Текст книги "Love Unscripted"
Автор книги: Tina Reber
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Текущая страница: 39 (всего у книги 40 страниц)
has been completely faithful to me, and when you couldn’t find any evidence, you fabricated your own.”
Kyle scoffed. “Maybe if you’d bother to open your eyes for two seconds and look at reality, you’d see that actors never stay in relationships for
very long. They trade up every chance they get. The way I see it, things couldn’t have happened at a better time. You needed a wake-up call to see
how things really are.”
“You’re incorrigible!” I bellowed.
“You think that someone like Christensen is going to stay with you for the next forty years? I highly doubt it. There were so many hot women
walking around down there on his movie set… he may be strong enough to resist now early on in this thing, but give it time and he’ll cave. You
should be happy that you didn’t waste a lot of time on him – save yourself from further humiliation when he dumps you for one of his own kind.”
I stared blankly at him for a few minutes while I concocted my next plan.
“You’re right, Kyle. You’re absolutely right,” I sniffed, pretending to finally give up hope and faking sudden extreme sadness. I leaned up on the
wall. “I’ve been deluding myself to think that I could have a future with Ryan. How could I be so naïve? Lauren is gorgeous. I can’t compete with her.”
I wiped my eyes, hoping my acting was Oscar-worthy. “I’m going to end it,” I murmured, nodding to confirm my decision. “Then I won’t be in
Lauren’s way anymore and I won’t get my heart broken again.”
I took an embellished, stuttering breath. “I’m not even close to being in the same league. Lauren is so much more sophisticated and cultured
than I am. She’s a famous celebrity and I’m… nothing,” I said sadly, playing up my self-deprecation. “A nobody from Seaport.”
I inconspicuously placed myself next to the security keypad as I continued my dramatic performance.
“I can’t blame any man for not being able to resist her. You’re right… Ryan will be better off with her. I realize that now. Lauren knows what it
takes to have a high-profile relationship. She’s probably a much better lover than I am too,” I said, acting completely dejected.
Kyle scoffed. “I’ve had better,” he muttered.
As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, he realized he had made a fatal mistake. “Babe, you are so much more desirable than she is!
Don’t ever put yourself down like that,” he encouraged, approaching me slowly.
“Stop,” I breathed out, ordering him to stay where he was. “I know I’m better than she is, after all, you just confirmed that she’s nothing more than
a manipulative whore. I’m surprised you two aren’t madly in love with each other, considering that you are so much alike!”
“Taryn!” he bellowed, taking another step.
“Don’t come any closer! All I have to do is tap it and the police will come immediately,” I informed confidently, my index finger hovered over the
illuminated button on the security keypad.
“Forced entry, the bruise on my forehead from when you hit me with the door, a few tears and you’ll be handcuffed in no time. Can you still be a
bodyguard with a police record?”
“Taryn, please, don’t! It was an accident! I’ll lose my job!” he pleaded.
“That didn’t seem to concern you while you were fucking Lauren in her trailer or conveniently waiting to rescue me in Miami!”
“Just hold on, all right?” Kyle requested urgently.
“I’m done holding on! Start talking or so help me I’m going to press it!” I threatened.
“She came on to me – not the other way around,” he informed, holding out a cautioning hand to keep me from being hasty and pressing the
button.
“You’re such a liar!” I said mockingly.
“I’m telling you the truth! We had a few drinks. She threw herself at me!”
I laughed. “And of course you took her up on her offer! Your final gesture to Ryan to make sure that if he did take her back, he got her back…
used.”
I heard my front door open; it was easy to distinguish subtle sounds in my home.
“And the letter?” I bellowed.
“The letter was her idea, not mine. She planned it. Just don’t…”
“I’m sure you can run before the cops get here, but where would you run to? I’ll petition the court to grant a PFA order on you. It probably won’t
take more than an hour or so, after all, this was assault,” I mused, rubbing the tender spot on my forehead. “I wonder what a protection order would
do to your career.”
“Okay, okay! Just don’t,” Kyle begged. “I can’t have a record. I’ll lose everything. Baby, please…”
“I’m not your baby!” I firmly stated. “Kyle, how could you ever think we’d be able to have a healthy relationship with you hurting me like this?”
“I love you, Taryn! Everything I did, I did out of love! I just couldn’t stand idly by and watch him destroy you! It was killing me!”
“This isn’t love, this is sickness. You destroyed me, Kyle. Not Ryan. You! You ripped my heart out!” I screamed at him.
