bathroom and immediately turned on the shower, cranking it as hot as she could stand. Should I just come right out and say it already? Waiting on him is hard. Not to mention confusing. He gave off a lot of mixed signals. Ever since they'd gone to town, he'd been a bit bolder in his affections. Any chance he could, he seemed to grab her hand or touch her in some way. Yet the emotional guards were still up. She could sense he had something he wanted to say, but for some reason he held back.
Somehow she'd have to encourage him to step out of his shell. I have to tell him how I feel. That I'm just as confused and scared as he is, but we shouldn't hinder this anymore. We can't let fear rule our relationship, or we'll never know the answer to that 'what if' of whether or not we'd be able to make it last. Now I just have to figure out how to go about telling him.
A smile formed on her face as she washed her hair. She knew Bryce well enough to understand just what he'd need to feel secure and not run away from her. A safe atmosphere was key, and there was no place safer than the farm for either of them. There was privacy and peace. The thought of exploring her relationship with him to the fullest had her feeling warm all over. Her stomach, while churning with nerves, also had a smooth silky feeling inside. Being with Bryce was right. They were right for one another. Now all she needed was a plan for how she would tell him.
If there was one thing she knew about Bryce, it was how much he enjoyed the simple things. No wonder he loved being out in the countryside with her so much. She could see it all over him. The way he smiled, the way he walked, and the way he treated others. It all was so much lighter than anything she'd experienced back in Los Angeles, and that was saying a lot. She didn't think it was possible for him to be any nicer. Without the jading of the city looming over them both, it must have been easier to be genuinely happy. No one was around to question or criticize it.
Simplicity. That would be key to her plans, and with that as her backbone, she began to think up their perfect date. Now all she had to do was make sure she didn't lose any of her nerve, or it would all be for nothing.
Chapter Thirteen
In a few short minutes, Bryce would be arriving at the house to pick up Arial. For the first time in months, she agonized over whether or not she looked absolutely perfect. It'd been even longer since a guy was the reason for it. Normally, she made sure her appearance was up to standard for the paparazzi. If she ever got caught not wearing makeup in public, it had better happen for a good reason. Keeping up a good image for the world to see was important. There were few people who cared to see a star as anything less than glamorous, unfortunately.
The last guy she had gotten beautified for had been at least a year ago. An ex-boyfriend she was going out to meet after a long time of not seeing him — a date where he dumped her because she wouldn't give him her virginity. He didn't feel like the relationship was progressing enough, and if he was going to wait for five months for any kind of physical contact from a woman, he reasoned it needed to be good. When she told him she wasn't ready, he laughed. All it did was feed on her insecurity.
Being a virgin in Hollywood was like a disease, one she didn't know whether she wanted to be cured of. Her manager subtly hinted that some producers did not care for her lack of experience. Despite her ability to play the role of the hussy on Three Wishes, there were some things that couldn't be taught without firsthand knowledge. Throwing it all away for work was an even more stupid reason to hook up with some random guy. Love was important to her.
Love was something everyone wanted, right? So why did it seem so strange for her to desire it, too? A lot of her Hollywood acquaintances thought it a nice dream, but no one encouraged her to