The car was engulfed in silence after Vaughn’s confession. Jealous? Jealous of who?Her mind raced with thoughts filled with unbelief. If he’s jealous, then that could only mean one thing—does he like Eloise?“Well, at least say something,” Vaughn said, a bit embarrassed that he blurted it out.“What do you want me to say?” Eloise asked, her cheeks warm. “Who would you even be jealous of?”“That Ryan Gosling wannabe,” he grumbled.Eloise couldn’t help but laugh. “Grayson? We’re co-workers!” she exclaimed. “Although I don’t really see the need to explain this to you when you shouldn’t even be jealous.”“I know,” he softly said. “But I can’t help myself.”With that, Vaughn started the engine, the topic being swept under the rug. However, the two of them didn’t talk at all during the car ride. There was still a lingering feeling of awkwardness and uncertainty in the air.They were co-parents, but Vaughn wonders whether it’d be a sin to feel this way toward Eloise.They arrived at the day
Eloise looked at the burning building with disbelief. Many people were crying on the streets, lamenting their loss of resources and property. She opened the car door, but Vaughn held onto her arm. “Where are you going?” he asked. “Let go,” she told him. “I need to see if it’s real.”“I’m coming with you.”Eloise turned around and looked him in the eyes. “Stay here with Ollie,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”Vaughn loosened his hold on her. “We’ll be waiting right here.”Eloise got out of the car and looked at the scene before her. It’s real. It was their apartment building that caught on fire. It was strange, too. Only the upper part of the building had been burnt, affecting Eloise and many others. She saw Cadence, distressed on her phone, and walked over to her. “Cadence,” she said. Cadence turned around and looked at her wide eyes. “Eloise!” she exclaimed. “There you are. I’ve been trying to call you.”“My phone’s dead,” I said. I then glanced at the burnt buildin
“No,” Eloise deadpanned. “You must be kidding. Your house is so big,” she said. “Why do you have only one bedroom?”“I’m the only one who lives here,” he said. “I’m telling the truth, Eloise. You can check every room in this house if you'd like.”“Then, what’s that room over there?” she pointed, walking over to the room perpendicular to Ollie’s. She opened the door and saw a movie theater-like space. She looked at them with wide eyes. “You have a movie theater in your house, but you only have one room?” she asked. “It gets lonely when you’re alone sometimes,” he muttered. “Besides, Ollie would have fun there. It also has a 4D function.”Eloise shook her head in disbelief. “So, when Alina stays here, she sleeps in this very room?”Eloise would rather sleep in the movie theater if that's the case. She can just imagine what the two of them have done on Vaughn’s bed. “Alina has never been here,” he said. “What?” she asked, perplexed. “But the two of you only broke up weeks ago.”He no
“And cut!” Director Hugo exclaimed as the scene finished. Grayson and Eloise parted ways, wet with the fake rain. They had just finished filming their confession scene, and Director Hugo was satisfied with the outcome. “Great job, guys,” the director called out. He then played back the video and frowned when he felt like something was missing. “Their chemistry is great,” he muttered. “But I feel like I have to add something right here,” he stated, pointing at the scene that was currently playing. “I think you’re right, director,” a producer agreed. “Shall I call Eloise and Grayson?”Director Hugo nodded. Grayson and Eloise went to Director Hug’s office after drying off and getting changed. He had a frown on his face, so Eloise felt a sense of uncertainty. He looked alright just a while ago. Did something happen?They sat down in front of him and waited for him to speak. “I want to reshoot the confession scene,” he suddenly said. Eloise and Grayson frowned, looking at each other.
Eloise couldn’t believe what she just heard. “What?” she clarified. “You heard me,” Vaughn said. “The best way you can master something is through practice. Practice makes perfect, right?”“And I have to learn this from you because?” she asked. “Because why not?” he smirked. “It’s not like you have any other person to help you with it? Who else are you going to ask? That Grayson dude?”“I could,” she said, raising her chin confidently. “There’s nothing wrong in asking him to practice. We’re going to be the ones to act the scene out anyway.”Vaughn’s jaw clenched. He already hated the idea of Grayson and Eloise kissing on camera. But behind the scenes? He’d rather lose his company. “We both know you wouldn’t do that,” he said. “Go ahead and call him. Ask him to practice kissing you. I’ll wait.”Vaughn crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back against the couch, his gaze still lingering on Eloise’s face. Eloise bit her lip. Of course, she said those words just to provo
“Shit,” Eloise muttered as she broke away from Grayson once more. “Cut!” Director Hugo called out. “Eloise, are you alright? This is our third take already. Why can’t you do the kiss properly?” he scolded. “Sorry, director,” she quickly apologized. “I’ll do it right away again.”Director Hugo sighed. “You’re a good actress, Eloise, and your chemistry with Grayson is off the charts. I hope it translates into your kiss. We want to give the people a satisfying adaptation of their favorite book, got it?”“Got it,” she swiftly responded. She then let out a deep breath and closed her eyes to calm herself down. “Hey, you alright?” Grayson asked. “Hmm, yeah,” she responded with a smile. Not. She’s not alright!Because what happened last night keeps replaying in her mind. Stupid, stupid Eloise! Why did she let him kiss her like that for such a long time? ‘You liked it,’ her subconscious said. “Shut up,” she muttered. “Hmm?” Grayson asked, confused. “Are you really alright? We can post
“Is it really alright for me to go?” Eloise asked Cadence as she took a sip out of her matcha latte. It was one of the rare days when the two of them had a day off. It’s been such a long time since they’ve hung out by themselves, so they decided to have coffee at a cute little cafe. “Why wouldn’t it be okay for you to go?” Cadence asked. “It’s family day!”“Exactly,” Eloise exclaimed. “It’s for families. It means that we’d have to mingle as Ollie’s parents. You know I would do everything for my child, but what if people ask us how long we’ve been together or something? Do I just tell them that we’re in a co-parenting situationship?”“Yes,” Cadence nonchalantly said. “It’s not unusual. Did you know? Nearly 45% of couples are divorced in the United States. I’m sure you are not alone.”“That’s the thing,” Eloise exasperatedly said. “We’re not a normal divorced couple. We were never really together, either. We’re in this weird ambiguous relationship of being co-parents with some sexual
Eloise turned off the phone call shortly after that. She didn’t wait for Vaughn to explain any further. She was deeply disappointed not only for herself but also for Ollie. Her child looked bright, hoping his father would attend this event. Then, he’s just going to break his promise without any warning?Eloise cast her head to the ground. And to think she was also waiting for this. It was as if their progress had gone back to zero. She already felt uncomfortable thinking about going back to his house tonight.Ollie ran to his mother, still with a huge smile on his face. “Mommy! Mommy!” he called. “The event is about to start. When is Daddy coming?”She pursed her lips. She had no heart to tell Ollie his father would not make it. “He’s busy, baby,” she said, recycling the same-old excuse. Her heart hurt looking at Ollie’s disappointed face. However, despite that, he still smiled, which only made Eloise’s heart hurt even more. “I’m sorry, baby,” Eloise whispered, gently squeezing th