CHAPTER 17 If It Pays Good Money
November 3, 2010
The sky was smeared in burnt orange, bright yellow and pink, the colors vying for the spotlight as the last rays of light faded into a breathtaking sundown. Caleb was leaning against the rooftop railing, looking out into the horizon. He turned around as I approached him. His expression was serene as he extended his hand before him, trying to reach out for mine.
“Caleb?” I whispered, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and hope. I took a hesitant step forward, but my feet betrayed me, feeling as heavy as bricks. It was as if an invisible force was holding me back, leaving me stuck in place, unable to bridge the distance between us.
He furrowed his brow, and his expression grew dark, the air crackling with the unspoken words that created a palpable tension in our chance encounter.
The rooftop’s door closed with a heavy thud, and his gaze filled with panic as he stared at the space above my shoulders. But before I could even turn around, a gunshot echoed through the air.
And I screamed.
Panting, I shot up to a seated position as tears streamed down my face. I threw my head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling.
“Guille!” William rushed in through the door embedded in the wall between our rooms. He was soaking wet and wearing a towel loosely fastened around his waist. “I’m here. It’s okay.” He sat on the bed next to me and pulled me into a warm embrace. His skin was hot, and tiny drops of water trickled from his hair and slid down the back of my neck.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly against his chest. “Caleb.” I held on tightly to him as a sob escaped my throat. “I couldn’t … and then he …”
“Shhh.” He kissed my hair and rocked me in a soothing rhythm from side to side. “It was just a dream, baby. It’s over.”
It’d been a while since I last had a nightmare. I even teased William, telling him he was my lucky charm and how sleeping next to him scared the bad dreams away. And in a way, that had been true. But the pain would always be there—the trauma left behind by that day when Caleb gave his life for mine.
I looked up at William, cheeks drenched with tears, and I tried to put on a brave face because he was leaving for Vancouver for six weeks today. And I needed to reassure him that I was okay, that he could focus on his work while he was gone. It’d been nothing but a nightmare, and I’d had enough by now to know the eerie feeling of terror would wither as the day progressed and I went about my business.
All I needed was to get out of bed, shower, go to school, go to work. Following my routine was the safest bet to dissolve the dread.
William cupped my cheeks between his warm hands and kissed me. It was soft, tender, healing even. The kind of kiss he knew I needed, with an edge of passionate despair that could quickly turn into something else if I allowed it.
And I did.
William fed me a cream cheese bagel as I tied my tennis shoe laces. I was running late for school, as expected, and he needed to be at the airport around noon.
I hated that I had to say goodbye to him. We’d been enjoying our relationship in an almost idyllic way, given the circumstances and his level of fame. We hadn’t made an official statement to the media because keeping it private had been manageable so far.
He’d be gone for six weeks, so even if various news outlets kept speculating and insisting, William preferred to be here when official news broke out of us being together. Naomi agreed. There was no way to know how the media would react, or his fans, for that matter. Maybe they’d report on the relationship and move on, or it could trigger an uncontrollable wave of curiosity and harassment, as he said it’d happened in the past.
There was no way to be sure. Knowing we could keep our relationship under wraps for a while longer brought me a sense of peace that I didn’t know if I was ready to forfeit. But having Naomi in our corner was a relief. We trusted her, and she promised to ensure things went smoothly. I liked Naomi and got to know her more the few days she spent in New York.
Aaron … not so much.
After grabbing my things, I ate what was left of my bagel as we made our way downstairs to the lobby.
“I have something for you,” I said, finishing off my bagel and tucking my hand inside the back pocket of my jeans. I pulled out a purple envelope with a glittery unicorn sticker and handed it to him.
“What’s this?” His tone sounded more like a warning, like he imagined what the contents of that envelope could be, but he wasn’t sure.
“You might want to wait to open it until you …”
He lifted the flap and snorted, pulling out $800 cash.
