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The waitress behind the counter was young and she stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights.
“I said turn it off!” he barked.
The waitress stammered out an apology and hurried over to the corner, jabbing at buttons until the screen went black. But my appetite was gone. When Axel turned around, he took one look at my face and cupped my elbow, herding me toward the door.
“Let’s get out of here.”
I stumbled outside, dazed. Suddenly, the urge to cry washed over me and I slid to a stop, clutching Axel’s arm.
“You’re not my boyfriend of the week,” I said.
“I know.”
“But I—” I gulped at the air, lightheaded. “I don’t…I don’t want you to think that I would go back—to Mom, to Lionel—because that’s what everyone is saying and I just—”
“Beth.” Concern shadowed Axel’s eyes. He turned to face me, every inch of him filling my vision, blocking the noon sun. “Take a breath, all right?”
I inhaled, long and deep. He slid two fingers under my chin, tilting my head up until I met his eyes.
“I don’t give a shit what anyone says,” he added. “They don’t know what you’ve been through. I believeyou, Beth. Not some random tabloid looking to spark a sensation. The only thing that matters is between you and me.”
I swallowed hard with a nod. Although the nagging worry at the back of my mind remained.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “They’re dragging you through the mud because of me. They won’t even use your name.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, itdoes,” I insisted.
Axel frowned, confused.
“Why?” he demanded, an edge of impatience creeping into his voice. “Why is it so important to you, Beth?”
“Because—” I broke off, floundering.
Because I saw how much power public opinion could hold over a person. I saw the life I used to know obliterated overnight. Even if I ignored the comments, the articles, the news stories, it was still there. Hanging overhead like a thundercloud threatening to burst. What if all these lies about me going back to Lionel ruined my chance at a new life with Axel?
“You’re having second thoughts,” Axel said. His voice was so quiet with hurt that it sent a jolt through my heart.
“No. Axel, I’m not. I swear.”
He pulled away from me, shaking his head.
“You always said your mother was the one obsessed with your public image but…you can’t stop looking at your phone. Reading comments and messages and freaking out over articles that don’t fucking matter.”
That knocked the breath out of me. Axel had a point. How much time had I lost this morning, scrolling through my phone? How much energy had I spent worrying about all the negative headlines and the impact that would have on my personal life, my relationship, my future career—whatever that might be?
“Axel,” I said softly, pleading.
He clenched his jaw and when he looked at me this time, his gray eyes were hard as steel. Guarded.
“I know we agreed this wouldn’t be real.”
A rush of cold washed over me, dreading what he would say next.
“I know it was supposed to be fun and games for the cameras,” he added.
Axel sighed with frustration, scrubbing at the back of his neck. Then he spread his arms, indicating the nearly-empty diner parking lot along a barren stretch of highway in the middle of the desert. A handful of cars were scattered nearby but there wasn’t another soul around.