“I never meant to hurt you!” he said with conviction.
“Taryn, are you all right?” Pete yelled from the other side of the door.
“Yes,” I quickly replied, watching surprise and shock coat Kyle’s face.
“The police are on their way. Is he armed?” Pete asked. I could hear the sirens.
Kyle’s eyes widened with fear. “No,” he uttered.
“He says he’s not armed,” I yelled back to my friends.
Pete plowed the door open; he had my baseball bat in his hand, ready to swing. Marie was right behind him.
“You just keep away from her!” Pete threatened, waving the bat at Kyle.
“I’m not going to hurt her.” Kyle’s derisive inflection was noticeable.
Marie tried to pull me out of the hallway and into the kitchen – to safety, I presumed.
“Taryn!” Kyle called out. “Please? I’m sorry! I can’t go to jail!”
“Well you should have thought about that a long time ago!” Pete yelled angrily.
I touched Pete’s shoulder to calm him.
“Kyle, I’m sorry too, but I just don’t trust you. If I let you go free, then what’s to keep you from coming back and starting this crap all over again?
You know I don’t feel the same way about you, but yet here you are... again!”
“I’ll stay away. I promise! I’ll leave you alone and never bother you again. I swear!” Kyle’s pleading was urgent. He knew his time was running
out. The police sirens were in the alley.
I had to make a decision, quickly.
“So what happened then?” Ryan asked.
“The police took our statements. They carted Kyle out to the patrol car real fas. Ryan, I told the police that I didn’t want to press charges.”
“You mean to tell me after all the bullshit that bastard put us through, you just let the son-of-a-bitch walk?” he yelled in my ear.
“Yes,” I said somberly. I knew Ryan felt completely left down.
He huffed in my ear. “Be honest with me, please. Do you have feelings for him? Just tell me.”
“No, Ryan. I don’t. But I just couldn’t send him to prison.”
I could not condemn a man to that fate for simply wanting me.
“I didn’t press charges because I was afraid,” I continued slowly. “I was afraid that if I destroyed his life, he might come after us one day with a
vengeance. He walked away a free man; he has no reason to ever retaliate. It’s over,” I sighed.
Ryan was silent. I could hear him breathing hard; he was stewing. I knew he wanted Kyle to pay dearly for every wrong he ever did to us, but in
my mind, two wrongs never made a right.
“Ryan?” I called out to him, hoping to calm him so we could talk this out.
“What?” he asked in his irritated, short tone.
“After all of this, I can’t have you mad at me too,” I told him, my words were more of a plea.
“I’ve…” he stammered. “I’ve got to go,” he informed grimly.
“Ryan?” I breathed out.
“I need some time to think,” he replied coldly.
His gears that were once so easy for me to switch suddenly felt stiff, unmoving under my influence.
“Okay,” I whispered as the burn of heartbreak slipped up my throat.
I slumped down into my chair at the big, round table. My friends all looked at me, confused as to why I was suddenly falling apart again after
speaking to Ryan.
Marie’s perplexed glare turned to anger. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and I knew just by her expression that she was planning on
calling Ryan and reading him the riot act.
“Don’t,” I protested, wiping my eyes on a Mitchell’s napkin.
My heart cracked wider when two whole days passed and I still had not talked to Ryan. I didn’t call him either; part of me was deathly afraid to have
my worst fear validated. Denial was a safer option, safer than the truth. Other than the two and a half days I spent in the pit of darkness after
returning from Florida, this was the longest we had ever gone without speaking.
Ryan did manage to send me a text message, but it was short. I knew he was still in Miami filming the last scenes of Thousand Miles and that
they were attempting to wrap filming this week. He was working fifteen-hour days. I could only imagine how uncomfortable things must be for him to
film with Lauren… to pretend, to act in front of the cameras that he was in love with this woman who so insidiously tried to destroy our relationship.
The devastation from my disastrous trip to Florida lingered in my heart and every day it became more and more unbearable. I continued to beat
myself up every spare moment I had for being foolish and gullible and for doubting Ryan’s faithfulness. Had I scarred him so deeply that forgiveness
was no longer an option?
Part of me couldn’t blame Ryan for being angry with me, after all, how could our relationship survive if I didn’t show him I could trust him?
But there were moments when he questioned my faithfulness too, so why should I feel solely responsible for the current state of misery I was
existing in?
And what about that leggy bitch down in Florida who still gets to enjoy Ryan’s lips on hers? Did Lauren have an ounce of remorse in her fakebreasted
soul?
