Chapter 6
SIX
AFTER CAITLIN HAD LANDED BACK in LA that Sunday afternoon, she’d hidden away in her home for the remainder of the day. She had been completely thrown off when Gemma arrived at the chemistry read that morning. She was still struggling to process what had unfolded.
Caitlin didn’t believe in coincidences, and the fact that Gemma had been on her mind a lot more than usual lately should have been a warning.
The chances of running into Gemma in a city of over eight million people had felt safe enough for one single day.
Never would she have considered that Gemma herself would walk into that audition room.
Caitlin wouldn’t be surprised if this pushed filming back again.
After seeing her ex’s visceral reaction toward her, there was no way Gemma would take this role.
FOUR DAYS AFTER THE JARRING reunion, commuting only between her home and the Ticket to Rio set, Caitlin was in the hair and makeup trailer getting ready for her first scene of the day.
Her mind kept drifting, demanding far more energy to be used when memorizing her lines for each scene.
Thankfully, there were only two weeks left until the director would call a wrap on this movie.
“How was New York?” Her best friend asked brightly from the chair beside her. Caitlin hadn’t had the chance to talk to Maddie since she returned.
Caitlin paused, considering how much she wanted to divulge right now. “It was fine.”
Maddie eyed her suspiciously through the mirror. “Well, how was the new replacement? Was she hot?”
She was extremely hot.
Caitlin’s cheeks warmed, picturing Gemma as a woman now for the first time after all these years.
“Wow, she must have been something,” Maddie decided. Of course, nothing got past her best friend.
Caitlin had never been so thankful for a distraction as when the trailer door swung open, and everyone’s eyes shifted to see who was storming in without knocking.
She was surprised to see that the intruder was her agent, although that would explain the abruptness of the entrance.
Sandy did what she wanted, when she wanted, wherever she wanted.
She had a reputation as a rather badass agent, representing most of Hollywood’s biggest acting stars.
She was respected—and a little feared—by most everyone that encountered her, but Caitlin saw through the tough facade.
Sandy was loyal, steadfast, and a breath of fresh air in an otherwise two-faced world.
“Sandy, what are you doing here?”
“I had a meeting on the lot and thought I’d pop by to give you the good news in person. They finally set a date to start filming Forbidden Love!”
Caitlin’s stomach sank. “Wait, so they hired Gemma to play Sarah?” No, there was no way Gemma would have taken the part.
“Cait, that’s huge! Congrats, it’s finally happening!” Maddie cheered from beside her.
Caitlin held her breath, waiting for Sandy to look up from her phone and answer her question.
“Yep, they loved you two together. You’ll have a little under two weeks of a break after this movie ends before you’ll need to fly to New York. I know it’s not a ton of time to prepare, but you’ve got this.”
Easy for Sandy to say. She wasn’t about to be caged on a movie set for three months with an ex-girlfriend who clearly hated her guts. Was this Gemma’s idea of revenge? Maybe she planned to ruin Caitlin’s career as some form of karmic justice.
Caitlin sat frozen in her chair as Maddie and Sandy waited for her reaction.
She couldn’t pin down exactly how she felt.
On one hand, this role was a dream. She couldn’t wait to start filming, she loved this character and the script.
But… adding Gemma to the mix? She couldn’t imagine acting together, and not as friends or even enemies, but as lovers.
Perhaps it was fate, and the universe was offering Caitlin a second chance to rewrite their ending.
Only time would tell whether this turn of events would heal or leave her entirely unraveled.
“Okay… I’m going to let you get back to it. Congrats again, Caitlin, you really make my job easy.” Unsure what to make of Caitlin’s silence, Sandy was out the door just as fast as she’d come in.
“Cait.” Maddie’s voice pulled her out of the tornado in her mind. “Why don’t you look excited? I thought you’d be jumping with joy at the fact that it’s finally happening.”
“I am.”
“Tell your face that.”
Caitlin looked in the mirror at her reflection and saw what Maddie did. There was a deep furrow between her copper eyebrows, and the muscles along her jawline were tight, clenched with the effort to stay composed. Her freckles were stark against her pale face.
“Sorry, I really am excited. It’s a beautiful story, and I know the movie is going to be special.”
“But?” Maddie wasn’t going to drop it.
“Remember my girlfriend from college, the one I told you about when I first moved here?” Caitlin sheepishly started to explain. Maddie hadn’t known Caitlin during her time with Gemma, so she had embraced a clean slate when she moved to California.
