I texted Gabe on the way home. Fortunately, there hadn’t been too many paparazzi in the parking lot—just a few photographers—and they’d been content to snap off shots while Viktor led me to the car.
Hey. I’m so sorry about that. And about Viktor.
G: Don’t worry. It made for an interesting day. I hope you had fun.
I did. Until the reporters showed up. Are you still on the yacht?
G: Yep. I’m just taking in the sunset and then I’ll head in.
I wish I was with you. Alone.
G: That could be dangerous. When can I see you again?
I brought a hand to my lips, remembering our almost kiss. It wasn’t fair!
I’ve got full days of filming for the next week and a half :(
G: Dinner then. At my place in a week and a half. Can we leave Viktor outside?
Oh, don’t worry. I won’t be bringing Viktor! Whoever I bring can stay outside.
G: What do you like to eat?
You, I thought, but didn’t type that. Then I had a brilliant idea. It was quite possibly crazy, but maybe living with fame had done strange things to me.
I’ve decided our first date hasn’t finished yet.
G: No?
No. In fact, we’re going to have the longest first date in history.
G: We are?
Yep. So you know all that first date stuff? Like favorite color, food, movie etc Let’s get that stuff out of the way over the next week and a half.
G: Kind of like a continuous first date?
Exactly!
G: Alright. I’m game. So, favorite food?
*
“SO LET ME GET THIS straight. You two have been texting solidly since Thursday?” Faith’s dark eyebrows raised in a look of disbelief.
“Well, I wouldn’t say solidly. We’ve had to sleep and work and things.”
“Eyebrows down, Faith,” Kelly, the make-up artist, instructed.
It was way too early in the morning and Faith and I were getting our hair and make-up done ready for the day’s filming. Usually I wouldn’t talk about private things in front of the crew, but Kelly was a good friend of Faith’s and sworn to secrecy. Doris, my make-up artist, was so old she probably didn’t even know what a text was.
“We’re getting all that first date stuff out of the way,” I said. “So when I see him next it won’t be awkward.”
“Awkward like being forced to dive for cover off the side of his yacht while your bodyguard rushed you to safety?”
I ignored Faith’s dry tone. “Thankfully the pictures that made the media were only of me and Viktor.”
“Uh huh,” agreed Kelly. “You and your mystery man, according to the headlines. Are you going to tell us who he is?”
“She would but then I’d have to kill you,” said Faith quite seriously, and Kelly rolled her eyes.
“Anyway, now I know all about him. His favorite color is blue, he loves sailing but didn’t learn until he was an adult. He’s an only child and his parents separated when he was really young. He was brought up by his mom and she’s a nurse. He even hates strawberries like me!”
“Cute,” replied Faith. “How about who he’s slept with?”
“Faith!”
“I’m serious. Has he had any serious relationships, marriages, children?”
“Isn’t that a bit personal at this stage?”
“Personal is asking him his favorite sexual position, but that’s worth knowing too.”
Kelly shot me a look in the mirror. “Don’t listen to her. You don’t see her in a relationship, do you?”
“Some of those things are why I’m not in a relationship, Kel,” Faith said. “All this touchy-feely stuff is great Chloe, but you need to ask the serious questions.”
Doris pushed in between us as she worked on my blusher and I was glad for the momentary reprieve. Faith’s comment smarted, but only because I realized it was true.
“I’ll get to those questions,” I said, affecting a carefree tone. “It’s early days.”
“Yeah, well, for your sake. Get them out of the way before you sleep with him, OK? The last thing you need is to discover he’s into kinky sex when you’re in the bedroom.”
“Speaking from experience, hey Faith?” Kelly winked at me.
“Something like that,” Faith grumbled.
“In my day,” Doris said, “it wasn’t polite to ask those sorts of questions.”
“Yeah, you know I love you, Doris,” Faith replied. “But in your day you didn’t have to apply bronzer to Kim Kardashian’s ass so she’d look good for a completely impromptu selfie in her bathroom mirror.”
Doris tsk tsked and we all laughed.
*
LATER THAT DAY—SO MUCH later it was nearing midnight—we headed for our trailers.
“I feel like I could sleep for a week,” Faith complained.
“You’ll probably get about five hours tonight by the time we get home,” I told her.
“How can you be so chirpy? It’s inhuman.”
“Oh, come on. We had a great day filming. It all went really well.”
“Yeah, Malcolm let you keep your shirt on.”
I blushed. Fortunately there had been no more incidents on-set like the day we’d filmed the scene in the cafeteria.
“You’re just happy because you’re about to check your cell,” Faith reminded me.
She had me there. “Maybe.”
“Yeah, well have fun with that. I’ll see you in the morning. Oh wait, I think it’s already morning. Shit.”
Faith continued grumbling as she walked the rest of the way to her trailer. I hopped up into mine and, so sue me, went to check my phone for messages.
I smiled as I saw there were five new messages from Gabe. There were also a couple of missed calls from Alana and Mama, but I’d get to those in a minute. As I opened the messages I saw an unfamiliar number. In the preview panel all it said was ‘Attachment: 1 image’.
Curious, I tapped on it.
I sucked in a sharp breath as an image came up on screen. It was a picture of Gabe and I on the deck of his yacht when we’d been huddled close together, talking.
Below the image was a message:
I’m watching you.