DINNER IS WEIRD, to say the least. I’ve never seen Zayn so quiet before, and from the way Beckett described their weekly dinners following the games, I thought this would be a laid-back, fun time, but it was anything but that. Zayn doesn’t make eye contact with me at all, and Beckett keeps chatting about the weather and other random current events just to fill the silence. I keep staring at the pool, getting caught up in a trance, listening to the pump circulate the water as I try to figure out why things feel so off.
There’s obvious tension, and I have a pretty good idea it has to do with whatever went down in Zayn’s meeting today with the Devils. Zayn hasn’t mentioned it, and by the way he’s acting, I’m thinking things didn’t go well. If he’s mad at me, I wish he would say so. I’m sure if he is, Beckett already knows, so I don’t understand why he doesn’t tell me in front of him. According to Beckett, the two of them do not seem to have any secrets between them.
Beckett leans back against his chair and stretches his arms above his head. “I think I’m going to head home. The damn bugs are eating me alive out here.” He pushes himself up from the patio chair. “Do you need help to clean up?”
Zayn shakes his head. “No. I got it.”
The two men do a quick clasping handshake before Beckett says, “Call me if you need me.”
“All right.” Zayn nods at him as Beckett crosses the yard and heads for the gate that adjoins their properties.
My gaze shifts back to Zayn, and the moment we lock eyes, he jumps up and begins stacking the empty plates like he’s nervous to be alone with me, which is the craziest thing, considering what we did last night.
When he reaches for my plate, I wrap my fingers around his thick wrist. “You going to tell me what’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting strange toward me since you got back today. What’s up?”
His lips twitch, and he looks away for a moment like it hurts him to look at me before he refocuses on me. “I’m sorry. I’ve been quiet because I’ve been thinking all evening about how to say the things I need to say to you.”
Now it’s me who tenses. I release him and then lean back in my seat, waiting to hear what’s on his mind.
He releases a quick rush of air through his nose. “This isn’t an easy thing for me to say, but last night—the things we did—it should’ve never happened. We should’ve never happened. It was wrong, and I apologize for allowing myself to get carried away. It can never happen again.”
My mouth drops open. Of all the things I thought he might say, this was not it. I never imagined he would be so angry with me over the fight he would never want to touch me ever again.
My eyes burn, and I know if I blink, the tears will fall. “Why are you doing this? Over the fight with Taber?”
He shakes his head. “No. This isn’t just about the fight. It’s the fact you’re my nephew’s girlfriend, for fuck’s sake.”
“No, I’m not. Not anymore,” I argue. “You know that. You know Robert broke my heart when he didn’t get on that plane with me. I don’t want him.”
“Doesn’t matter. This thing between us was a mistake. I shouldn’t have touched you. It was wrong—we were wrong—and whatever this was between us is over now.”
The tears fall, and I can’t stop them. “What’s changed? I don’t understand. Last night, we were perfect together. You can’t deny that.”
He closes his eyes while a deep frown etches into his beautiful features. “You’re right. The sex was fucking hot, and I love making you come, but that’s all it was…sex. You know I’m not supposed to be with any women right now, and you tempted me last night. I gave in because you got my dick hard as a rock while you were rubbing all on me. I couldn’t say no to someone who looks as good as you when you’re begging to fuck me.”
What? What in the hell did he just say to me? I know he can’t possibly believe that.
“Begging? I so did not beg you. You wanted me. I could tell.”
He licks his lips and rakes his teeth over his bottom lip. “You’re right. I did, and I got you, and now I’m done with you, which is why I need you to get a place soon and get the fuck out of my house.”
His tone cuts deep, reminding me of the growly asshole I met on the first day who told me to keep my fucking body covered. The man who spent the night praising and worshiping my body seems to be long gone, and it makes me wonder if the nice guy role I’ve gotten used to seeing him play was nothing more than an act. It’s almost as if he’s gotten what he wanted from me, and now he’s done with me.
But there’s no way all the times we shared had been an act. There has to be more to this—more than what he’s telling me, which is causing him to act this way toward me. Whatever was said in that meeting today…it definitely rocked him.
I take a deep breath, wanting to reset this conversation, needing to hear all the facts and truth from him. “Zayn? Did the Devils…are they forcing you to stay away from me? Is that what this is all about?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose, and I spot sadness in his eyes. It’s then I know I’m on the right track, and this isn’t something he wants to do but more along the lines of something he feels he has to do. “Dammit, Vivi. Why keep fighting? No matter why I’m ending things now, a relationship between us would’ve never worked. I’m not into long-term relationships. Why are you pushing? I said we’re over. Why can’t you accept that and move on?”
I push myself up out of my chair and stare into simmering gray irises. “Because nothing in my life has ever come easy to me, and I learned a long time ago that anything worth having sometimes means you have to fight for it. You don’t truly want this thing between us to end any more than I do, which is how I know we’re worth fighting for. For now, I can see you think you’re doing the right thing, so I agree we need to keep our distance, but when you realize you’ve made a mistake, I want you to know I’m still down the hall waiting.”
I storm off, not giving him any time to argue with me about what happened between us was a mistake because I don’t believe it was. How can something so beautiful and perfect be a mistake?
The following morning, I wake up extra early for work and request an Uber. The thought of seeing Zayn this early in the morning and having him take me to work in awkward silence kept me up all night. I didn’t want to deal with it. I’m not ready to see him.
