Emmy visibly swoons, and to be honest, so do I. Wow, he’s good.
River pulls me closer as we move on to the next interview, his fingers wrapped firmly around my waist. We’re asked similar questions, and he gives equally dazzling and heart-stopping answers. He’s definitely holding up his end of the bargain here; if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was telling the truth.
It’s up to me to put on my A-game, so I throw him a few compliments at our next interviewer. By the time we hit the end of the line, we’ve expressed our happiness and admiration for each other with the kind of answers that are definitely going to keep the people who would be interested in our relationship well-fed for the next few weeks.
Claudia’s practically vibrating out of her skin by the time we sit down for the movie, and when I come back to my seat after introducing it with my costars, she’s frantically scrolling through Instagram with a triumphant look on her face.
“They’re buying it,” she whispers, leaning over me so that River can see her feed too. I am depressed to see that my fans decided to go with Elemental, just like Claudia said they would.
Thankfully, she saves the I-told-you-sos.
After the movie, River and I decide to walk over to the restaurant where the after party’s being held. Claudia leaves us to our own devices, and for the first time all night, it’s just the two of us.
The night has turned a little chilly, so River takes off his jacket and slings it over my shoulders.
“You smell really good, do you know that? Like, I’m sure people tell you that all the time.”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks over at me. “Not really, no. But it’s good to know, because that’s a new cologne that I helped work on. We’re going to the release party week after next.”
“I thought you just did the modeling for that one.”
He shakes his head. “Nope, I helped develop it too.”
“Well,” I reply, tucking my head into the collar of his jacket and breathing in, “I can already tell you’ve done a spectacular job.”
“Thanks,” he laughs.
“You were really great tonight on the red carpet. Those things you said about me and my performance, they were nice. Perfect. Exactly the kind of thing that a person who’s a little insecure about the work they did would like to hear.”
“I’m glad to hear it, and I meant what I said. This…” he motions between us, “thing might be scripted, but what I said was from the heart.”
I smile at him, and after taking a few steps, I say, “Claudia really knows how to pick ‘em, huh?”
His dimple peeks out as he smiles down at the ground. “Seems that way. I have friends, I don’t want to make it seem like I don’t, but most of them are from back home and they don’t know what it’s like to live here and work in this business. It comes with its own set of challenges. A lot of the friendships I’ve made since I moved here seem superficial, but this one, it…”
“It doesn’t. It feels like exactly what I needed.”
“Yeah,” he replies quietly. “Me too.
“It was a good idea, taking this walk. I usually need a little time to myself to process after premieres.”
“Watching yourself on screen for two hours is a lot.”
I huff out a laugh. “Yeah. Maybe I should be one of those people who claims they just can’t do it so I can get out of this kind of stuff. Although it is kind of great to get a standing ovation at the end, even if half the people there don’t mean it.”
He laughs. “That it is. Have you ever had an audience not clap?”
“No, I think I would die. You?”
“Thankfully no. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky.”
We come to a stop in front of the restaurant, and he gently tugs on the lapels of his jacket, pulling me closer. “Wanna keep this on?”
I nod. It’s like a nice, comfortable blanket. “If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind, although I think it’s a shame that it covers up that dress.” He leans in so close I can feel his breath across my cheek. “Especially the back.”
The shiver that runs through me has absolutely nothing to do with the temperature.
“C’mon,” he says. “We better get inside.”
River and I don’t get a chance to say or do much together, aside from float from group to group as we schmooze a little. Claudia lets us know that we’re trending on Twitter, and mostly spends the night networking with brief updates in between.
Seems like our first outing was a success.
Claudia and Keith get a ride home with one of the other partners in their firm, leaving me and River alone in the limo. It’s late and I’m a little buzzed from the champagne and tired from the day-long flurry of activity. I fall asleep shortly after we leave the restaurant, and wake up with my head on River’s shoulder.
“Hey,” he says quietly, like his normal voice is too loud for me at the moment. “We’re home.”
“My home?” I ask, totally not with it.
His chest rumbles. “Yes, your home.”
He opens the door and I drowsily scoot to the edge of the seat. I take his hand and use his weight for leverage as I hoist myself out, but my body is just so exhausted. My stomach flips as he lifts me up and carries me to the front door.
“Can I get the key out of your purse?” he asks, still a gentleman when I’m passed out on his shoulder.
“Mmm-hmm.” I make a move to help him, but I’m much too slow. He manages anyway, and I give him half-slurred instructions on where my bedroom is. He flicks on the light and I squint against its brightness.
“Sorry,” he whispers.
“S’okay.”
“Do you want to put on some
