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Chapter7

Our flight was justafter lunch the next day and Colt had already planned to keep me in bed until the last possible moment, so we agreed to dinner with Ted and Charley as ourfarewellmeal.

I didn’t truly believe Ted was in love until I saw it with my own two eyes.I don’t think I wiped the shock off my face the wholeevening.

“You keep looking at meweird.”

“That’s because you’ve been snatched and replaced with an alien,” I said when Charley and Colt were deep in conversation about The Beatles.Apparently Charley thought they were overrated and Coltdisagreed.

“I’ve not been replaced.It’s me in here.I’m just a different person than I was twodaysago.”

No shit.My Ted was my lovely, albeit selfish, best friend.This man sitting beside me was ready to lay down the shirt on his back if it meant Charley didn’t walkthroughmud.

It didn’t make sense.“How can you be different than you were two days ago?Whathappened?”

He shrugged.“It was like the moment she walked by my whole life finally made sense.I knew why I was alive and why I’d been sounhappy.”

I cocked my eyebrow becausewhat?“Just from herwalkingby?”

“It was everything.The way she held herself, the way she smirked at me, the way her body is exactly what makes my dick sit up and take notice.She was made for me and I now know I’ve been waiting my whole life for her to give itpurpose.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the sign of a badrelationship.”

“Whatever.”He grabbed his bourbon and shot half of it back.“You’re onetotalk.”

“I’m exactly the same person I was when Igothere.”

“Noyou’renot.”

I glared at him.“In what way am Idifferent?”

I knew immediately he’d been waiting for the perfect moment to unleash all his ideas on me.I’d known Ted long enough that I should have seen the signs.Yet, somehow Ididn’t.

Maybe I really wasdifferent.

“For one, you’re smilingagain.”

“Smiling does not make me different.It makes mehappy.”

“True,” he conceded, “however it was merely my jumping off point.Since you met Colt you’ve been happy, positive, and hopeful, all good things that you used to be.However you’re something morenow,too.”

More.I liked the idea that when someone good came into your life they madeyoumore.

“And howisthat?”

“I’m not exactly sure yet.You care about him.Seeing you openly give a shit about someone is nice.And, well, I think you’re hungrier than I’ve everseenyou.”

“Hungry?”Apparently I was just repeating everythingTedsaid.

“Ummm...” He cupped his chin and looked up at me with his big brown producer’s eyes.The kind that always sized up the talent as if they were props that could be disposed of.“You’re ready.Youwant, and you’re willing to do what it takes to get it.Like this part in my movie.You wanted it, but I think it was out of desperation to stay afloat.You’re not desperate like you were when we got here.You’ve found your focus again.You want this part because you want to act and to tell a story that movespeople.”

He was right about that.Was it Colt that helped me find that?Maybe.

“What are you two yammering about with your big eyes over there?”Charley grabbed Ted’s arm and dragged him over for a kiss.“Ted tells me you two are inseparable and that I’ll just have to get usedtoit.”

Colt stiffenedbesideme.

“You two are going to keep seeing each other?”How had I not realized that would be a thing?Probably because I was in my own little anonymousbubble.