “Love makes you do plenty of shocking things, and when you don’t even know yet that it’s love, it can be confusing.”
I lean back in the armchair and squint at Julian. “You say that like you’ve been in love.”
“Because I have, and so have you,” Julian retorts.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Yeah, right. How do you explain your one that got away?”
Sophie? If only he knew.
“No, you have it all wrong. I let her go because I knew it was fruitless. And you don’t see me pining for her.” I scoff, propping my arms behind my head. “No excuses. This script is dumb. That’s why I hate romance movies.”
“Then you should have rejected this script.”
“You pitched it to me like it was the next best thing!”
“Me saying that has never stopped you from rejecting every other romance script I’ve ever shown you,” Julian counters smoothly. “And don’t give Lara Jones’s article about you as an excuse.”
“She slandered me and called me a bad actor.”
“No, she said you’d make a bad romantic lead.”
“It’s the same thing. I pride myself as an actor who can embody any role. You think I’d just let that insult pass?”
Julian sighs, rolling his eyes. “I get it, you’re the best. Now do the job without complaining, because the production is paying a fortune to have you here.”
If I hadn’t already signed the contract and I wasn’t so vexed about that slanderous article, I might have bailed right now.
Julian stands up, stretching his arms. I follow his movement with my eyes.
“Where you going?”
“In case you’ve forgotten, you’re not the only talent my company manages, and I do still run that company,” Julian points out dryly. “It’s unheard of for a CEO to personally manage a talent on his own instead of handing him over to an employee. But it’s you, Liam, and no one else wants to deal with you.”
I roll my eyes. “Keep saying that like a complaint when I bring in over half of your company’s profit.”
“And that, too.” Julian groans. “I’m going to LA for a meeting. I should be back in two days.”
“Oh really.”
“Don’t worry, Sophie will babysit you properly in my absence.” I throw him a sharp glare, and he chuckles. “Come on, you’ll be fine.”
A knock on the trailer door cuts off what I’m about to say. I glance at the door and stiffen when Sophie enters.
She’s holding a stack of neatly pressed clothes in polythene wrap. She hurries toward the table and places them on it.
I try not to watch the lithe movements of her form but fail miserably. Like always, it’s hard to ignore Sophie when she’s so effortlessly beautiful.
Is she intentionally swaying her hips to distract me, or am I overthinking this?
Sophie dusts her palms together and nods at Julian with a smile, but when she turns to me there’s a blank expression on her face.
How does she manage to look like she’s not affected by this situation? Even this morning, when we had that distressing conversation, she didn’t seem to break a sweat when I’d been hyperventilating inside.
Even when I thought her eyes were giving away a deeper emotion than she was letting on, her sharp retort made it hard to believe there was anything under the surface. She really doesn’t care about me or that we used to date; that’s how she’s able to work as my personal assistant without any discomfort.
And I’m over here, on edge about everything.
“What else do you need?”
“Let’s see, how about the coffee I asked for almost an hour ago? When’s that supposed to arrive? When I’m old and gray?” I snap. “Maybe you’re not cut out for this job after all. Why don’t you just quit?”
Anger flashes across her face, and I wait for her comeback, but it doesn’t come.
Sophie beams at me despite the fire still burning in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’ll get it for you now.”
She struts out of the trailer without waiting for my answer. I hold back a gasp at her reaction.
“Is it just me, or are you on edge around Sophie?” Julian asks as soon as she leaves.
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, you’re being unnecessarily rude to her.”
I roll my eyes. “You’ve said it yourself, Julian. I’m rude, cold, and grumpy, which is why most of my assistants quit.”
“Yeah, but with those other assistants, I can tell that you actually don’t care what they do or how you treat them because you’re just being yourself.” He tilts his head to the side. “But with Sophie, it’s almost like you’re putting in extra effort just to be mean to her. Like you definitely care about how you treat her, but you don’t want anyone to see it.”
Why does he have to be so observant?
