solid plans to keep me around when the appeal of being with me wore off.
Even without a contract to guide our relationship, she was definitely the one calling all the shots, and I tread lightly to make sure I didn’t overstep my bounds. I didn’t try to hide how into her I was, or the fact that I’d liked her for a lot longer than she was aware of. Unfortunately, Maren didn’t hide her hesitation to let me matter anymore to her than I already did. I never imagined I’d be the one desperate to define our relationship as something more than friends who fucked whenever the urge struck. She had yet to come by my house for anything more than a business meeting, and while our friendship and working relationship had grown and improved, I still felt like I was on the outside of something bigger, something more important, without a way inside. It left me feeling cold and alone when I had time to really think about the situation.
I couldn’t really complain because I’d always dreamed about getting to be with Maren in any kind of way if I managed to get her to forgive me. It made me feel greedy when I internally complained that having unlimited access to her body wasn’t enough. But I really wanted to touch her everywhere, including her tightly guarded heart. I knew she’d been hurt very badly and was more careful than the average woman getting back into dating after a divorce. But her walls were so high they were impossible to climb, and the only way I was getting in was if she lowered the drawbridge.
“You’re really into her. I knew you had a crush on her and have been fixated on her for a really long time, but I guess I didn’t really understand how serious you were about her. That damn script is nothing more than a love letter to Maren Copeland.” Jeno reached out and pushed my shoulder playfully. “You guys look good together. I keep seeing pictures of the two of you on all the different celebrity news sites. People are willing to sell their souls to get anyone close to the two of you to confirm if you’re dating or not.”
I snorted and pressed down on the gas as the pace of the traffic picked up. “How can anyone close to us answer that question when I can’t even answer it? I don’t think Maren would consider what we’re doing as dating, but she would lose her mind if it leaked that we were sleeping together without any kind of label. That’s the opposite of her goody-two-shoes image.”
Jeno laughed. “I actually think all the speculation has been pretty good for her. A lot of your younger fanbase has gone back to stream the first show you guys worked on together because they’re curious about your relationship. And a lot of her fanbase is now paying attention to you, because who doesn’t want a hot, younger lover? So far, all the press around the project is nothing but good. All the questions about your possible romance have added an air of mystery that’s working to our advantage. So, try not to screw it up before the movie releases.”
“We head to location soon to start shooting. It’s the first time I’m going to be away from home for a long period since I got out of rehab. I’m a little worried about how I’m going to adjust.” And I was worried about how filming was going to affect my relationship with Maren. We were both professionals, and she took her craft seriously. I’d worked with her before, and I knew she didn’t play around on set at all, but now that we were involved in other ways, it wasn’t clear if our arrangement was on a time limit when it came time to get in front of the cameras for hours and hours a day.
Jeno cracked his knuckles as I took the exit that would take us into the suburban neighborhoods filled with Spanish-style estates where my grandmother lived. My mom came from money. Her parents were well off, and then she married my dad without a prenup when they were young and dumb. She had enough cash to live a life of leisure, and she took full advantage. Luckily, my grandmother was levelheaded and logical. She filled in all the gaps that my mother’s parenting had lacked while I was growing up. She was the only