The Scene Stealer: A Hollywood Romance

I nod in agreement because it’s the truth. Watching his car burst into flames, not knowing if he was able to get out, not knowing if he was hurt were like razorblades slicing against my soul.

Pulling away just enough to see his face, I take him in. Tears fill the corners of my eyes as I remember trying to reach him and being held back. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? I saw the-”

Wrapping me in his hold again, Devyn doesn’t allow me to finish.

“I’m fine. I got out before the explosion.”

A clock across the wall ticks away the minutes as we stay wrapped in each other.

An hour passes, and at some point, we’ve maneuvered from sitting to laying. My arm has fallen asleep under the weight of his head, but I don’t dare move it. I don’t want this moment of perfect solitude with Devyn to end, this moment where we’re completely shut out from the world.

He makes the first move. His arm resting on my waist slides up my arm and then back down, the motion repeating over and over. He doesn’t feel my breath catch with every pass or see the way I have to bite my lip to keep myself from asking him to kiss me.

A gentle knock sounds on the door and both Devyn and I slowly pull apart. Tessa’s head peeks into the room, her eyes downturned in avoidance, and her shoulders slouched by an invisible weight.

“The officers are here to speak with Larsen. I’m sorry.” The door closes just as quietly as it opened.

“You don’t have to do this right now. I can ask them to come back later.”

“No, that’s okay. I don’t really have much to tell them. I’m hoping they’ll have more to tell me.”

Devyn shifts on the bed and pulls me with him, my wobbly legs barely able to hold my body upright.

“How long have I been out of it?” My arm instinctively reaches out to wrap around his waist for support.

“You’ve been here for about four hours.”

“Is this your house?”

“Yeah, this is Tessa’s room.”

“Oh.” Taking another glance around the space, it makes sense that this is her room. It’s clean, uncluttered, and organized, just like her. I try my best to smile, but the movement aches along my scar at the forced movement. “I like it.”

As one being we walk together down a hallway to a living room. People scatter as we make our entrance and Devyn leads me to a well-lived leather couch.

“Can I get you something to eat or drink?” Devyn looks at me expectantly after he settles me onto the cushion.

“Water will be fine. Thank you.”

The stoic officer stands in his shield of blue, a silver badge glistening on his chest. He gives nothing away as he looks me over, those knowing eyes taking in everything.”

“Ms. Scott, I do hope that you are feeling better.”

“As well as I can, all things considered.”

“Good. Can you tell me if you knew of Michael Toms prior to today?”

“Um, we met a couple times in passing when I was on set with Devyn.”

“Were you aware at anytime that Devyn and Elena Andrews were in a fictitious relationship?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you were also in a relationship with Devyn at the same time?”

The officer’s personal questions begin to make me uncomfortable. As if hearing my mental plea, Devyn takes the seat next to me and hands me the bottle of water. “We were in a relationship that was not shared with others. It was to protect her,” Devyn points out to the officer as if the man has no grasp of what it means to be with a celebrity. “Now, where are you going with this?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Dane. What we know is that Mr. Toms was obsessed with his employer, a Ms. Elena Andrews. When we raided his apartment after his guilty confession of kidnapping Ms. Scott, we wanted to find the motivation. We knew there was little to no contact between the two, but it was too coincidental to be a random kidnap.