Everything about this situation puts me on edge, and I don’t know what to make of it.
It’s almost like my brain is expecting everything to suddenly implode in my face, like there’s a disaster lurking around the corner, just waiting to happen.
“You’re reading too much into this,” I say curtly.
“I hope so,” Julian replies, picking up his phone. “I should leave now if I don’t want to miss my flight.”
“Yeah, bye.”
Julian chuckles. “Don’t miss me too much.”
As soon as Julian leaves, I unbutton my shirt. Everything suddenly feels too stuffy.
I hate this situation so much.
I try to pay attention to the script again but keep failing. My mind can only focus on Sophie.
I just hope I don’t mess up today’s shoot.
Her soft knock on the door jolts me out of my thoughts again. I pretend not to pay attention as Sophie enters. My eyes remain glued to my script, but her soft, lavender perfume tells me she’s right next to me.
Something soft lands on the table beside me.
“Your coffee.”
Without acknowledging her, I reach out for the warm cup and bring it to my lips.
“The director wants you outside in five minutes.”
Her soft voice caresses some unknown parts of me, but I ignore it and instead take a long sip of my coffee.
The sharp taste burns my tongue, and I immediately spit it out. I push my script to the side and stare at the item in my hand to be sure it’s actually coffee.
“Are you trying to poison me?” I snap, glaring at Sophie. “Is that why you served me salt with a pinch of coffee?”
Sophie gasps, placing her small hand over her mouth in shock.
She could have fooled anyone else with her reaction, but not me. I’m an actor, and I know when another person is acting. That’s what Sophie is doing right now.
“Oh no, I must have accidentally added salt instead of sugar,” she mutters softly, looking up at me with innocence-filled eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
She’s an extremely good actress, but I’m a master at this game.
If Sophie Grant wants to mess me up with silly things like this, I’ll just have to thwart her every attempt.
The smug look in her eyes can’t be mistaken now. She sure is enjoying her victory.
“It’s fine.” I smile and hold out the coffee to her. “Why don’t you drink the coffee now? I’m not thirsty anymore.”
Her face falls, and I fight back laughter.
“W-What?”
I dangle the cup in front of her. “It’s in your best interest to drink it if you don’t want to get fired.”
Sophie bites down on her plump bottom lip as she nervously accepts the cup. I blink, quickly pushing away the image of that little action and the hunger it set off in me.
She slowly raises the cup to her lips and takes a sip.
“Come on, actually drink it.”
She glares furiously at me and takes a long gulp. She lets out a sharp cough almost immediately and pats her chest as soon as she lowers the cup. The cough only gets more intense, and I jump to my feet and snatch the cup out of her hand.
Guilt grips me as I open a bottle of water and give it to her. Sophie quickly takes a gulp, but the cough doesn’t exactly subside.
I place my hand on her back, patting it gently to ease off the pain she must definitely be feeling right now.
What was I thinking? I should have just let her attempt to get back at me go.
She slowly leans back against me as her cough dies down. The action sends a jolt through my heart as electric shivers rush down my body.
Sophie’s breathing finally evens out, and she raises misty eyes up at me. My throat closes up as I get lost in that sharp gaze of hers.
My heartbeat is like an impending drum of disaster in my ears as I lean closer to her. I slide my hand to her lower back, caressing softly.
Sophie’s lips part as her eyes close. The moment consumes me with a desire that’s even more dangerous than what I felt for her seven years ago.
I push aside my worries and close the gap between our lips.
A knock on the trailer jolts me up, and we jump apart.
“Liam, the director wants you now,” a voice calls from outside.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” I say, my voice huskier than I’ve ever heard it.
Sophie’s face is flushed red, and I can only hope mine isn’t as well. I clear my throat, wishing the tension would just disappear.
“I-I should go,” she mutters without meeting my gaze.
Before I can even process her words, she flees the trailer, leaving me in a state I can’t comprehend.
What have I gotten myself into?
This is the most confused I’ve ever been in my entire life.