Chapter 20 #2
Delilah took a deep breath, ready to share her news with him.
The way he had smiled at her had reassured her somewhat.
It was clear that he cared about her a great deal, whether or not something was wrong.
She touched his arm gently and smiled, feeling again the full joy of her wonderful news.
“The audition went extremely well! At first, I was very nervous.” She laughed.
“But I held myself together and just did the scenes the way we practiced them. And then at the end of the audition, they offered me the part on the spot!”
Tom's face lit up, and he grinned at her exactly the way she'd hoped that he would.
He was clearly overjoyed for her. “Delilah, that's fantastic!
But I'm not surprised at all. I absolutely knew you would land the part.” For a moment the two of them sat there smiling at each other, but after a few heartbeats his expression fell again.
His voice was softer and there was a sadness in his eyes as he said his next words.
“I'm sure you're looking forward to starting that next movie and getting out of Rosewood Beach.”
“Why would you think that?” She shook her head, still bewildered by his attitude. She didn't understand why he was keeping his distance from her emotionally. “Tom, what is wrong?” she urged him. “Please tell me the truth.”
He hesitated for a few moments, staring out into space.
The wind blew across the town square, ruffling the heads of the flowers and causing the leaves in the trees to rustle like a melancholy music.
“I've been thinking,” he said finally. “I've always known our worlds were very different, but during the past couple of days I've really started to seriously consider the situation. It's no secret that Rosewood Beach is a far cry from what you’re used to in Hollywood. You’re used to living a glamorous, movie star existence.
I know you've been enjoying spending time in our little town, but I also know that after a while the simplicity of our lives here would start to bore you. Wouldn't it?”
“No. Definitely not.” Her tone was emphatic, but then she laughed. “Tom, is that all? You don't need to worry about that.” She touched his hand tenderly. “Rosewood Beach has completely captured my heart. As have you.”
To her dismay however, Tom didn't seem to believe her words.
He shook his head, looking at her sadly.
“I know you love being here now,” he told her, “but soon, you’ll feel the need to go back to your normal life.
And I would be more than willing to visit you out in Hollywood, but I wouldn't be willing to move there.
I have deep roots here in my hometown and too many friendships to leave behind.
I love my job, and I want to stay here where I have peace and a strong, supportive community.
It just isn't realistic to entertain the idea of maintaining what we've started here once we both go back to our normal lives.”
“Tom, no,” she whispered. “Anything is possible when you care for one another.” She watched his face, feeling sad and concerned. He stared out across the garden, looking as though there was a heavy weight pulling him down. “Can I ask what brought about this change of heart?”
Tom didn't speak for a few seconds, and then he sighed.
“When I went to drop off the card and the pastry for you at your trailer, I overheard a couple of your coworkers talking.
I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I thought the first door led to your trailer and I was about to knock on it when I heard them speaking through the window.
They were talking about us. They were saying that I'm not at all in your league, and they're absolutely right.
I thought that from the beginning, but I let myself forget about it.
I shouldn't have. They might have been the only ones that I heard say it, but I'm sure everyone is thinking along similar lines. How could they not be?”
Delilah felt heartbroken. She knew exactly who he must have overheard, and she felt frustrated that he'd happened to walk past two of the pettiest people she knew in the middle of a conversation that he never should have overheard.
“You don't need to worry about what anyone thinks,” she told him.
“As a movie star, I had to learn that the hard way a long time ago.
People will always have their opinions about the lives of others, and after a certain point, there is nothing you can do to consistently win people's favor.
And what does it matter? Small-minded people will always have small-minded opinions.
We shouldn't let that ruin our happiness.”
Tom looked into her eyes, and for a moment she thought that he was going to accept what she was saying, but a second later he shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Delilah.” His voice sounded heavy.
“There’s just too many things that make me think this isn’t going to last. I wish it could—but I don’t see it working out.
I think it’s better to end things now before either of us get more hurt. ”
“But what if it does work out?” she whispered, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking.
The thought of never getting to see him again made her want to burst into tears, but she was determined to hold it together.
Being an actress allowed her to fake emotions, and it had also taught her how to conceal her own.
“It simply doesn’t make sense,” he told her.
His words hung in the air between them, and she considered beating them away with a barrage of reassurances and protests.
She could tell him how much she liked him, how much she loved his town, and how much she thought that she could fall in love with him—more than she’d ever been in love with Hollywood, or her career.
She inhaled, but then let the words die on her tongue.
She couldn’t make him promises that it would work out, since it was likely that he simply didn’t want to be in a long-distance relationship with someone.
She could offer to stay faithful to what they had started, but if he was feeling as though he wouldn’t want to, there was nothing she could say that would get him to change his mind.
He’d made good points—it would be very difficult for the two of them to maintain a relationship with their hectic schedules and the vast distance that was about to come between them.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Tom,” she whispered. “I’ve loved getting to know you.”
“I’ve loved getting to know you too, Delilah. I’ll treasure these memories always.”
She nodded, finding it harder to fight off her tears. “I will too.” She forced a smile and then leaned forward to gently kiss his cheek.
“Goodbye, Delilah,” he said, sounding as though something had caught in his throat.
She simply nodded, slowly stood up and walked away, keeping her head held high until she reached the end of the town square. Once she was behind a cluster of lilac bushes, she couldn’t hold her tears back anymore.