10. Emmett
“Today is the day, birthday boy!” Tyler greets me as I walk into the cafeteria for lunch. He walks up to me, pumping his fist into the air. He’s a fool, but I love him. When he came over to hang out for the first time and only wanted to play video games, I thought he was kidding. He knew who I was, right? And he doesn’t want to go out? I remember standing next to the couch as he turned on the TV and tried handing me a controller.
I didn’t take it at first and he yelled at me to stop being weird and sit. Okay, he didn’t actually yell, but if you’ve heard Tyler in person, he says everything with enthusiasm and a very loud tone. Any bystander would think I’m being yelled at, but nope, that’s just Tyler.
I groan and roll my eyes once I get within a few feet of him, making sure he sees the fake agony.
“Need me to help with anything?” I ask, although I already know the answer because he, Max, and Lane have been texting me updates nonstop.
Like I predict, Tyler shakes his head and glances my way. “Don’t you trust us?”
“No,” I reply. I receive a shove for that. “Kidding.”
“What’s the update on your girl?”
“Not my girl.” I glare at him. Do I even want her to be my girl? It’s been a while since I’ve had a friend to talk to like I do with Cassie. It’s a more intimate relationship than I have with Marcy. But I know Cassie doesn’t want to date anyone right now. She’s made that statement more than once. Instead of pushing her and flirting more, I just keep showing up and being the friend she needs right now.
“So, she’s coming? And bringing that friend?” Tyler wiggles his eyebrows.
“I’ll introduce you, don’t worry. Anyway, I need to grab a quick bite before going on set. See you later?”
“Duh. Have someone to drive you tonight?” Tyler asks.
Shit. “I don’t, um, I’ll ask…” I look around to make sure no one is around. “You know who.”
Tyler just smirks and gives me a nod of understanding. “Bye, lover-boy.”
I give him a shove for that as he walks away. He just laughs and shakes his head. Asshole.
“What are you bitter about?” A familiar voice greets my ears from behind.
I spin around to find Cassie with her arms crossed and a clipboard in her left hand.
“Just the person I want to see.” I smile.
Her eyebrows narrow. “I don’t understand how you go from broody to cheerful in seconds.”
“That’s simple,” I say with a shrug.
Her eyebrows raise in question.
“You’ve graced my presence, Sass.” I wink and that earns me my first eye roll of the day.
“And what can I help you with? Hm? You’re supposed to be on set—” Cassie pauses to look at her clipboard, her finger trailing left to right to bottom to left again on the page. “Now.” A groan escapes her mouth. ”Emmett,” Cassie drawls, a hint of a smirk blooming on her lips.
“Walk with me?” I ask, grabbing a granola bar.
“Oh, I suppose. It’s not like I have a million other things to do and other principal actors to track down or anything,” Cassie replies, glancing my way as we exit the cafeteria.
I gasp and slam my right hand to my chest. “You mean to tell me I’m not your one and only?”
“In your dreams, Hotshot.” Cassie winks and starts walking a little faster to get ahead of me.
I walk faster to reach her. “What would you say if I asked you for a ride to my party tonight?” I ask and hold the door for her. My radio goes off as Ed tries to get ahold of me, but I ignore it now that we’ve arrived.
I almost think Cassie is going to walk away. It’s possible she didn’t hear me over the noise coming from the set. Instead, she turns to face me and lowers her clipboard to her thighs.
“I can do that.”
“Great. I’ll—” I get cut off by a staff member coming up to Cassie to ask her questions. I catch her eyes and mouth “text you” which she must understand because she smiles, nods, and walks away with the staff member.
For the rest of the day, I stay busy. Ed has me alternating between filming and helping other actors during their scenes. Normally, I would get irritated and do everything possible to go back to my trailer during my downtime, but I didn”t feel that way today. I wanted the day to go by fast. The faster it went, the sooner I would get to my party.
Except, I didn’t want to go to my party to celebrate myself. Truthfully, I don’t like celebrating my birthday, but the guys insisted I have a party. I think they wanted a reason to stay out late on a Friday night, which is not something we typically do. I would rather stay in, watch a movie, eat some pizza, you know, our usual Friday night routine. Even growing up, I wasn’t a fan of birthdays.
