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The football game is a bust.
The Gold Hill Trojans are embarrassingly behind at halftime of the Homecoming game. The sports department seems bafflingly as bad as ever despite this being the wealthiest suburb in Ohio with the fanciest coaches, uniforms, and locker rooms. Or something. The fun facts I used to know about this place are fuzzier after ten years away.
On top of that, I don’t see Serenity anywhere.
I’ve scanned the stands looking for her. But she’s not here.
I should call her and find out what’s going on. But I don’t want to bother her.
She’s been busy this past month. Extremely busy and difficult to reach.
I read somewhere she’s been signed to a major motion picture directed by some major arsehole director as a last-minute replacement due to some other starlet checking into rehab.
I’d texted her the day after we spoke, and she said the next few weeks were going to be crazy with rehearsing and learning lines and that the director actually sent her to a special acting coach.
So, I’ve been giving her space.
I don’t want to seem like a needy, demanding boyfriend, resentful of her success. Well, I’m not her boyfriend, am I? I’m not actually entitled to her time or energy.
I just hope she’s okay and not killing herself with her schedule.
After halftime, I wander over to the concession stand and buy a trough of nachos with industrial orange cheese. It tastes like garbage, and I wish Serenity was here to banter about American junk food.
I snap a photo of it and send it to her.
“I can’t finish this. Shall I get a to-go box for you of this dubiously dairy-adjacent nightmare?”
The three little dots appear instantly.
“Please! I’m starving!”
My face heats with pleasure at seeing her words appear on my screen, and I’m kicking myself for not keeping up more contact since we talked on the phone weeks ago.
“And I’m so sorry I’m not there yet! I’ve been in rehearsals all day and couldn’t get out of it. I’m getting the earliest flight I can. Sorry, sorry, sorry!”
I hate that she’s feeling so bad. I hate that she’s in a rush because of me.
Maybe it’s egotistical of me to assume she needs to hear my voice, but I do feel a strong pull in that direction.
The crowd is on their feet around me, screaming about some lousy call. I can’t believe I’m still at a fucking football game.
I abandon the nachos and make my way out of the stands, apologizing to the owners of all the feet I step on accidentally as I extract myself from this scene.
The parking lot is much quieter, except for some teenagers hanging out doing god knows what. None of my business. Here, propped up against the visiting team’s bus, I ring Serenity.
ChapterFour
Serenity
It’s been so hectic the last few weeks, so I’ve given Ellen the weekend off. I try to give her every weekend off, but she and the bodyguard don’t get along, and she doesn’t trust his punctuality. It’s a whole thing.
At the end of rehearsals today, I sit down with her and order her to go home to her cats.
“You know I’d bring the cats here so I could be on call for you 24/7. But Duchess doesn’t do well with them,” she says.
I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
“Ellen. This isn’t about the cats. It’s about you taking time for yourself. Go to a movie. Read a book.”
