“Demi, you’re a goddess of love. I think you know what that means. You even said it in your audition tape when you quoted your mom—that the other’s person’s happiness needs to become more important than your own.”
“Is that all?” I asked, voice rising. “How is any of that supposed to happen in the next month? A month where he’s not even supposed to be fraternizing with me, and I’m supposed to be pretend dating the other cast members?”
Cassie shrugged, unfazed. “Obviously, he doesn’t care about breaking the rules for you. That’s a start.” She wagged her brows. “I mean, maybe you could just tell him he’s the one.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. This sounds weird, but I think part of it is . . . he has to come to recognize me on his own. Because if not, would he really be risking everything? Does that make sense?” I wasn’t even sure if it did. I sounded more like a mystic instead of myself.
Cassie considered that, her teasing expression softening. “Actually,” she said, “I think that does makes sense.”
“But does that mean I’m not risking everything becauseIknow?” That thought scared me enough to make my voice hitch.
Cassie took my hand. “I think youdidrisk everything when you were seventeen and you went to him. You laid your heart on the line that night.”
I closed my eyes for half a moment and saw her. That scared, lonely girl who just wanted Roman to see her. The real her. I really had laid it all on the line that night. And when it turned out horribly, it had crushed me. It sounded so dramatic, but maybe italso made sense, given what I now knew. When the other part of your soul rejects you, it does something to you. Breaks you. But that begged the question:
“If this is all true . . . who or what unnaturally ripped us apart?” I thought about Roman saying how he felt as if he’d been placed on the wrong path.
Cassie tapped her finger against her lip. “Well, we are Greek goddesses. Our history is basically a highlight reel of shady divine interferences. You’ll probably have to ask Zeus or your father. I bet they know. It might even bewhythey sent you on this quest. It was a course correction.”
That thought irritated me. “Why not just tell me?”
“Like you said, maybe true love is something you have to discover on your own? And would you have really believed your dad if he told you that you had to fall in love with Roman, of all people?”
I groaned. “Yeah, that probably wouldn’t have gone over well.”
We both took a moment to sip our tea and let all of this sink in.
Holy celestial drama.Roman and I were meant to be together. This was not a drill. I really should apologize to my divine half for calling her a liar all these years and refusing to let her guide me. Maybe if I’d been more in tune with her, I wouldn’t have locked my heart . . . or started wearing black muumuus.
“So, what do I do now?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Cassie didn’t hesitate. “I think it’s pretty obvious. You have to get Roman to fall inexplicably and undeniably in love with you, and you’re going to have to love him as much as you can with your locked heart.”
“Oh,” I sang, mock cheerful. “Is thatall?”
This was going to take a miracle.
Chapter XXIX
Roman
Isteppedintothecabin late, just to tuck Junie in before heading back to work. I didn’t plan to stay long. But something felt different. Lighter and warmer.
Something felt like Demi.
Then I heard her laughing in the kitchen with my mom and Junie. Old eighties tunes played in the background.
I couldn’t help but smile. Something had changed between us in the last few days. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but during each morning run, she was just as interested in learning about me as I was about her. She wanted to know everything from my favorite meal to the last time I’d cried. That was the moment the midwife laid Junie in my arms.
And Jupiter forgive me, but each run ended with a kiss. Each time I told myself I would resist her charm, but damn if she didn’t do her best to tempt me, like it was a game for her. But I always came out the winner. Or loser, since the girl would never be mine. But I wanted what I could have of her before we found her true love, even though it felt wrong. But also maddeningly right every time we touched.
I wanted nothing more than to walk into that kitchen and take Demi into my arms. But I paused. I’d just comefrom a heated meeting with my crew. The first episode had dropped, and it was exactly as bad as I had feared. Every entertainment outlet was calling it a snoozefest. Questioning why we’d even done a surprise season when the only surprise was how painfully boring it was.
The only chatter that wasn’t about how dull it all felt was even worse. People were talking about me. About Demi. About the sparks between us during our interviews.
And while those sparks obviously existed, it wasn’t good news that everyone else had picked up on it.
The studio wasn’t happy. They wanted it fixed—fast. And they wanted me to keep my obvious crush on Demi to myself.
