“Does he know?” My gaze is drawn to her belly.
Her bump is barely noticeable, hidden by a shawl wardrobe gave her to cover her usual toned physique.
“Of course not. That coward’s been too busy frolicking with his latest costar to pay attention to anything else.” Her eyes rage with a wild fury, igniting the air around us with an electric tension.
Someone, please rescue me from this torture.
Apparently, Brian’s been out on the Amalfi Coast the past week, after landing the lead in Greta Gerwig’s next feature film, alongside an up-and-coming actress who looks remarkably similar to Laura.
“I have a right mind to fly out to Italy right after we wrap. Turn up on his set and drop the news to him right there and then.” Heat radiates from her body as she rests her elbow on the corner of my chair.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Lucy walking toward me with my iced coffee.
Thank God, I’m still allowed to have my caffeine addiction.
“Any word?” I ask Lucy, grabbing my drink from her.
Her smile quickly disappears. Clearly the answer doesn’t warrant a response. But the shake of her head confirms it. She pulls my phone from the side of her green-and-brown camouflage combats and hands it to me.
I’d called my dad, mom, and brother from the trailer, but none of them answered. I look at the text messages I sent each of them. My mom and brother’s are both left on read. My dad’s still has the wordDeliveredunderneath it, leaving me uncertain whether he’s ignoring me or just hasn’t seen the calls and messages.
I go back to the main screen and scroll up to see if Christopher’s messaged back—nope—as Laura leans over even further, to the point that she’s practically in my lap.
“Who’s Betty?”
“No one,” I snap back, locking my phone and handing it back to Lucy.
The lack of responses adds to the weight of disappointment and guilt that’s followed me round all day.
“Anyways, back to me. What do you think?” Laura retreats slightly as she pushes her fingers through her hair.
“About?”
“About flying to Italy to confront Brian!” Her eyes widen in disbelief.Like duh!she seems to be saying.
The one benefit to Laura’s narcissism is that she hasn’t once mentioned anything about the video I posted, the VMAs, or asked how I’ve been the past two months. She acts as if nothing has happened. Which, despite me wanting to shoot myself as I listen to her go on about Brian, is a welcome distraction from the glares and whispers that have greeted me since I returned to set.
Having someone else’s drama occupy my mind, even if it has to be Laura’s, offers a momentary respite and helps me realize that I’m not the only one navigating shit.
“Look, I’m not best placed to advise on this kind of thing. ButI think showing up unannounced probably isn’t the best way to go.”
The thought makes my whole body stiffen.
“Well, what would you do?” She reaches over to the potato chips sitting on the table in front of us.
“If he’s not answering your calls or returning your messages, and you’re not going to be able to hide your bump for much longer, I’d probably message him. Let him know you’re pregnant before he finds out from a picture in the press or on your socials.”
While I doubt Brian is checking his socials that much while on set, I know for a fact that he’s almost as obsessed with being a celebrity as Laura is. He constantly checkedPeople Magazine,Entertainment Weekly, and theNational Enquirerwhen he was here to see if he’d been featured.
I’d grown tired of seeing my face splashed across the newspapers and magazines a long time ago. The novelty quickly wears off when journalists turn on you. But I understood how exciting it all was for Brian. His star is on the rise and his career is heading in the direction he’s dreamed of ever since he was a child.
“This is what I’ve written.” Laura passes me her phone.
Laura
I’m pregnant. You’re the father. Call me or I’m going to the press.
“What do you think?”
