35. Theo
Theo was frustrated. Nothing was going according to plan, and now that arsehole Bodie had showed up. Theo had suspected the guy for a while now, but having him appear here in Tokyo was practically a confirmation. He couldn’t believe he’d been stuck at that stupid dinner while his girlfriend was in danger.
Did Sarah genuinely not believe Bodie was her stalker?
Theo was tempted to pull out of the rest of the shoot and whisk Sarah off to Kyoto. Or somewhere even further away. Hokkaido? Maybe even another country?
He stared at the bedroom door. He hated that Sarah was mad at him. He needed to fix this. After listening to make sure she wasn’t yet in the shower, he gently knocked before letting himself into the room. She was lying on the bed, her face covered by the blanket.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked softly.
She didn’t answer.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
‘What exactly are you apologising for?’ was her muffled reply.
‘For everything. I just wanted to spend some time with you, and I thought this trip would be a fun way to do that—while getting you a paid gig at the same time. But it feels like everyone is trying to pull us apart…’
Sarah sat up and pulled the covers away from her face. ‘Maybe they have a point.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘It means we live in different worlds, and we’re fooling ourselves if we believe otherwise.’
‘But we don’t live in different worlds! I’m not some robot who exists on another plane! I’m just Theo. I went to school in Brisbane. My parents are divorced, and my dad moved on and had another kid. I lived with my mum for half my life. Probably not far from you.’
‘Yes, but you moved in different circles. Your mother owns a freaking cosmetics conglomerate! You hang out with other models. You have an actual fan club!’
‘None of that means anything. I’m still me.’
‘I’m worried this isn’t working.’
Theo’s heart contracted. ‘Don’t say that.’
‘It shouldn’t be so hard this early in our relationship,’ she pointed out.
‘We just need to tweak things a little. I’ll tell Dan I won’t do the drama—or at least I’ll make sure the romance scenes are minimal?—’
‘Please don’t do that. I would never forgive myself if you sabotaged your career for me.’
‘I don’t care about my career! I care about you!’
‘You need to care about your career. I know you enjoy what you do, and I know you’ve been trying to get into acting for a while.’
‘So what are you saying?’
Sarah sighed. ‘I don’t know. I’ve never been in a situation like this before.’
‘Me neither. But I’m scared I’m going to lose you, and I can’t handle that.’
She didn’t say anything.
‘Please don’t tell me you want to break up,’ he said quietly.
She still didn’t say anything.
‘At the very least, don’t make any rash decisions right now. We’ve had a big day, and we need to get some rest. Things will seem clearer in the morning.’
‘Maybe.’
‘I’ll take the couch tonight.’ He brushed her arm with his fingers and left the room.
Laying on the couch, staring at the ceiling, he wondered how everything had gone so wrong. He’d been so excited to show Sarah Japan, but now…
He didn’t even have the energy to close the curtains to the living room. The sun would wake him early.
But he didn’t care.
He slept restlessly.At around 5am, he crawled over to the window and pulled the blinds closed, hoping to sleep a little longer, but he tossed and turned for another hour before giving up.
Listlessly, he propped himself against the couch cushions and picked up his phone.
Flicking through social media always calmed him. He didn’t understand why it was so stressful for some people. He loved the mindlessness of looking at other people’s pictures and their lives.
He paused when he saw a photo of Alexis with Levi. They looked so happy together. He rubbed his face, wishing he could be at that stage with Sarah.
The lack of sleep had done nothing to make him any more hopeful about his relationship. If anything, he felt worse.
He got up and made himself a coffee, trying to be quiet.
After plonking back down on the couch, he switched to an internet browser and opened a news site, hoping to distract himself with current events. But when he reached the entertainment column, he froze.
What the hell?
No.
They couldn’t have been that fast, could they? And without his permission?
He stared at the image of himself with Yu-jin. It was from the shoot yesterday in between takes. She’d been leaning in to say something, and it very much looked as if they were a couple.
He remembered the conversation they’d been having at the time. Yu-jin had made a comment about Sarah doing a good job on his makeup, and he’d been surprised she’d said something so positive. His reaction had been happiness at Yu-jin acknowledging his girlfriend’s talent, and the thought of spending time with Sarah after the shoot.
Had Yu-jin planned the whole thing, knowing someone would take photos? The thought made him sick.
The article’s headline read Models Theo and Yu-Jin sizzle in photoshoot ahead of rumoured coupling in new romantic comedy.
Ugh. The content of the article was clearly written to make them seem like real-life lovers. It was the classic propaganda machine in action.
Theo slammed his phone on the couch. This was going to make it harder for him to resolve things with Sarah. And he wasn’t sure he’d be able to forgive Dan or Yu-jin.
He strode over to the bedroom and pulled open the door.
Sarah was gone.
He quickly checked the bathroom, but it was empty too. Where could she be? Since he hadn’t slept much, he was sure he would have noticed if she’d left.
He snatched up his phone again and dialled her number. It went to voicemail.
Damn it.
He hung up and called Dan instead.
‘Morning, Sunshine,’ his manager said.
‘Have you heard from Sarah?’ Theo demanded.
‘No. Should I have?’
‘I don’t know. She’s gone missing.’
‘Really?’
‘Probably thanks to that stupid article you released.’
‘Ah, so you’ve seen it already. Good. After you stormed off like a child last night, the rest of us discussed how to capitalise on the current momentum. Yu-jin and her manager took care of it, and I have to say they’re pros. You’ll almost certainly get the part in the drama now.’
‘What if I don’t want that part in the drama? And why don’t you care that Sarah has gone missing?’
‘Because Sarah doesn’t mean shit to me. You do. And Yu-jin does because she’s going to make us a ton of money. If Sarah is going to have a tantrum over one news article, she shouldn’t be part of your life.’
Theo was so angry he could barely speak.
‘If you cared about me at all, you would care about the people I care about. I love Sarah, and if she’s gone because of you, I will never forgive you.’
‘You love her? Since when?’
‘Why? Why does the length of time matter?’ Theo wasn’t actually sure of the answer himself, but he knew it was true. And the thought that he might never get the chance to tell her made him sad beyond belief.
‘Listen to me. I. Do. Not. Care. About. Sarah. And if she doesn’t show up to do her job today, she’s fired. The extent of my concern is whether she can do your hair and makeup. If not, we’ll have to beg Yu-jin to share her stylist. You’re needed at the studio at ten. I expect to see both of you there on the dot.’
Theo wanted to say a few choice words, but he wouldn’t stoop to Dan’s level.
He stabbed the end call key on his phone without replying.
A quick check of his watch revealed it was just before seven. He had three hours to find Sarah, apologise, and get her to the studio.
He hoped he could pull it off.