Chapter Twenty-Two
Five Years Ago
“How long did you say you’ve been seeing this guy?” Michelle’s voice rang out from my bathroom.
I paused in my search for my favorite pair of gold pants – they were somewhere in my closet, I knew it. I just couldn’t remember where I had put them. I scrunched up my face in concentration. I’d met Sean at the party in West Palm Beach at the beginning of the summer and we’d been texting ever since. “Actually, we haven’t really been seeing each other. Just met up for coffee and drinks a couple times.”
“So, is this like the first official date, then?” Michelle asked.
Finally, I spotted my pants I was looking for and grabbed them on my way out of my closet. "No, no," I said. Dropping my pants on the bed, I went into the bathroom to join Michelle getting her makeup ready for our double date tonight. "We've had official dates, but this one is the first one where it's super obvious that it's a date, I guess.”
The first couple times Sean and I hung out over the summer, we were just getting to know each other. He encouraged me to try out for the Monument trilogy after Labor Day since he was auditioning for it. I just found out last week that I got the lead role and Sean wanted to go out and celebrate tonight. He didn’t get the part he wanted, but he did get a small role, so he was happy for it.
“Ahh, so this is your coming out date, then?” Michelle gave me a scandalous look, using the reflection from the mirror to look in my eyes. She waggled her eyebrows up and down in suggestion.
I rolled my own eyes in response. “Yeah, something like that,” I said. I began diving into my own make-up supply while I thought up a change of subject. “So who’s this guy you’re dating?”
“Actually, I have a confession,” she said, running a brush across her face to soften and blend the lines of makeup. Her eyes flicked in my direction before refocusing on her face. “It’s not a date for me. Colin is one of my best guy friends and he’s recovering from a breakup.”
“Oh, okay…” I said, unsure how I thought about that. I thought we were going on a double date.
“It’s no big deal, right?” Michelle turned to me, her eyes full of genuine concern. “If it is, we don’t have to go. You and Sean can have some alone time.” She gave me a smirk, knowing full well that I didn’t want to go on this date alone.
“No, it’s fine,” I said. And it was. I didn’t mind whether she was on a date or just hanging out with a friend. What mattered is that she was there for me. Honestly, I was still trying to get a feel for Sean. Everything about him just seemed so calculated. It was like he knew exactly what he was doing, all the time, and it made me feel a little strange around him. Maybe because I never knew what I was doing. Ever. So that’s why I needed Michelle.
We finished up our makeup and Michelle helped me style my hair. By the time we were finished, we still had about thirty minutes to kill before the guys would arrive to take us out.
“So where are heading?” Michelle asked as she popped the cork off a new bottle of white wine.
“It’s called Wolf Pine, I think?” I shrugged and accepted the glass of wine that she slid across the marble counter to me. “It’s supposed to be a pretty swanky restaurant.”
“Ugh,” Michelle scrunched up her nose in disgust and took a seat in one of the empty bar stools. “Where at?”
“On Wilshire," I answered and took a sip. I looked at the walls of my home and admired it again. I'd lived in Beverly Hills for over two years now and I still never got sick of my new home.
“Wilshire!” Michelle shouted. She held a hand up to her chest in mock-horror. Or maybe it wasn’t mocking, maybe she really was horrified. “No! We’ll be dining with the peasants.”
I laughed and shook my head. Michelle was probably my closest girlfriend since moving to California. She actually lived a few houses down from me so we’d been spending a lot of time together when we were both home. She never made me feel like an outsider like some people did when I just moved here. And then when my fame skyrocketed after Serenity came out, she never treated me any differently. It was rare to find people like Michelle in Hollywood. She may joke about dining with peasants, but she was one of the most down-to-earth people I’d met in my career.
The doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting my thoughts and I looked at the clock, noting we still had twenty minutes until Sean said he’d be here. In the two times that Sean and I had actually met up in person, he had been late at least fifteen minutes.
Michelle hopped up off her stool and brushed past me on her way out of the kitchen, her hair bouncing after her. “That’ll be Colin!” she called over her shoulder. Once she was out of sight, I heard her high heels break out into a run.
I shook my head at my friend and focused on pulling up some music to play over the sound system in the kitchen. I had just queued a playlist when their laughter joined the room. “Elena Lewis!” chimed a masculine voice with an Irish accent.
I turned around and gave a polite smile to my newest houseguest. “I’m Colin,” he said, coming over to stand next to me, sticking his hand out. He was a little taller than me – which wasn’t really saying much because I was pretty short. He had red hair the color of a setting sun that stood up at odd angles on his head. I wasn’t sure if the look was intentional or not.
I slid my hand into his, “Nice to meet you, Colin. Thanks for coming out tonight.”
His blue eyes were vivid and the corners crinkled when he smiled. “Absolutely! I’m always up for a celebration!” He nudged Michelle who came to stand next to him. She was significantly taller than both Colin and I – even with my high heels on. “Michelle says you got the lead in the Monument trilogy. That is going to be huge!”
