Page 77
Story: Keep Her Safe
“I come in peace.”
I look him up and down slowly. “Do you?”
He slides his hands into his slacks pockets and leans against the wall. “The interview went well.”
“Mmmhmm.”
“You were funny. It’s nice to see you laughing,” he tells me.
“I learned a long time ago how to laugh on command especially when I don’t feel like laughing and make it convincing.” I give him a fake smile that borders on saccharine before letting it fall with an eye roll.
He nods and the awkward silence stretches between us. “Shay, I’m sorry about how I handled everything.”
“How did you even know that? Are you trying to dig up stuff on him?”
“Yes.”What the fuck?
“Why?”
His lips form a straight line and he shrugs guiltily. “I didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Paxton.”
“Paxton was a serial cheater.”
“I just meant I didn’t want to see you get hurt. I didn’t want you to be blindsided and the second you went public, people would have gone digging into his past. You know how it works, Shay.”
“And the way you chose to tell me was you not wanting me to get hurt? Bullshit. It wasn’t your story to tell.”
He sighs and sits down running a hand through his hair. “It was never my intention to hurt you. I’m in love with you, for god’s sakes,” he blurts out like it isn’t a huge bomb that’s going to change everything. “It bothered me that another man that doesn’t deserve you is getting a shot with you.”
My mouth drops open becauseno fucking way.“I’m sorry, back up, what?” My mind is moving a mile a minute and my hand immediately goes to my bracelet, knowing it can’t do anything but make me feel closer to Damian and hope he can sense that I need him.
“I’ve been in love with you for years. Since Alex and I broke up. Hell, it’swhywe broke up if you ask her,” he continues.
I blink several times in shock. I remember Alex did break up with him and I also remember I never really got a straight answer as to why. I didn’t push it because it wasn’t my business. I tuck a hair behind my ear nervously trying to figure out what to say and how to say it without potentially ruining what’s left of our friendship and potentially the chemistry on our hit television show.Fuck. Why did he have to tell me this now?“Jeremy, you can’t be serious.”
“I was trying to give you time after you and Paxton broke up and then I saw you at the club with Damian and I got pissed, all right?” He stands up and crosses the room. I take a few steps back. “Shay, you know me. You can trust me. We’ve been through everything together.”
“Jeremy…” I put my hands up.Damian was right all along.“This whole time?”
He nods and reaches his arm out to touch my face, but I move out of his reach. “We could be so good together. It would be so easy, Shay.” I hate that I feel like he’s following me around the dressing room because now I’m against a wall with nowhere to move.
“Jeremy, stop,” I say.
I want to call for Damian or anyone but I don’t want to be dramatic.Jeremy wouldn’t hurt me…right?After five years of friendship, I hate that I don’t know the answer to that question.
He stops walking and looks down at his feet. “Do you feel anything for me?”
I swallow nervously, unsure of how he’ll take the truth. “Not beyond a friendship,” I tell him. “I…I love Damian. I’ve loved him for a really long time and maybe that makes me an asshole for staying with Paxton. I just…I thought he wasn’t an option for me. I thought he didn’t feel the same way about me.”
He snorts. “Who wouldn’t want you? You’re Shay Eastwood.”
“That’s not why I want her,” Damian’s voice is low and icy but heats every inch of my skin as he shuts the door behind him and crosses the room. He stands in front of me but for the first time, I don’t think it’s because he thinks there’s a threat to me.
But to him.
“Are we going to have a problem, Gardner?” he asks, referring to Jeremy by his last name. “I know your show requires a lot of specific scenes, but she’s acting. She does not want you.”
I don’t hear him respond so I peer around Damian and see the angry look Jeremy’s giving him. I’ve rarely seen him angry; I’ve never so much as heard him yell except when we’re shooting and our characters are arguing.
I look him up and down slowly. “Do you?”
He slides his hands into his slacks pockets and leans against the wall. “The interview went well.”
“Mmmhmm.”
“You were funny. It’s nice to see you laughing,” he tells me.
“I learned a long time ago how to laugh on command especially when I don’t feel like laughing and make it convincing.” I give him a fake smile that borders on saccharine before letting it fall with an eye roll.
He nods and the awkward silence stretches between us. “Shay, I’m sorry about how I handled everything.”
“How did you even know that? Are you trying to dig up stuff on him?”
“Yes.”What the fuck?
“Why?”
His lips form a straight line and he shrugs guiltily. “I didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Paxton.”
“Paxton was a serial cheater.”
“I just meant I didn’t want to see you get hurt. I didn’t want you to be blindsided and the second you went public, people would have gone digging into his past. You know how it works, Shay.”
“And the way you chose to tell me was you not wanting me to get hurt? Bullshit. It wasn’t your story to tell.”
He sighs and sits down running a hand through his hair. “It was never my intention to hurt you. I’m in love with you, for god’s sakes,” he blurts out like it isn’t a huge bomb that’s going to change everything. “It bothered me that another man that doesn’t deserve you is getting a shot with you.”
My mouth drops open becauseno fucking way.“I’m sorry, back up, what?” My mind is moving a mile a minute and my hand immediately goes to my bracelet, knowing it can’t do anything but make me feel closer to Damian and hope he can sense that I need him.
“I’ve been in love with you for years. Since Alex and I broke up. Hell, it’swhywe broke up if you ask her,” he continues.
I blink several times in shock. I remember Alex did break up with him and I also remember I never really got a straight answer as to why. I didn’t push it because it wasn’t my business. I tuck a hair behind my ear nervously trying to figure out what to say and how to say it without potentially ruining what’s left of our friendship and potentially the chemistry on our hit television show.Fuck. Why did he have to tell me this now?“Jeremy, you can’t be serious.”
“I was trying to give you time after you and Paxton broke up and then I saw you at the club with Damian and I got pissed, all right?” He stands up and crosses the room. I take a few steps back. “Shay, you know me. You can trust me. We’ve been through everything together.”
“Jeremy…” I put my hands up.Damian was right all along.“This whole time?”
He nods and reaches his arm out to touch my face, but I move out of his reach. “We could be so good together. It would be so easy, Shay.” I hate that I feel like he’s following me around the dressing room because now I’m against a wall with nowhere to move.
“Jeremy, stop,” I say.
I want to call for Damian or anyone but I don’t want to be dramatic.Jeremy wouldn’t hurt me…right?After five years of friendship, I hate that I don’t know the answer to that question.
He stops walking and looks down at his feet. “Do you feel anything for me?”
I swallow nervously, unsure of how he’ll take the truth. “Not beyond a friendship,” I tell him. “I…I love Damian. I’ve loved him for a really long time and maybe that makes me an asshole for staying with Paxton. I just…I thought he wasn’t an option for me. I thought he didn’t feel the same way about me.”
He snorts. “Who wouldn’t want you? You’re Shay Eastwood.”
“That’s not why I want her,” Damian’s voice is low and icy but heats every inch of my skin as he shuts the door behind him and crosses the room. He stands in front of me but for the first time, I don’t think it’s because he thinks there’s a threat to me.
But to him.
“Are we going to have a problem, Gardner?” he asks, referring to Jeremy by his last name. “I know your show requires a lot of specific scenes, but she’s acting. She does not want you.”
I don’t hear him respond so I peer around Damian and see the angry look Jeremy’s giving him. I’ve rarely seen him angry; I’ve never so much as heard him yell except when we’re shooting and our characters are arguing.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101