AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Kinda feels that way.” I twist the cap off the water and take a long pull before reclaiming my seat on the edge of the bed.
“Have you talked to him at all?” She switches gears, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees.
“Nope. Last I heard he moved out and got a place of his own. I haven’t asked since then. He doesn’t care enough to call and see how I’m doing. Why should I do that for him?”
“Because you care how he’s doing.”
“That may be so but it doesn’t change anything. That was our downfall after all. I cared too much and he didn’t care enough.” I let out a long sigh. “God, I don’t know why that still bothers me so much.”
“Because you fell for him.”
“Hard,” I admit.
“Which is exactly why I think you should explore the chemistry between you and Branch. I mean, seriously, Lake. He’s hot, talented, and totally into you. Maybe having a distraction isn’t the worst thing in the world when that distraction might help you move on, and isn’t that what you want? To move on?”
“I have moved on. It’s been over two months, Whit. Two months was how long I was home. I’ve already been away longer than I was there.”
“Time has nothing to do with it. Someone can change you in the matter of hours. The point is you fell for him and those feelings don’t just disappear. But they will lessen and getting back out there might help that happen a little faster.”
“I’m just not ready yet. Besides, I like where I am right now. Do I still think about Thad? Of course I do. But most days I’m just here, living my dream. And right now that’s all I really want to be doing. Well, that and having a celebratory drink with my bestie. We still haven’t celebrated you being here.”
“You say drink and I say why are we still sitting here?” She laughs, pushing into a stand.
“First you have to braid my hair,” I tell her, not wanting to go to the bar with wet hair but also having no desire to dry it either.
“Fine, but you’re buying the first round.”
“Deal.” I smile.
—-
“Laken.” I hear a tapon my trailer door seconds before it swings open and Heather, one of the assistants on set, steps inside the small space. “There’s a guy at security gate A asking for you. Says he’s your brother.”
“What?” I question, my confusion evident.
“His name is Chris,” she says, checking the message on her phone.
“Chris is here?” I question, excitement bubbling in my chest. “I’ll take care of it, Heather. Thank you.” I smile, quickly stripping out of the outfit I wore for filming today the instant Heather exits the trailer.
Slipping on a pair of jeans and a black top, I layer it with a casual plaid button down and quickly roll the sleeves to my elbows before sliding into my flip flops next to the door.
Grabbing my cell phone off the small table against the wall, I slide it into my back pocket before stepping out into the beautiful sunny afternoon. It’s rare that I rap this early. Being the lead, I’m usually on set longer than most but today was a short day for me.
Smiling to myself, I quickly weave around some of the set trailers and then take the sidewalk that leads to gate A, following the perimeter set up to keep anyone not directly related to filming off the set.
Gate A is all the way on the other side of the massive set location where filming is taking place today and as such it takes me over ten minutes to finally get there.
As I approach, I spot Chris talking casually with one of the security guys working the gate, and my heart instantly swells. I didn’t realize how much I was missing him until this very moment. But the thought instantly becomes overshadowed when I glance to Chris’s left and my entire world comes to a screeching halt.
Thad...
He’s leaning to the side, hip pressed against the gate, hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans as he watches me walk toward them. My heart thuds violently in my chest and my knees feel like they’re suddenly made of a gelatin substance rather than flesh and bone.
God, he looks even better than I remembered. His brown hair is shoved beneath his usual backward ball cap. A light blue shirt clings to his thick biceps and toned chest reminding me of the incredible body I spent countless nights memorizing.
Not able to hold his gaze, I flip my eyes back toward my brother who seems to catch sight of me at that very moment.
“There she is.” Chris straightens, a wide smile crossing his face.
