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“What’s up?”
Darcy spoke up a little more. “Turn around slowly. There’s someone here. Someone you have to see.”
Rachelle was frozen with fear. Already, she read Darcy’s tone and guessed who it was. She swallowed and slowly turned her head to find Eddie encircled by a group of friends, laughing. His hair glistened in the firelight.
Rachelle turned back and placed her hand over her mouth.
“Do you want to go?” Darcy asked.
Rachelle shook her head. “Nothing is going on between us. Why would I go?”
“Right,” Darcy said.
Their other friends gave Rachelle sidelong glances. They’d noticed Eddie, too. Tension filled the air. Rachelle drank her beer a little too quickly and tried to stop herself from glancing over her shoulder. When she did, just once, she found Eddie’s eyes upon her. Watching her. She couldn’t breathe. Quickly, she turned back to Darcy, trying to think of something to say. Anything to distract herself.
“Hey, Rach.” Eddie’s voice rang out across the bonfire. He’d cleared the distance between them and hovered directly behind her.
Rachelle couldn’t breathe. She forced a smile and popped to her feet. “Oh, hey, Eddie. What’s up?” She hoped her tone was cool and easy.
She could feel every eye upon them, watching them.
Eddie popped a beer and clinked his against hers. His smile was constant. “Just trying to relax. It’s been a wild time for us, huh?”
“Totally.”
Eddie laughed and tossed his head. “I never imagined being a server at that restaurant would get me anywhere. I guess you never know where life will take you, huh?”
“You’re a great server!”
Rachelle winced. That was a stupid thing to say.
“But yeah, you’re meant for something else,” Rachelle said. “I always see you talking to the producer.”
“We’re buds,” Eddie said. “I don’t know if it’ll go anywhere. But I’m enjoying my fifteen minutes of fame.”
“My sister told me to enjoy it, too,” Rachelle said. “But honestly, I’m a nervous wreck.”
“Same,” Eddie said, lowering his voice and glancing around. The people around them had grown bored and returned to their own conversations. “I mean, I’ve been dieting and exercising like crazy because the TV adds ten pounds. And I get so scared when I check my social media. I hate that I want my fans to like me!” He laughed at himself.
It warmed Rachelle’s heart to talk to him about this. She suddenly felt less alone.
“It’s bizarre that strangers think they know so much about us,” Rachelle said. “And it’s all fiction!”
Eddie stepped closer to her. “Diana’s not giving you a hard time, is she?”
“No way,” Rachelle said. “I like her even more than I thought I would.”
Eddie beamed. “I like her, too.”
Again, jealousy swelled in Rachelle’s stomach. She took a long drink from her beer.
“I don’t like her like that,” Eddie added, winking. “Just to be clear.”
Rachelle laughed a little too long and a little too hard. She dug her shoes into the sand.
“Do you want to walk for a second?” Eddie asked. “I want to talk more about this, but I don’t want everyone to hear.” He glanced from side to side.
Rachelle had the sensation that he was the only person in the world who could ever understand her. She wanted to kiss him on the spot.
