Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
Returning to the Hollywood Hills
Iplace my purse underneath the seat in front of me and lift my gaze to Holden, buckling himself up already as the flight attendants are securing the carry-ons of others near us in the cabin.
My focus is solely on the two teenage girls popping their heads up from their chairs, sneaking glances at us. One girl is wearing red heart-shaped sunglasses, while the other one is rocking lopsided pigtails. Similar faces, similar hair color. Most likely sisters, whispering and staring at us.
Leaning into Holden’s side, I hover my mouth against his ear, asking in a faint whisper, “Does this happen all the time?” My self-doubt creeping in as Holden’s fans stare at us, unblinking.
He displays a playful smile before leaning into me. “Dating stories always cause a huge rush in the media outlets. I guess our plan is working.”
And he smiles at me. I hate how much I enjoy seeing it.
As soon as he says it, the two girls walk over to us. My arms go up immediately, shielding my un-made-up face and frizzy hair that’s pulled back with a claw clip. I wasn’t prepared to be seen.
“Stop that.”
His arms reach over to drag my hands to my sides, feeling uneasy about this situation. The feeling where you aren’t sure how to exist around a person anymore…
Do I act like a girlfriend or a strategist?
“Do you mind?” The two girls ask, holding up a phone to take a picture with him.
Holden unbuckles his seat belt. Just like that, he instantly shifts into character. The guy who is agreeable, charismatic and smooth to everyone in the room. The guy who looks like he has never had a bad day in his life.
Does he enjoy this part of the job?
“Are you guys together?” The girl with pigtails is now showing off her pink braces, while her sister is jamming an elbow into the girl’s side. Clearly annoyed that her younger sister just asked that question.
He smiles politely, looking at me with those actor eyes of his. He confirms to the girls with a simple and to the point answer, “Yes.” No further explanation needed, just soft eyes directed toward me.
The girls are giggling and I think my insides are doing the same.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please ensure your seat belts are fastened, tray tables are in their full upright position and all carry-on items are securely stowed away. We’re ready for takeoff.”
The girls scatter back to their seats. Once they do, I lean into Holden’s side to whisper, “You make it look so easy.”
“It’s just a photo.”
Mr. All or Nothing, it will never be just a photo.
I roll up the screen of my window to catch a better look at the tarmac. As I peer through the glass, I jolt in my seat. In the windowpane, Skye’s face appears, bright eyed and smiling at me. This was on another whole level, even for her.
Even after takeoff, she still remains there, eerily watching us.
Our awkward tension is for her entertainment.
In the foreground of her face, I see a canvas of blue surrounded by puffy marshmallows hanging in the air. Her black side bangs cover half of her face as she inhales the wind.
Cocking my head to the side, I press into the window to see more of her. Does she have some ominous catharsis to share with the class? As she presses her fingers to the glass, I shudder, feeling a sharp chill.
“Are you okay?” Holden holds on to my hand and I snap back to him.
“It’s okay to be a nervous flier,” he affirms.
“Uh-huh,” I stammer, taking a big gulp of air and moving the window screen back down. A sense of relief washes over me.
For the rest of the flight, I can’t escape the fact I am sitting right next to him. Because sitting next to him means I’m hyperaware of every movement, every breath, even the sips of his drink and smelling the Tito’s on his breath. His hold on me is spellbinding.
He isn’t acting out a scene nor is he helping me implode my life. He is just existing and that is enough.
Holden is almost finished with his drink before he leans in to say, “No obligation here. I totally understand if you don’t want to do this anymore when we land.”
It comes out of nowhere, cutting our silence in half.
“Considering your boyfriend and all…” he finishes, and my chest punctures at the mention of Aidan. It dawns on me now that we haven’t spoken in over twenty-four hours.
I refuse to think about it. So, I scramble.
“What’s your spirit animal? I would say mine is a cat.”
I hear Skye’s voice chime in with, “Chicken.” A word only I can hear.
“My what?” Holden asks, taking another sip of his drink.
“Your spirit animal.”
A smile stretches over my face as I scroll on the screen in front of me, perusing the selections of shows and movies available to me. Every genre is on display.
Selecting the “Drama” category, at the top of the list I see All or Nothing’s first season.
“I’ve never given it much thought, but if I had to pick one, I would say a lion.”
His attention is now toward my screen, daring to play this next to him.
“Of course, you would say that,” I say as I click play, smiling back at him.
Skye whispers without warning of her presence. “I think mine is a ghost.” Her tone is sardonic as it looms over me. My face remains still, trying to not show that I am hearing voices.
He just looks over, wiping a thumb across his lips and revealing a slight smile before saying, “I knew you were a stalker,” as the first scene of the show plays.
“What?” I snap back.
“The show.” He points as his series starts to play on the screen.
Our conversation spirals around zodiacs, spirit animals, psychics and mediums, eventually trickling down to the subject of ghosts. A subject I am very familiar with.
Six hours later and half a season done, we land on the tarmac. Switching off airplane mode, I see the text notification: Holden Strauss has secured an audition with Lakeland Studios.
The text that should unequivocally make any strategist happy.
Instead, all I can seem to focus on is the back of our driver’s head. Blonde, buzz cut and a different variation of Aidan. Even the driver’s face is morphing into him as he turns around to us to say, “How was your flight?”
I answer too quickly with, “Good”. A wave of guilt hits me as the last interaction I have in my mind with Aidan is a pained expression left on his face as I lean into Holden’s lips.
My gaze snaps from the driver’s attention where our eyes have met for a millisecond to the window showing the curb we are parked alongside of.
Suddenly, my stomach feels sour.