The Scene Stealer: A Hollywood Romance

In disgust, I slide the phone back to Tessa, my stomach churning seeing Devyn and Elena in a lip-lock.

“No.” Pushing the phone toward me again, she forcefully commands, “Look closer. Look at his face. Really look and remember.”

Lifting the device into view, I take in how passionately Elena has wrapped herself around Devyn’s large body. Her arms hold him tightly against her figure, her back bent so that there is no space between them. In stark contrast, Devyn looks disinterested. His arms hang limply by his side. His eyes, though the lids are heavy, look outward as if he’s bored. His entire stance is the opposite of Elena’s.

I remember those moments when we would kiss, we would lose ourselves in each other. It wasn’t just him or me, we became one. Pulling apart was one of the hardest things we could do.

“Why are you showing me this? Furthermore, why are you even here? I mean, I’m happy to see you, but I’m really confused.”

“Look, I know things went ass up for you two. Hell, you both look like you’re going to your own funerals.” Her eyes drift up and down my body and I have to stop myself from wrapping my arms around my body to cover up. “He hurt you. I get it. But you have to realize that everyone besides me and my family has hurt him, have used him. All he’s ever known is being the pawn in someone else’s game. With you, he was the king.

“When you two were together, there was a happiness in him I have never witnessed before. It made him want to be better. You made him better.

“I need him back, Larsen, and I need your help.”

Despite the way things ended with Devyn, the fear in her voice ignites my love for him. It starts with a spark, just a flickering flame, and then the flare gets that first taste of oxygen and explodes into a cacophony of colors.

“Tell me more.”

“Since he came back he hasn’t been himself. Not eating. Not sleeping. He hasn’t resorted to his old ways, but I fear that the desire isn’t far off. We’re three days past the shooting schedule because he isn’t focused, his heart isn’t in it.

“Tomorrow is the big scene. It can’t be postponed. It’s the racing shot he’s been preparing for weeks to get just right and the insurance is letting him do it without a double.

“I think, well I know, that if you’re on set he’ll nail it. Even if you’re just there to support him he can get it perfect.”

“What happens if something goes wrong?”

For the first time in the months I’ve known Tessa, I see her outside of this controlled being she portrays herself to be. Her hand trembles as she combs it through her hair, the perfect curls frizzing at the touch.

“If he misses his marks in the car there could be a crash, or worse, with the kind of stunt it is, he could be fatally injured,” she rambles.

A car crash. My personal nightmare, and she wants me to come stand by and watch.

My voice scratches as I reply, reminders of my night of horror filling my mind. “Tessa, I can’t. . .You know what happened to me.”

“I know.” Her body deflates, realizing that my personal fright is more substantial than her nervousness. “I would have hated myself if I didn’t give it a try. For all it’s worth, I am sorry things ended the way that they did. Sometimes he reminds me of a lost boy seeking affection. He’s easily manipulated.”

“I’m glad that he has you.”

The silence is heavy, a weight on my chest.

“What time do you leave?” I ask to make conversation.

“Early, like last time. I was hoping that your rental would be vacant. I enjoyed my night there.”

“Oh, sure. Let me get you a key.”

Rising from the stool my feet just touch the floor when I see Tessa dangle a keyring in the air.

“Ah, so you made a copy of that one too.” She shrugs with a smile, our tension broken. “You really did go into the wrong field of work.”

“Probably.”

“Have a safe flight, Tessa. It really was good to see you.”

“You too. I’ll make sure to lock up when I leave.”

I watch her leave my apartment, no embrace exchanged between the two of us, and I feel like my last piece of Devyn leaves with her.