7. Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Sophie
I t’s been days since that hot kiss we shared in his trailer, yet my lips still tingle every time I look at him.
If he appears in front of me or someone mentions his name, my mind goes right back to that moment.
The moment that has gradually become the bane of my existence.
My fingers lightly trail over my lower lip as I stare at him behind the counter where he’s shooting his current scene.
We’re on the bakery set, and Liam and Celeste are currently working their way through the scene where he teaches her how to bake.
It’s supposed to be a cute and playful scene, and Liam seems to be fitting right into his role today.
However, my eyes are glued on him, watching his every move.
Things between us have been pretty awkward since the kiss. The undeniable spark between us seems to have gotten stronger, and even though I try to ignore it, there are times when it clouds my mind. Times like right now.
Liam has gotten even colder since the kiss. He’s more curt with his words and grumpier than ever.
A part of me wants to believe this is just his way of dealing with the aftermath of our kiss. However, he doesn’t look like he’s bothered by it the way I am.
If anything, he seems annoyed that he kissed me. He probably regrets it.
He did call it a mistake, but I didn’t think he meant it. I’d thought that, like me, he’d been finding it hard to control his attraction.
What is wrong with me? Why do I feel like this when I know I’ll only get hurt?
“Sophie.”
A gentle hand taps my shoulder, and I jolt out of my thoughts. I turn around and gasp when I see that John is still standing beside me.
How did I forget I was having a whole conversation with someone? What has Liam done to me?
John is a childhood friend, and he showed up on set this morning to drop off some things that the production team ordered from his shop.
He saw me and then we started talking. Can I even call it talking since I keep drifting in and out of the conversation?
“Are you okay? You seem a little out of it,” John asks, worry etched onto his face.
I force out a smile. “I’m fine. It’s just work stress, nothing more.”
“You know I hate it when you get stressed out,” John says softly. “And I always told you to just call me if you need to relieve your stress. I’ll run away with you anywhere, even if it’s just a day.”
“I know you will, but I don’t feel like the world is imploding yet, so I’m fine.”
I know John isn’t joking about running away with me. He never makes a joke, and I’ve always known he has a crush on me.
Even though I’ve let him down gently several times, John always says it doesn’t matter. He insists that I let him help me whenever he can, even though I don’t return his feelings.
I feel too bad to accept his help when I know how he feels about me. It’s the reason I often avoid being around him.
“The world might not be imploding yet, but it sure looks like it’s about to,” he says.
I chuckle, shaking my head at him. “I promise I’m fine.”
“Alright.” He smiles. “When do you get off?”
I glance at the time on my phone, then Liam’s schedule.
“This is his last scene for the day. I should be able to leave as soon as they’re done with this.”
“Great. Would you like to have dinner with me?”
“John—”
“I have a coupon for the Royal Crest Restaurant. It’s for a two-person meal, and it expires today,” he quickly explains. “I don’t want to miss a chance to eat free food. Neither should you.”
I chuckle. “Now that you put it like that, I might take you up on your offer.”
“You better.”
“Cut!” the director yells. “That’s it for today.”
“Oh, that’s your cue to leave then,” John says.
I shake my head. “No, it’s my cue to attend to my snobby boss.”
John glances toward Liam and snickers. I pick up a bottle of water and a new towel, then wait for Liam to walk over.
For some reason, Liam seems to be fuming more than usual. Why? I thought the scene went well.
“I should leave, then,” John says as Liam stops in front of me. “I’ll pick you up from your place at eight.”
“Alright.” I smile.
John nods at Liam, but all Liam does is glare at him. John doesn’t even see it because he’s already halfway off the set.
I turn to Liam, handing him the water. “Is something wrong?”
Liam snatches the water out of my hand, his hardened gaze fixed on me.
“What do you think?” he snaps.
I roll my eyes. “I don’t have the energy for this right now.”
“That’s not surprising, since you spent all of your energy chatting away and flirting with your boyfriend.” He bites out the word boyfriend with venom.
“Flirting? Boyfriend? What are you talking about?”