“Yeah, the girlfriend that broke up with you because you moved to LA.” Maddie scoffed, wrinkling her nose.
Okay, so Caitlin might not have told Maddie the whole truth about what had happened between her and Gemma.
But in her defense, she had been ashamed about how she handled the situation, so the lie had just slipped out to her new friend.
After all these years, Caitlin probably should have told Maddie the real story, though.
“That’s the one. Gemma.”
Caitlin watched as the realization spread across Maddie’s face.
“You have got to be joking right now. The Gemma that got the part is the same Gemma who is your ex-girlfriend from college?”
Caitlin nodded. “I wish I were kidding. I flew to New York for the chemistry read, and there she was.”
“That explains why I haven’t seen you since you’ve been back.” Maddie spun in her chair toward Caitlin. “I don’t even know where to start. I have so many questions.”
“First. I need to tell you something.” Caitlin felt like she wanted to crawl under the table right now. She wanted to confide in Maddie, but that meant she needed to come clean about the real story. “The truth is, I broke up with her when I moved to LA, not the other way around.”
“Okayyy...” Maddie dragged out the word, and Caitlin could tell that she was deep in thought. “So why didn’t you just tell me that?”
“To be honest, I regretted how I had handled things with Gemma. And you and I had just met, so I didn’t want to give you the wrong impression of me.
I thought it would be easier to blame Gemma and act like the relationship hadn’t been a big deal.
Then I could move on faster.” Caitlin felt ashamed.
“I am sorry that I never told you what really happened before now, but it was serious. I met Gemma when I was fifteen years old. She was the love of my life.”
“How, in all the times that we’ve stumbled home from a club and drunkenly poured our hearts out, has this never come up?”
Caitlin had locked away the memories of stolen kisses, sleepovers, and pillow talks she had shared with her ex, sealing the vault tight. The years she had spent with Gemma were too precious to unpack, too sacred to share. Especially after she had been the one to send it all up in flames.
“I tried really hard to block out Gemma and our past. I thought that maybe if I didn’t talk about it, it would hurt a little less.”
“I guess I get that. But you could have talked to me.” Maddie looked hurt that she hadn’t been trusted with the truth, no matter what Caitlin had done. “I’ll always be here for you, you know.”
“I don’t deserve you. You’ve been an amazing friend to me since the day we met, and you never hesitated when I needed you.”
“Don’t forget it.” Maddie winked, and Caitlin knew that she had hit the jackpot when she befriended Maddie.
She had always been there when Caitlin needed to be rescued from someone at the bar, wiped her tears when she hadn’t gotten a role, and was the only person Caitlin felt like she could always count on.
“Now tell me more about this movie that you’ll be starring in with your ex.” Maddie laughed ironically at the twist of fate, and Caitlin felt a little more relaxed.
Caitlin recalled what she knew about the movie, but she hadn’t yet gotten to the end of the script.
“I’ll be playing a housewife on the Upper East Side of New York, married to a man with generations of family wealth, but then I meet this woman.
We become close friends, and eventually we fall in love. ”
“Damn. So, I’m assuming you and Gemma will have to kiss at some point? And maybe a sex scene?” Maddie leaned in, living for the drama of the situation.
“I’m not sure, but I’m going to assume both.”
“That’s tough.” Maddie reached over, laying her hand on Caitlin’s forearm for emotional support. “I know I’ll be across the country, but ‘I’ll be there for youuu when the rain starts to pour.’”
Caitlin giggled as her friend started to sing the Rembrandts’ theme song for the TV show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. It was one of their favorites.
“Thanks, Mads. I’m sure I’ll be calling you all the time. The first interaction with Gemma was already messy, so I can’t imagine how three months together will go.”
“Can I give you some advice?” Caitlin nodded her consent before Maddie continued.
“Be honest with her… and with yourself. If you need to clear the air, do it. Don’t let the history between you two ruin this opportunity.
You know how this industry can be, especially when it comes to women.
You don’t get many chances, and I want the world to see what my best friend can do. ”
“I know. You’re right. This role matters to me, and I won’t let Gemma make me lose sight of that. I’ve been waiting forever for a part like this, sapphic and nuanced. I want to honor Kate’s story—and mine.”
A knock at the door interrupted them. “Five minutes!”