He smiled at me and said, “Well, in their defense, you really are adorable.”
We’d reached the master bedroom by that point. It had a gas fireplace, so he joked that he was going to build a fire and flipped a switch, which produced instant results. We each grabbed a book and got comfortable on the couch in front of the fire, and Lorenzo was soon lost in the pages of his novel.
I couldn’t concentrate though, so I rested the open book on my chest and looked around me. If someone were to take a photo right then and post it to social media, it would look like I had the perfect life. It was all an illusion, though.
This beautiful home wasn’t mine. In fact, I’d only get to stay for three more weeks. The beautiful man sitting beside me wasn’t mine, either. A photo of the two of us in this moment would make us look like husbands, or at the very least boyfriends. We weren’t either of those things. We were just two close friends who’d recently added ‘with benefits’ to the mix.
It was so easy to forget, given the way I felt about him. Living under the same roof just made it more confusing. In reality though, that New Year’s kiss had only happened the week before, even though it felt like months had passed since then. That was also when he told me he wasn’t ready for a relationship. Then we’d gotten caught up in this whirlwind of making a movie, and we’d fallen into a pattern that made us seem an awful lot like a couple. But we weren’t. I had to keep reminding myself of that.
* * *
I ended up napping most of the next day, which surprised me. It wasn’t news to me that I was exhausted, but I’d expected my nerves to keep me from getting any rest.
Instead, I awoke in the late afternoon and stretched out in that fluffy, luxurious bed. Lorenzo was back in his spot in front of the fireplace, and he looked up from his book as I mumbled, “Hey. How much time do I have before I need to be on set?”
He glanced at his phone, then said, “You’re due in hair and makeup at seven-thirty, so you have almost four hours.”
“I can’t believe I slept the day away.”
“I think it’s fantastic that you finally got some rest.” He set aside his book and crossed the room to me. Then he kissed my forehead and asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Starving, and I’m really in the mood for breakfast foods, for some reason. I think I’ll go make myself some eggs and toast.”
I started to get up, but he said, “Stay right there. I’ll be back in a few minutes with breakfast in bed.” I tried to tell him he didn’t have to wait on me, but there was no talking him out of it.
Just a few minutes later, he reappeared with a delicious-looking mushroom omelet, wholegrain toast, and a plate of fruit. I thanked him and ate as much of that meal as my nervous stomach would allow.
After I set the tray aside, I exhaled slowly, and he asked, “What’s going to help you calm your nerves?”
“I don’t know. Whenever I get like this, I just want to run and hide.”
“What did you do when you were nervous about something as a kid?”
I said, “I’d build a massive blanket fort and hide in it with my imaginary friends.”
“How about building one now and hiding in it with me instead?”
I grinned at him and asked, “Wouldn’t you feel silly doing that?”
“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with feeling silly. Come on, let’s gather our supplies.” He darted from the room, and I laughed and chased after him.
We ran around the house grabbing blankets, sheets, pillows, and lights. Phoenix was sitting in the living room with his laptop, and he watched us with a mildly concerned expression. But he was used to dealing with eccentric people, so he knew to just leave us to it.
Once we returned to the master bedroom with our haul, we went to work. Furniture was rearranged and stacked, elaborate suspension systems were devised, and before long, an enormous blanket fort had risen up to fill almost half the room. We stood back to assess our work, and Lorenzo asked, “What do you think?”
“It’s almost too posh. All the bedding matches, and it should really be a hodgepodge. It’s a mighty structure though, and I feel it’s up to my exacting blanket fort standards.”
“Excellent. In that case, after you.”
He held the flap for me, and I climbed inside. We’d heaped the interior with about twenty pillows, and a few attractive table lamps gave it a warm glow. I dove onto the pillows, and Lorenzo followed me into the fort and went to work with a pair of scissors and some paper grocery sacks. After a bit of cutting and folding, he produced two hats worthy of a sea captain. Then he made a point of putting the scissors safely outside the fort, so we didn’t accidentally impale ourselves or suffer some equally horrible fate. It was just like him to think of that.