The Scene Stealer: A Hollywood Romance

Cole is late, punctuality being one of my pet peeves, but I suppose he has a group of other people he needs to wait for. In the kitchen, I check my small backpack again for snacks and water as well as a few bandages and moleskin. I had to search online for hiking tips and tricks. It took everything I had to keep from searching for Devyn’s name. He’s now on set with his gorgeous costar. Of course, I had to look up Elena Andrews, supermodel, rising A-lister, and drop-dead gorgeous. There has already been a rumor of them being a couple circulating through the Hollywood vines. And with this being their second film together, it pretty much solidifies it for fans.

But if I learned anything about Devyn during our time together, it’s that he isn’t a liar. A great actor, sure, but he wouldn’t cheat on a woman he is dating.

A knock sounds on my door and I rush over to answer, smiling at Cole as I open the door wide. He looks cute in his cargo khaki shorts and a tight blue T-shirt, the cotton stretched taut against his abdomen.

“Hey, you ready?” he asks, and I nod, grabbing my bag from the counter and locking my door.

I follow him out to the old Ford Bronco idling on the road, his group of friends that I met earlier this summer waving as I approach. A moment of panic overtakes me as he helps me squeeze into the back seat, wedged between him and two others. My chest heaves and I struggle to catch my breath, fear and excitement dueling against each other.

“You okay?” the stranger sitting beside me asks, drawing everyone’s attention.

I don’t do well in cars or confined spaces, and I usually can talk myself through it, but being squished between people with very little chance of moving or access to a seatbelt overpowers my senses.

“Air, I just need air,” I whisper, trying to calm myself down.

Behind the haze of my eyes, I watch the group look over at Cole in question. He opens the door and slips out of the passenger seat, giving me a chance to escape. Walking over to the other side of the road, I work through the panic, no time to focus on the embarrassment that I feel.

“Larsen, are you okay?” Cole asks, concern evident in his voice, and when I look into his eyes, I can see the same emotion there.

Rubbing my scarred arm with the opposite hand, I tell him, “Yeah, I just don’t do well in confined spaces.” He must connect the dots between my scars and the fear I feel because he nods his head and looks back at the truck.

“Would you be more comfortable in the front passenger seat?”

“Would you mind?”

I watch as his body relaxes in its stance. He must have thought I was going to back out of the trip. “No, not at all. You take shotgun, I’ll move Evan to the back.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

He settles his hand on my lower back and I wait for the same tingle I felt when Devyn would place his hand there, but I’m disappointed that it never comes.

When we reach the car, he tells his friends about the change in seating, making sure everyone is comfo

rtable before we take off.

Arriving on the trail, the group takes off ahead of us, leaving Cole and me to take the path at our own pace. The skin on the back of my neck prickles and I find myself continually turning around to see if we’re being followed, but I find no one.

We finally catch up to the group and have lunch on the riverbank posing for pictures. The camaraderie is nice, something I’ve been missing out on, but I stand off to the side while the group gathers close, a family-like intimacy between them. Jessica, the woman from LA that gave me her business card weeks ago, stands close to Cole but I don’t feel any hint of jealousy that I would if it were Devyn she was sidling up against.

And isn’t that telling.

The man I have been crushing on for years is nothing more than a pretty wildflower amongst a meadow, something of fondness to gaze upon. But Devyn is like the blooming Dogwood tree along the parameter of the meadow. You don’t notice him at first, but the white and pink flowers dangling from the branches call to your eye and you can’t look away. You’re drawn to them and mesmerized by their beauty and frailty.

“Did you have a good time?” Cole asks as we all head back toward the truck.

“Yes, I did. Your friends are great.”

The ride back to my apartment is completed in silence. Either everyone is exhausted from the hike, or they’re waiting to pounce on Cole with questions about me. Besides asking Jessica about working in a hospital, I mostly keep to myself.

As we arrive at the apartment, Cole helps me from the truck and then walks me to my door.

“Thank you again for inviting me, but I kind of want to ask what changed your mind after all these years.”

Cole has the decency to blush a little.

“Don’t get me wrong, I always thought that you were beautiful, far more than anyone I’ve ever seen. But you seemed so closed off and unsure of yourself. Then that. . .guy.” Cole stops and takes a deep breath as if thinking of Devyn elicits a violent response in him. “That stranger waltzed in here and did what none of us were able to do. He made you smile. You came out of your shell. I knew I just had to bide my time and I’d get my chance with you.”