He uncaps the water. “Oh, don’t feign ignorance. I couldn’t care less what you do outside of work, but this isn’t the place to bring your date. I don’t think you see anyone else bringing their boyfriends to set.”
“Okay, you’re being ridiculous right now,” I snap, getting frustrated. “I wasn’t having a date. It was just a normal conversation with a friend.”
“Yeah, right. A friend who happens to be picking you up for something at eight.”
“And how is that any of your business?” I retort. “I can do whatever I want on my own time.”
Liam’s brows furrow sharply as he squeezes the bottle in his hand. The water spills out, and I gasp, quickly reaching out for it.
He lets go of the water angrily and storms away.
“You can leave right now, then. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your date .”
He throws the words at me without even looking back. I watch with my mouth agape. What is wrong with him?
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was jealous.
Hold on, could he be jealous?
My cheeks heat up.
Liam is jealous of my interaction with John. Could that really be possible?
No. I shake my head, firmly putting the cap back on the bottle.
There’s no way Liam is jealous. He didn’t care about me even when we were dating, and he definitely doesn’t care now. So this wasn’t jealousy on his part; he was just being his usual self—a big jerk.
I won’t let him ruin this evening for me. The first and last time I dined at the Royal Crest Restaurant was on my birthday last year, and it was because my mom urged me to. Now I’m getting a chance to have a free meal there, and I’m not going to miss it.
I quickly wrap up my last few work tasks. I take Liam’s things to the trailer, but when I get there, he’s nowhere to be found.
So I just head home. While I’m excited about this evening, I can’t shake off my worry about Liam and all that’s transpired between us since he arrived in town.
He makes it so hard to understand him, and I’m tired of trying to.
I head back home to dress up for my dinner with John. I put extra effort into my outfit because I refuse to appear at a high-end restaurant looking casual.
I style my hair in a half-up ponytail and put on a fancier dress than what I usually wear. It’s a blue, strapless silk gown that flatters my body perfectly.
I apply light makeup and minimal jewelry before stepping out of my room. Just as I reach the living room, the doorbell rings.
I pull open the door. When I see John dressed in a fancy tuxedo, I give myself a mental high-five for dressing up, too.
“You look beautiful,” John says softly.
I smile. “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.”
He holds out his hand, and I accept it. He leads me down to his car and pretty soon, we’re driving down the street to the Royal Crest Restaurant.
The restaurant is on the other side of town, unlike the resorts that are strategically placed close to the beach.
When we arrive, a server takes us to our reserved spot, which makes me wonder what kind of coupon he got to get treatment like this.
I decide to put aside the thought and just enjoy the free meal and chance to dress up.
“What would you like?” John asks, passing the menu to me.
“Is there a limit to what we can get? I don’t want to go overboard.”
“No, you can get as many things as you want.” John beams.
I pause, unable to hold back my curiosity.
“Did you really get a coupon?”
John smacks his lips and averts his gaze from mine. “Alright, you caught me. I just needed an excuse to eat here, and I didn’t want to do it alone.”
“That’s fine, too. You could have just told me.”
“I’m glad you’re not pissed. So what would you like—”
A loud ringing interrupts him. I frown, wondering who let their phone ring so loudly in a place like this.
“Sophie. Your phone,” John murmurs.
My eyes widen as I send an apologetic smile to the people around us. I whip out my phone to see that it’s a text from Liam:
I need you in my suite now!
That’s all the text says. I frown, ignoring the text. I put the phone on vibrate and place it on the table.
“What is it?” John asks.
“It’s nothing,” I say, but the vibration on the table gives away my lie.
I angrily pick up the phone.
Your job entails you being available whenever I call. Come here this instant!
I groan, knowing I can’t ignore it this time around.
“Is it urgent?” John asks.
“Yes, it’s work,” I say softly. “I’m so sorry.”
“It is fine. You should go.”
I nod, standing up. As I leave the restaurant, I pray that whatever Liam is calling me for is urgent.
It had better be a life or death situation, because I’ll be really mad if it isn’t.