I was left alone in the empty room.
A few more days passed before she would even look at me again. I saw her from time to time on set. She shot a scene with Rachel where they had a huge fight over Prince Valentine, and I could tell she was channeling her anger she felt towards me.
Even though she hated my guts right now, I never wanted her to look at me the same way she was looking at Princess Valentine.
“I smell secrets,” Mason said, appearing at my side.
I scowled. “Don’t talk to me,” I said.
“What, you want to pretend like we aren’t compatriots in all of this?” he said tantalizingly.
“No. Just don’t, Mason.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, watching me with his cold eyes.
A few days before, I made a mental pact with myself not to get involved in any of the drama anymore. And Mason was nothing but drama.
Even if his touch felt so good…
Flustered, I walked from him and towards the village. It would take me half an hour to get up the cliff, but that was fine. I wanted to have some time to myself, away from the scene, away from the drama.
It wasn’t long before the voices faded into the distance, all of the drama and the big personalities and the overall nonsense faded into the background. Now there was just the sound of the ocean.
My life was in limbo as I floated around between these celestial bodies and it was like the gravity of each of them had been switched to push me in the opposite direction.
Alina was treating me like I had the plague. Oliver was keeping his distance from me, and Leo was acting cold towards me ever since I asked him to leave my trailer a few days ago. Mason was still sniffing around, but only to use me again. I couldn’t trust any of them.
There was only Reese left, the mysterious director with the past that was shrouded in shadow. I longed to know what the rumors about him were… and why he looked so disheveled that day after the bonfire but cleaned right back up the next.
As I ascended the cliff, I willed myself to rise above all of this drama and just leave things be. It had been hard to resist trying to control everything for the past few days. I could have talked to Leo more; smoothed things out between us. I could have talked to Oliver and forged a friendship with him, instead of staying in this strange enemy zone. I could have tried harder to mend things with Alina, and completely ignored Mason.
But I knew that drama was like quicksand; the more you fought against it, the more it would pull you in. The only way to get out of it was to relax and wait for a friend to pull you out.
All I had to do was ignore everyone and wait for Alina to stop being mad at me.
As I got to the top of the cliff and started walking through the town, something out of place immediately caught my eye.
There was a crowd of people surrounding the town inn, craning their necks to try to peek in through the windows.
Almost instinctually, I joined them. I couldn’t understand anything they were saying — it was all in Italian. The one thing I did understand was the sparkling excitement moving from person to person as they tried to get a look through the window.
I assumed it was just another fan group of Mason’s or Leo’s, all assuming they were staying at this inn or something.
Soon, maybe I’d have a fan group like this…
I shook my head at the thought, not daring to deserve admirers.
“Well well well,” Oliver’s mocking voice came from behind me.
I turned to see him approaching me, those bright green eyes heavy-lidded as he took on an aloof expression.
“Well well well what?” I asked, my mood souring.
“Funny seeing you here,” he said. “I never would have pegged you as a fan.”
“A fan of what?” I asked, one of my eyebrows going up.
His face slid into a wide grin. “Oh, you don’t know, farm boy? I don’t know why I’m surprised…”
“Cut the crap,” I snapped. “Why are they all outside your hotel?”
He frowned. “Crimson Sin is here.”
“Crimson… Sin?” I asked, racking my brain.
“Oh please. You’re worse than I thought,” Oliver scolded. “You really think that Reese got away with just demanding the producers that you get more scenes? No. They wanted a trade. If Reese was going to get to write you in, you bet your ass they were going to write someone in, too…”
My face fell. “There’s… another rogue part being added?”
“Yep. And the studio wanted Crimson Sin to do it. I guess he owes them a favor or something… he didn’t seem like he wanted to be here when I met him.”
“Wait a minute, who is Crimson Sin?” I asked.
Oliver burst into laughter. “Wow, you really are from the middle of nowhere, aren’t you?”
He had his laugh, milking the moment where he had something on me. My patience was starting to wear thin.
“He’s a rockstar. Has been for… three years now? Haven’t you hear the song on the radio Swing with me?”
I shook my head, clueless.
“You’re kidding,” Oliver said, his emerald eyes gleaming. “How about Renegade? No? Even if you haven’t heard that, you must have heard Bastard of Mars.”
I shook my head. “None of those ring a bell.”
“Where the hell have you been?” Oliver asked with a snort.
Truthfully, since I moved to L.A. I hadn’t had much time to explore new music. What I listened to was pretty much whatever was playing in the salon at any given time. Which, most of the time was strictly pop music.
“Well, apparently he’s on the show now too. I don’t know how many more creative changes Reese is going to make before he ruins it, but I think we’re all on a sinking ship,” Oliver snapped. “Neither you nor Crimson have any acting experience.”
“What? He doesn’t either?” I asked, dumbfounded. “Why would the producers want him
