“What’s your schedule like for the next month?” Parker gracefully wound his pasta with his spoon, neatly weaving it before slipping it into his mouth.

We were having an early dinner at his stunning home in Toluca Lake. Even dressed in casual clothes, Parker looked insanely handsome, closely resembled a young Ryan Philippe, with the sex appeal to boot.

At ease with each other’s company, I seemed reticent as my thoughts ran with the usual plight—River and our intense encounter. Though Parker hadn’t mentioned what had happened at the party, I could sense that something was amiss with him. He was curious.

Back to the question at hand, I pondered what it entailed. Addison, my agent, hadn’t clued me in just yet.

“I have a meeting lunch tomorrow; I’ll know then.” Particularly curious, I placed my fork down and reached for my wine glass. “Why? Is there anything in particular you want to know about?”

“I just want to coordinate our schedules; that’s all,” he assured. “Do you have any new projects coming up?”

Good question. Did I?

“I’m not sure …” I lingered, wondering if there were new projects between my contracted shoots for Clover. Most actors did, but I was new to the industry. “What’s yours like? Will you be busy?”

Parker had already made a name for himself, so his schedule was hectic compared to mine.

He nodded before taking hold of the wine bottle and refilling both our glasses. “Yes, actually, but it’ll be shot in New York and Vegas. We can see each other whenever we have some free time.”

Synchronizing our calendar was entailed when dating an actor. Best I got used to it.

“That would be nice. I’d love to explore New York. I’ve been there once for a press junket, so all work and no play.” I haven’t been to many places. I should change that. With my steady checks from the show, I could travel to places I had only dreamt about.

“I’d love to show you around. It’s one of my favorite places in the world. The scene is just different compared to here.” He grinned before toying with his wine glass, showcasing his fabulous set of teeth and great smile. “So, what were you and your friends up to yesterday?”

“Netflix. You know, the works,” I immediately replied. He knew what my Sundays were filled with. Nothing had changed on that front.

“You really need to socialize more,” he suggested softly, throwing me a curious stare and studying my reaction. “In fact, we’ll go out tonight so I can introduce you to a new set of friends.”

It was the way he delivered the last sentence, like my present ones were not worthwhile.

“What’s wrong with the current ones I have? I’d love to hear you explain yourself.” My strained voice didn’t hide how provoked I was.

Hastily placing my utensils down, I took a moment to tell myself to calm down before my crazy came out and decided to throw the freshly refilled glass at his arrogant face.

He shrugged, pretending he hadn’t just stated something offensive. “Nothing. Nothing at all. But if you want to be known, Cara, you know you have to mingle with your own kind now.”

And what kind were Anton and Kells?

Teeth clenched, hands bunch up, I was ready to raise Hell. “They are my kind. How dare you suggest I drop them because they’re not Hollywood enough in your own opinion.”

“It’s being who’s who that matters here. You should surround yourself with people that can enhance your image—be seen and photographed with the ‘it’ people, and not with a repressed faggot and the tragic homewrecker.”

How dare he use that against me.

It was unfortunate he had been there when Kells unloaded her disastrous relationship. What a total douchebag move. Clearly this man didn’t know me. Otherwise, he would never have uttered that moronic nonsense.

“Sorry, but that’s not why I began acting. I don’t want to be chased down by paparazzi and get hounded every second I’m out grocery shopping. If that’s the kind of life you strive for, then I think we should end this now before this gets any worse.” There was more to life than competing with whoever had the most social media followers. I got that they were important, but I wasn’t a shallow person, either. It just wasn’t me. “You better get used to it, or we have to rethink this entire relationship altogether.”

“I was only suggesting. I didn’t mean to offend you, Cara.” Unfazed by my embroiled state, he reached for my hand, but I withdrew it from the table. “I’m sorry.”

Too late. For a moment, I had thought he was different. Oh yeah, he was different all right. Not in the sense I had believed. Could he already be this rotten, or was this just a random thought that shouldn’t have been said out loud?

“Baby, please forgive me.”

I kept staring at him, wide-eyed and in deep thought, mind racing as to what I should do next. Goodness, how shallow can he be? Maybe he meant well, but what he said made me feel weary of him. But the question was: was it enough to break it off?

He had apologized and seemed sincerely sorry. But God help me if Parker dared to suggest any more callous ventures down the line. I wouldn’t give him a pass for a second time.

“I’ll forgive if you don’t ever bring this subject up again, and if you promise never to call them horrendous names.”

The shadow over his face was replaced with relief before he got up and circled the table. Cupping my face, he placed an overeager kiss on my lips. “I promise. Thank you,” he breathed out, reassured.

I knew it was weak of me to brush it off, but after the week I’d had—not to mention the tryst with River—I owed Parker another chance. Though I would never forget. It had showed a different Parker, one who was strategically hidden. I just hoped there would be no repeat.

For the rest of the evening, instead of going out to meet his friends, we opted to go to the movies. And for the first time tonight, I noticed how he adored the limelight and how comfortable he was when a couple wanted to take a picture with him. I needed to get used to this. I was just glad I wasn’t all that known.

Before heading to our designated theater, I dashed to the ladies’ room while Parker went in search of our selected seats. It was the most inconvenient time to have my monthly visitor arrive. Thank heavens for vending machines, or I would have had to trot back in search for Parker and ask him to drive me to the nearest pharmacy. I could easily see how annoyed he would be. He didn’t come off as the type to go the ladies’ aisle and purchase a box of tampons. He would most likely die of embarrassment and quit being together if someone took a photo of him and posted it on Instagram. The very image made me smile wickedly with glee as I cleaned up.

Once finished, I exited the restroom and pulled out my phone, needing to check the time. Much to my surprise, River’s name stared back at me. He had left me a message.

Staring at the screen, I was out of breath as my shaky fingers punched the message tab to open the folder. I just saw his name; why in God’s name was I shaking like a blizzard had just hit me?

Hello, it’s me again. I know you’re probably sick of me, but I just wanted to say that I’m boarding soon and wanted to let you know that I’m leaving LA. You probably don’t care, anyway, but I felt like I should tell you. Anyhow, it was good seeing you again. I hope you’re okay. I miss you.

He missed me. That single line brought a fresh wave of melancholy. Lamenting on what once was and what had been lost, I willed myself to tuck my phone back into my purse and not respond.

Though I sat next to Parker for the next three hours, him holding me close, my mind was elsewhere. It was drawn to him and what he might feel knowing he would never get a reply from me.