It wouldn’t surprise me if he decided to try something else in a few years. Before he was organising my life and pledging to take a bullet for me—which he will, hopefully, never have to do—he was in training to be a WWE wrestler.
We leave the club to screams from the queue of people outside waiting to get in.
I lift my hand to the throngs of women shouting my name. I bet every one of them would sell our story three minutes after orgasm.
I’ve been given a very frank warning about some of the things people will do for fame. Never rely on a woman to provide the contraception. I learnt in high school that you only depend on yourself where that is concerned. Some women actually try to get fucking pregnant. It probably happens the other way around, too.
Now, I don’t trust anyone.
Arnold pulls the car up. Jared opens my door first, and I get in.
He rolls his eyes as Arnold pulls away. “Everyone loves the weird dude from England.”
“Coming from the rich WWE athlete turned PA? Really?”
He chuckles and pulls his phone out. “I’ll live a thousand lives before I die.”
He smiles a little every time I don’t get into the back, which is every time I’m alone. I already have someone to drive me around. I don’t need to feel like I’m being chauffeured about, too.
“You two weren’t long,” Arnold says.
“Spencer is a pussy,” Jared says without looking away from his phone.
“I wasn’t into it. I got the lead in End of the Road.”
I get to play a gangster whose life starts to unfold when he’s fucked over.
“Well deserved,” Arnold replies, offering a nod.
“Thanks.”
“Are you going home to call Miss Croft?”
Jared makes some sort of snort. He’s also a big advocate of not settling down until you’re forty. He has nine years left.
“Yes,” I reply.
“Are you going to call right now?”
“You’re such an old gossip, Arnold. What would your wife say?”
He laughs. “She would ask the same thing. June will be grilling me tonight. She’s fascinated with the rich and famous.”
“She’s not the only one. This life is crazy.”
“This is your life now, Spencer.”
I lay my head back in my seat and watch the lights of LA blur as we drive towards my apartment. “It’s extraordinary.”
“You’re talented. Just don’t let it go to your head.”
This makes Jared laugh but neither of I or Arnold react to him
I send a message to Indie, telling her I’m going to call in ten with news.
“I’m sure you guys will keep me grounded.”
“Miss Croft will, too.”
“She’s not going to be happy if you don’t call her Indie.”
“She’s hot as fuck.” Jared again.
Arnold smiles. “Perhaps you should hurry up and make it possible for me to call her Mrs Lowe.”
His words should scare the shit out of me since we’ve only been together a matter of days. They don’t at all.
Twenty-Seven
Indie
I laugh into the phone. It’s almost five in the morning, and I’m curled up in bed on a long call with Spencer.
He landed the role in End of the Road, as I knew he would, which means he’s not going to be home until Christmas. At least I know now, so I can focus all of my energy on uni. Then when I break in mid-December, he’ll be here.
“My character is a real arsehole in the movie,” he tells me.
“There no Ella type to redeem him?”
“Nope, he just an arsehole.”
“At least you’ll be a hot one.”
“Oh, really?” he says, his voice light and flirty.
He’s in bed, too, and I’m picturing him with his shirt off; one arm thrown over his head on the pillow, and his legs crossed at the ankle.
I can’t believe he’s mine.
“I don’t sleep with unattractive people,” I tell him, grinning like a fool.
“Not loving your use of plural there. No one else is ever going to be inside you.”
I take a breath. “I have no desire to see anyone else.”
The thought of going on a date with another person makes my stomach turn. I wouldn’t know how to even talk to another man.
“Glad to hear it.”
“It’s me who should worry. You’re going to have beautiful women throwing themselves at you.”
“Yeah, but I’ve got this chick back home who I’m completely obsessed with.”
“She sounds lovely. Obsessed, huh? You should see someone about that.”
He laughs. “I’ll show the therapist a picture of you and those dark eyes. They’ll understand.”
I’ve always thought my eyes were kind of boring. “You have many pictures of me?”
“More than someone should have of a friend. At least now you’re my girlfriend, I won’t feel like such a creep.”
Girlfriend. That’s about all I remember of what he just said. The world flashes in my mind. That’s that confirmed. We’re official. A couple.
“I’m going to need to see those pictures.”
“No way. You’ll delete some.”
I groan, and he yawns.
“You need to sleep, Spence.”
“I don’t want to go yet.”
“Call me when you get up. I’m working, and then I’m meeting Mila. You can call, though, I’ll pick up.”
He chuckles. “Call me when you’re home from meeting Mila. We can text between.”
“Fine.”
“You’re doing more for my ego than all the love on social media.”
Oh, I kind of like that.
“Good night, Spence.”
“Night, baby.”
I plug my phone into the charger, and I turn off my lamp.
Silence slices through my room, but only for a second. Downstairs, my parents are arguing. They’re rarely awake at this hour. What’s going on? I think they average about eight hours awake each day, and the rest of the time they sleep.
Mum apparently feels tired all the time. I guess that’s what excessive drinking does to you.
Their muffled voices are loud enough to be heard but the slur in their speech makes it impossible to hear what’s being said. One of them must have woken the other.
I pull my
