But there I was, standing in that bathroom, in my bridal robe, with my heart heavier than it should've been.
“He’s the first person who’s ever loved me for who I am and not… despite who I am.”
Carol stepped closer, touching my shoulder. “Not true. I always have and always will love you for who you are.” My little sister got me in ways no one else ever could. Words weren’t even necessary half the time. But she was raised with me. It didn’t count. “We could still bail. Find an old house somewhere. Just us. And a bunch of cats.” She continued.
That got a smile out of me.
“I bet we even die on the same day.” It was from our favorite movie. A cheesy line we’d adopted as our own private motto over the years. We laughed, and I could feel the tension in my chest loosening a little.
She kissed my cheek and stepped back. “Don’t take too long, okay?”
“I’ll be right there.”
She left the bathroom quietly, the door clicking shut behind her, leaving me alone with that damn reflection. I took a deep breath. As I turned to leave, I froze.
“Why are you doing this?” The voice was faint but clear. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes glanced around the bathroom. But I was completely alone. It came again, quieter and sadder this time. “Please… don’t.”
I knew that voice.
Stepping out of the bathroom, my eyes landed on the wedding dress hanging by the bed. Simple, but breathtaking. My vision blurred, and the room felt… off.
Just nerves. Breathe.
It was no use. The harder I tried to ground myself, the more everything spun. And then, in a snap, I wasn’t there anymore. I was deep into a daydream. In another hotel room, fancy and expensive.
And there he was. Dream Chris. Standing across from me.
14
THE DREAM
“Jules, don’t go…” Chris pleaded. He sounded tired, not physically, but from the endless tug-of-war between them. Why were they always like this? They were like a storm. All passion or all fury. There was never an in-between.
“We are never gonna work,” she said. “You’re the hottest guy in Hollywood, and I’m just…me.” She shrugged with a bitter laugh. Whatever this was—this chaotic, magnetic thing they had going—it was incredible. Hot. Delicious. But also messy. Too messy. The second it felt too real, she hated it.
His life was far from what she envisioned for herself. And it wasn’t like either of them had promised anything more. From the beginning, it was always clear that they were “hanging out” while working on this project. Once it wrapped, so would they. No strings or expectations. Relationships didn’t fit into their lives right now. Especially one with such high-maintenance intensity.
Chris stepped closer, gently taking her hands in his. In his head echoed‘How could she feel this way?’becausefrom the moment he met her, he was the one constantly thinkinghewasn’t enough forher. His ocean blue eyes locked onto hers.
“There is absolutely nothing about you that resonates with the wordjust,” he said steadily. “In fact, the only word I think of when it comes to you is…everything.”
Then his lips were on her neck, sucking on her skin like he couldn’t help himself. His hand moved across her body with a kind of urgency that left her dizzy. How did they always get here? How could they go from fighting to devouring each other in seconds? Not this time.
She couldn’t let it happen when she knew how it would end.
“I can’t do this!” She cried out, pulling away.
“Come on, Blaze…” Chris whispered, his eyes boring into hers. “Paparazzi can be a pain, I know. Just… don’t let it ruin our fun, okay?” His tone was soft, almost pleading, but she shook her head.
“It’s not fun anymore. Whatever we’re doing. It’s not…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish it. She hated how close she was to saying too much, to let him see how deep her feelings ran.
Chris’ jaw tightened. They were at a standstill. Neither willing to admit what was so painfully obvious.
The paparazzi incident had tipped things over, but it was never really about the photos, or about the danger of losing her job. It was all an excuse to run, because missing him now, in the beginning, might hurt less than staying and falling harder, when they inevitably crashed and burned.
She stepped out of his reach and turned toward the door.
“What do you need? An official girlfriend title? Fine. Let’s do this. Let’s do the boyfriend-girlfriend thing. Hell, let’s issue a statement to the press. Whatever you want.”