Tears slipped from my eyes as I tapped a pitcher of beer for a waiting customer. I thought about all the problems Ryan was dealing with – the
troubles with Suzanne, and David, and the studio people, and Lauren, and Kyle, and losing an unborn baby… all these things that caused him pain
had one common denominator – me.
“Taryn?” Marie reached for me, questioning my sadness.
I set the pitcher down on the bar and waved my hand to dismiss her attempt to console me.
I couldn’t do this anymore to him… or me.
Tammy stopped me as I hurried through the kitchen, grabbing me by the arm before I got through my door. My key was still stuck in the
doorknob. She wrapped me in a tender hug as the magnitude of my overwhelming grief reached its final peak and crashed down on me.
My knees buckled and I dropped to the floor, covering my face with my hands.
There was only one option left for me…
I had to let Ryan go.
Chapter 36 – What do you say?
I watched Marie out of the corner of my eye as she answered her cell phone again while making a mixed drink for a waiting customer. Gary had
been calling her at work these last few days, which was very out of character for him. Gary was never much of a talker, so I was surprised at how
often he called.
I gathered through the bits and pieces of conversation that they were making plans for a family get-together; it sounded like several people were
flying in from out of town. Marie seemed stressed, often getting angry with him when they spoke. She would become testy and then run off to the
kitchen to yell at him in private.
I didn’t ask what the problems were nor did I pay any particular attention to her personal business. The part of my soul that died last Thursday on
a plane back from Florida just didn’t care much about anything lately.
Ryan finally called me Friday morning, but our conversation was awkward, like he called me just to be nice. I wasn’t sure by the tone of his words
if we were headed for the official breakup or if he called me just because he felt he had to. It didn’t help my emotional stability that we only talked
about how busy he was.
“No! It’s just not a good time right now,” he had stuttered strangely into the phone when I offered to get on a plane and fly to see him.
Ryan said he had just arrived in L.A. and was going through final fittings for his wardrobe for Slipknot. He had photo shoots and interviews, and
the press tour for the premier of Reparation was also just a few days away. Rehearsals and filming in Vancouver would start immediately after that.
He was also scheduled to start training since his character was supposed to be a rock climber.
I would have flown around the world ten times if I knew I’d end up in his arms at the end, but he didn’t want me to.
“My schedule is just crazy right now. I don't know when I’ll be able to see you even if you did fly out,” he had said, continuing his reasons why he
didn’t want me to get on a plane. “Don't get me wrong, I want to see you, it’s just… bad timing.”
Bad timing… this from the man who used to sneak off set to call and text me countless times a day now all of a sudden didn’t have time for me.
How quickly things change.
I almost called him back to ask if he still wanted me… if he could still love me like he once did… but I couldn’t do it. I was afraid if I pushed, his
answer would be “no.”
I remembered the solemn vow I made to him several months ago when we were on my rooftop – I would never break up with him – ever. I
intended to keep that vow. If our relationship was over, he’d have to be the one to say the words out loud.
The bar was fairly crowded for a Saturday night. I went through the motions, mixing drinks and waiting on customers, but inside I was numb, lifeless.
I dried my wet hands on my bar towel, taking a moment to adjust the garnet ring I still wore on my right hand – like it was a magic link to the only
man I had ever truly loved. I had been through so much in the six months since Ryan and I started dating, it was a miracle that I survived. But it didn’t
matter. Right now I would have walked through hot coals and blistering fire to be with him again.
“There’s something to make any girl smile!” Marie said loudly.
I felt my dead heart thump in my chest. I quickly looked in her direction, aching for the one face that would bring the sunshine back into my world.
To my dismay, Phil the Fireman was leaning on the bar. He was squeezed in between two customers who were trying to have a conversation
around him. My silly hopes were for naught. I could feel that the final ending, that expiration date I had feared so tremendously, was a mere moment
away.
“Hi Taryn!” Phil greeted me. His broad smile wavered when he noticed I didn’t return his enthusiasm.
“Hi Phil,” I said glumly. I tried to make myself smile. I felt like such a hypocrite.
“Taryn, I need a new bottle of, um, Jack,” Cory asked, snapping his fingers impatiently at me. “Fast.”
I could have sworn that I put a new bottle out earlier, but then again I hadn’t been paying much attention to details nor did I care to question it.
I was unlocking the back bar lower cabinet to get a new bottle for him when Marie backed up and stood at my side.
“Taryn, there’s someone here to see you,” she said awkwardly.