“Or you could do that.” I rolled my eyes at him.
“This is cute.” William lifted the envelope next to his face and gave it a wave. He returned the money inside it and offered it back to me.
“No.” I refused to take it and stepped out of the elevator. He followed me as I crossed the lobby with haste. Aaron was already standing outside and had the SUV parked by the curb. “I am late for class. I don’t have time to argue about money right now. This is going to be a monthly occurrence, so you better get used to it. And I want to be able to say goodbye to you properly without this getting in the way.”
William leaned in and kissed the corner of my lips.
“You can’t fix everything with a kiss!” I complained. Well, he usually could, but not this time. “Just take the money. Please.”
“You had cream cheese on your lip,” he said, licking his lips.
I’d been asking William to send me his bank information so I could transfer the money into his account. But he ignored me every time, and I wouldn’t let him leave without paying my first rent, which was already due. I only had two days left as per our napkin agreement.
I knew it would be impossible to retrieve his information once he left for Vancouver. My second choice was coercing Alice into giving me his bank account number, but I was sure she would double-check with William and start making excuses to avoid cooperating. That’s what dating a Taurus looked like. But as an Aries, stubborn was a word I also easily identified with.
“Listen …” William said before we stepped out of the building to say our final goodbye, breathing slowly through his nose. “Our napkin agreement was fun and all, but I simply cannot accept your money, knowing you need it more than I do. I actually don’t need it at all. So, please spare me the trouble of having to convince you this is the decent and most logical thing to do and take it.”
“We shook on it,” I reminded him, plucking the envelope from his grasp. “You will accept my money.” I Jedi hand-waved him and curved a hand around his waist, quickly inserting the envelope inside the back pocket of his jeans.
“Not the Jedi hand-wave,” he quipped, feigning indifference.
I ignored him.
“I’m late for school. Now kiss me one last time before I leave.”
“So. Fucking. Bossy.” He yanked me closer to him. “Why do I even bother with you?” He leaned in to kiss me and slid a hand up my back. The gesture was gentle yet possessive. His fingers flexed around my neck, sending a delicious shiver down my spine.
Feeling lost in that kiss, I managed to break it off. “I’m going to miss you so much.” This was the moment when acknowledging his departure lodged inside my guts. It’s as if I’d been in denial up until this moment.
“I might be able to fly back for a few days here and there,” he said. He’d already said this to me a few times, but it was easier for me to think I wouldn’t see him for six weeks straight than to hope for him to visit when even he didn’t know if his schedule would allow it.
But it was even more than just finding the time to do so. William had mentioned this was the first time he’d be taking up a role in such a dark, psychological project. Getting into character and staying in it was crucial for him to feel confident in delivering a compelling performance. And I didn’t want him to break that spell for me.
We both were more than capable of surviving six weeks apart.
Cupping his face between my hands, I whispered, “Don’t spend it all in one place.” I pressed a soft peck on his slightly swollen lips and tapped his butt where the envelope with my rent money was.
“You’ll pay for this.” His nostrils flared with playful annoyance.
“I already did.” I winked at him and took a few steps backward, gradually increasing the distance until our hands slipped apart. “Oh, shit! I forgot to ask you something.” But I waved him off. “Never mind. I’ll text you.”
He brushed his lower lip and watched me leave with his arms crossed at his chest and a side smile that almost made me skip my first class altogether.
Senad held the door open for me, and I brushed my lower lip too before turning around and hurrying inside the SUV.
“Good morning, Miss Murphy,” Aaron said, driving off with haste. There was no need to tell him we were running late. He knew my schedule by heart.
Aaron had been acting more like himself. The fact that I had the chance to talk to him the day after he met Naomi and discussed their interactions put us both at ease. He apologized, saying he didn’t know what overcame him. When I asked about his father, he admitted that his health was deteriorating, but it wasn’t an excuse for him to act the way he did.
