Lauren closed her eyes, absorbing the familiar sound. “Okay, so I guess you’re too busy to pick up. Or if I’m being realistic, you’re choosing not to, which speaks volumes. Have a nice night.” A pause. “I miss you.”
* * *
Carly could barely hear the message above the loud music. “I miss you.” She lowered the phone, her heart tugging. She missed Lauren, too.
It was just before midnight, and Carly only paused her dancing for a quick drink. It felt good to get out of the house, which had been eating her alive. She needed an escape, a reset button, a lifeline. Dancing her ass off, while keeping her alcohol level to a minimum so as not to get too crazy, was doing the trick.
“From the guy down the bar,” the blond bartender with the spiky hair said and pointed at a gentleman who nodded in her direction.
“Thank you, but no,” she mouthed and slid the shot back. She had zero plans to get sloppy drunk and show up on TMZ all over again. The Hollywood Reporter article that afternoon had been enough.
You’re gonna want to see this, the text from Fallon had said earlier that day. But remember, it’ll be in people’s trash folders by tomorrow so don’t get hung up.
When she opened the short article and read the headline, “Daniel bested for Hennessy role by McAllister co-star,” her first reaction was an eye roll. After all, it had only been a matter of time before Lauren showed up on their radar, and her connection to Carly only sweetened the appeal. The media did their research and seemed to have sources everywhere these days. She just wasn’t expecting it to be so soon. “Really?” she asked her empty kitchen. “Have you not put us through enough?” And she did include Lauren in that because she’d been unfairly punished in all this. Carly was working on putting things right, but she hadn’t yet found the words that would absolve and explain her unattractive behavior. She certainly wasn’t proud of it and was doing what she could to learn about her own weaknesses, and how they manifested and affected others. She owed Lauren a sit-down conversation, and they would get themselves back on track.
The article had saddened her, though, and she’d decided enough was enough. It was time. She needed to take control of her own life before she lost everything, including Lauren. She refused to consider the possibility that she already had. She would face that problem tomorrow. It was a new day and would be a new leaf. For now, letting loose felt like a cool glass of water on a hot day. The music infiltrated her system, fueling her. The dim lighting and the constantly moving strobes offered a much needed feeling of anonymity that allowed Carly to escape. The aerobic exercise released her endorphins. She headed back to the dance floor where she danced with anyone and everyone.
She could not, would not be stopped.
* * *
Lauren squinted at the clock in the darkness of her hotel room. The angry green numbers told her it was after two and she’d yet to fall asleep. She fell back against the pillow with a petulant sigh. Her brain wouldn’t stop running through all the possible options. She touched the lonely pillow next to hers. She’d met success in Hollywood, yes, but she hadn’t found happiness. She’d been infinitely happier back home, and never so happy as when she’d had Carly with her.
Just the thought of her made Lauren’s heart hurt. Understanding that sleep was outside of her grasp, she sat up in bed and took out her phone. Because she was apparently a glutton for punishment, she googled Carly’s name, partially because she wanted to see her face, and also because she wondered if there’d been any casting news.
When she saw an article on The Hollywood Reporter’s website about her taking the Hennessy job from Carly, she went still. Scanning the short piece left her hands shaking and her stomach nauseous. It was bad enough that Carly didn’t get the role she’d so badly hoped for—it was worse that she’d lost it to Lauren, and exponentially unfair to have her nose shoved in it by the press. She wanted nothing more than to talk to Carly, but she’d been shut out. She shook her head and scrolled, pausing on a photo of Carly posted by a fan to Instagram. Lauren squinted and clicked on the photo, blowing it up larger,