I press my mouth to his, and he readily opens for me. So many emotions are swirling through my veins as we kiss, but for the first time in twenty-four hours, I have some clarity. I can’t lose Reeve. He is the other half of my soul, which is why the pain cuts so deep.
Reeve deepens our kiss, holding my body flush against his, as he reassures me with his lips and his tongue. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do this, but I’m not giving up without at least trying, and I’m not going down without a fight.
17
Audrey and I have settled into our dorm, and we’re making new friends and coming to grips with our classes and assignments, so I don’t have too much time to pine for Reeve. He spent most of September and October auditioning for other roles, and buzz is definitely building for him in Hollywood. November sees the start of filming the second Rydeville Elite movie, but they begin heavy promotion for the first movie in early December. You can’t turn on the TV or open social media without something popping up about the impending release.
“Have you seen this?” Audrey looks at her phone as we’re gathering our stuff to head home for Christmas break.
“You know I shut down all my social media accounts, so no.” Since stuff started appearing online about Reeve and Saffron potentially “dating,” the level of hatred toward me from the Saffhards—Saffron’s die-hard fans—escalated to such an extent I had to remove myself altogether from social media. While some of Reeve’s fans came out in support of me, most were shipping Reeve with his costar and trolling me like crazy. All that shit is depressing, and I’m taking what steps I can to protect my mental health and my sanity.
“Reeveron,” Audrey says, in a scathing tone, and I stop folding my sweaters to stare at her. “That’s what the fandom is calling Reeve and Saffron.”
“Great, they have a ship name. Totally awesome.” Sarcasm drips from my tone.
“This sucks.” She slings a comforting arm around me.
I rest my head on her shoulder. “It does, especially when I barely get to speak to him these days.” Reeve is on an international tour at the moment, so between our busy schedules and the time difference, it’s virtually impossible to find time to talk. We’re communicating mainly via messages, but he’s coming home for three days over Christmas, and I can’t wait to see him.
“Are you holding up okay? Will you see Alex at Christmas?”
“It’s harder than I thought it would be, and I don’t know.” She chews on her lip as pain flares in her eyes.
“What’s happened?”
Tears flood her eyes. “I think he’s already found a new girlfriend.”
“No way.” I shake my head. “I can’t see Alex in a new relationship already. I saw his face the day you two said goodbye. He was devastated.”
Her fingers fly over her screen. “Look.” She thrusts her cell in my face. “See that blonde? She’s in a few of his photos, and she’s hanging off him in every single one.”
I scroll through the photos, examining them closely. “All this proves is Alex has groupies. See how she’s draped over him?” I point to the image on the screen before flicking to the next one. “Sure, he’s smiling at the camera, but he’s not touching her. She’s touching him.” She’s a fuck buddy, most likely, but I’m not saying that out loud because I don’t want to upset my bestie, and Audrey has been a rock for me this past year.
“It doesn’t matter anyway.” She wipes her tears with the sleeve of her sweater. “We broke up, so he’s free to date, and I can’t get pissy about it. I just didn’t think it would hurt this much.”
I bundle her into a hug, and she sobs into my shoulder. “We’re a sorry pair,” I admit when we break apart. “And I know exactly what we need. Movie night at my place with ice cream. Your parentals aren’t home until tomorrow anyway, right?”
She bobs her head, and I loop my arm through hers. “It’s settled then. We’re heading to Chez Mills.”
Christmas comes and goes, and I didn’t get to spend much quality time with Reeve since he was so exhausted and sleeping all the time, thanks to Mr. Jet Lag. However, at least I got to sleep beside him and derive what little comfort I could.
The past three weeks have flown by, and now it’s the night of the premiere. I hate that I’m dreading it, but it’s nothing like how I imagined it would be. In all my dreams, I was on Reeve’s arm as we greeted his fans on the red carpet, just like I’ve seen my parents work the crowd at Mom’s premieres. My reality couldn’t be any further removed from that fantasy.
“Oh, Vivien,” Mom exclaims entering my room, her eyes popping wide as I turn to face her in my dress. It’s a strapless lemon chiffon gown with intricate silver diamante-beading over the corset top and dotted around the full skirt. The hem is longer at the back while it’s shorter at the front to highlight my lower legs and the gorgeous silver sandals on my feet.
I designed and made the dress myself, aiming for understated elegance. For two seconds, I’d considered creating a spectacular gown that would ensure I was the talk of the night, just to rub Saffron’s nose in it, but that’s like something she’d do to try to steal my thunder, and I won’t sink to her level. Besides, drawing attention to myself would only backfire on Reeve, and he went to huge efforts to get me into the premiere. Bianca and the studio were hell-bent on excluding me, but everyone knows Reeve and I grew up together and our families are super close, so it’s not inconceivable that I’d be there, even if we are supposedly broken up.
“I’m really wondering if you should have gone the design route in college because your talent is incredible.” Mom examines the intricate beading.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Marlena says, standing back to admire the job she did on my hair and makeup. Again, I opted for simple. My hair is gently pulled away from my face with a few carefully placed diamond clips, and it flows in soft waves down my back. Marlena focused mainly on my eyes, creating a sultry smoky look, and she finished it off with nude lips and a light blush on my cheeks. “You look stunning, Vivien. Like a bona fide Hollywood princess.”
“Thank you.” I squeeze her hands. “If I look stunning, it’s because you worked your magic, as usual.”
Marlena spins around to Mom. “And this is why you two are my favorite clients. You must be so proud of your daughter. It’s rare to meet such genuine people in this business.”
“You’re a sweetheart,” Mom tells her, giving her a quick hug. “Just like my daughter and that wife of yours.”
“Where is my better half?” Marlena asks.
“Carole went to load up the car. She said she’d meet you outside.”
“Have a great night,” Marlena says, waving as she strides toward my door. “And tell Reeve I said congratulations.”
“I will, if I see him,” I mumble under my breath.
“Aw, honey.” Mom threads her fingers in mine. “I hate that we have to enter through the back like thieves in the night, but Reeve knows we are there, and it’s our support he needs.”
“I’m trying to be less selfish, but it’s hard. I hate that I can’t walk the red carpet with my boyfriend on his big night. Even worse, I hate that she will be hanging off his every word, fueling the rumors and getting one over on me at the same time.”
“You have his heart,” Mom reminds me. “Something she will never have.” Her expression softens. “And Reeve will die when he sees you in this creation. It’s perfect, Vivien. Truly perfect. Regal and sophisticated, yet not too ostentatious. No one can accuse you of trying to upstage that attention-seeking madam.”