Page 17 of Lights, Camera, Love

These are the places where my mind goes first, strangely—it’s not the prospect of pretending to be Austin’s girlfriend that makes my stomach flutter with excitement.

What I want out of this is for the movie to do well, and as shamefully vindictive as it might sound, for my father to see me not only shine but soar .

Maybe then the dark abyss of heartbreak that lives deep inside me—the one I try so hard to ignore—will begin to close.

‘I’ll do it,’ I cut in before Kye can finish his sales pitch.

He stops and blinks at me. ‘You’re sure?’

I lift a shoulder. ‘Why not? It worked for that couple from Twilight , didn’t it? Although, my teenage self still insists their romance was real. She’ll fight you on it.’

Kye doesn’t just smile, he makes a quick, amused hum, and I feel his deep, rumbling tone low in my stomach.

‘Okay then,’ he says, brushing his palm across the back of his neck, his bicep bulging through his T-shirt. ‘I’ll tell Austin it’s a goer.’ He slips a hand into the back pocket of his jeans, reaching for his phone, I assume, when a potential complication pounces on me.

‘Wait!’ I blurt. ‘There’s something you need to know first.’

‘What is it?’

I glance down at the disjointed cracks marring the footpath, searching for the words I can’t seem to get out.

But then Kye says them for me. ‘Your father is Gabriel Dean.’

My eyes jump to his, turning wide. ‘How did you know that?’

‘It’s my job to know everything about the people Austin’s working closely with.’

A cavity forms in my stomach as I take a step back. ‘It’s your job to dig up dirt on me?’

He doesn’t move; his steady gaze holds mine. ‘Why is that considered dirt?’ he asks softly.

A rough breath escapes my lips as I look away.

I don’t know why I’m reacting like this.

It’s not like it’s that hard to join the dots between Gabriel Dean and me, considering who my mother is.

I’ve seen the articles about Gabriel’s ‘mystery child’.

In fact, this is exactly why I thought to bring it up—if we go ahead with this fake-relationship plan, reporters might uncover the link.

Still, it’s a chance I’m willing to take.

The media haven’t managed to expose me so far, and for all I know, there could be hundreds of women in Gabriel’s past who might be the mother of his rumoured offspring.

Kye’s still looking at me, a faint crease etched on his brow.

‘I don’t have a relationship with my father,’ I explain.

‘Tell me about it,’ he mumbles in a sarcastic tone, revealing this is something we have in common.

I don’t know what to say back at first. I don’t feel like I know Kye well enough to ask anything personal about his past or his family, so I keep silent on that.

‘About Gabriel,’ I say instead, my throat tight.

‘I … I don’t want anyone to know. If the media find out, that’s one thing, but …

please don’t tell anyone. Including Austin.

’ I don’t know Austin well either, but something about his energy screams ‘big mouth’.

Kye gives a gentle nod, and then the little line in his brow deepens as he fixes his eyes on me. ‘I wasn’t digging up dirt on you,’ he says. ‘I was just trying to protect you.’

‘From what?’

He lets out a breath. ‘There’s … there’s somebody who has it in for Austin.

It kind of comes with the territory once you reach his level of fame.

And this person makes a habit of rooting out private information about his co-stars.

Which is why I like to get there first, so that sh— they can’t try to fuck with us … or you. That’s all there was to it.’

I try to process this vague information. ‘You mean Austin has, like, a stalker?’

‘That’s one way of looking at it.’

A taxi swerves past us, and the car behind it blasts its horn, making us both jump.

I’m cold and tired, and tonight’s discussion topic isn’t helping those complaints.

‘I should go,’ I say, digging out my phone to book an Uber.

It’s too late at night to consider a bus, regardless of my financial woes.

‘I have to be at the film studio at four a.m. tomorrow.’ By insisting to Rafa that I want to keep to my evening teaching schedule at DanceLab while shooting the interior scenes for Moving during the day, I’m burning the candle at both ends.

‘I’ll walk you to your car,’ Kye offers.

