Breaking Stars - J. Sterling Page 0,43

all the time about you. She used to say I had a thing for you. Eventually we stopped watching together any movie you were in.”

My smile grew even wider. “So,” it was my turn to poke him in the ribs, “did you have a thing for me, Tatum? Like what you saw on the big screen?” I giggled.

“This conversation is over,” he snapped, but his tone wasn’t unfriendly. I dropped it, but the idea of Tatum liking my work and my movies warmed me from the inside out.

I wasn’t sure how long we stayed side by side, our bodies pressing against each other with nothing but the sound of our breathing between us, but I knew damn well I wouldn’t be the one to break our connection or our silence. It was the most comfortable stillness I’d ever experienced.

Until it ended.

“I can’t believe that Paige freaking Lockwood is in our hometown,” said a guy who had wandered along with his girlfriend next to the truck. “Tatum, you lucky son of a bitch, keeping her all to yourself!” The guy lifted his arm to give Tatum a high-five, but couldn’t reach him.

His girlfriend grinned at me, her teeth flashing white in the darkness. “Paige, it’s so nice to meet you. I love all your movies. You’re so pretty in real life. And so skinny. What’s LA like? Is it as amazing as it seems? Do you see movie stars everywhere you go? Wait, what am I saying.” She paused and then giggled. “I mean, you’re a movie star, so of course you do!” The girl rattled off questions quicker than I could answer them, so I just smiled and waited for her to stop.

“You said you wanted normal,” Tatum whispered while the girl continued to talk.

“This isn’t really normal,” I said as the realization dawned on me that he had a point.

Tatum shot me an amazed look. “Paige, when will you realize that you aren’t normal? Your life isn’t normal. You want something you’ll never truly be able to have. People are always going to treat you differently because of who you are. You have to accept that.”

I didn’t respond; I couldn’t. I hated that he was right. His points were making too much sense and it scared me.

Tatum eventually cleared his throat and the girl stopped talking when he said, “Paige, I’d like you to meet Luke and Jessica. This is Luke’s parents’ farm. And Jessica has been his girlfriend since we were about thirteen.”

“Twelve!” they both yelled in unison before giving each other a sloppy kiss.

“It’s nice to meet you both. Luke, I love your property. It’s beautiful. And Jessica, thank you for all the compliments. You’re super pretty too.”

Tatum leaned over the side of the truck bed and waved them closer. “Will you both do us a favor?” he whispered, acting like he was letting them in on a big secret. Luke and Jessica leaned in close. “Don’t tell people that she’s here, okay? I already asked everyone earlier to keep it quiet, but I don’t know where you two lovebirds were.”

They laughed and started to say something, but Tatum interrupted. “And I don’t want to know. But listen, we can’t have it getting out that Paige is in town or she’ll have to leave.”

“Oh no! Don’t leave!” Jessica giggled, reaching for my hand.

“Don’t ever leave! Marry Tatum and stay here forever so we can all be best friends,” Luke slurred as he tried to regain his balance.

Brina’s bitchy voice cut through the night and my back stiffened. “Like that would ever happen. Paige Lockwood, Hollywood royalty, marry small-town, going-nowhere, biggest-disappointment-in-three-counties Tatum Montgomery? Why on earth would she ever do something as stupid as that? She could have anyone she wanted.”

I turned to look at Tatum, but he was too busy shooting daggers at Brina through narrowed eyes. Reaching out my hand, I placed it on his bicep, but he shrugged it off. Swallowing the hurt that followed, I searched for the right words, desperately wanting to help.

“Cut it out, Brina. I’m sorry, you guys. She’s drunk, don’t listen to her.” Celeste maneuvered around her best friend and tried to pull her away.

“I might be drunk, but that doesn’t mean what I’m saying isn’t true. Tatum, you think you could ever keep someone like her? What a joke,” she spat out, venom dripping from every word. “You couldn’t even keep me.”

“Thank God for that.” The words tumbled out under his breath and I gasped.

Brina narrowed her eyes at