It would be agony
“Hey, wait up.”
I freeze, my eyes widening when I hear his voice. My head leisurely turns around, and my pulse starts to pick up when I see Connor Ellis running toward me.
I swallow down, my heart racing the closer he gets, and when he reaches me, he blows out a breath and grins at me. Damn, he has a nice smile, perfect white teeth, good lips. Shit. Am I staring at his mouth?
“Hey,” he says, sounding a little out of breath.
“Hi,” I reply.
He gestures behind him with his thumb. “I called you back there, didn’t you hear me?”
He did? I was, too, in my own head, thinking about what went down at the meeting yesterday. I thought I was finally getting my chance, but instead, they want to use me to make Lucas even more famous. “No,” I tell him. “I didn’t. Sorry.” My fingers clutch my bag hanging off my shoulders.
“That’s okay,” he says, flashing me a smile. “I was wondering… a bunch of the guys are going over to Murphy’s later, and I was just thinking if maybe…,” he shrugs. “You’d like to come?”
Is he asking me out on a date? My lips part in shock as I stare back at his face, unable to think straight. Sure, I might have a teeny, tiny crush on Connor, but it only exists in my mind, where I know it can’t turn into anything more. “Um.” I fiddle with the strap of my bag. “No, I don’t think so.”
His brows furrow. “Oh, ok. No worries.” The corner of his lips turns up in a small smile, and he starts to step back. “I’ll see you in class?”
I nod. “Of course.”
He presses his lips together in a smile and turns around. As soon as I see that he’s gone, I blow out a breath. I hate how I get shy when I’m around him. I shouldn’t be attracted to him, even if it’s in the confines of my brain, and I shouldn’t want to go to the bar with him tonight. Nothing good will come of it. I promised myself I wouldn’t let myself get distracted by boys again. And I intend to keep that promise. I won’t lose myself to another guy ever again.
I shake my head and turn around. I don’t have time to go to a bar anyway. I have to study, maybe even watch a movie with Gabi. But when I lift my head, my face drops. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
His brows lift, and I have to admit he’s got good eyebrows. It’s something I notice in guys, whether or not they take care of themselves. And Lucas seems to tick all the boxes. Groomed facial hair, trimmed nails, hygienic. I guess it comes with the territory of being a model with an ego as big as his bank account. It’s second nature for him to look good.
“Pleasure as always,” he says, stepping off the wall. He gestures with his chin behind me. “Was that your boyfriend?” he asks.
My brows furrow. “Connor?” I ask. “No, he’s not my boyfriend.” Not that it’s any of his business. “What are you? Some kind of stalker?”
He lets out a chuckle, but it’s laced with anything but humor. “Believe me,” he says, running a hand down his face. “I wish I didn’t have to chase after you.”
“Then why are you here?” I ask him.
“Ana’s offer,” he says, taking his hands out of his pockets and crossing them over his chest. “You need to accept it.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “You’re joking.”
His jaw ticks, and he shakes his head. “I wish I was. But I’m not.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “After you told me every reason under the sun, why I shouldn’t?” This guy makes my blood boil. Of course, the one time I thought my acting career was going somewhere, he had to come in and crash my dreams. I knew it was too good to be true.
“I needed you to drop it. I didn’t want to go along with that stupid plan,” he says.
I cock my head. “And now you do?”
He lets out a sigh, his eyes drifting closed. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need you.”
My eyes widen when I see his frown. “You…need me?” I repeat.
He glares at me. “Don’t make me repeat it, okay? Listen, it won’t be that bad.” His shoulders lift in a shrug. “It would just be some pictures here and there. I’m sure that it won’t be for too long, and then we can both go our separate ways, and you can…” He waves his hand. “Go into acting or whatever it is you want, and I…” He shrugs again with a subtle shake of his head. “I just really need your help.”
I let out a laugh. The nerve of this guy asking me for help when he did everything he could to scare me off. “Why would I do that?”
He narrows his eyes. “Listen, I know you’re not my biggest fan. Trust me, right now, I feel the same. But this wouldn’t just be about me. Ana was right. This could help you, too.”
My pulse starts to race. I hate the idea of this guy knowing my weak spots and holding something over me. “I don’t need your help,” I tell him, crossing my arms. “I can do it on my own.”
He tilts his head. “Yeah?” he asks. “And how’s that worked out for you so far?”
Asshole. I press my lips together, trying to calm myself down. God, I hate him. “And you?” I ask him. “You’re here begging for my help. Doesn’t seem like it’s going well for you either.”
He scoffs. “I wouldn’t say I’m begging. Merely asking for something that would be beneficial for both of us.”
“And you need me?” I ask him. “You can’t find anyone else to play your girlfriend?”
He shakes his head, visibly annoyed. “Tried that,” he says. “Ana said it wouldn’t work.”
I know I shouldn’t be. But I’m honestly a little relieved that I’m the only option. I feel my hope brewing up again, but I need to make sure this guy isn’t just going to crash it down again. “Why do you need help anyway?” I ask him. “Aren’t you rich or something?”
He narrows his eyes, his jaw clenching. “You don’t know everything,” he says. “You don’t know me or what my life is like, so don’t act like you do. Just tell me, are you going to help me or not?”
I want to. I do. But having this guy hold my future in the palm of his hands, having the power to shut it down, makes me wary about accepting it. “Not.” I turn from him and walk away. My heart is racing, and I honestly don’t know if that was the right decision or not.
I hear him scoff from behind me. “I knew you’d say that.” My shoulders slump and I stop walking, looking at him from over my shoulder. “I thought you’d look past who you think I am and realize that this could help you, too. More than it could ever help me. But of course, you’d say no to spite me.” He shakes his head. “I knew this would be a waste of time.” He starts to walk away, and my stomach churns. Fuck. If he walks away, that’s it. I would lose this opportunity for good.
“Wait,” I tell him, turning back around. He stops in place and faces me. I let out a sigh. “How long would this be for?” I ask him.
His face lights up, his small smirk making my eyes drift to his lips. Snap out of it. He shrugs. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think it would be for too long. I know you would hate spending more time with me than necessary.” His lips twitch in a smile.
“It would be agony,” I agree.
He nods. “The worst.”
I catch myself smiling and quickly drop it, letting out a sigh. “Can we really pull this off?”
He takes a step closer. “I think we can. We’re both adults. I’m sure we’ll be able to deal with whatever it is we have to do.” He squints, staring at me. “So, is that a yes?” he asks.
“No,” I say, watching as he frowns, and I’m quick to amend. “It’s a maybe.”
He lets out a breath. “That’s all I need. Here,” he says, pulling out his phone from his pocket. “Let me give you my number. Take your time and think about it. Don’t make any rash decisions because of a shitty first impression you had of me. Think of everything it will do for you.” He glances up at me and smiles. “And when you’re ready to say yes, give me a call.”
I laugh. “You’re certain I’m going to say yes?”
He shrugs. “It’s worth a try.”
I roll my eyes and tell him my number. Once he saves it, he pockets his phone and smirks. “I’ll be waiting for your call,” he says before he turns around and walks away.
He hasn’t even gotten out of my eyesight yet, and I already know, without a doubt.
I’m going to say yes.
