More Than Anything

“Is there any other question you’re not supposed to ask that you’d love to sneak in, Sabrina?” I smiled sweetly. “Any more surprise guests?”

“No…I mean. I…” She looked at her notes. “Your stunts on the set of your last movie…”

She ended the interview quickly after a few more mundane questions. I returned to the makeshift dressing room and found Meredith waiting for me.

“Did you know?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Tell Sean he’s fired,” I snapped. “Actually, don’t bother—I’ll do it myself.” I whirled as the door open, and Guy hovered at the entrance.

“That was unnecessary,” he said, his angelic cuteness vanishing in the face of a threat to his public image.

“This whole interview was unnecessary.”

“You know that’s not true, Allie.” He shrugged. “The fans want a romance. It costs absolutely nothing to give them something to dream about.”

“And the ensemble of starlets you sleep with love the idea of getting the guy who’s cheating on Allie Gilbert with them.”

“Allie…” He sighed. “Think about the franchise.”

“Haven’t you heard?” I said softly. “I quit the franchise. Somehow, I doubt the studio will want to continue with you now. I heard they’re thinking about a new storyline, totally new characters.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Call your agent,” I said then shut the door in his face.

I went to sit down, and Meredith hovered. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“Do you still want to go to the party?”

What were my other options? Walking past the paps outside and going back to the hotel? Back to LA? Far away to join my parents on their latest medical mission? Or maybe back to Gracie House. Only, Braden wasn’t there anymore. I didn’t even know if he was at his apartment. For all I knew, he could be on the other side of the world.

I went up to the floor where the gala was just starting. Every year, the chairman of the network held the event to raise money for a cause. My appearance was to add to the list of famous faces that ensured the event could claim star-studded status. At the entrance, I paused, unsure if I wanted to attend the glittering party. Meredith had gone back to the hotel, and now I was alone. I took a deep breath and instead walked toward a small glass alcove at the end of the hallway. From there, I could see most of the city spread out in the night.

The glass kept the cold away, but I had a good view of the New Year’s revelry outside. I would be able to watch the ball drop and see the fireworks, but I didn’t plan to stay that long. The limo would come back and pick me up from a back entrance, and I would go to Braden’s apartment. If he wasn’t there, I would go to the house. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to say to him, but I knew being with him meant more to me than anything else, and I needed him to know that.

I touched my hand to the cold glass as I gazed at the millions of festive lights. New Year, New You. The famous slogan slipped into my head, but I knew what I wanted this year. It wasn’t just a new me. It was my life with Braden, the way I’d always dreamed it would be after the next film and the next shoot and all the other obligations that never ever went away.

“Champagne?”

I started as a smiling waitress in white and black held out a glass on a tray.

“Thank you,” I smiled.

“The guy over there thought you might like a drink.” She inclined her head, and my eyes followed the movement. My heart hammered and almost stopped when I saw Braden standing just a few feet away.

I closed my eyes and opened them again, convinced there was something wrong with my sight, convinced I was dreaming. I wasn’t.

“He’s cute,” the waitress said knowingly before she walked away.

That he was. He looked dangerously handsome in black tie, almost too good to look at. His hair gleamed, slicked back, emphasizing the sculpted planes and angles of his beautiful face. His eyes burned with a thousand blue fires, feeding the flames burning inside me, and when he started to walk toward me with his long, sure stride, I wanted to run to him. I held back, though, unsure of myself, unsure what exactly I was going to say to him.

I opened my mouth and closed it again. He stopped a few steps from me but still didn’t say a word. I saw his chest rise and I swallowed, barely able to breathe.

Music poured out from the party hall, and still, we stared at each other, unmoving. It felt like we were alone in the world, and I didn’t mind it at all.