31. Chapter 31 #2
“That sounds exhausting. I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”
My chest aches in a good way. So many people over the years have told me to get over it, or implied that I’m the problem, denied the issue. Not Quint. He’s immediately in my corner. He believes me and he’s not afraid to admit it.
“Thank you,” I say, dropping my forehead to his chest. “Thank you so much.”
He drops a kiss on the top of my head, murmuring into my ear.
“You don’t need to thank me for anything.
I love you, Hollywood, and I’d do anything for you.
There’s been times before I thought I was in love.
But I was dead wrong. Because nothing has ever felt like this.
No one else has ever felt like they belonged in my arms the way you do. ”
He loves me. I knew it in the back of my head. I’ve known it for quite some time but actually hearing it out loud at last hits me hard.
He holds my hand during the showing. It’s always strange seeing myself on screen. Because I know it’s me. I remember filming the scenes, but at the same time, I’m disconnected from her, because she’s fictional. Somebody whose mind I inhabited for a time.
It’s an action movie, so there are some pretty intense moments, and I can feel the tension in Quint every time my character’s life is in jeopardy.
And it seems good, it seems right. Like maybe we can make this work.
Until it’s time to leave.
“Did you want to grab something to eat?” he asks as we’re moving through the crowd of celebrities in luxe gowns and suits.
I look up at him. “I can have Glenna pick us something up after we get home.”
He looks around. “We can’t just stop somewhere?”
And that’s when it hits me—he has no idea what my life is really like. He’s only seen me in Balsam Grove, where people have gotten used to having celebrities around. Handfuls of photographers here and there, but nothing like the zoo that greets me anytime I leave the house here in LA.
“It’s not like that here. Not for me.” I grip his lapels, pulling him over to the wall and looking up at his earnest face. “I can’t go out to a restaurant without being spotted, I can’t shop at a store without walking out to a horde of photographers. My life here is very different.”
“Oh.”
“There’s lots of famous people here tonight, but we’ll still probably get surrounded when we leave. What happened before was just a taste.”
He nods his head, seeming to shake off the surprise. “Well then, we’ll get through it together.”
My smile is a little shakier than before. Him showing up here was so sweet, but now we’re about to face the reality of my life, I’m worried. For him. Because he didn’t choose this life.
An even louder wall of noise greets us as we walk outside. People are screaming all sorts of things at us. Some admiring, but many cruel or disgusting.
My hand resting on the crook of Quint’s arm is trembling, and even his steady resolve seems a little shaken by the intense lights and shouts.
Someone grabs my arm as we walk by and Quint slides up beside me, using his body to block the touch. They end up grabbing him and tearing his jacket before a security guard muscles them away.
Quint looks shaken when he resumes his place next to me.
His eyes are a bit wild after the limo door slams behind us. I’ve never seen him anything other than calm and easygoing. Until now.
I shut my eyes, putting a hand on his as we slowly pull away from the curb.
My heart leaps out of my chest as hands slam on the windows. The tinted windows block our view, make it even more unsettling.
“I’m so sorry,” I say to him.
“It’s fine. This isn’t your fault. And it doesn’t change how I feel about you. It’s just a lot. I wasn’t quite prepared for that.”
He slides into the seat beside me to wrap a comforting arm around my shoulder.
The warm weight is reassuring, but it ratchets my guilt up another notch.
This is the way it’s going to be. He’s going to provide me with comfort and a safe place while I expose him to this rampant chaos.
This is why I was trying to keep him at a distance.
My resolve is wavering. I can’t put this on him.
“Aura, I mean it. I’m here for you.”
I nod, letting his warmth seep into me for the ride home.
But when I wake up in the morning, I’m alone. The spot in the bed next to me is empty and my phone is blowing up once again.
An article about me and Quint has gone viral. It refers to him as a “country bumpkin.” Says he’s not cut out for life in LA. Speculates on how much I paid him to fake-date me, saying it’s the only way I can get a boyfriend. So mean, so hurtful.
I should stop reading, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the screen. I’m caught up in the painful words, sitting alone in my bed, and I can feel myself beginning to spiral.
My spiral sends me running around the house. His bag is gone from the chair. The discarded tux has been picked up off the floor. His boots are missing from the front hall.
He’s gone, and it’s probably for the best. Tears well up in my eyes, my shoulders shake, and I finally give in to the pain. I almost wish he hadn’t shown up at all. My heart might not feel like it had been torn from my chest if I hadn’t let myself feel that hope. That love.
Last night I let myself believe I could have it all. The career, the beauty of life on a ranch, and the perfect man. I should I have known, I never really deserved that.
But fifteen minutes into my wallowing, I start to get out of my own head and really think about things. Yes, last night was a lot. Quint has never experienced anything like the pandemonium of a red carpet event. But we finished the night on a good note. Exhausted but good.
A knot of worry lodges in my chest. None of this is adding up.
However overwhelming the experience was for Quint, he wouldn’t just take off without saying anything, without leaving a note or at least sending a text.
He’s the most honest, genuine person I’ve ever met.
He wouldn’t do that. Not without a good reason.
Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong and Quint could need me. I thunder back up the stairs.
His phone goes to voicemail when I try calling, my texts go unread.
He flew to LA to be there for me. There’s got to be something very wrong that sent him home, and I think it might be time for me to step up for him the way he stepped up for me.
I’ve got Glenna on the phone in one hand while I yank clothing out of my drawers.
“Got it. First flight to Calgary, any class. Are you sure, Aura? You can’t travel economy. People will recognize you.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll wear a hat. Get me on the next flight and send a driver over now to take me to the airport.”
“Whatever you say.”
I call Sav next.
“I’m not going to be on the flight with you. I’m heading out early.” I hop around on one foot, yanking a pair of leggings up one-handed.
“But our flight goes out this afternoon. You can’t wait?”
“Nope. There’s an emergency. I need to get back.”
“What’s wrong?” A deep male voice murmurs beside her, and she shushes him.
“I’m not sure. But Quint needs me, so I’m going. I’ll see you later.”
“You’re not sure…okay, then. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be there soon. Safe travels.”
“You too.”
I hang up the phone, tossing it on my bed to pull on a white T-shirt and a baggy blue hoodie. Yanking my hair into a tight ponytail, I grab my purse, a baseball cap, and my passport and head for the front door, pacing while I wait for the driver to pull up.