My pulse quickened and I felt flush. I jumped up from my crouched position, whipping my head around to see.
“Hi Taryn!”
I instantly recognized the voice, but I was completely surprised to see the faces.
“Ellen? Bill? Oh my God! What are you guys doing here?” I leaned up over the bar. “Wait, let me come around.”
I hugged and kissed them both.
“We were on our way to um…” Ellen looked at Bill, apparently forgetting her words.
“Martha’s Vineyard,” Bill reminded her.
“Yes, Martha’s Vineyard! We thought we’d stop by to see you first,” Ellen said.
Marie rushed out from behind the bar. “Taryn, why don’t you take them into the kitchen to talk? It’s really loud out here. Cory and I can cover the
bar for a while.” Marie tugged my arm.
“Yes, yes, please let’s.” Bill placed a hand on my back and quickly guided me through the crowd towards the kitchen door. I could see him
cringing from the volume of the music.
“I’m so glad you stopped here first! So you’re going to Martha’s Vineyard? Oh, you’ll have such a nice time there!” I gushed, thrilled to see them.
It was the first time I smiled in days. “How long are you staying there?”
“Where?” Bill asked. He looked confused.
“On Martha’s Vineyard?” I continued.
Bill and Ellen were looking at each other, unsure of who was going to answer.
“Just a few days, Honey. Just a few days,” Ellen stated quickly.
Bill looked at his watch. He was acting a bit strange, like he was in a hurry to go somewhere.
“How long are you staying in Seaport? You know you are welcome to stay here. I hope you didn’t get a hotel room.” I didn’t know why I was
rambling. Bill’s demeanor was making me edgy. It appeared that they weren’t here for a social visit.
“We don’t want to intrude,” Ellen quickly replied. “We have a hotel room for tonight and then we, um, have much to do tomorrow.”
“Oh, okay. Well, did you have dinner? We can go out to eat if you’re hungry or I can make something for you to eat upstairs,” I offered.
Why do they look nervous? They keep looking at each other. This is getting weird. I noticed the band stopped playing, so it wasn’t quite as
loud anymore, but the volume of people talking out in the pub seemed to get louder.
“No, we ate before we came here,” Bill somberly replied.
I felt my breath catch. My hand clenched my throat.
“What’s wrong? I feel like you’re going to tell me something bad.” My eyes quickly toggled, assessing.
“He’s met someone else, hasn’t he?” I scanned their faces – waiting… trying to judge their reaction to my question. Ellen seemed startled.
“I knew it. He changed his mind. He doesn’t think I can trust him anymore so he’s moving on.” Pain, agony, all too familiar, seeped back into my
soul. It only took him one week to finally decide he had enough of me.
My eyes became moist and I felt the scorching burn roll up into my throat. Not only did I have to give up the only man I ever truly loved, I would
also be losing two wonderful parents on top of it. I bit my teeth into my upper lip, trying to hold back a sob.
“Did he send you for his things?” I whispered, assuming his parents were here to pack his stuff up. Tears cracked and bled from my eyes from
thinking about him moving out of the apartment. “He doesn’t even want to talk to me anymore?”
“Oh, Honey, no!” Ellen quickly answered.
“Ellen, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for disappointing you.” I couldn’t stop the tears.
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Bill huffed. He turned on his heels and hastily bolted for the door.
“Great. Now I’ve offended his father too.” I walked over to the large steel sink that Ryan paid for and ripped a few paper towels out of the holder
to wipe my eyes. I had desperately hoped that Ryan and I would try to resolve things before finally calling it quits, but that didn’t seem possible now.
“I think… I have a few boxes,” I muttered, gasping for air between sobs, gripping the counter to hold myself up.
This is it – the moment of truth – it’s officially over.
“Taryn, Ryan didn’t send us. And I’m fairly certain that whatever he has to say to you he will tell you himself. You need to stop crying because
everything is going to be okay!”
Bill popped his head around the cracked kitchen door. “Ellen, it’s time. Let’s go,” he barked sharply.
I gasped deeply from the shock. I must have really offended him. Bill didn’t even stick around to say goodbye, go to hell, don’t ever call my son
again… nothing.
Ellen smiled at me and then rifled through her purse. “Let me freshen you up a bit first.” She opened up her compact and started powdering my
face. “Do you want some lipstick?”
I shrugged, completely confused by her actions. Maybe she felt my customers didn’t need to know I was crying again? Maybe it was her final
gesture of being nice to me since I’d never see her again?
