Page 158 of The Rom-Commers

And I missed that light so much.

But I guess this was a teachable moment.

If you wait for other people to light you up, then I guess you’re at the mercy of darkness.

I WAS LYINGon the living room floor of our apartment, watching the ceiling fan blades spin and avoiding cleaning the bathroom, when I got a call from Logan.

“Are you sitting down?” Logan said.

“Even better,” I said. “I amlyingdown.”

“Brilliant,” Logan said. “Brace yourself.”

I flattened my arms against the floor. “I’m braced.”

“Donna Cole,” Logan said, “wants your screenplay.”

I sat up.My screenplay? What screenplay?“The Accidental Mermaid?” I asked. I never even gave it to her.

“The Rom-Commers,”Logan said.

“Okay, there’s been a mistake,” I said. “I haven’t written a screenplay calledThe Rom-Commers.”

“Yes, you have.”

“How? In my sleep? I’m telling you, I didn’t.”

“It’s the one you wrote with Charlie.”

“But that’s not calledThe Rom-Commers. It’s called—”

“He changed the title,” Logan said.

“But—”

“And the plot.”

“Apparently.”

“Now,” Logan said, “it’s about two screenwriters who write a script together and fall wildly in love.”

I ignored the funny flutter those words prompted in my chest. “That’s crazy,” I said—though, actually, it was kind of a great idea.

“And guess what?” Logan said. “It’s good.”

“Of course it is. It’s Charlie Yates.”

“Spoken like a person who called his last rom-com ‘a crime against humanity.’”

“Everybody deserves a mulligan.”

“I love your loyalty.”

“Charlie Yatesthe humanis complicated,” I said. “But Charlie Yatesthe writeris the love of my life.”

“You say that like they’re not the same guy.”

“When did he have time to do this?”