When I asked Aaron if he had any suspicions about Naomi’s character, he quickly shook his head with a wrinkled brow. I knew Caleb and Aaron always had an impeccable radar for detecting untrustworthy people. He’d looked into her, and she was a decent human being. That story about her doing jail time in Budapest checked out, but she was out in less than 24 hours, so it was nothing major. Just a misunderstanding that ended up in a drunken brawl.
Naomi had confirmed that she was Jewish when I chatted with her at Nathalie’s birthday, and when I relayed that information to Aaron, he remained silent for a few seconds before replying in a somewhat dry tone, “I know.” I was sure he knew a lot of things about her by now.
I pulled out my phone from my bag and texted William while Aaron drove me to school.
Me:Forgot to ask *nervous emoji*
Me: Are there any kissing scenes in this film you’re working on in Vancouver? You said it was a dark psychological thriller, so initially, I supposed there wouldn’t be, but I don’t want
to assume.
William replied within seconds.
W.S.: Yes.
I could see the three dots as he typed, and my anxiety peaked as I waited for him to expand on the subject.
W.S.:There’s no romance. But there’s a mild sex scene. It’s very short. And there is no more kissing beyond it.
Me: I’m jealous :(
W.S.: I’d be too. It’s a threesome scene. My specialty.
Me: William!
W.S.: Yeah, and they’re both redheads.
Me: Don’t make me turn the car around so I can slap you.
W.S.:Stop trying to turn me on.
Me: You kinky Viking.
W.S.:Don’t play coy. I know your taste in bed.
Me: That you do. But focus! Are you really doing this sex scene with two actresses? *angry emoji*
W.S.: No. Of course not. They’re not actresses. They’re Victoria’s Secret models. Both are sweet, single girls. I’ve been FaceTiming with them whenever you’re at school.
You know, getting to know each other more so we can feel comfortable when shooting that scene.
Me:I hate you.
W.S.:Why? This is how I make a living. I thought you’d
be supportive.
Me:I’ll use my vibrator tonight without your permission.
W.S.:You will not do such a thing. *Jedi hand-wave*
Me: Will do.
W.S.: You know I can walk into your room right now and confiscate it, right?
Me: Damn it. As fun as it is for you to torture me, I’m only a few blocks away from school and won’t be able to use my phone, so I need you to get real about this sex scene.
W.S.:There is a sex scene, and I get that it’s weird, but I swear these things are anything but sexy or intimate. There’s a bunch of people running around on the set. All our privates are covered, and the actress I’m doing this scene with is actually a friend. She’s married. Her husband will most likely be present during filming. I’ll introduce them to you one day, but they currently live in LA.
Me:I’m so fucking relieved right now. I’m not even kidding.
W.S.: As you should be. You can trust me, even with a redhead threesome scene.
Me: You will not do such a thing. Ever. *Jedi hand-wave*
W.S.:*eye-rolling emoji* Well if it pays good money …
Me:Shut up. You’re not a porn star.
W.S.: I can lay off the porn star jobs for now. I’ve got $800 in my back pocket. That’ll keep me afloat for a while.
Me:Oh, that won’t last you a day. Lily told me how much you pay for the Swedish strawberries you fly in for Midsummer every year.
W.S.: I like good things.
Me: Such a Taurus.
W.S.:You’re one to talk. I’ve seen you buy $200 wine, so …
Me:Well, yeah. But I’m a poor college student now. The days of abundance are over.
W.S.: They don’t have to be. And you know you can grab all the wine you want from my wine cooler. And the food too or
it will go to waste.
Me: I’ll make a note of it, sugar daddy. Gotta sign off now. Safe flight. Let me know all about the airplane sex you’ll
be having with your redhead friends once you land.
W.S.:I’ll make a video for you.
Me: Sure, if you want to die.
W.S.:Okay, okay. I won’t show it to you.
Me:I hate you. Bye.
W.S.: You do not. Bye.