Before I knew it, she was rubbing lipstick over my lips. Great... she pities me. Her final final gesture is to get me pretty enough so I could go
back out there and get hit on by some drunken asshole who is destined to be my loser husband since I’m obviously single again.
“There!” she said, rubbing her thumb over my lip. Her hand combed through my hair, fluffing one side around my ear. “That’s better! Are you
ready to go?”
“Go where?” I followed her out of the kitchen.
My watery eyes had to adjust to the darkened pub atmosphere. Ellen immediately joined Bill, who was sitting down at a table for two near the
poolroom with a drink in his hand. Apparently they weren’t going anywhere. What the hell is going on here?
I stood there staring at them, completely dumbfounded by the last five minutes of my life, trying to make sense of it all. I think I was just dumped
by my boyfriend’s parents who are here to move him out of the apartment, but yet they are sitting here having a drink? What the…?
An acoustic guitar strummed in the background as the band readied to play their next set. Bill glanced up to the stage. Maybe he wanted to stay
and hear the band?
“I wrote this song for the woman I love,” a very familiar voice announced over the sound system.
A shiver blasted down my spine and I gasped from the complete and utter shock of hearing his voice. How could that be? He can’t possibly be
behind me… He’s across the country in California!
Quickly, I turned around, covering my mouth with my hands to keep from screaming out in surprise.
“I’m hoping she has the same reaction this time that she had the first time I played for her.” He gently smiled.
There he was, sitting on a stool up on the stage, a very familiar Gibson guitar resting across his thigh. His smile widened when I smiled back.
“This song is called, ‘What Do You Say?’”
He started the soft melody. I stood there, shaking slightly, listening to his mesmerizing voice and his lyrics that touched my soul. My heart
pounded in my chest.
If I could put back the pieces and make them right
I’d turn back the hands of time with all my might
You’d never think that things went wrong
If I took the pain away
And if I say that you complete me in every single way
If I shout it from the clouds above for everyone to hear
Could you ever believe me?
If I whisper to you sweetly
You say you need a reason
But I’ve never gone astray
Now if I can once again persuade you
To say yes to me today
There is just one more question left for me to ask
Before we throw it all away
What do you say?
Please say yes to me today
I gave you my heart, placed it in your hands
For our dreams of tomorrow, just like we planned
Together as one for the rest of our days
But If I’d only showed instead of told you
I would have taken this doubt away
If I scream it from the sky above
So everyone is sure to know
Could you ever believe me?
If I whisper to you sweetly
You cry out you need a reason
But we’ve never gone astray
Now if I can once again persuade you
To say yes to me today
There is just one more question left for me to ask
Before we let it slip away
What do you say?
Please say yes to me today
If you give me your hand, I’ll wrap it in golden bands
For a long future together, I’d be a happy man
I’ll hold you forever as our story unfolds
By my side
You’ve been my only lover, let the truth be told
If I scream it from the sky above
So everyone is sure to know
Could you ever believe me?
If I whisper to you sweetly
If I say I am your reason
And our love will light our way
Now if I can once again persuade you
To say yes to me today
There is just one more question left for me to ask
Before we throw it all away
What do you say?
Please say yes to me today
I stood there in compete awe, my feet frozen to the ground. Tears of joy, tears of pure love, dripped down my cheeks. I covered my mouth with
my hands while the crowd exploded with applause.
Ryan set his guitar on the stand, let out a big lung-full of air, and stood up. His eyes were fixed on mine.
Determination like I’d never seen before painted his face with purpose. His legs took long strides, rapidly closing the distance between us. He
was headed straight for the big, round table in the middle of the bar.
I wondered for a split second if he actually saw where he was walking? Surely he had to see the enormous table in his way? His gaze was
completely locked on my face.
His foot stepped onto the empty chair in front of him, lifting his body off the floor. His next step catapulted him on top of the big oak table,
carefully stepping around people’s drinks. He stopped when he reached the center.
All eyes were on him as he stood atop the table. It was so quiet in the crowded bar, you could have heard a pin drop. I could hear my heart
hammering in my chest as I stared up at him.
“We’ve made a beautiful mess of things lately, haven’t we?” He flashed that sexy crooked smile at me, which made my heart flutter.
I nodded, agreeing with him.
“But it’s our crazy story,” he stated. “It’s been ours, only ours. There’s been a lot of romance, sometimes way too much drama…” He raised his
eyebrows and smirked. “Very memorable comedy, a few pulse-racing action scenes...”
He shrugged and sighed.