I poured Colin a glass of wine and we began toasting to our success. Not only had I landed the lead in Monument, but also Michelle just got the lead role in a primetime drama on a major network as a surgeon. She was very excited and I knew she was going to nail it. And Colin was a guitarist in a band that I had never heard of that was about to ‘make it big,’ apparently.
By the time the doorbell rang again, Michelle and Colin were a little buzzed. I drank incredibly slow because I didn't want to be drunk if I was going out in public. Wilshire Boulevard was just off of Rodeo in the heart of Beverly Hills and was a very popular tourist destination. I knew I was going to be seen, so I wanted to keep it classy.
Pulling open the door, I gave Sean what I hoped was a coy smile. He looked pretty similar to how I had seen him look in the past. His black hair was a bit longer and slicked back in a style that almost made him look like a ‘50s greaser. He gave me a hug when he saw, the black leather of his jacket soft under my fingers. He had on tight black jeans and a pair of bright red sneakers to complete his look. He seriously looked like he was auditioning for a role in a remake of Grease.
“Hey, Elena,” he gave me a cocky grin. His dark eyes looked up and down my outfit taking in the metallic gold pants I wore with my favorite long-sleeved black shirt and high heeled black boots.
He reached forward and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind my ear. I knew it was supposed to be a sweet gesture, but again – it just seemed so calculated. So rehearsed. It was weird. I slipped my hand into his and pulled him inside the house, leading the way to the kitchen.
“Guys,” I announced once we entered. Michelle and Colin turned towards me. “This is Sean Rivera.”
Sean gave them each a subtle nod then pivoted his body so he was facing me head on, ignoring the others. "You ready? I hired security for tonight too, just in case." I gave him a meaningful smile. It was sweet that he was worried about our safety. He continued, "But they charge by the hour, so we should get going."
“Well, let’s go then,” Michelle said. She spoke curtly and without looking a Sean. I hadn’t known Michelle very long, but I could definitely tell when she didn’t like someone. And right away, it seemed that she didn’t like Sean. Of course, I couldn’t blame her. He hadn’t even spoken to her yet.
Without another word, Sean turned and led the way back through the house to the entrance. Michelle and I exchanged a look before we all followed him to the waiting limo out front.
The ride to the restaurant was awkward. Michelle and Colin didn’t talk to Sean. Sean would barely talk to me. I don’t know what was going on. He wasn’t acting anything like he had in our text messages or phone calls, or even the couple times that we met up before.
The driver dropped us off at the restaurant. There were a few tourists nearby that actually recognized Michelle and me when we got out of the car. Michelle and I were leading the way and tried to hurry into the restaurant. Sean grabbed my arm stopping me and pulling me closer to his side. He gave me a sweet smile and said loudly, “Babe, let’s give them a few photos before we go inside.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise at his change in demeanor, but quickly turned to the fans and gave them my go-to fan smile. I felt Sean resting his cheek against the top of my head. After a moment, he gave me a little squeeze and I turned to look up at him. His dark eyes were staring deeply into my own. And then before I could say anything or even process what was happening, he was kissing me. It was a quick kiss. It only lasted about three seconds and then it was over. But it was still disconcerting.
And then, just as quickly, Sean was leading me into the restaurant his hand on the small of my back. He kept giving me these little side-eye glances and secretive smiles like we were in on some inside joke together. But I was confused. He'd been giving me a cold shoulder pretty much since he arrived and then suddenly he's kissing me.
I sat down at the table already occupied by Michelle and Colin. Michelle gave me an odd look, her brows furrowed as she inspected my face. I’m sure I was blushing. Still, she didn’t say anything.
Sean continued to act weird the rest of the night, but a different weird than he was before. It was like someone had flipped a switch and he went from being aloof and disgruntled to charming and charismatic. He started talking with Michelle and Colin, finding out more about their lives and entertaining them with stories of his own. I didn’t say much just watched the metamorphosis between the guy that arrived and the guy sitting next to me.
Michelle seemed to warm up to him finally. She was laughing alongside him and feeding off of his energy. The conversation only stiffened when Michelle turned to me and brought up Ethan.
"Oh, I meant to ask you earlier," she began, rotating to face me more head-on. "How is Ethan doing?"
“Oh,” I said before swallowing the bite of sushi I’d been eating. “I honestly don’t know. He’s kind of … gone dark on me.”
“What does that mean?” Colin asked.
I took a deep breath, preparing to dive into this conversation. “Okay,” I began. “So, we used to be really close and I guess we kind of still are, but he’s going through something right now. And I don’t really know how to be there for him, so he’s really just doing his own thing. We haven’t really spoken much.” I shrugged as if none of it really bothered me. I had tried reaching out to him several times since the party in Florida. But all I ever got were vague text messages about being busy and he’ll reach out soon. It’d been a few months now.
“That’s a little cold, though, don’t you think?” Michelle asked, concerned. She knew how close Ethan and I were. We’d all hung out a few times when I first moved in – before Ethan got stuck in his own head and began partying more than usual.
