Marry Me (36 page)

****

Bryce Valentine flipped his cell phone over in his hands repeatedly. He measured the pros and cons of calling Katie again. Not that he wanted to come across as desperate, but there was so much about the break-up he didn't understand. She'd thrown away nine years of life with him overnight.

“You
know why,”
she had said when he asked her why she was leaving him. But he didn't know, not completely.

Things had been stale for the past few years, comfortable. He'd always figured that had something to do with being together for so long. Once all of the mysteries of a person were discovered, what else was there to keep things spicy? Not that he'd necessarily minded. The two had found ways to keep things interesting enough in their relationship to the point where he could overlook his overall sense of lacking. It bothered him all the same that he trusted his other co-stars, most particularly Arial, more than he did his own girlfriend. Deep down in his heart, he felt like something was missing between him and Katie, but the stubborn side of him did not want to give up his first love.

Katie was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Before he'd become famous, girls did not notice him. He was the quiet theater geek in school. Friendly, but he kept to himself all the same. Katie was the opposite. She had spunk and passion, and when she wanted something, she went for it. And she had wanted him. Their relationship was like a powder keg lit with a fuse. It exploded instantly with the same chemistry and passion before fizzling out into the comfortable routine they'd been in for years. She'd even gone so far as to be surprised he wanted to be in a long-term committed relationship with her to begin with. He'd been so enamored with her when they first met, he couldn't imagine letting her go. Most Hollywood romances didn't last. Then again, he wasn't like most of the guys in the business. Screwing around wasn't something he fancied trying either. When he devoted himself to something, he gave it his all, and that's exactly what he had done in regard to her.

Hollywood could be fickle, but he'd been raised to have a good head on his shoulders. He also hadn't started acting until he was almost out of high school. For a while, he never thought he'd make it as an actor. Small parts here and there went into his savings before he hit it big.
Three Wishes
sent his career skyrocketing within a year. Being a young superstar made him perfect material for teen romance films. His chiseled abdomen didn't hurt either, of course. The movies were fun to make and he was easy to work with, which made casting directors want to seek him out all the more. Sprinkle in a few independent film projects, and he had a recipe for success, now that the show was over. Bryce was ready to show off the rest of his acting skills. What he wasn't ready for was doing it alone.

What does Katie mean by “You know why”?
he wondered. Was it because they had gone stale? Or was there someone else? The past few years she had gotten increasingly flirtatious with some of her co-stars. He'd brushed it off. Katie had always been a bit more outgoing than he was. Friendly, yes, but he never felt comfortable flirting with a stranger. Then again, he also respected Katie, as well as his relationship with her.

The past few months, however, he'd noticed her being extra close with the male lead from her latest movie project. Constant whispers and giggles happened whenever he visited the set, and they texted each other — a lot. He'd never done that with another girl besides her, not even Arial.

Bryce sighed when he thought about her. Arial was an amazing young woman who deserved nothing but the best. He'd been truly blessed when she had come into his life. Her proportioned curves would make any man crazy. Not only was she gorgeous, but her beauty went further than skin deep. Never before had he met someone so free spirited, down to earth, and loyal. If anyone was going to come between him and Katie, Arial would have been it. The thing he loved most about Arial, though, was that she didn't ever try to do something so catty and treacherous. While his other female co-stars tried to flirt with him mercilessly, she treated him like person instead of a piece of meat. In a lot of ways, that made him even more attracted to her than he probably should have been. When someone treated him well, it didn't go unnoticed.

“Maybe now we could try to be something,” he wondered aloud, then shook his head. “She's not interested in me like that. I'd be able to tell.”

And he'd just ended a relationship. Rebounding would be a bad idea. He wanted to be different and not like all the other Hollywood starlets who bounced from relationship to relationship, claiming to be in love multiple times in a week with a new partner. Still, there was something about Arial that lingered at the back of his mind. She was his best friend in the entire world. He could tell her anything, and she'd already helped him through so much. Plus she was funny and had an adventurous streak to her. Arial didn't worry too much about embracing her dorky side, so there was always something interesting for them to do together. Most importantly, she didn't get worked up over the small things. They just clicked.

Once more he shook his head, trying to get his mind to focus on what needed to be done. There were still things he had to pack inside his trailer. Actually, a lot of things. He knew he should have started on it earlier than the last day, but they were all mementos of his past with Katie. Not normally one to dwell, he hadn't the heart to put them away just yet. While he didn't necessarily feel heartbroken over the loss, he also couldn't let go of the past.

