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I smiled a little wider this time around. “Who knows? I suppose anything is possible.”
Carrie lifted up her glass, and naturally, I clinked mine against hers. I wasn’t sure what we were cheers-ing about really, but it made us both laugh anyway. I had to admit that I felt a little lighter now that I had gotten that off my chest. Just talking about it to Carrie, and letting the words fall out of my mouth, felt good. I was giddy and excitable.
“Come on,” I said with a little laugh. “Let’s get some shots in. I think we need it, don’t you? We have to celebrate as much as possible before we’re knee-deep in work tomorrow. You know that the pressure is going to be wild, so we need to have fun now.”
Carrie nodded, game for anything. “Sounds good. It’s our last night of freedom, after all.”
* * *
Whoa,tonight had beenfun. Maybe a little too much fun. I had definitely had one too many drinks, but Carrie was a great laugh, and we were laughing so much that my stomach muscles actually hurt. I just knew that we would have a great time working together.
“Seriously, Arya,” Carrie hissed again, leaning in closer. I thought she was speaking a little too loudly, but I wasn’t sure it mattered that much. “That hot guy is staring at you again.”
“Really?” I couldn’t help but spin around to have a look. Curiosity got the better of me.
“Yeah, look at him. He’s gorgeous. I think you should go and talk to him.”
I smiled at the man, running my eyes hungrily all over him. He was very tall, broad, and muscular, with defined cheekbones and stark black hair. A naughty twinkle in his green eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
Ooh yeah, I sure as hell wanted to talk to him, but I didn’t think I would have the confidence. Even though I’d been drinking, I didn’t think I could just strut over to him and strike up a conversation. That shitty relationship I’d once had, where I was cheated on over and over again, had really done a number on my confidence.
“Shall I call him over here?” Carrie asked. Instinctively, I shook my head frantically. “Oh, come on, why not? I’m pretty sure he wants to come over here.”
“Not yet.” My heart was absolutely thundering in my chest. Each beat seemed to be harder than the last one. I was pretty sure it could come flying out at any given moment. I tried to catch my breath so my throat wasn’t so dry and ragged. I didn’t want him to think of me as a fool because my chest was rising and falling like crazy. I also needed to gather up my nerves, or the flip-flopping in my stomach would get out of control. Puking all over his shoes was the last thing I needed to do. This was already bad enough. “No, wait, not yet.”
Carrie couldn’t stop herself from laughing at me. She tossed her head back and let the noise erupt from her belly. I was glad that at least one of us found this funny!
“Carrie, no, stop.” I grabbed her arm, and tried to prevent myself from collapsing into laughter as well. “You aren’t helping me calm down at all.”
“I know, I know, you just make me laugh, that’s all.” She wiped a stray tear away from her eyes. “Oh my God, you’re funny. You’re absolutely beautiful, Arya, which is why he can’t stop looking at you. It’s surprising you’re just a personal assistant, and not one of the actresses in the movie. Yet, you’re just as anxious as the rest of us.”
I had no idea what she was talking about. I didn’t see myself in that way. I was just normal looking. There was nothing special about me at all. I was so cautious because of what had happened to me before and because I guess I was looking for something a lot more serious. I didn’t want to be messed around with. I wanted to find someone real, who actually cared about me and wanted to be with me just as I did him.
“Look, what does it matter?” Carrie asked as she wiggled her eyebrows playfully. “You can just share a drink with this guy. He’s beautiful to look at, so there’s that. But what do you care even if you don’t like him? Rockport isn’t your home. You won’t be here for a long time. Tonight is basically your last night of freedom anyway, so embrace it. Have fun with the hot guy and just see what happens.”
Okay, so that wasn’t exactly in line with what I was just thinking. This wasn’t Carrie helping me to achieve my goal of finding someone that I really liked, but something was tantalizing and exciting about what she was suggesting.
It had been a long time since I’d had some fun. Maybe it would be good for me to let off some steam and practice my flirting skills. I nodded just the once, and with that, Carrie waved the guy over. Well, him and his friends. It seemed like there would be some hot guys for Carrie to flirt with as well. Good, I was hoping she was an expert and I could use her guidance.
“Hey, the name is Carrie.” She shook everyone's hands. “And this is my friend, Arya. Nice to meet you all…”
The guys said their names, but I had to admit that I only picked up on one. Spike. He was called Spike. How cool was that? What an incredible name. It matched his face completely. I couldn’t stop smiling at him, and it seemed he couldn’t stop either. We hadn’t yet said a single word to one another, but the intensity of the chemistry burning in the air was on fire regardless.
My stomach wouldn’t calm down, the butterflies were growing by the moment. They might as well have been the size of birds.
“So, you are Arya?” he finally drawled in a slow, sexy tone. “I noticed you right away. As soon as I walked into the bar, your energy caught me off guard.”
“Really?” I shuffled in my seat, barely able to contain my excitement. That just never happened to me. I was never the one who caught attention. Especially when I was surrounded with people like Sarah Billingham. Superstars with the x factor who drew the eyes of everyone in the room, whether they were trying to or not.
But Spike sawme. Admittedly because none of the stars were here to overshadow me, but I liked it nonetheless. I liked being my own person. I guess this was just another reason I needed to escape this lifestyle because it wasn’t for me anymore.
“Well, I noticed you as well, Spike.” I leaned my elbow on the table and rested on my hand, staring at him a little more intensely. “So it’s good to finally get to talk to you.”
“You’re here for the movie?” I nodded, hoping that this might impress him a little. Although I couldn’t imagine Spike being impressed with movie stars and Hollywood. He just didn’t seem the type. “You an actress?”
“No, I’m just a personal assistant.” I silently begged that he wouldn’t ask me who for, and thankfully he didn’t. “Nothing terribly exciting, but I’m sure the movie will keep us busy.”
Spike chuckled. It was a low gravelly sound that made my heart skip a beat. “Yeah, I think you will be keeping Rockport busy for a long time as well. I don’t think I have ever seen the bar this busy. It’s crazy. But you’re still the most beautiful woman in here.”
