Lydia joined them then. “Oh, she left.” She looked at Kaelyn and Carmen. “You can’t pull him out of rehearsals for press for too many days. Production could slow if he’s not ready for principal photogra—”
“Marley left?” Nikhil frowned. “Without saying goodbye?” If nothing else, he’d thought they were at least friends now. But maybe not.
“I must say that girl has quite an effect on you.” Lydia chuckled. Nikhil didn’t realize Lydia knew how to laugh. “You sure you two were justfriendsin high school?”
“We were friends. And… prom dates.”
At that, Lydia full-on laughed. “Yeah,prom. Not surprised. Channel that chemistry when you’re with Serena.” She turned to the publicists and asked a question about some promo pics of him and Serena Vox they were planning to release, but Nikhil tuned them out.
Did he and Marley really have chemistry strong enough that others noticed? How obvious was he? He cringed when he remembered catching a view of her chest as she leaned down during one of the interviews. He’d been mesmerized. Had she noticed?
He was a pig, and she wasstillso out of his league. No wonder she left.
“Nik… earth to Nik!” Lydia said, snapping her fingers inches from his face. “Glad to see you can be something other than a sourpuss in an appearance. You’re free to go now.” She turned back to the publicists, and they continued talking about some press releases or something.
Nikhil grabbed his stuff and headed back to the washroom in the adjoining room to change. Was he really a sourpuss? He knew he was struggling lately, but hearing it spelled out like that was rough. Why was all this so hard for him? He was literally living his dream… one that had been a decade in the making. He hated that he was already getting a reputation for being difficult. But he didn’t know how to brush off all this pressure and negative press the way everyone seemed to think he should be able to do. And clearly, his family shit was getting under his skin way more than it should.
At that, he sent a quick text to his sister to see how things were going. Nalini sent him a few thumbs-up emojis, then a series of long messages telling him in detail everything that had happened at home all day. It was too much information, but he was able to grasp that his mother was the same today.
On impulse, Nikhil decided not to change. He wanted to stay in the shirt Marley had picked a little longer. He tied his hair back and left the hotel room without speaking to anyone. When he got off the elevator on the ground floor, he headed toward the concierge desk to ask if they could call him a car. But a glance over to the hotel bar stopped him short.
It was Marley. She was alone. Nikhil recognized her by her ridiculously shiny hair, pale-gray blouse, and snug black skirt. He should leave her alone. She left without saying goodbye—she didn’t want to see him. And she specifically said she couldn’t work with him past the twentieth, which was only two days away. But he was like a moth to a flame—he would always be drawn to her.
And besides, after that day, he could use a drink.
The posh bar was dark-wood paneled with leather seatsand deep-burgundy carpets. He slipped in and stood next to Marley, not sure what to say.
When she noticed him, her reaction made his knees weak. Shebeamed. Not the small Marley smile that still managed to make his skin pebble, and not her fake professional smile, either. This full, wide grin lit up the whole dark room.
“Nikhil! Hi!” She seemed a completely different person from the cool, professional woman upstairs.
“Hi, Marley… I noticed you… I mean, I saw you in here and… I hope I’m not intruding… I didn’t get a chance to say thank you and I thought—”
“Come sit,” she said, still smiling. She patted the barstool next to her. “Wait—you’re probably busy. Are you done upstairs?”
“Yeah. And I really need a drink,” he said, sliding onto the leather barstool.
She nodded. “Yeah, I needed this, too.”
He ordered a single malt from the bartender.
Marley was drinking something clear with a lime on the rim. “You drink now?” Back in high school, she hadn’t.
She chuckled. “I’m an adult now, Nikhil. I wanted one last drink before… never mind. I’m not affected by my parents’ attempts to guilt me for drinking anymore.”
He laughed. “Sounds like we could compare notes on family shaming…”
Marley only smiled at that. The bartender brought his drink then—a high-end whiskey with a hint of smokiness. It was delicious. He sighed. “Nothing tastes as good as the first drink after a public appearance.”
She looked at him curiously. “You really don’t like them, do you?”
He shrugged. “It’s emotionally exhausting to beonlike that. If it’s a project I’m very passionate about, then it’s fun. I did this indie movie a couple of years ago,The Last Time—”
“The Last Time He Cried… I saw it.”
Nikhil’s eyebrows rose. Marley had seen that movie? No one had seen that movie. It was a small indie film about four friends who check into a mental health retreat together. It hadn’t exactly made waves on the festival circuit. “Seriously?”
She nodded. “Yeah, at TIFF. I was hoping you’d be there for the screening.”