“We’ve also had our fair share of suspense and raw terror, and unfortunately gut-wrenching heartache too.
“I think we’ve covered it all, everything except for being captured by aliens!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“But through it all you’ve loved me, unconditionally, and I know how fortunate I am to have your love.
“I don’t want to live without you, not for one more minute, not for one more second. I want to spend the rest of my days living my story with you…
only you.”
He walked to the edge and jumped off the table, landing in front of me.
“It is here that I fell in love with you,” Ryan whispered, taking my hands in his.
He dropped down on one knee.
“And as fate would have it, it is here that I humbly kneel before you and ask you to be my wife.
“Taryn Lynn Mitchell, will you marry me?” His glistening eyes, so blue, so full of emotion, gazed up at me… waiting patiently for my reply.
Only one word rang through my heart.
“Yes!” I nodded emphatically. My salted tears dripped across my lips. I said yes over and over again.
Ryan’s smile was glorious. It took my breath away. He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a ring. There was no box, no preshow.
He took my left hand into his and kissed my hand softly.
“Forever,” he whispered, looking up at me, as he slid the ring onto my finger.
Chapter 37 – Sparkle and Fade
“Do you really like it?” Ryan asked when he caught me gazing at my engagement ring. I held my hand out to admire my exquisite diamond ring
one more time. Even though my head swirled with thoughts, everything paled in comparison to the elation I felt from the amazing man that was
holding me, his eyes begging for my response.
“If you don’t, I could always get you something else. I mean, I won’t be offended if you don’t like it. You could pick one that you’d rather…”
I quickly lifted my head off of his bare chest and locked my lips on his, shutting him up before he could entertain more doubt.
“It’s perfect,” I reassured him. “Absolutely perfect!”
He sighed. “Good! I’m glad.” He smiled gently. “I wasn’t sure. I looked at a lot of rings before I picked that one. I could have gone bigger with the
center stone, but I presumed you’d feel anything over three carats would be too much.”
“You’re right!” I laughed lightly.
“There’s an inscription in it too,” Ryan informed tenderly.
“There is?” I said, completely surprised. He had placed this ring on my finger so quickly that I didn’t even have time to look at it.
He slipped his arm out from underneath our warm comforter and wiggled the ring off my finger. “See?”
I held it closer to my eyes, twisting the band so I could read it. Etched inside was one word.
“Forever,” I whispered.
“That’s right… forever,” he said softly. “I’m only marrying one girl in my lifetime. Just like my father did… just like your father did. Our parents
spent their lives together and worked through their problems. We will too.”
I placed the ring back onto my finger.
“I am so relieved to hear you say that,” I sighed out, drifting my fingers across his cheek. “But I’m even more relieved that you’re just here with
me. I thought I had lost you for good.”
“Taryn, I know things have been totally fucked up between us lately.” He paused and combed his hair back with his fingers. “But…”
“But we need to be more open and honest with each other,” I quickly finished his sentence, whispering my words on his skin.
“Yes. Exactly,” he agreed. “A lot more open.”
I thought about the reasons my heart ached just a few short hours ago. “You know a spectacular diamond ring on my finger doesn’t resolve our
trust issues though.”
“I know. And I am truly sorry. I should have told you about Lauren. We should have talked about it.” He trailed his fingers down my back,
straightening out a lock of my hair.
“Why don’t you tell me now?” I softly murmured.
He fidgeted slightly underneath me. “There’s not much to say, really. I met her when she screen tested for Thousand Miles with me. Production
got pushed off a year and, well, we were both out in L.A., both single at the time.
“When I left to film Reparation she started seeing Lucas behind my back. A friend of mine called me in Chicago to tell me he saw them making
out at the Chateau Marmont.” Ryan frowned. Admitting that out loud seemed difficult for him.
“I thought we were exclusive. I guess I’m just old-fashioned that way – I only date one woman at a time. Needless to say, that was the end of that.”
“Were you in love with her?” I asked, curious to know how deep his feelings were for her.
His eyes were thoughtful when he shrugged slightly.
“Honest and open,” I reminded him.
He sighed. “Not really. I mean I cared a lot about her. We were friends. It was new and fun for a while.”
Ryan played with a long strand of my hair, twisting it around his finger. “The little bit of feelings I had for her are nothing in comparison to how I
feel about you, I can tell you that!”
I was reveling in his words until he laughed lightly.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, getting worried.
“You know we film out of sequence, right? Well, one of the final scenes we shot this week was of our big breakup,” he snickered. “And man, was