But he had to bite the bullet. Crossing the trailer, he went back to his couch and picked up a picture of him with his now ex-girlfriend. Instead of tossing it into a box or a garbage can, he gazed down at it and couldn't help but notice how hollow both of their expressions were. In fact, it was in all of the pictures they shared together. When had he become so lifeless?

A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. He hurried across the trailer and answered it, seeing Arial standing at the doorstep holding a box. A small smile played on his lips as he opened the door. He was happy to see she'd changed out of her costume and into something more natural. While she rocked the risqué clothing her character was known for, he much preferred her in her natural element. Simple jeans and a long, navy blue button-down that actually covered her skin. The only thing remaining of Veronica was her hair, still pulled back into a bun.

“What a pleasant surprise, and what can I help you with?” he asked.

Arial adjusted the box so she was now holding it on one of her curvy hips and moved closer to him. “I didn't feel right leaving you that way. In pain and so sad. This is our last day of working together. We might not see much of each other anymore. I needed proper closure, a real goodbye. And I needed to walk through that gate, knowing you were going to be okay.”

He chuckled. “You're… something. Thank you for stopping by. Come in and stay awhile. You can help me pack since I procrastinated.”

“I knew I should have tried to meet up with you later instead.” She scrunched up her nose but winked at him, sure signs she was only teasing. He stepped away from the door frame so she could walk inside.

****

Arial took a good look around before putting her box on the floor and giving him a hug, pulling him tight against her body. That was what she had really been wanting to do ever since he'd walked away. Hold him, comfort him, and find a way to ease the pain he must have been feeling. His arms wrapped around her, and she snuggled her face against the strong muscles of his chest. She couldn't help but notice how fast his heart was beating, almost in sync with her own.
What could it possibly mean?
she wondered.

She knew better than to linger, however. There was no way he could know how she felt, not yet. It was too soon to say anything and insensitive to his feelings. So she pulled away but held his hands in her own. “There, now I feel better.”

“Me, too,” he said. Bryce held her hands for a moment before letting go, and she was saddened when he stepped away to go to the back of the trailer.

****

Bryce picked up a picture and put it into a box without looking at it again. Now that he was no longer alone, the process felt smoother, easier. “You know, I'm surprised at how much I don't miss her,” he confessed.

She glanced at him briefly as she picked up some smaller things of his and started to put them in the box as well. “You don't? But you were together for so long.”

“Together, but not together, if you know what I mean. The past couple of years I barely saw her outside of work. Being on set here isn't exactly good quality time. Between her projects and mine, we didn't do a whole lot. I talked to you more on the phone and through webcam than I did her. Like I said before, we grew apart. And while she hasn't given me a straight-out answer as to why she did it, I think that's what it was. The reason I mean. I feel a loss, but I also feel relief, too. Is that weird?” He lifted his gaze and met her startling blue eyes. There was so much caring in her expression. She was actually listening to him.

Slowly, Arial shook her head. “It's not weird. Perhaps you're just seeing how you're not as meant to be as you once thought. To be honest, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. You two were total opposites. I know, I know, opposites attract, but you couldn't agree on anything, it seemed. She wanted to party; you wanted to stay at home. There's a lot of stuff you've given up for her. Family, marriage, I know you want those things someday.”

“Yes,” he whispered and left it at that. There was so much more he could say to defend himself and why he had stayed for so long, even though he knew he shouldn't have. He didn't want to give excuses. It had been his decision to stick things out with Katie, to keep loving her, despite their differences. She wanted to live like she was forever going to be twenty-one. He, on the other hand, knew he was twenty-eight and not getting any younger.

Family had always been one of the most important things in his life. They'd been through so much together. Without his dad, brother, even his stepmother and stepsisters, Bryce would have been lost long ago in the sea of fame and probably would have drowned. Katie hadn't shared those sentiments. In fact, she didn't believe there was a point in having family, period. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before things ended after all. Why hadn't he seen it before, when it was so obvious to outsiders? He would have saved himself a lot of pain from holding onto a false hope that he could change her through his love and patience, when she never cared about the same things he had.

Bryce gazed down at a different photograph, this one of him, Arial, and another co-worker of theirs. It was one of his favorite pictures. He couldn't help but smile. “Remember this? When we went to that random county fair with Lisa?”

Arial walked over, leaning over him, her body so close to his own. He swallowed, shifting a bit as he moved the picture closer to her so she could see it better. A small laugh escaped her lips.

“I do remember! Goodness, look at those awful bug sunglasses of ours. I'm surprised nobody recognized us that day. Especially because we looked like such dorks. And I can't believe we rode the Tilt-A-Whirl so many times Lisa puked. Did you ever burn that plaid shirt of yours?”

