Cesca nodded, used to the feast-or-famine nature of the entertainment industry. ‘But aren’t you bored? I mean there’s only me here, and really nothing much to do. You must be going crazy without the Wi-Fi or connectivity.’
Sam tapped the lid of his pen against his lips. ‘I’m not bored at all,’ he told her. ‘To be honest it’s a relief not being able to be contacted. I don’t get to spend time alone very much in Hollywood. I’m either working or networking, and my phone is constantly ringing. I’d kinda forgotten what silence sounded like.’
‘And do you like it? The sound of silence, I mean.’
He tapped his lips again. ‘I do, very much.’
The past few days had been just like this. Mornings and afternoons in the library together, Cesca writing and printing out pages while Sam wrote the corrections in red pen in the margins. Then they’d cook, eat dinner, before Sam would disappear, telling her he was tired, and that he wanted to have an early night. The first day she’d been amused by his disappearance, the second she’d been confused. By the third night – last night – she’d started to get angry. Why was he ignoring her after that perfect evening in the restaurant?
‘What about your family?’ she asked. ‘Wouldn’t you like to visit them while you have some free time?’
‘It’s more that I don’t think they particularly want to see me,’ he told her.
‘What do you mean?’ She frowned. ‘Why wouldn’t they want to see you? I can tell they’re proud of you, your photograph is on nearly every wall of this place.’ He was being evasive again. Maybe she should have Googled him after all.
‘My mother loves me.’
‘And your father?’
‘That’s more complicated.’ Sam gently placed the pen down on the pile of paper in front of him. ‘Foster and I, well as I hinted before, we don’t see eye to eye. He’s an asshole.’
‘It’s hard to see eye to eye with an asshole,’ she agreed. ‘And Foster sounds like the king of them.’
Sam burst out laughing. It made his whole face light up. ‘That’s true. And what’s worse is that he’d love that description.’
‘Well, when I see him, I’ll tell him exactly what I think.’
She watched as Sam’s face fell. ‘Jesus, don’t go anywhere near him. I shouldn’t have mentioned him.’
‘I can look after myself, you know,’ she said crossly. ‘I’ve dealt with enough assholes in my time. He doesn’t frighten me.’
‘But he frightens me,’ Sam said, rubbing his face with his palms. ‘Or at least the thought of him near you does.’
She tipped her head to the side. ‘What is it about him? What hold does he have on you that makes you like this?’
It was a shock to see Sam stand up and walk over to her. She was so used to him keeping his distance these past few days. She could feel her pulse start to speed as he came closer, leaning over the desk where she was sitting.
‘It’s not about him,’ Sam said. ‘It’s about you. He’s poison, Cesca, and the worst kind, too. The kind that looks good, tastes good, so
you take a big swallow. And it’s great, right up until it starts to sting at your gut.’
She pushed the chair away from the desk, standing up, but still he towered above her. She reached out, cupping his jaw with her hand, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers.
‘I promised not to ask about him,’ Cesca said. ‘But I can tell you this. Whatever he did, he can’t hurt you any more. You’re a grown man, a success. The world’s at your feet.’
There was a haunted look in his eyes that cut right through her, making her want to envelop him in her arms.
‘You don’t know him like I do,’ Sam whispered. ‘No one does. They’d laugh at me if I told them the truth.’
‘What truth?’ she asked him. ‘Shit, sorry, I promised not to pry. I’m going to shut up now.’
He winced. ‘Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter anyway.’
‘Of course it matters. I don’t get what hold he can still have on you. You’re better than him. When we first met I just thought you were some big-headed actor who sold me out. But that’s not who you are.’
‘Who am I then?’ he asked with a whisper.
‘You’re Sam Carlton. The boy who walks into a theatre and makes jaws drop open. The man who sets Hollywood on fire. You’re the person who can sell a movie just with a smile and a wink.’ She leaned into him. ‘You must know who you are, Sam.’