Forcing Gravity (26 page)

“I choose to spend time with you, and if that’s what it means, then I’m fine with it. Remember, I’ve been around this scene my whole life. I get it.”

He shook his head. “It’s not the same. They’re not as relentless with your mom. I’ve been chased, practically run off the road, I’ve had photographers knock on my door, peek in my windows
and drill my friends for dirt on me
. It’s not fun. And that’s just the paparazzi. You don’t even know the insane shit I’ve dealt with from fans. If I have to go out in public, I bring security with me. Do you know what that’s like?”

He looked
so
distraught as he navigated through lunchtime traffic, and I realized that he really had no privacy whatsoever. He was that big of a star. He couldn’t just go to the grocery
store or to Starbucks or to a mall without the fear of being spotted. I knew it was easier in L.A. since most people who lived there saw celebrities regularly enough that
they didn’t care
, but that didn’t mean a tourist or a fan wouldn’t approach him if he was out and about.

“
No, Jase, I don’t know what
it
’s
lik
e,” I said, resting my hand on
his thigh. “But I like you, and I’m not willing to push you aside on the off-chance that I might have my picture taken or you might have to sign a few autographs when we’re out.”

Jase opened his mouth to say something, but at the last minute changed his mind, and
he turned the music back up. W
e were silent the rest of the way.
I had a feeling he was going to convince me how wrong I was, and I knew he was right. Being with him was like being on-stage all the
time,
and I needed to think long and hard about whether I really wanted that kind of life.

Sure, things were casual between us now, but what happened if we got serious. Could I commit to giving up my privacy and living with my guard up all the time? I couldn’t decide that yet. In fact the only thing I decided was to push that unpleasant thought from my mind. I didn’t need a dark cloud hovering over what sure to be a pretty great day.

When we arrived on set, Jase dro
ve around to the back of the house which was on a decent amount of land. He parked in front of a trailer, and I saw his name on the front, along with Garrett’s and one other guy
’s
.

“You h
ave to share trailers?”

He shrugged, reacting completely different than how my mom would react if she knew she had to share her personal space on a set. “It’s a lower budget film, so that’s one of the downfalls. It’s not a big deal.”

When I got out of
the car, he took my hand and led
me up the stairs.
I could hear voices from inside
and swallowed hard. What would Garrett say when he saw us togeth
er?
I pulled my hand out of
Jase’s
as he opened the door, but Garrett wasn’t in there. There was just a
dark-haired
guy I recognized from a movie I’d seen earlier in the year, but I couldn’t remember his name. His hair and make-up were being attended to by a short black man who had multiple piercin
gs in his ears and face. Neither guy
bother
ed
to look up when we arrived.

“Where have you been?!” a very high strung, very gay man
wearing a bow tie
asked, as he bounced nervously on his
patent leather
heels. “Sit down now.”

Jase just chuckled as the guy pushed him
into
the
other
make-up chair
, and
the other actor looked over at him.

“Relax, Gary,” Jase said, running his hands back through his hair. “I had something important to do this mor
n
ing, and
Lelani’s
fast. She’ll make sure I’m done in time.”

“They need you
on-set
in twenty minutes,” Gary said, looking down at his clipboard.
“
Lelani
!
He’s here!”

“Coming,” called out a light, musical voice from the kitchen area of the trailer.
She sounded nowhere near as harried as Gary.

Gary turned on me then.
“I’m assuming you’re the important thing he had to do?”

The other actor
laughed under his breath, an
d Jase glared at him. The guy’s smile quickly disappeared
.

I cocked my head at Gary and raised my eyebrows.
“Um, I wouldn’t say he had to ‘do’ me. He just picked me up,” I said
haughtily. “Trust me, I’m not that easy.”

I knew he probably had good reason
s
for assuming Jase had not-so-ethical motives with me, but did he
have to be so vocal about them?
I’d seen the kinds of girls Jase usually dated, and I didn’t want to be reminded of them
.

Gary’s face suddenly brightened in delight. “I like her, Jase,” he said, perching his hands on his hips.

“
Fantastic. I’m so glad you approve,” Jase answered, his tone full of
snark
. “Gar
y, this is Logan
.
She’s a friend of mine. Logan, this is my uptigh
t, but loveable assistant, Gary, and no, I wasn’t doing her. The paparazzi were
camped
out outside of her dorm, so we had to reconfigure how she could get to me.
”

“Hi Gary,” I said
, smiling and
offering my hand for him to shake
. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Gary looked at me in sympathy,
and
his
hand moved
over his heart.
“Nic
e to meet you, sweetheart,” he
said, shaking his head
before he embraced me in a crushing hug
. “Can’t those assholes leave well-enough alone? How did they find out you were seeing each other?”

I noticed he didn’t believe for a second that Jase and I were just friends. He knew better
.