“No! I would never do something so horrible,” he protested.

“Neon green, brown, and yellow don't exactly go well together.”

“You'd think they would.” He shrugged and put the picture into the box. “I can't get rid of a shirt that's given me such a good time. Pretty sure that makes it lucky. That day was the most fun I've had in a long time.”

****

She frowned, listening to him. “Okay, now you're depressing me.”

He threw his hands up and laughed. “I can't help it being true! Not to say I don't do anything fun, but I felt free. You know? No crazy paparazzi following me around and yelling at me. Things were normal. I need more normal in my life. Hopefully, now that the show is over, I can have some of that before my next project.”

“I'm looking forward to eating a big pile of French fries. Do you have something new lined up?” she asked as she grabbed another picture of him and Katie and put it into the box. Arial was trying to grab as many of those as she could, so he wouldn't have to do it himself. While her relationships had never been as deep, every time she broke up with a guy, she'd wanted to destroy any evidence of it ever happening. She couldn't even imagine what he might be going through with each reminder that was left in his room. Hopefully talking about work would be a pleasant topic change.

“I've got a movie at the end of the summer to film. There have been a few pitches for new television shows, but I might stay off the small screen for a little while, just to see what other options present themselves. What about you?” He stopped what he was doing and flashed her a smile.

How she loved that smile. It always took her breath away. His white teeth were straight, but not so perfect that they looked unnatural. The part she loved most about it was the way his olive eyes seemed to light up and turned more green than brown in color. And his lips made her want to know what it would be like to kiss him out of love instead of a work obligation. Every time she'd shared any onscreen romance with him, Arial had tried her hardest to convey the deep love she'd concealed from him for so long, selfishly hoping he might notice.

It took her a moment to find her voice again. “I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do. There are options, of course, but I need to wait until the end of the summer before doing anything. I've been thinking about writing an album.”

He put a hand to his heart and sighed listlessly. “Music, my first love. I envy your talents. Writing a song has never been one of my amazing superpowers.”

“You sing like a dream, though,” she pointed out.

“So do you. I'd listen to you sing the phone book. It'd still be amazing.”

Arial's cheeks became hot instantly, and she turned away from him to hide the blush she knew was covering her face.
Way to act like a twelve-year-old
, she scolded herself. “Maybe someday we can make it a duet of the Yellow Pages, then.”

“We can call it the payphone tour and we'll sell out worldwide.” He gave her his gorgeous smile again.

Breathing in slowly, she put down the picture she was about to pack up and placed it on the couch. She offered him her right hand. “I'm game if you are.”

He took it firmly in his own and gave it a good shake. “You've got yourself a deal.”

His gaze met her own for a moment she wanted to last forever. Then his eyes drifted away from hers and down to the picture she had been holding. With surprising speed he snatched it up and held it to his chest so she couldn't see.

“This one doesn't get boxed,” he stated.

Stunned, she recoiled, trying to cover her hurt quickly, so he wouldn't notice. “I'm sorry, I didn't realize…”

“You don't need to apologize. It's not like you knew.” He ran his bottom lip between his teeth. “My mom doesn't ever get boxed, that's all.”

Arial winced. “I'm so sorry, Bryce. I should have been paying more attention to what I was doing.” She'd only glimpsed the picture and didn't bother to process what was on it, assuming it had been yet another image of him and Katie. Not something she wanted to look at. Now she was mentally kicking herself for not being more careful.

He shook his head. “Like I said, you don't need to apologize. No harm was done. Even if she found her way in, I would have gotten her out eventually, as soon as I noticed I couldn't find her.”

If Arial's heart wasn't breaking for him before, it was now. Once again, she was at a loss for words. Losing a mother was not something she could relate too. She gave his arm a small squeeze before going to box up the books and magazines he had lying across the coffee table in front of the couch. Those were safer and without so much sentimental value attached to them.

“Thanks again for helping me with this,” he said softly. “I'm sure you need to be going now.”

She boxed up the magazines she held in her hands and then smoothed out her shirt. That was about as close as Bryce could get to kicking her out without actually telling her to leave. “I suppose I should,” she whispered.

Before she could start walking to the door, he grabbed her forearm firmly, yet there was a tenderness in his grasp as well. He waited until their eyes met before speaking. “I promise you, this won't be the last time you see me. Neither will the party.”

The corners of her lips twitched upward into a tiny smile. “Good, because I would miss you terribly.”

“I don't want to lose you either.”

“You won't. You can't.” She offered him a small wave before leaving the trailer.