My parents always took me out to a fancy restaurant with a menu full of unfamiliar dishes, just the three of us. I should be grateful for my parents taking me out to dinner on my birthday, but I can”t help complaining. Growing up, I never had the opportunity to enjoy birthday parties that were meant for children. I”ve never hosted a party at a roller rink or park, and I”ve never had friends to invite, even if I did. I thought it wasn’t a big deal until Lane asked me what I was doing for my birthday this year.
When I told him nothing, he thought I was kidding. I didn”t realize how significant turning 30 would be until Tyler and Max stepped in to help Lane with everything. Without it, I wouldn’t have another excuse to hang out with Cassie in public.
We haven”t had a moment alone in over a week, and all I can think about is grinding with her like two horny teenagers at their first prom.
Ridiculous, I know, but it’s the truth. I thought about it every time I saw her today and I could not get the image out of my head. I had to turn away from her before she saw my cheeks flush. Embarrassing.
Asking Cassie to take me to my party may have been selfish on my part. I could have asked a driver, but I wanted another excuse to have alone time with Cassie.
I asked her to come up to my apartment when she arrives. For no specific reason except to see her. A few knocks come from the front door as I’m finishing getting ready.
I give myself a final once-over in the mirror. For tonight, I’ve worn one of my favorite outfit combinations: a pair of jeans, a white shirt, and a navy corduroy button down. I thought going with the outfit I’m most comfortable in tonight will help my confidence around Cassie.
I open the door, and Cassie greets me a small smile and a hello. Her hair is pinned half back, allowing loose curls to cascade from the lower sections. From head to toe, she”s clad in black—a black corset, black straight jeans, and black strappy sandals. She is breathtaking.
Cassie looks at the floor, rocks back on her heels, and glances back at me. “I, um, hope I’m dressed okay. I wasn’t quite sure what to wear. It’s been a while since I’ve gone out.” She moves her right hand and rubs her left arm up and down.
“You look great, Cass,” I say. “Beautiful. I’m sure you’ll be the best-looking person in the club.”
She rolls her eyes and the first thought that comes to my mind is “there’s my girl.” Nope. Not tonight. I am shoving all “my girl” thoughts to the very back corner of my brain and shutting that door with a padlock. Friends. We are friends.
“You good?” Cassie’s words take me out of my thoughts.
“I am now that you’re here. Let’s go.”
It only takes us 10 minutes to drive from my apartment to the Moonlight Club. When we arrive, I spot a group of photographers waiting outside the venue to get the perfect shots for their articles.
We kept the guest list small to avoid the press, but I’m not surprised to see a few cameras. This club hosts a lot of private events, so they might not even know about my birthday party. If I dodge photographers and prevent an article from being run with a misleading story, I would avoid any scrutiny from my dad.
I ask Cassie to drive around back so we can go through the back door and avoid the cameras. I slump down in the seat and put my arm over my head, trying to hide my face from people peering into the car windows to see who’s pulling up. Cassie doesn’t ask, but she glances my way when I shrink to hide myself.
Unlike my dad, I stay away from places where people are eager to capture every moment on camera. I despise the forced smiles and obligatory small talk, especially with those who twist my words if I slip up or have a slightly off tone. Tyler, Lane, and Max understand that. It’s how I know they are genuine friends.
In the past, I’ve had so many “friends” want to go out, even when I tried to get us to stay in. They’d always promise we’d go somewhere secluded, but it always ended up in a story the next morning with some quote that was not approved by me. All they wanted was the association to a Davis. They wanted everyone to know we were hanging out. They thought it helped their career to be friends with a family that is known in the industry. As if I’d ever give a recommendation to someone like that—only using me for their own gain.
If anyone but Cassie were driving, they would’ve pushed back at my request to go to the back. They would have given the car to valet and walked right through the middle of the crowd.
I got so used to shielding myself from new relationships that I forgot what it feels like for someone to value me as a person rather than an asset. Fuck. I don’t know what’s worse, family or friends that try to use you for their own personal gain. That’s another reason why I’m so grateful for the people I have in my inner circle.
Marcy and the guys helped heal the trauma induced by my lovingfather and abandoned friendships. The small group I had around me made me content. I felt like I had enough. What more did I need if I already had people to talk and laugh with?
I was missing Cassie.
I found something new in her smile, laugh, and ability to see through my bullshit. I hardly know her, but I’d like to know every inch of her. Do you know how incredible it feels to find someone that you can be your complete self around?