After packing a quick lunch, I grab a granola bar and a bottle of water before heading to the entrance gate to catch my ride. It’s a longer walk than I thought. I’ve gotten really spoiled by Zayn since I arrived, but when I get there, I spot a white Honda waiting for me. Cliff, the security guard, opens the gate when he spots me, and I wave to him as I pass by.
The driver isn’t talkative, and I’m thankful for that because I’m not in the mood for small talk this morning. Heartbreak is something I’ve grown accustomed to in my life. It seems most people I put my trust in end up letting me down, but I really thought Zayn was different. He’d been so nice to me, and I felt like he really enjoyed spending time with me, leading me to believe we had a shot at an actual relationship together.
Even if the circumstances we met under were a little weird, and the fact he’s my ex’s uncle. They don’t really know each other, and I don’t even consider them family, just merely acquaintances, so I don’t believe either of us is breaking some weird family code or something. I thought Zayn felt the same way, so him throwing the fact of Robert being my ex in my face and using it as an excuse of why it’s wrong of us to be together irritates me a bit.
I wish Zayn would tell me the truth about what they said at that meeting.
“Should I park here?” the driver asks as we arrive at the address of the production set.
“This is great. Thanks,” I tell him.
Crew members are buzzing around everywhere. Today is the last day of shooting the first season of the reality television dating show Love in the Sand. It’s amazing how quickly a show like this can be filmed, but like Bella said, low budget usually means rushed.
The show isn’t slated to release for several more months as it still needs to go through edits, which is the longest process to get to the final product.
“Vivi!” Bella calls to me. Her voice is already a pitch or two higher the moment I step inside the wardrobe trailer, indicating she’s already in panic mode. “Girl, we’re going to be slammed today. Harry has to finish all the scenes today, and we need to pull outfits for reshoots from previous days. I can’t believe we can get this all done in a day. It’s going to take a fucking miracle, even if we all work our asses off.”
Our director, Harry Fitzgerald, is a very pushy man who expects things done before he knows he even wants them done. He’s one of the best in the business, but I’ve learned he’s difficult to work for since he’s such a perfectionist. Most people around here don’t like him, but I’ve learned to tolerate him, and as long as you do exactly as he asks, he doesn’t yell.
The rest of the day buzzes by. We’re so busy I didn’t even have time to eat the lunch I took the time to pack for myself today, so as the cast flows in one by one to remove the lavish ball gowns they sported for today’s shoot, I work on eating the apple slices I brought.
“Oh, my God. Why is it always so damn crowded in here?” Gia growls as she pushes her way through the other girls. “The next show I do, I’m going to demand my own dressing trailer. This is ridiculous.”
I’m not sure who exactly she’s complaining to because at this point we’ve all stopped listening to her. She always demands all the attention on her like she’s some major star who needs to be catered to and gets pissed when people do not bend over backward to please her. She reminds me of a spoiled only child who always gets their way or throws a fit.
“Bella, come unzip this hideous dress,” Gia orders. “The beading scratched my skin the entire time.”
Bella leans over and asks in a low whisper, “Do you mind helping her because if I go over there, I won’t be able to stop myself from punching the girl in the face? That bitch requested to wear that dress after I suggested a different one.”
I chuckle. “I’ve got you.”
When Gia spots me heading her way, she pulls her red hair to one side of her shoulders, readying to have her back unzipped. “Hurry up.”
My fingers itch to wrap around her pretty little neck, but I resist and release a sigh as I do as she ordered. “All set.”
“Thank God,” she grumbles and strips the dress off and then shoves it into my hands. “Tell Harry I’m not wearing anything like that for season two.”
“Season two?” I ask.
“Yeah. I mean, the show is going to be a hit, so of course there will be a second season, and when that happens, I’ll be talking over as the host, which means I’ll have even more screen time.” She gives me a quick glare and then turns on her heel to head to the back to get dressed.
I carry the dress to the rack and hang it up before heading back over to Bella. “Do you think the show will have another season?”
“I hope so,” she says. “I signed a six-month lease on an apartment here and won’t be able to afford it unless I keep working or find a roommate. What are your plans for after we wrap today?”
My lips twist. “I don’t know. I left Vegas in such a rush, so excited to have landed this job, I didn’t think about what I would do once the job ended.”
“You knew it was a short-term gig, right?” she questions.
“I did, but I also planned on Robert coming here with me. I figured we could start our lives here for a bit while I worked in another restaurant until I found my next production job, but now…” I sigh. “There’s no Robert.”
She studies my face. “But now you have Zayn.”
I shake my head. “I told you, Zayn and I are only roommates, and he told me last night he wanted me to move out.”
Her eyebrows rise. “He did?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t exactly a great conversation.”
“Explains why you took an Uber this morning instead of your typical ride service from Zayn.” She plops down in the makeup chair and then does a quarter turn in it. “Why don’t you move in with me?”
“Seriously?” I ask.
Bella offering this was the last thing I expected, and honestly, finding a place to stay if Zayn seriously kicks me out had me worried. Getting an apartment requires so much money for a deposit and two months of rent. If I can move in with Bella, I just need to come up with my half of the rent and utilities. That I can handle.
“So what do you say?” she asks. “You would be helping me out too while we wait to shoot season two.”
My answer is a straightforward decision. “Yes. Thank you.”
