Page 27 of Unscripted with Mila

“I didn’t mean to—”

He cut me off, squeezing my legs. “I know, Shortcake.”

I felt my lips quirk. “I’m not getting you coffee.”

“Oh yes, you will. But not right now.” He paused. “What can I do?” he asked. “To help you?”

“What?” I asked, confused. “Help me?”

Suddenly, he was on his knees in front of me, between my legs. He looked up at me, concern etched on his face. “Seeing you fall scared me. I couldn’t get to you fast enough. All that anger was gone, and the only thing I felt was terror. Fear you’d hit the floor before I could get there. Worry that something was dreadfully wrong. Nothing else mattered in that split second but you. I want to know how to prevent this from happening again.”

Unable to stop myself, I traced the slightly reddened skin on his cheek. “I’m sorry I burned you.”

He cupped my hand, pressing the palm into his skin. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“So am I. Today was one of many incidents. When I was younger and scared of my own shadow, I passed out almost daily. I had therapy to help me deal with stress, learned tricks to stay calm, and the episodes slowed down. Today was—” I huffed out a long breath “—today was an anomaly. I hope,” I added ruefully.

“You scared me.”

His quiet confession moved me.

“I’m sorry.”

“Are there signs I can watch out for?”

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know. Like when your eyebrow quirked. Was that a tell?”

“My eyebrow quirked?”

“Yes.”

“I have no idea, no one’s ever mentioned that. The doctors never said anything about tells. Usually, I don’t even know it’s going to happen. I just go.”

“But you’re not ill?” He swallowed heavily. “This isn’t fatal?”

“No. As I said, I have had it most of my life. It started in my early teens. I see a neurologist regularly.”

“My mother had cancer and didn’t tell me. She didn’t want to ‘trouble’ me while I was making a movie. That role led to another one, and she kept it from me. It was aggressive, and she was dead in six months. I found out too late and barely got to say goodbye.” He met my eyes. “I hate being lied to. I don’t need protecting.”

“Nor do I. I’m not lying. My family is well aware of my condition. So is Andi.”

“That’s why she didn’t panic.”

“Yes.”

“Is that why you want to stay out of the limelight?”

“That, and because I hate it. I’m shy. I don’t do well with crowds or people. Coming here was a huge step for me.”

“The woman who writes those books isn’t shy.”

“It’s my persona. Like your roles, I can adapt.”

“The one I met in the pool was intriguing.”

“It was dark. I felt…safe with you somehow. More comfortable than I expected. You were funny. Sweet. I liked how you made me feel.”