“What? Of course you are! What else is there to talk about? Come on. I’m taking notes.”
“Sorry. I mean it.”
Kate shook her head. “Really? You disappear with a rock star, and all we get is some crummy excuse instead of the hot details?”
“It’s still new, Kate. I don’t mean to be a buzzkill, but it’s really personal, and I’m not sure how things are going to work out. I don’t want to jinx anything.” I paused. “I’ll share when I’m ready, not before.”
My roommates’ faces radiated disappointment, but Serena nodded reluctantly and nudged Kate’s arm. “I do feel like we’re ganging up on her a little.”
“Because we are,” Sarah said. “We have a need to know. It’s dorm rules, isn’t it?”
Kate sighed. “No. Serena’s right.” She turned back to me. “Will you at least tell us if you…?”
Sarah snorted. “They were together for four days.”
“We had a nice time,” I said innocently, enjoying torturing Sarah rather than allowing myself to be cowed into discussing things. “He’s a great guy.”
Sarah spun and made for the door. “I can find out more about Jared on the web than Lacey’s telling us. This totally sucks.”
We watched her storm out, and Kate offered an apologetic smile. “She’s taken it personally.”
“I got that.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll chill in a while. I think she’s a little jealous, frankly. First you’re working the movie, and then you wind up with Jared. It’s a lot for her to deal with.”
“So I see.” I paused. “How about you and Robert?”
Kate blushed and looked down. “That’s going really well. We’ve been hanging out a lot, getting to know each other. But we’re also not rushing into anything.”
“Good for you. I mean that.”
“Lacey’s taking off again,” Serena announced.
Kate’s forehead furrowed. “You are? Why? Because of Jared?”
“No, it’s… I have kind of an emergency thing I need to take care of. But I’ll be back soon.”
I reassured them that I wasn’t dying or running from the law, and then told them I was beat and needed a nap. They agreed to be quiet for an hour, and I curled up with Cyrus for company and closed my eyes, praying with each beat of my heart that my phone would ring so I could embark on the next phase of my life.
Chapter 32
My sleep was filled with dreams of Jared refusing to return my call, laughing at my pathetic message while surrounded with gorgeous female vampires in provocative outfits. Even though I knew even while I was dreaming that it wasn’t real, when I awoke a ball of acid was burning in my stomach and my heart was pounding.
The girls weren’t anywhere in evidence. I took the opportunity to pack my duffel with the items I would need for a weeklong stay, pushing any images of Jared’s imagined infidelity or indifference from my mind. I reminded myself that I wasn’t going to allow my imagination to ruin my reality anymore. That much had coalesced from my discussion with Kindra.
When I finished, I stared at the bag for several moments, wondering whether I should try Jared again. If he didn’t call, I figured I could stay at the dorm for the night. Here in my room, his concerns over vampire hunters now seemed as distant as New York, and I wondered again at the odd reality I was inhabiting – where all my beliefs about what was normal and logical had been upended, and the truth was the opposite of the common wisdom. It would have been easy to dismiss the events of the last few days as hallucinations, except for the vivid memory of Jared’s lack of a heartbeat and the ease with which he lifted his car.
I decided the duffel could stay in the closet, and carried it back and set it on the floor. Cyrus peered up at me from the gloom, and I smiled at him. “Make sure nobody steals my underwear,” I whispered, and closed the door most of the way, leaving enough of a gap that the cat could come and go as he pleased.
A glance at the clock told me that the catering crew would be gathering soon, and I resolved to sign in so I could access the set. If Jared wasn’t calling because he was mad that I’d bailed, maybe we could work it out in person. In any case, I had no better plan of action, so I pulled on a fresh shirt, stuck my phone in the back pocket of my jeans, and made for the cafeteria as dusk approached.
Melinda seemed surprised by my arrival and took me aside as the rest of the crew trickled in.
“You sure you’re ready to go back to work?” she asked.
I remembered that as far as she knew, I’d been absent because of the bike accident.
“Yeah. I mean, I took a few days off already, and I feel a lot better now. Plus I need the credit.”
“Okay, then. You can work your regular table.” She gave me a hard stare. “But no side jobs for the crew.”
“After last time, you don’t have to warn me. I’ll stick to coffee and sodas.”
We walked together to the film set ahead of the vans, and Melinda offered a few last minute instructions before the supplies arrived. I only half listened, busily scanning the area for any sign of Jared, but gave up when I saw it was only crew members carrying lighting and cabling. After Melinda left, I sidled over to the makeup trailer and waited by the rear as though on some sort of work-related duty.
Alfred approached with Oscar, a script in hand, and Alfred smiled ruefully when he saw me. He said something to Oscar, who nodded, and broke away from him to make his way to where I was.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
“Yeah, much. Other than a few bruises, no big deal.”
He looked sheepish. “I’m sorry I asked you to do that.
