As soon as Mia saw her approach, her face lit up, and she shooed the people next to her out of the booth so she could get out and greet Grey. Mia successfully extracted herself and flung herself into Grey’s arms. Grey could tell by the enthusiasm of the greeting that Mia was already hammered, but she appreciated it anyway.
“Congratulations! It was sogood!Youwere so good! You killed it!” Grey gushed, rocking back and forth in Mia’s arms. She pulled back to admire her. “And you look fuckinghot,goddamn.” Mia’s bronze curves had been poured into a second-skin pink latex minidress, perfectly complementing the décor of the restaurant.
“Thank yooou,” Mia cooed. “But what aboutyou,rolling up with motherfuckingEthan Atkins? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to upstage me at my own damn premiere.”
Grey laughed, putting her hand on her chest in mock offense. “What? Never!”
“That’s soyou,though. You never come out, but when you come out you comeout.”
Grey was about to protest, but realized Mia was right. After she and Callum had broken up, she’d stopped going out to party with the cast, or at all. At first, she’d just wanted to lie low and lick her wounds in private, but soon she became accustomed to the quiet nights at home. After a while, going out seemed irresponsible, another opportunity to be photographed doing something stupid. Another day wasted nursing a hangover. Sometimes she tagged along with Kamilah’s other friends, but even back in college, the two of them had been more staying-in friends thangoing-out friends. Since she’d been gone, Grey had spent most nights home alone. She felt a twinge of guilt at accusing Ethan of hiding away and avoiding the world: to a lesser extent, she’d been doing the same thing.
A few men in suits came up to congratulate Mia, who introduced them to Grey as theClutchproducers. Grey fell into easy conversation with them as Mia turned away to greet another well-wisher. An elaborate pink cocktail found its way into her hand, then another, as the group around her ebbed and flowed. Grey was surprised by how much she was enjoying herself. She let herself flirt with one of the producers, lightly resting her hand on his chest, laughing a little too loudly. As much as she hated to admit it, thiswaspart of her career, a part she’d been neglecting.
Throughout it all, Ethan remained absent. Grey was kind of relieved. Though he’d been on his best behavior (so far) while they were on display, everything else he’d done tonight had seemed designed to push her buttons, rile her up, force her to chastise him and keep him in line. When she’d caught him staring at her during the movie, his expression was pained and—resentful? Hostile? Whatever it was, it wasn’t her problem.
She was midconversation with Mia and one of their other formerPoison Paradisecastmates when she heard an all-too-familiar voice behind her.
“Having a reunion without me?”
Grey stiffened. She didn’t bother turning to look at him, but Callum edged his way into the group anyway. God, he was so sleazy. She couldn’t believe she’d ever been attracted to him, let alone loved him. His greasy, slicked-back hair and shit-eating grin made her stomach turn.
“Where’s your boyfriend, Grey? Didn’t I see him over by the bar?” Callum drawled.
“Sounds like you just answered your own question,” she replied, keeping her voice impassive.
“Aww, don’t be like that. I thought we were cool now.” He tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but she instantly shrugged it off, still refusing to look at him.
“So, Mia, did you do all of your own stunts? That fight on top of the semi was insane.” Grey’s voice was too loud, begging Mia to rescue her.
“Yeah, actually, I—” Mia started. Callum cut in again, interrupting her. He was obviously drunk, too, his breath hot and rancid.
“You look really good tonight. Did he buy this for you?” He stretched out a finger toward her chest to brush the gaping expanse of skin exposed by her jumpsuit, as if he was trying to slip it inside her neckline. Grey jumped back like his touch had singed her. She looked past him into the crowd.
“Isn’t that Peyton? Why aren’t you over there bothering her?”
“I told her I needed a minute to catch up with some old friends.”
“Well, don’t let us keep you. Hope you find them!” Grey gave him a sickly sweet smile and tried to turn her back to him as much as possible.
Mia snorted. Callum leaned in too close, trying to speak with her out of earshot of the others. She recoiled. He twisted his face into what he probably thought looked like earnestness, but actually looked like constipation.
“Listen. Grey. I never told you…I was a fucking idiot.”
“You didn’t need to tell me, I figured that one out on my own.”
“No, I mean…I should never have treated you like that. It was a huge mistake.”
“Cool. Thanks.” Grey tried to turn away from him again, buthe grabbed her arm and twisted it back. She broke his grip with force this time, anger flaring. “I swear, if youfuckingtouch me again, Callum—”
He held his hands up in surrender, backing away as if she had exploded. “Whoa. Calm down. I was just trying to apologize.”
“Oh, really? Because I didn’t hear ‘I’m sorry’ anywhere in there. Save it for your Notes app.”
Callum opened his mouth to respond, but words seemed to fail him, leaving him gaping at something behind her.
Grey felt Ethan before she saw him. A solid wall at her shoulder, one hand warming the silk at her hip. Before she had time to process what was happening, the fingers of his other hand were beneath her chin, tilting her face up and back to press her lips against his.
It wasn’t a passionate kiss, and from an outside perspective, probably looked downright mundane. It was the kind of kiss that suggested easy intimacy, no different from the hundred that had preceded it and the hundred that would follow. To Grey, however, it was a cosmic event, sending liquid fire rippling through her belly. She was grateful for his sturdy presence behind her as she leaned into him to stop her knees from buckling, more from surprise than from anything else. Instinctively, she reached her hand up to his face, lightly grazing his jaw with her fingertips.