“No, I mean…” I looked down at my food considering her question. Was I acting cold to him? Was he acting cold to me? “Well. In a way, I guess we are both being a little cold to each other.”
“Let’s change the subject, shall we?” Sean interrupted. “Where should we go after this?”
“There’s a new club a few blocks from here we could go to?” Colin suggested. He stood up a bit straighter in his chair as if the idea really intrigued him. I shrugged. Bringing up Ethan had kind of let me down a bit. I wanted to reach out to him, but I knew he was too busy and dealing with too much crap right now. I’d be here for him when he needed me. That’s all I could do. Until then, I had other friends who would be there for me.
“Actually,” Michelle spoke up, pushing her plate away from her. “I know this makes me super lame, but I’m barely staying awake right now.” I glanced over at her and she raised her eyebrows at me. She looked fine. She looked wide-awake, actually. “Elena, weren’t you saying you were tired, too?”
I stared at her for a second. “Right,” I agreed. I didn’t know what game she was playing, but I would go along with it for now. I didn’t really want to evaluate Sean’s mood swings anymore tonight anyway. “Yeah, I know. So lame, but it’s actually been a big day.” That wasn’t a lie, either. Colton and I had spent the day with Alyssa and Melanie going over the contract for Monument with our lawyers. It had been exhausting and honestly, pretty boring for the most part.
“Really?” Sean asked me. He gave me a hard glare, before softening his expression and sighing. “Okay, I guess I’ll take you girls home.”
We got the check and prepared to leave. On our way out, there was a slight crowd outside of the restaurant now. Quite a few paparazzi had taken up positions near the entrance. Sean again demanded that we stop and take a few photos. He even went so far as to take an interview from one of the paparazzi and told him we were on a date. “Yeah,” Sean answered. “What can I say? I’ve got charm and Elena could not resist.” He gave me a teasing wink and smile awkwardly at him.
When we finally piled into the car and made our way home, it was pretty quiet in the car. Only the sound of soft music playing and Michelle tapping away on her phone.
Once we arrived back at my house, Michelle and Colin said goodbye and went inside. Sean turned to look at me but didn't move to get up out of the car. "Well, this was fun," I said. "Sorry I'm so tired tonight, but maybe we could meet up again soon." Sean cocked his head to the side, his face expressionless.
When it was just starting to get awkward again, he smiled. Not the confident, cocky smile that I was already used to seeing from him, but a smile like you would give a small child you’re trying to amuse. “Yeah, definitely,” he said. “I’ll give you a call.”
I nodded and got out of the limo. I turned to look back in at him before closing the door. “Well, thanks. I’ll see ya.” He lifted his hand half-heartedly before I closed the door.
Once inside, I had barely closed the front door before Michelle jumped. "I don't like him," she said, her tone clipped. She had her arms crossed over her torso, her eyes glaring at me like I had personally offended her.
“Why not?” I asked. I made my way down the hall into the kitchen where Colin was sitting at the bar.
"He's super shady!" Michelle practically screeched. "I mean, first of all...he seemed so against hanging out with us when he got here. And then we get to the restaurant and suddenly he's like this completely different person. What the hell was that?" She paused while she sat down with a disgruntled huff on the bar stool next to Colin. "I don't know if he's got multiple personalities or something…I don't know. All I know is that he is weird and there is something that I don't like about him. I just can't put my finger on it."
"I get that," I said. I began pulling snack foods out of the fridge. Despite having just eaten, I was still hungry. The serving size at the restaurant couldn't feed a small animal, let alone a human being. I placed a fruit tray and a veggie tray on the counter before grabbing a bag of chips and salsa.
“I don’t know," I said. "He just seemed so different the first few times we hung out.” Both times I had hung out with Sean we had met at the coffee bar and pub. We also hadn’t been on a double date. So I don’t know exactly what caused the difference in his demeanor tonight, but it was confusing.
“Anyways,” Colin spoke up, changing the subject. “It’s still early. Should we go out? I really think we should hit up that club I was talking about.”
I looked at Michelle who shrugged, “Dude, I just said I was tired to get us away from Sean. I could not handle another moment with him.”
I shrugged back, “Looks like we’re going out then. I’ll call a car to pick us up.” I picked up my cell and dialed the car company I always use. After ordering us a car, I dove back into the snacks on the counter, ignoring Michelle and Colin’s conversation about Colin’s band.
I agreed with Michelle that Sean was acting weird tonight. But he was cute and still charming most of the time… And honestly, without Ethan around as much as he used to be, I was a little lonely. Yes, I had my friends and thank god for that. But it wasn’t the same. And spending time with Ethan right now was out of the question. He was still in his downward spiral and I think he didn’t want me to be around him when he was like that. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t available anymore.
I’d give Sean another chance. Maybe if we hung out a few more times – not on a group date – then maybe everything would be fine. I wanted it to work out. It’d been awhile since I had a real interest in a guy and I wanted to see where it would go.