“Damn, I like this look on you,” Charles tells me. “Being goth suits you.”
“And being a self-righteous asshole does not suit you,” I laugh. Charles’s hair is styled differently, and he’s dressed in khakis and a light blue polo shirt. It’s so not his usual look, but Charles is a very good-looking guy and I know his female fans are going to eat this preppy, church-boy look up.
“Ready?” Karina asks us, motioning to the door.
I force another smile and nod, not talking as we walk out the back of her office and get into a black SUV. Charles usually travels with his own bodyguard, and two more have been hired for today. Dressed in plain clothes, they’ll walk around the street, keeping crazy fans away from Charles. And me, I suppose, but I don’t have the same effect Charles does.
We get started on our little PR move, and I’m having fun at first, able to pretend to be badass and dark. But then we run into a fan of the series who gushes about how cute my new boyfriend is, and it’s like a punch to the gut.
“Are you all right?” Charles asks as soon as we get a minute alone. We’re seated outside an organic cafe, having just ordered smoothies. I’m working hard to keep it together, and just want my friend right now.
“No,” I confess, and tears fill my eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Charles leans in.
“Sam,” I start and have to stop and look up, blinking back tears. I have so much makeup on, it’ll be a mess running down my face it I cry.
“What did he do?”
“I…I thought he was going to propose to me because he was acting all weird.” I close my eyes and take in a slow breath. “He took me down to Lake Michigan at night and everything. But then he said he got his ex-girlfriend pregnant.”
”Holy fuck. I’m so sorry, Chloe. What a piece of shit to cheat on you—”
“He didn’t,” I interrupt. “They had a no-strings thing going before I even laid eyes on Sam in Silver Ridge, and that’s when it happened. I can’t get mad at him for that.”
“Are you okay?”
“No,” I say honestly and my voice breaks. “I don’t know what to do or what to think. He didn’t do anything wrong. They had a no-strings thing that he called off in the summer, and she just came to him recently to tell him she’s pregnant. I can’t be mad at either of them, and he still wants to be with me, but…but…am I an asshole for hating this? I feel so selfish.”
“You’re not selfish, and I think anyone would be rightly upset to find out their boyfriend got a side piece pregnant. It changes the course of your relationship.”
“Exactly.” Tears roll down my cheeks and I do my best to wipe them away without smearing the makeup. “We’re already in different states. Being unattached to anything other than work was what gave us hope. With a baby, I can’t ask Sam to come here for the weekend. It just makes everything seem impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible, and I’m quoting you on that.”
“I know.” I let out a shaky breath. “But it feels like it. I’m here. He’s in Chicago. We’re going to be traveling all over the world for the next PR tour, and if I sign on as a writer to that show I was telling you about, I’ll be overseas for half the year. I know that doesn’t mean we have to break up, but you know how hard a long-distance relationship is. What if he doesn’t think it’s worth it and wants to be with his child and not me?”
“Then he’d be a fool.”
“I was so happy,” I say, and my voice breaks. Charles pulls me in for a hug, and I start crying, face pressed up against his powder blue shirt, no doubt getting makeup all over it.
“I’m sorry, Chloe. That’s…that’s a lot to deal with.” He gives me a big squeeze before letting go. “Come on, let’s go back to your house, order way too much junk, and watch horror movies.”26SamI look at my phone, rereading the text I sent to Chloe. She hasn’t responded, and it’s fucking killing me. Her reaction was what I expected, as Chloe is an incredibly accepting person. She’s not mad, not irritated, and I have no doubt she’d even get along with Stacey, because that’s the type of person Chloe is.
I understand her fears, and I have the same ones. I won’t be able to go see her as easily as I can now, and right now isn’t even that easy. She deserves someone who can be with her fully, and if I can’t give her what she wants…fuck. I love her enough I want her to be happy, even if it’s not with me.