A dozen thoughts ran through my head, one being a strong understanding of the beatdown Oliver just gave him. I swallowed back that anger and replied, “She had sex with you for closure.”
“Yes. That’s what she told me this morning. We haven’t spoken since. I don’t know what to say to her when we do.”
I sat on the ground next to Jackson, gripping my ribs. After a moment of cooling off, Oliver did the same. We were in a circle like five-year-olds. “Do you think she wants the same from the rest of us?”
Oliver’s jaw was red from the punch. “I don’t know if I can do it if she does.” He looked at me. “You certainly can’t. Not with Sabine. That will just fuck everyone and everything up more.”
“True,” Jackson said. “What if you and Heaven did it one last time and then you married Sabine? That shit would hang over all of us forever.”
I simply nodded because they were right. I’d made my choice and I’d have to deal with it. I knew it when Bryant laid out my future and forced me away from my past. I knew it when I entered the relationship with Sabine.
“What about Anderson?” I asked. “What would he do if she asked him?”
Oliver shook his head. “I don’t want to be there if she does.”
Anderson had always made things more complicated than necessary, especially when it came to Heaven. Probably because he loved her so much. “Should we tell him?” I asked, looking at Jackson. “Are you going to tell him what happened?”
Both Jackson and Oliver averted their eyes. Nope. No one wanted to be the one to tell him. He and Heaven would have to figure this out on their own.
As for the rest of us, we were in uncharted territory, dealing with Heaven as individuals instead of as a group. I didn’t like it but what could I do? If she wanted some kind of closure, she’s entitled to it.
I just hoped it didn’t tear us further apart.
26
Heaven
Today was the last day of production for Creature Feature as we entered a break for the end of spring. The final show exceeded all the others with the number of cast, crazy storylines, terrifying costumes, and of course, extreme makeup. Lea and I spent three days working fifteen-hour shifts, showing up at 3 a.m. to start prep, and taking turns crashing on the couch in the back of the trailer. The whole process was exhilarating
. So much fun, but by the end, I felt like a zombie myself and didn’t even need the makeup to terrify anyone.
Making things more interesting was the Lea/RJ situation. The boy was smitten, I had no doubt. Sending her flowers, little notes, and an ample amount of coffee via his assistant all day long. After the final scene was over and we’d cleaned up our trailer, I commented, “Things seem to be going well with you two.”
Her tired eyes lit up. “I don’t want to jinx it but…yeah. Really good. I mean, we’ve been busy and not a lot of time to see each other, but I feel good about it.”
“Is he going to stay around here for hiatus?”
Most of the cast didn’t live here during breaks. Why would they? Especially being young, famous, and having the world at your feet in Hollywood or New York.
“I don’t know, we haven’t had a chance to talk about it.”
“I mean, you could go visit him, right? You don’t have any obligations here.”
“Just my dog.”
“If you get invited somewhere exotic, I’ll gladly take care of your dog,” I told her.
“Maybe,” she said, then raised an eyebrow. “How about you? Any progress on that closure thing?”
I fumbled with the brushes in my hand, scattering them across the counter. Quickly I resorted them into the containers. “A little.”
“What does that mean?” she took a sip of her coffee.
I sighed. “It means I had sex with Jackson after my friend’s engagement party.”
Lea, coughed, choking on her drink and spitting it across the room. “You did what? When was this? Are you kidding me?”
“I had sex with Jackson. A week ago. And no, I’m not kidding, although I’m starting to wish I was.”