Page 102 of Just for the Cameras
The job?
What job?
And amazing?
I could actually think of many more adjectives to describe this moment.Amazingis not one of them.
“I did.” He hugs her tightly, his hand splaying across her lower back, and this innate need to rip him off her squeezes at my chest, begging me to make a move.
He has about one second to fucking pull away before I force him to.
Luck is on his side because she releases him and steps back. “You hired a good one,” Maple says with so much excitement that I wonder where this girl has been hidden this whole time. She sure as hell isn’t that excited around me. Then again, do I give her anything to be excited about? “When we were together in Peru, I learned so much from him. He cares so much for the flamingos.”
Wait…this is Peru Boy?
Slutty Little Glasses is Peru Boy?
That…that’s information that I didn’t want to fucking hear because I remember the look in her eyes when she spoke about Peru Boy, the dreamy stare. The yearning. The dreaming. And this is him?
Irritation claws at me.
A low, pulsing panic erupts in my chest.
And for the first time since I met Maple, I have the distinct sense that maybe…fuck, maybe I have “feelings” for her.
Jesus Christ.
“If I haven’t mentioned it, you look really great,” OC says as he leans against the wall of the building where we are waiting for our last shoot of the day. We’re all wearing our team gear and jeans, looking like a bunch of fuck boys being bent over by their team ownership, and the only thing on my mind right now is how Maple is with Slutty Little Glasses. Probably laughing it up and touching each other and talking about old memories of being in Peru.
What are the goddamn chances?
“They’re going to Photoshop my eye,” I grumble as I take a sip from my stupid zoo water bottle.
“Wasn’t talking about the eye, man.”
“Yeah, you seem kind of…down,” Bennett says as he peels a banana, then takes a big bite.
“I’m not down,” I say, even though I kind of feel down. Jesus Christ, I need to get my head checked. Shouldn’t I be angry? Shouldn’t I be spitting fire? Should I have already kicked over one of the godforsaken lights they shined on us during the interviews?
“Uh, you kind of are. What’s going on?” OC asks just as Maple walks by, Slutty Little Glasses walking beside her.
“Hey,” she says, waving and then turning her attention back to him as they head toward the front of the zoo.
I watch them, studying their body language, attempting to force them apart with sheer mental power. But they don’t budge as she laughs and bumps into his shoulder while he places his hand on her back for a mere second before laughing as well.
And just like that, a spark of anger fires off in the pit of my belly, and I can practically feel myself snorting, ready to charge the asshole.
“Um, I think it has to do with that guy over there,” Bennett says, clearly able to track my inability to hide my feelings.
“Yeah, I think you nailed it, dude,” OC says. “So who is he?”
I stare off at them and in a low voice, I say, “Slutty Little Glasses.”
“Nooooo,” OC drags out, turning to watch them.
“Fuck, really?” Bennett says, turning as well.
And together, we watch them all the way until they take a turn out of view.
