Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 60750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“Right.” I quietly nod. “It’s just…his girlfriend is…” I struggle to finish the sentence. “Is…”
“Is painfully honest?”
“Is Geesha Riley!” I correct her. The words come out louder than I intend. “His girlfriend is goddamned Geesha Riley, even though he said that they don’t use that label.”
“…Oh my God.” Marina gasps in shock. “Holy shit, Alyssa! You were fucking Geesha Riley’s boyfriend? After she helped you get your big break?”
“I know!” I let out another sob. “Fuck, Marina! It’s so fucked up! If I would’ve known how much she cared about him, I would’ve never—”
“Hey, it’s okay.” Marina shakes her head. “It doesn’t sound like there are any hard feelings, right? As long as you don’t do that shit again, everything seems like it should be okay.”
“…Right. You’re right,” I agree with her, even as fear lingers in my stomach. “As long as I keep away from Rhys, everything should be okay.”
Marina then smiles over at me before she speaks again. “Besides, I’m starting to get the feeling that Rhys was never the band boy for you, anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that a super cute guy dropped something off for you while you were over at Rhys’s place,” she continues, reaching for a folder on the living room table’s counter. “He said his name was Van Wilson? And that he plays drums for your group? He wanted to get some notes over to you on the songs you were working on together.”
Marina hands me the folder as she finishes with her thoughts. “But if you ask me? I think the only reason a guy wants to hand deliver something to you is because he wants to see you.”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that, Marina.” I laugh as I take the folder into my grip. “Van can hardly stand to be around me.”
“Maybe that’s just what he wants you to think.” Marina playfully winks. “You never know, Alyssa.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I know.” I laugh again, then start to head for my bedroom. “Do you want to order from that Vietnamese place for dinner?”
“One hundred percent!” Marina calls out. “But after dinner, I need to head out. I’m meeting up with a few actor friends to do a table read of a script my producer friend has been working on.”
A few actor friends.
My producer friend.
I inwardly groan, jealousy rolling right through my veins at Marina’s ever-growing circle.
Seriously, how can Marina have everything already figured out about L.A. and I’m over here struggling with not fucking the wrong person’s “boyfriend”? Sure it’s not Marina’s fault that I’ve stepped right into a whole new mess, but I can’t help but feel envious about how great things seem to be going for her compared to what I’ve been dealing with. She’s so smart, so savvy.
I stop in my tracks. If she’s so smart about her career, could she also be right about Van?
Chapter 7
Cameron
“Has Alyssa said anything about me?” Rhys asks as he walks up to me in the studio parking lot. “I mean, has she mentioned being pissed at me or—”
“What?” I squint as a bit of L.A. sun gets in my eyes. I’m regretting ever retiring the concept of wearing sunglasses, but I’d been afraid of looking like an asshole in future interviews and magazine pieces. I didn’t know why, but everyone always seems to hate the guy in the band who wears sunglasses all the time, even if it is a necessity in this godforsaken town.
Although, with the way things are going with the band, maybe I should be worried about something other than aesthetics. There’s clearly been a shift in the air, with Alyssa spending more time writing songs with Van and less time with Rhys, even though he’s been trying to spend more time with her. The shift has led to nothing but productivity for the band, and I’ve been super impressed with what Alyssa and Van have been able to come up with, even though it seems like Rhys’s guitar skills have been lacking as of late.
Now I can’t help but wonder if this is just the calm before the storm, if Rhys is still going to find a way to fuck things up for the rest of us, especially if he’s so obsessed with a woman who’s obviously moved on. I mean, seriously, bothering so much about one woman is completely unlike Rhys.
Besides, what’s so special about Alyssa Smith, anyway?
“Why are you talking about Alyssa right now?” I push back. “Shouldn’t you be getting your gear together for the show tonight?”
“I just want to know what’s going on in her head,” he replies. “She used to be all over me, and now she’s treating me like I have the fucking plague—”
“Have you ever considered that she’s simply not that interested in you?” I suggest. “Or is a woman moving on from you a completely foreign concept?”