‘Thanks, but it’s at the mechanic’s. Again . I think that guy’s grandkids will be sending me thank-you cards one day, considering how much money I’ve given him,’ I joke. ‘I’m just calling an Uber.’

He watches me tap into my phone and mutters, ‘Your dad’s one of the richest people in the world, and you have to drive a car that doesn’t work. Something’s not right there, Evie. That seems a bit fucked up to me.’

As indelicately put and presumptuous as his comment is, one thing I’ve learned about Kye is that he’s a straight-shooter, and every blunt sentence feels strangely refreshing. In the industry I work in, I’m used to so much pretence.

‘You know what? You’re bang on,’ I say. ‘Gabriel Dean isn’t right in the head. So, fuck him and his private jet. I hope he crashes.’

Of course, I don’t really mean that, and I’m sure Kye knows it. But it feels good to let off some steam, and when I chuckle lightly to make it clear I’m kidding, Kye reciprocates with that fucking gorgeous smile that I caught sight of at the cabin on the farm.

I wave a hand in his direction while locking my eyes to my phone. ‘You should do that more often,’ I murmur with heated cheeks.

‘Do what?’

My Uber pulls up right in time, and I lurch towards it.

I set my fingers on the door handle, but then I muster up some courage and turn around to glance back at Kye.

‘I’m not kidding when I say that you have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.

It’s actually ridiculous how stunning it is. Don’t waste it.’

Surprise flares in his eyes, and he swallows hard.

I dive into the back seat of the Uber and ask the driver to please get going before I pass out from embarrassment. Telling Kye to smile more—what am I, a lecherous old man?

I’m still cringing at myself when my phone rings in my hand.

‘Hey,’ I say to Rafa.

‘ Well? ’ he dangles.

‘Well, what?’

‘What did that extremely hunky man who you left with want with my girl?’

‘Oh, that was just Groucho.’

He pauses. ‘ That piece of candy was Austin Reynolds’ grumpy manager?’

‘It was. His name is Kye, and he’s not a piece of candy.

’ Yes, he is. ‘He just wanted to chat about something movie-related that I guess couldn’t wait.

I’ll fill you in when I see you, I promise.

’ I don’t want my Uber driver to overhear anything about the fake romance I’m about to embark on with Austin, just in case he recognises my face, decides to quote me somewhere, and blows up the whole charade.

Am I really going to do this? What would Teenage Evie think?

Teenage Evie would be infinitely more excited than Adult Evie, I realise. I glance at my reflection in the window to make sure it’s really me looking back and not some alien creature I’ve body-swapped with.

‘So, the reason I’m calling,’ Rafa says as I look out the window at the twinkling city being eaten up by the blackness of the underground tunnel, ‘is that I need to ask you a favour. It’s for the DanceLab showcase, but it only occurred to me after you left tonight.

’ He hesitates. ‘Remember how I said that I’m gonna get some celebrities attached? Well, my darling honey—’

‘Spit it out, my darling honey.’

‘I need you to get Austin Reynolds on board.’

My brows fly up. ‘Oh god, I’m not sure he’d be up for that. When he agreed to do the movie we’re working on, he made it clear that he would be doing as little dancing as possible. That’s my role. He doesn’t strike me as the coordinated type.’

‘Please, babe,’ Rafa begs. ‘I’ve got some celebs interested, but none are of Austin’s calibre. To be honest, the biggest star I have is a one-line guest actor from Home and Away. Do you know who Brian is—the guy with the big beard who works at the Summer Bay tyre shop?’

‘No.’

‘Exactly! My other biggest name is that platinum-haired chick with the lisp who does those carwash ads.’

‘Now her , I know,’ I say, smiling.

‘Please,’ Rafa presses. ‘I need Austin. I promise that you guys can talk about the movie as much as you want with the media who’ll be there. Use it for your own publicity.’

I sigh. ‘Fine. I’ll do my best to talk him into it. But Raf, I’ve seen this guy dance. You might want to think about increasing your public liability insurance.’