I was so against developing new relationships that I could have missed having Cassie in my life. At least, in my life for the time being. Nothing is permanent, but I sure hope she’s in my life for a while.
“Okay. What now?” Cassie turns to me. She places both hands on her lap, glances toward the club, and then looks back at me. “Do we need to wear sweatshirts with hoods up or something to enter?”
I tilt my head to the left and bite my cheeks to hold back a laugh.
Cassie looks back at the club. “Or I can go first to distract anyone and you can sneak in?”
My teeth struggle to contain my cheeks as I burst into a wide grin. Trying to stifle a laugh, I bring my hand to my mouth and muffle the sound.
“What?” Cassie glares. She lifts her hands from her lap and crosses her arms.
I shake my head. “You’re cute, you know that? We don’t have to sneak in. I don’t think there are any cameras back here, anyway.”
“Mhm, okay, Emmett. Well, if you end up on the front cover of some gossip site, you better not blame me.”
“I’ll be sure to tell my dad when he calls that I almost covered myself in a hood, but thought it wasn’t necessary,” I tease.
Cassie rolls her eyes and playfully hits me in the arm. “I don’t know how this works. Don’t make fun of me.” Her eyebrows narrow and she tucks her top lip under her bottom in a pout.
“I’ll make it up to you later.” I wink. “Let’s go inside.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
We exit the car, meet in the middle, and stand face to face.
Our hands accidentally brush, but she responds by intertwining mine in hers. I give her hand a gentle squeeze, the warmth of her skin brushing against mine, and steal a quick glance in her direction, unable to hide my smile. She returns a smile, her cheeks glowing under the street lights.
I guide us to the door, opening it and letting Cassie go in first. She gives my hand a squeeze this time and then lets go. As soon as we enter the club, people swarm us, making it impossible for me to grab her hand back and hold her.
People from past jobs, current jobs, and random others I don’t know come up to wish me a happy birthday. In the swarm of it all, I lose Cassie and try to look around to find her.
The Moonlight Club greets visitors with a dark ambiance, enhanced by the soft glow of low lights along the exits. Red lights illuminate different spots throughout the venue, where groups of people gather. Positioned to my right is the music and dance floor, and I have every intention of taking Cassie there later.
My gaze finds Tyler and a cluster of people huddled around a collection of tables. I wave. Finally, I spot Cassie on my left. She’s sitting at the bar, sipping a drink. When we make eye contact, she smiles and raises her glass a few inches like she’s toasting to me.
I start to move toward her, but more people swarm around me. Luckily, I can see Tyler headed toward her to make conversation. I’ve asked the guys to keep her company and help her feel welcomed if I find myself occupied at various points of the night. I’m glad I did, because there are way more people here than I expected. I thought it would be fun to throw a party and catch up with everyone, but I”m already tired of having the same conversation over and over. I pull out my phone to check the time. I’ve only been here for 20 minutes, but it feels like hours.
It’s like going to a family reunion and having to repeat the same answers over and over. Everyone asks about what you’re up to, how things are going, what’s next, blah blah blah. I don’t even think that’s the worst of it. It’s the smiling. The fake smiles and nods from people who pretend to care about what you’re doing. When truthfully they just came for the free drinks and publicity.
I guarantee most people are here to post that they attended my party. Hence why I’m not friends with a lot of them and I let Lane, Tyler, and Max be in charge of the guest list. I didn’t care who came. I thought I would spend the night sitting at the bar or in a booth with my core circle of friends and I would have a great time. Honestly.
Then, my priorities shifted. I now want to sit next to Cassie at the goddamn bar, but I can’t get away from these people.
Ah. I have an idea.
I bring my phone up to my ear and mouth, “Sorry, I need to get this” to some guy I was talking to, and he nods, smiles, and turns to walk away. Success.
Keeping the phone at my ear, I walk toward the bar to find Cassie. Except Cassie isn’t there anymore. Hm.
This place isn’t that large. Maybe Tyler coerced her to join him somewhere.
I survey the room.
She’s not at the booths. Or at a table. She’s on the dance floor. With every step, her hips effortlessly move in a seductive rhythm, tempting me to ask her to dance. She’s with my group of friends, and her laughter floats through the air to assure me she”s having a great time.
I move through the crowd, offering smiles to those who approach, but I don’t let them distract me. I’m going to ask Cassie to dance with me and no one is stopping me.