No thanks. Did that once. Barely survived it.
Never again.A silent vow she had no intention of breaking.
Her phone buzzed with a new message, breaking her away from her spiraling thoughts. Glancing down, she saw a text.
Alex Grayson.
Of course.
She should have blocked his number months ago, but Alex had somehow weaseled himself back into her good graces. He was manageable now. Only allowed in her life in small, controlled doses. No more unannounced visits. No more staying the night.
She unlocked the phone to view the message.
Alex
Where are you, hot stuff? Haven’t seen you around town in a minute. Got a party coming up next weekend. Swing by.
Typical.
Alex was the son of an influential movie producer. A nepo baby. He threw the hottest parties, which were invite-only. One of the socialites Gia had befriended had brought her to Alex’s party one night as her plus-one. It was the first time she’d rubbed elbows with so many people in the industry. Overwhelmed by the noise of the crowd, Gia found a quiet corner on the deck.
Alex found her alone by the pool, sipping champagne. He’d charmed her with witty conversation, made her laugh, and helped her forget about her worries at the moment. She left the party hours later but woke up to a message from Alex asking her out on a date. How he got her number was a mystery.
Her slow fall into addiction followed.
They’d dated for a while until he’d told her she was “cramping his style.” Translation: He wanted to sleep around.
It stung. Still did. But in the end, it was for the best. Alex had been her drug dealer and her lover. The highest moments of her life were with him. Literally. But the lows that followed were some of the lowest points.Experience taught her she was better off without him in her life.
Before Alex, Gia had occasionally experimented with drugs to get through the chaos of set life. A bump of coke here and there to keep her awake and alert. It had been manageable and easily justified. She needed money, and in order to have money, she needed to work. Sometimes that meant long hours on the set for prep or filming.
But Alex was a walking pharmacy. Illicit, prescription, it didn’t matter. He had it all. Having near-constant access to the drugs that made her lose herself was addicting. Quickly, she justified needing them every day, and sometimes multiple times throughout the day.
It only took Alex a couple of weeks to convince her to try Molly, then Percocet. She drew the line at heroin, though. It was her only boundary. She wasn’t interested in anything leaving physical marks behind for the paparazzi to pick apart. Too many questions.
It was a vain reason, but Alex hadn’t pushed her to try it, for which she’d be forever thankful. Who knew where she would be now if she’d gone down that path?
It’s in those quiet moments that her past has a way of creeping back in. No matter how many miles she put between herself and the people she left behind in Willowbrook, or the number of menshe dated, she could never seem to escape the ice-blue eyes and curly blond hair. He followed her everywhere she went.
Sex with Alex only worked when they were high. Sober sex had been awkward. Uncomfortable and mechanical. A reminder of what was missing.
Because the last time she’denjoyedsex while sober… was sitting directly across from her.
“Boyfriend calling you home?” Jake’s harsh voice cut through her thoughts.
She paused mid-text, caught off guard. She met his unrelenting stare, noticing the way his jaw was clenched tightly. Gone was the polite pretense.
Defiantly, she lifted her chin, fighting the familiar but long-forgotten urge to rise to his challenge.
“Actually, yes. Not that it’s any of your business.” Her tone was haughty and condescending.
It wasn’t a lie. Alex was a boyfriend. Technically. Just a former one.
A muscle in his jaw ticked. She wondered why he even cared, even as anger churned in her chest. He had no right to question her. Jake was nothing but a stranger to her. Gia was aware of Marley and Th?y Mai’s attention, their eyes moving back and forth between them with the intensity of a tennis match.
A crayon suddenly hit Gia in the forehead, followed by peals of laughter. Tuy?t Mai clapped two chubby arms together and stood proudly from her high chair. “Up, please! Up, please!”
A huff escaped his lips, dissolving the tension in his shoulders and ending their silent battle of wills. Gia moved to stand as Jake rose, but he backed off and sat down again. His cheeks were an adorable shade of pink. If she hadn’t been there, Jake probably would’ve been the one to answer to the whims of the adorable toddler.
