And yet, sometimes I catch myself scanning crowds at industry events. Wondering if he’s thinking about me too. Not that I’ve been missing him or keeping an eye out. Of course not. I don’t do that.
I clutch the cotton for a second too long, then shake my head and shove it back into the closet.
Today is not about a one-night stand with a ridiculouslyhot guy. Today is aboutSpellbound. About the fact that some junior executive at FlixPix read my pilot and didn’t send a form rejection. About the years of working two jobs and writing on my breaks and watching everyone else move on with their lives while I chased this thing that might never work.
I take a quick shower, and get ready, keeping my makeup light but polished. Concealer, liner, mascara, a swipe of berry on my lips. I make a few attempts to twist my dark hair up and clip it, then pull loose a few lavender streaks around my face. In the mirror, I look like a woman who signs TV contracts on weekday mornings.
Perfect.
I grab my bag, double-check I have my notebook and a pen, then head downstairs to meet the Uber idling at the curb.
As we pull away from my place, I press my forehead lightly to the window and watch my city slide by. My stomach roils, a queasy flutter. Just nerves, I tell myself. Excitement mixed with terror mixed with the reality that today actually matters.
I was born here, raised here, and even attended UCLA. LA isn’t a dream to me; it’s just home. Messy and loud and overcrowded and mine.
We pass the coffee shop where I wrote the first draft ofSpellboundin between yoga classes. The studio where I still teach three times a week to keep my body and bank account from collapsing. The bar where the writers’ group meets once a month to celebrate any win, no matter how small.
All these tiny, ordinary places that got me to this very un-ordinary morning.
By the time downtown rises up ahead of us, glass and steel catching the sun, my palms are damp again.
The Uber stops in front of a high-rise that looks like it was designed to intimidate people. It’s filled with law firms. Hays & Cole takes up the top floors, because of course it does.
I stare up at it, heart thumping. I head inside to the lobby where everything is marble and glass and very intentional art. My boots squeak faintly on the polished floor.
Victoria stands near the elevator bank with her phone to her ear and gesturing like she’s closing another big deal for the day. She’s in a sleek red blazer, black trousers, and heels that could be used as weapons. Her face breaks into a grin when she spots me. My agent has been with me for the last eighteen months, and believed inSpellboundeven when it was still rough around the edges. She was also one of the only agents who agreed to respect my need to make it on my own terms.
She ends the call, slips her phone into her bag, and waves me over.
Here we go.
two
. . .
Jake
The bag swingsback hard and I catch it with both hands, my palms slamming into the vinyl as I steady it before driving my right fist forward again. The impact reverberates all the way up my arm, a sharp jolt that I’m hoping knocks a memory of one perfect night out of my brain.
It doesn’t.
Left hook. Right cross. Another combination, faster this time, my shoulders burning, breath coming rough and shallow.
Three months.
It’s been three months and I still can’t stop thinking about her.
I shift my stance, roll my shoulders, and go again. Jab, jab, cross. I try to punch the memory out of my head, like maybe if I hit hard enough I can knock July out of my skull and send it skidding across the slick gym floor.
No luck.
“You trying to murder that bag or just maimit?”
I glance over my shoulder. Wyatt is leaning against the wall like he has all the time in the world, one ankle crossed over the other, gym bag slung over his shoulder, eyebrows raised in that knowing way that makes me want to hide from him, knowing the questions that are coming my way.
He’s been my best friend since our first day on campus at UCLA. We were roommates all through undergrad and law school. After years pretending to enjoy working for his dad’s company, he finally bailed and joined me at Hays & Cole. I’ve been at the firm for seven years, working my way up from junior associate to someone people actually trust with the big deals. With luck, I’ll make partner in the next few years.
The gym is halfway between our houses and the office downtown, so we try to meet up here early a few days a week to get a workout in before the day swallows us whole.
