“I’m interested in reading it,” I said, without even thinking.
That seemed to catch him off-guard, because he just gave me a quizzical expression.
“Not that you’d even want me to. I just—I’m sure it’s good, that’s all,” I added hurriedly. Of course he wouldn’t want me to read his screenplay. That wasn’t what he’d meant.
Eli leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in one hand. “Seems like an awfully confident statement for someone who’s never read anything I’ve written before.”
Sweat formed on my palms as I rubbed them together. “I just meant, given your father, and all the time you’ve spent in that world. I’m sure?—”
“That I’d be a great little nepo baby?”
“Oh my gosh, no, not at all. I just meant?—”
His laughter cut off my rambling explanation. “Relax. I’m just messing with you. You seem a little jumpy, Calla.”
Hearing him say my name sent an unfamiliar feeling flapping around in my gut.
“Can you blame me? How is anyone supposed to act normal under these circumstances?” I huffed. Although the ease with which Eli carried himself told me he wasn’t struggling in the same way.
“Trust me, this could be a lot worse,” Eli said. “A lot of reality shows rely on production manipulation and cheap editing to make contestants look bad. But with this—” he gestured around the lounge. “Their goal here is to make America fall in love with us. It’s in their best interest to make us all look as appealing as possible.”
“You make it all sound so technical.”
“It is. It’s all a formula when you break it down.”
I’m not sure if that made me feel better or worse. Theidea that they were trying to curate my love story made me feel like a prop instead of a person.
“Calla?” Eli sounded far away as I drifted around in my own thoughts. I practically jumped out of my skin when his hand brushed against my knee. I’m sure he meant it as a gesture of comfort, but the shock of the contact almost made me recoil. “This will be a good experience. Okay? I wasn’t thrilled when I discovered the truth either, but this is going to be what we make of it.”
His voice seemed so genuine as his gaze remained fixed on me. Eli had a sordid past, from what I could tell, and although he’d been nothing but kind in our brief interaction, I didn’t fully trust him. Maybe he wasn’t a bad person, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous in different ways.
Brady came over to collect me for an interview and I never thought I’d be so relieved to see him. I needed a break from all this. Waving a silent goodbye to Eli, I counted my blessings that he wasn’t my partner.
Chapter Four
“We’ve got to go,”Michael rushed through the kitchen, kissing the top of my head.
“I just need to find a different shirt.”
He grinned. “What you have on is fine.”
But it wasn’t fine. I couldn’t explain it, but I had to find that shirt. I couldn’t remember which one, but I’d know it when I found it. I tore through all my drawers, my pulse spiking as the internal clock in my mind kept counting down.
Finally, Michael came back into our closet, gripping my arms. “Calla, we have to go. It’s been an hour.”
I looked at the clock on the wall in a panic. “But it only felt like thirty seconds.”
Michael shook his head. “Let’s go.”
All of a sudden, we were in the hallway in front of our apartment, headed for the elevator. As soon as he pushed the button, I cried, “Wait!”
“We have to go,” he said.
“I forgot my bag!” I exclaimed, racing back into the apartment.
Instead of the apartment I shared with Michael, I entered my currentstudio. Thinking nothing of it, I tore through the place, checking every corner for my missing...What was I even looking for again? My heart rate continued to rise as I searched fruitlessly.
The door slammed and Michael stood there.