“I have no clue,” I answered him, not sure how the paparazzi had
found out
about Jase and me
.

Maybe someone saw us talking outside Ethan’s house and saw us leave together? Maybe Tracy
and Whitney had said something?
Or maybe the girls o
utside the dorm
had
recognized Jase?
Who knew?
Just as I thought that, Jase looked over at me, but
he
didn’t say anything. I
knew he was thinking the same thing
s
, and if
I found out anyone
I knew
had said anything, they’d be hearing from me.

“Well, you are just gorgeous,” Gary said,
pulling back and
appraising me. “Look at tho
se curls
, that flawless skin, those pink lips!
Simply
fabulous.
Jase, you picked a good one this time.”

Jase
smiled at me.
“I know.”

“How did you two meet?” Gary asked, as he pulled me over the couch and sat me down. “I want the full story.
Are you an actress?
”

“He met her at a party. They’ve been talking on the phone for a few weeks and had a date last weekend,” said
Lelani
,
as she emerged from the kitchen and walked over to Jase, shaking her head.

She l
ooked like she was either Hawaiian or Filipino
.
She was wearing
killer green eye shadow that matched the green streaks in her dark hair, black leather pants and black motorcycle boots that I was sort of coveting.

“Oh, right, this is Party Girl,” Gary said, and I wondered when I’d been given that nickname.
Then he cupped his hand around his mouth and lowered his voice. “You
are
the same girl from two nights ago, right?”

“Gary!” Jase snapped, causing Gary to sit up straighter, as
he
watch Jase glare at him through the mirror.

“Sorry, I was just making sure,” Gary defend
ed
, and Jase just shook his head, clearly not amused.

The other actor and his make-up guy smirked at each other, and I knew what they were thinking. The make-out twins came to mind.

“Still marred,”
Lelani
tsked
, as
she
appraised
Jase’s
chiseled, but bruised jaw
, turning his head to the side and back again
. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix it.”

“I know you will,” Jase said endearingly.

Lelani
pinched his cheek in response and got to work spreading a thick layer of foundation over his face. I wasn’t sure how he could stand the stu
ff, but I guess
ed
after wearing it for so long, he was probably
used to it.

“Hey Logan, I’m Dustin Craig,” the guy in the other chair said. He reached his hand
back
to shake mine.

“Oh, sorry,” Jase said, realizing that he forgot to introduce us. “That’s Dustin. He’s going to die today.”

My eyebrows rose. “How unfortunate for you,” I said, hoping Jase was talking about the movie.

Dustin laughed. “Nah, it’s
gonna
be so cool. I get pushed out of an upstairs window.”

“Oh, um, well, con
gratulations,
”
I said, because he seemed so excited.

“Yeah,” he said, grinning. “I’m hoping to win an award for
the
coolest death scene
in a major motion picture
, so I’m putting everything I have into it.”

“They have awards for death scenes
?” I asked
, not sure I’d ever heard of those
before.

“Nah,” Dustin said. “But I’m hoping maybe
MTV’ll
add one. I’d win for sure.”

“Dude, I’m getting decapitated next w
eek. I think I’ll have you beat,
”
Jase interjected.

Dustin laughed at the challenge
. “I fall through a tree
,
h
it a lot of limbs on the way down
and land at a really gr
otesque angle, so we’ll see who
s
e
scene is better when the movie comes out, Brady.”

In the mirror, Jase caught my eye a
nd
winked, and I couldn’t help
but
smile back at him. I completely e
njoyed seein
g him
like that
. He was so genuine and playful
– so normal – not like the guy who’d been showing off and putting on airs and acting
douchy
at Garrett’s party
.

After hair and make-up, we walked to the set, and I was glad Jase didn’t take my hand again. I was nervous enough about Garrett seeing us that I didn’t want to make things worse. What would he say when he realized I was there with the guy his brother had pummeled
two nights earlier, and t
hat I was dating him?
Would he be okay with it?
Would he tell Ethan?

“Just so you know,” Jase said, leaning close to me and lowering his voice, “I’m not seeing anyone else.”

I was sort of surprised to hear him say that. It wasn’t like I wanted him to date/sleep with other people, but it wasn’t like I expected
us
to be exclusive at that point.

“Oh?” I said for lack of anything more profound.

He shook his head. “Gary has no tact most of t
he time.
I’m sorry about what he said in the trailer.”

“Um, so when exactly did you stop seeing other people?” I asked, stopping when we were halfway to the house
, still hung up on his first statement
.

Jase turned and gave me a funny look. “What do you mean?”

I gave him a small
, and what I hoped was
an
understanding,
smile.
“
Jase,
i
t’s
fine.
I know you’re quite popular with the ladies,” I teased
,
trying to keep things light.
I really didn’t think I had a right to be judgmental about what he did with other women.

“You’re talking about the party the other night, aren’t you?” he asked, a
shadow darkening his features.