I pound his neck three times, enough to stun him and make him stay down, and then I jump up and grab Rosa’s hand and pull her towards my car.
People clap as I shove her suitcase into the backseat and she climbs into the passenger side. The light is red again, but I don’t care. Everyone in all directions is stopped to watch the scene unfold, so I look both ways and take off.
“Oh my God,” the girl says. “I’m shaking so bad.”
I look over at her as she holds her hands out in front of her ample belly. They are indeed shaking very badly.
“Just relax, OK? Do you know how to get out of this neighborhood? Because I’m lost.”
She just stares at me.
“What?”
“Lady, I’m so lucky you got lost. He said he was gonna kill me for trying to leave.”
I look over at her and study her face, streaked with blood and tears.
Do people really mean that? I mean, when a teenager says he’ll kill you if you leave, does he mean that? Or is it just posturing? Is she just supposed to cower and give in to him? Or is she supposed to take his threat seriously and fight back with all her might?
It’s confusing. Too confusing to think about right now. “Where should I take you? Do you have a place?”
“Turn left here, then just go straight. I’m going to a place in Silver Lake. A home for abused women. They said they’d help me.”
I let out a long breath and remind myself.
#IAmNotTheGirlWithTheWorldsBiggestProblems
Chapter Nineteen
#HowDoYouKissTheInvisibleMan
I DROP Rosa off at the home for abused women in Silver Lake, and in repayment, she explains how not to end up in Westlake again.
I’m very grateful for that. What I did was stupid. But it’s hard to feel bad about it when it feels so good to help this girl.
I give her the cash I have in my wallet, which is not much. Seventy-two dollars. But her face lights up like I just handed her a million bucks.
And then I make my way to the studio. Not to ambush Vaughn, but to hug him and say I’m sorry for being so difficult. I am not the girl with the world’s biggest problems. Maybe I was that girl once. (Or twice.) But I’m not her now. I’m lucky. I’m married to a great guy. I have a large home, lots of money, a car that doesn’t break down, friends, family, and good health.
I’m so, so lucky.
When I get to the gate, the security guard nods at some hanging thing on my rear-view that Vaughn must’ve placed in here the other day and waves me through with a, “Good evening, Mrs. Asher.”
That’s it. That’s all it takes to get on the lot. I expected a little more resistance, but I guess being Mrs. Asher has a lot of perks. I barely remember how to get back to Vaughn’s movie set, but I manage to find the parking lot and locate his trailer from a distance.
I try there first, but it’s locked.
“You looking for Mr. Asher?” an attendant asks me.
“Yes, please. Do you know where he is?”
“Yes, ma’am. He’s on set right now. They are almost done. Do you want to wait here or have me take you in to watch from the observation room?”
I hesitate. I’m not sure.
“No one’s in there,” he explains. “It’s a sensitive scene today. Only required personnel allowed on set. So you’d have the place to yourself if you want to watch.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m not sure I can handle much more public scrutiny.
We enter the building and I’m led down a long hallway. There’s no stage in sight. No people in sight, either. He points to a door and then opens it for me. “It’s down the hall and to the left. They can’t hear you from this far away and you won’t be interfering if you just stay back.”
I nod and walk through the door alone and find myself in a dimly lit hallway. I can hear a few voices further down so I follow that until I reach a black curtain. Peeking through, I can see the set. It’s incredible. It looks like an actual city street alley with a side of a building, complete with a fire escape as the backdrop.
There’s lots of talking at the moment. People are laughing and joking. Vaughn is not in view. I lean against the wall and consider if I’m being overly dramatic about my recent experience.
I mean, I’m fine. Yeah, it got a little dicey for a few minutes, but I’m fine. My heart is not beating fast anymore. I’ve calmed down from the scare, and now I’m feeling more ridiculous than anything.
I’m just about to turn around and say forget it when I hear his voice. It’s booming and boisterous and a smile immediately forms on my face. God, I love him.
He walks out onto the set dressed in a suit, like he was at a party. His face, which is usually invisible in post-production, is clearly visible now. In fact, he looks a lot like the man I met on the beach the night of Samantha’s wedding.
I have not thought about that night in months, but now it hits me how far we have come from those first arguments on the island.
God, I was such a bitch to him. I smile as I watch that same man on set in front of me. He was more patient than he should’ve been. Especially that weekend. And I was so scared of what he represented to me. The control was frightening.
And now he’s more aloof than I’m comfortable with.
It’s probably my fault, but that doesn’t make me wish for a do-over any less. I wish I was back on that beach right now, experiencing him for the first time again.
His co-star, Valencia Cruz, joins him in the scene. She’s his ex-girlfriend from his teen years.