Bonus Chapter Celebrations and Shifting Tides
I lean on the balcony railing and breathe in the night air. The city lights twinkle like an ocean of stars. Pop music plays in the background, fun songs from the 90's that everyone is dancing to.
The movie premiered tonight to a standing ovation and positive reviews. The outlook seems...I smile...positive.
I turn around and look into the crowd. All my family—well, at least those who count as family—are here, mingling with the crowd.
Marcus is having his ear talked off by my Executive Producer, Tom, as he tries to convince him that producing movies is way more lucrative than cyber security. I guess Marcus hasn't told him just how much he's charging his clients for his services.
He catches my eye and winks. I return his smirk with a slight wave of my hands before blowing him a kiss. He mimics catching the kiss before turning to Tom, who grins at the gesture but doesn't stop talking.
I snort as I turn away. Classic Tom.
Ella and Keith are burning up the dance floor. They've got moves. Legend is holding court with the costume designers of my film, Kenneth patiently holding his wine glass as he regales the crowd.
Hazel has found herself a waddling of ducks in the form of overprotective security that follows her around to each conversation. I can see her exasperation...but I also know she appreciates their presence.
Chris is in an extremely 'measured' argument with the legal counsel of our film. I roll my eyes. My brother needs to let his hair down once in a while and stop hounding our legal counsel.
I'm debating whether to rescue them or not when Frany finds me.
"Hey..." She smiles at me, but it doesn't reach her eyes. I look closer, and notice her face is paler than usual. Up close, she appears to be in her early twenties instead of the mid twenties I know her to be.
"Honey, are you alright?"
It's like her smile is frozen on her face. "Yes, fine... I just wanted to congratulate you on the tremendous success of the film. I can't wait to see your future works."
I take her hands into mine and squeeze. "Thank you. And thank you for being here."
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
She looks tired. I know she went back to school sometime before our engagement...
"Is school tough?" She looks surprised at my question.
"What—oh no, school is amazing." Genuine warmth enters her eyes.
"Business school is so different from community college. The classes are tough, but nothing I can't handle."
She talks longer about school, and some life returns to her shoulders.
She leans against the railing, finally a little relaxed.
Marcus joins us.
"Well, hello ladies." He comes to a stop next to me, planting a kiss on my temple. Frany looks on wistfully.
"Hi, Marcus. How's the new business treating you?"
Marcus grins, always delighted to talk up his new venture.
"It's awesome. We've just onboarded three new clients and we're expanding. I'm also looking for other firms to partner with."
The conversation drifts into potential jobs that might open up, and Frany is asking some great questions.
"There you guys are." Kyle walks over, a very pretty girl on his arm. His eyes slide to Frany, and the temperature in them literally drops.
"Frany." He inclines his head towards her before turning to Marcus.
Frany's expression turns like she's swallowed a lemon. Her lips purse, and jaw clenches.
I feel compelled to ask. "Frany, is everything alright?"
The chill in her expression could freeze hell. Kyle didn't wait for her to return his greeting, and he is studiously ignoring her.
He turns to include me as well as he puts his arm around the woman with him and pulls her forward.
"Guys, I wanted to introduce you to Angela. We've been dating for a few weeks now. She really wanted to meet you and Hazel, Celeste."
I smile at Angela. I don't miss the tensing of Frany's shoulders, nor the slight in excluding her from the introduction. Marcus raises an eyebrow.
"Angela, it's nice to meet you. This is Francesca, a dear friend of ours."
The moment I speak to Angela, her face turns red. She opens her mouth but nothing comes out. Her eyes are sparkling as she takes my hand in hers and squeaks out, "nice to meet you!"
I grin at her. She's adorable. She waves at Frany, who smiles again, expression like it's frozen onto her face.
She turns to Marcus and me. "I'm going to head back for the night. It was really great catching up. Congrats again, Celeste. You rock!"
She gives me a side hug. I can't help but notice how cold her hands are. Her fingers twitch before she straightens, already walking away.
A few seconds in, she disappears into the crowd.
Kyle relaxes completely, drawn into a conversation with his former boss. Angela excuses herself to the restroom and Kyle leaves with her.
Marcus leans into me, playing with my fingers.
"You caught that, right?"
I nod. "I sure did. It's like they're now each other's worst enemies."
"I know. Should I worry?" He looks genuinely concerned.
I shake my head. "There's not much we can do if they refuse to open up, right?"
He sighs and pulls me closer.
'La vie en rose' comes on suddenly. Couples move to the dance floor and Marcus leads me in before I can protest.
He pulls me close and holds me tight as we gently start swinging side to side.
"I love it when you sing this song. My whole being feels like it's been transported to another dimension." He whispers against my ear.
I meet his gaze, surprised. The sincerity in his eyes makes my pulse spike.
"There was a time when I fancied being a musician—a singer. I was sure I was going to win a Grammy and what-not."
"What changed?" His voice is subdued.
I think about his question. I still love music. I still love singing. I still wish I could be a musician.
"Nothing, really. Acting found me first, I guess. And that put all my singing dreams on the back burner."
"So what's stopping you now?" Marcus whispers.
I jerk in his arms. I...
When I say nothing, he continues. "You've just successfully completed a film project and have yet to sign on another. We've got enough money not to worry about it ever again..."
He lifts my chin and stares right into my eyes. "Why not take some time to explore music?"
The possibilities fill my head. All my life, I've never really had the luxury of just exploring what I want to do.
Now that my name is cleared and I've proven myself to the industry that so easily discarded me, I feel free...
Adventurous.
I grin at Marcus as he twirls me around and pulls me back in. Just as I land in his arms, he tickles my side, causing me to shriek. I punch his shoulder while laughing, and he pulls me in again, planting a kiss right on my lips, in view of everybody.
I can hear some hoots and catcalls as the soft atmosphere breaks and the DJ puts on a faster track.
Marcus starts swaying his hips with abandon. His shoulders rise and fall with the beats and his quirky dance is hilarious.
I join him.
We dance the night away, finally able to breathe without one of us twitching in pain.
When we finally stumble home, exhausted after hours of dancing Marcus pulls me into a cuddle as we collapse on the bed.
I kiss his throat as I wiggle into a comfortable position.
It takes me a moment to name the emotion bubbling in my chest.
Anticipation.
I guess I'm going on an adventure!
Hi guys! ??
Bonus chapter time... and honestly, this one made me go a little teary-eyed ??
After everything Marcus and Celeste have been through, I just wanted to give them a moment to breathe, celebrate, and just be. No chaos. No pain. Just... happiness.
But of course ??
Not everything is as peaceful as it seems...
Did you catch the tension between Frany and Kyle? Because something is definitely off there.
And Celeste's music dream... should she go for it? ??
I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts:
? What was your favorite moment in this chapter—or even the book?
? Team Marcus dancing like a menace? ??
? Or are we all collectively worried about Frany? ??
Thank you for being here, for reading, voting, and loving this story the way you do. It truly means everything ??
More coming soon... stay tuned ?