Chapter 59
Sebastian
The Casting Couch
Five Years Ago
Istared down at the blank screen on my phone. Nothing. It’d been six months of nothing. Evie left town five days after Lita died—five days after we’d given our virginities to each other—and I hadn’t heard from her since.
I’d tried to get in touch with her. I called, text, emailed even. She’d blocked me from everything. Or alternatively, which made my heart feel worse, I wasn’t blocked. She saw my name on her screen every day and simply ignored it. I’d almost rather be blocked.
Evie, what is going on?
“What are you doing?” Heather’s shitty attitude was felt before seen. She stormed into the green room, where I was waiting for my cue to go on stage. I’d been invited on one of those late-night talk shows to discuss the dark fantasy movie,Surrender to Forever, I did last year. It was finally being released in theaters.
I shook my head and shoved my phone into my pocket. “Nothing. Just waiting.”
Her gaze flicked to my pocket and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you do this to yourself. She’s made her choice clear, I think.”
I sat up hurriedly. “What do you mean, choice? Have you heard from her? Anything?” I regularly searched her name on the internet, hoping something would pop up. It was borderline obsessive, but she’d just dropped off the face of the earth with no goodbye. After what we’d done, our history?
I thought she loved me.
“No, and I doubt we will. Seb, she wants to be left alone. Let her. Her mom killed herself, for Christ’s sake.”
My eye twitched, and I bit my tongue to stop from correcting her. There was no way in Clive Barker’s hell that Lita Reyes committed suicide. We’d seen her body. We’d seen the blood. But I refrained from arguing with my agent. The last time I did, she slapped me so hard my head spun and I hit a wall. I didn’t need my shit rocked right before I went on live TV.
“Right.” I looked away. “It’s force of habit. Sorry.”
Heather, in her signature fuchsia pink, straightened her jacket and dragged the chair from the vanity table over to me. She plopped down in it once she was right in front of me, and she reached for my hand.
“You know what they say the best way to get over someone is?”
I forced myself not to pull away. Heather often pretended to have a motherly affection toward me, but her words, actions, and sometimes hands, told a different story. Heather wasn’t a loving mother. She was more like a drunken, angry father.
“What’s that?” I humored her.
She beamed, thin lips tightening as she grinned.
“You get under someone new. Sebastian, we need to get you a new girlfriend.”
The very idea jolted me. I yanked my hand away and jumped up, moving away quickly.
“Heather, that’s—” I bit down on my knuckle. I couldn’t believe she’d even suggest that.
She stood and sighed, crossing her arms. “Seb, she’s not coming back. First loves are always the hardest. But I think it’s time to try to move on. You’re the hottest teenager in America. You can literally have any woman you want, your age or not.” She raised her eyebrows pointedly.
I grimaced. What was she implying?
“Pick someone, or I can do it for you.” She pulled her phone out and began tapping furiously. “What about your co-star fromSurrender to Forever? A showmance always sells. She’s very pretty.”
I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair. “Heather, not right now. I— I’m going to check on my time.” I left, and thankfully, an assistant caught me and let me know they were just about ready for me to go on. I waited and, when prompted, took a deep breath, put on a smile, and walked out on stage, waving to the audience.
An hour later, I walked offstage not remembering a single word I’d said. Heather’s suggestion had rocked me so hard, I couldn’t think about anything else.
A new girlfriend? Never.
Heather and I went home, but I didn’t speak much. The next morning, however, she surprised me with an afternoon date.
