Starstruck - Book Four (6 page)

Ava’s face fell at first and then twisted into a conniving
smile.

“You’ll be back,” she snickered. “You always come back.”

He led me outside as fast as he could.

“I told you it was going to be pointless for you to talk to
her,” he sighed.

“I at least wanted to try,” I replied. “She didn’t faze me.
I swear. She’s downright psychotic.”

“She needs help,” he said. “A lot of help.”

We pulled out of her driveway and sped as fast as possible
to the Pacific Coast Highway.

“That was so freaking bizarre,” I mused as I stared out the
window at the ocean besides us. “All of it. Has she always been that dramatic?”

“Not always,” he said.

“I see,” I said. “So who dumped whom? Just out of
curiosity.”

He bit his lip, as if he didn’t want to answer but he knew
he had to.

“She dumped me actually,” he said. He almost seemed
embarrassed about it.

“So you were holding onto crazy all that time?” I asked.

“I was trying to help her get better,” he said. “I thought I
could bring the old Ava back. The Ava I first met. By the time I realized it
was a lost cause, she’d cheated on me with one of her co-stars and it was
over.”

“And now you have me,” I said. I wanted to remind him that
he had moved on to greener pastures. I didn’t have an ounce of the kind of
crazy that Ava had in me.

“Yes,” he said as he turned to me and smiled. He reached for
my hand and our fingers interlaced.

Cozying deep into the smooth leather of the passenger seat,
I refused to let Ava have any more of my perfect day. I got to see my mom. I
saw Hudson stand up for me in front of Ava. And now I was watching the sunset
over the ocean. Ava didn’t get to steal any more of my day than she already
had.

Saturday night Hudson made us reservations at a hot new
restaurant in town called Bianca y Rosa. It was some kind of Spanish-Italian
fusion cuisine, and he’d heard nothing but amazing things about the food but tables
were booked out for weeks in advance. Hudson, of course, pulled some strings
and got us in right away.

I soaked for a solid hour in his big bathtub surrounded by
millions of subtly scented bubbles. I sipped champagne and listened to music
from my iPod. It had been far too long since Hudson and I had had a proper
date, and the past week had been rough on our relationship.

I took my sweet time getting ready, slathering expensive
lotions and creams over every inch of my body. I wanted to be as smooth and
soft as possible when we made love that night. Just the thought of sex with him
got me hot with anticipation.

As I inhaled the scents of luxury and elegance, Hudson’s
reflection appeared in the mirror behind me.

“Hey,” I said as he came up behind me and wrapped his hands
around my hips. I pulled my towel tighter around me. “Save this for later,
okay?”

“I don’t know if I can wait,” he whispered in my ear while
he nibbled it.

“I can’t wait to go out tonight,” I said. Alec had helped me
pick out the perfect date night outfit earlier that day, and I’d just had my
hair done that morning, so it worked out perfectly. I figured there would be
paparazzi out there, and this time I was going to be more than prepared for
their glaring flashes and off handed comments.

“I can’t wait to get you back home,” he replied.

I smiled as I watched our reflections in the mirror. In many
ways, I hardly recognized myself, but in so many other ways, I loved the woman
I was becoming. She was fearless, adventurous, and beginning to let go of the
ideals she’d once clung to out of sheer comfort and fear of the unknown.

“Reservations are in an hour,” he said. “I just came in to
remind you.”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” I teased. “If you want me to
look good, it takes time.”

“You always look amazing, Brynn,” he smirked as he looked me
up and down before exiting the bathroom.

I hurried up, did my makeup, and got dressed, donning a black
jumper with an insanely deep, plunging neckline. I slipped on a pair of diamond
stud earrings and spritzed on some gardenia perfume. After searching high and
low for the perfect pair of red-bottomed shoes, I was finally ready.

“There she is,” Hudson said as I walked out to the kitchen.
He’d been standing there for a while, waiting, and talking to Flor.

Flor looked me up and down and said nothing, only offering a
polite smile.

“Ready?” he asked as he extended his hand and helped me into
his car. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to walking in five inch heels.

The restaurant scene was hopping. There were throngs of
patrons, tourists, VIPs, and wanna-bes all standing outside the building or
coming and going. Two spotlights lit up the earth above us as their beams
crossed against the backdrop of the night sky.

We valet parked and hurried inside, quickly ushered to our
table in a dark corner away from most of the action. Hudson always knew how to
get the best seats in the house.

The place was dark and a single candle in a simple crystal
glass lit the space between us, illuminating Hudson’s devilishly handsome face.

“You look beautiful tonight, Brynn,” he said. “I can’t stop
staring at you.”

I blushed, though I was sure he couldn’t see it in the dim
lighting of the restaurant.

“Thanks,” I smiled. “You look quite handsome yourself.”

His eyes twinkled as they locked onto mine, like he was
envisioning some sort of play-by-play he had planned for me later that night.

Our server came to take our drink orders, and Hudson ordered
us a bottle of some kind of red wine I’d never heard of before.

“Will you excuse me?” I asked him. The champagne from my
bath earlier was beginning to fill my bladder and I couldn’t fight it off any
longer. “I’m going to run to the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”

“Of course,” he said. He stood up from his chair when I
stood up. A true gentleman.

With my clutch in hand, I navigated my way to the ladies’
room for a little relief. But the moment the door swung open, I was faced with
the last person I expected to see.

As we nearly collided, she quickly took a step back and
placed her hands firmly on her hips.

“What are you doing here?” Ava asked, as if I was intruding
on her turf.

“I’m on a date with Hudson,” I replied, not that it was any
of her business.

She stared me up and down with a mean girl smirk on her
face.

“That’s funny,” she said. “I told him I was coming here
tonight.”

She’s just trying to get into my head, I told myself. Don’t
listen to her.

“Whatever, Ava,” I said as I tried to push past her, but she
wouldn’t get out of the way. She stood with her feet cemented firmly in place.

“You know what’s funny to me?” she said, her eyes piercing
into mine. “You’re so fucking dumb that you don’t see what’s going on. We’re actors,
sweetie. That little scene at my place the other day? An act. I’m not suicidal.
Not even close. It’s all an act to give Hudson an excuse to spend time with
me.”

“I don’t believe you,” I said to her. I could feel my lip
quivering and prayed she didn’t notice she was starting to get to me.

“Well that’s too bad,” she smirked. “If you want to live in
la-la-land with Hudson and believe everything he says, then go for it. Just
know you’re not the only girl he’s fucking.”

“You’re delusional, Ava,” I sighed. She still wasn’t going
to let me pass behind her, and the urge to go had suddenly left me. I spun
around and headed straight back to the table where Hudson was sitting and
waiting patiently for my return.

“What’s wrong?” he said the moment he saw how distraught I
was.

“Let’s go,” I said. “Now.”

His eyes scrunched. He didn’t understand. He looked around
the room as if to search for some sign of chaos or paparazzi or something that
would’ve ruined our perfect little date night, but the patrons around us were
in their own little worlds, enjoying their quiet, romantic dinners the way we
should’ve have been.

I didn’t have time to give him an explanation. I wanted out
of there. It was only going to be a matter of time before Ava found another way
to get under my skin. At any moment she was probably going to saunter past our
table and make a snide remark or throw a sexy glance over at Hudson. I didn’t
have to put up with that. I refused.

Hudson chased behind as I practically ran out of the
restaurant.

“Brynn,” he called out. “Are you going to tell me what’s
going on?”

I couldn’t answer him. I didn’t want to talk until we got in
the car. Who knew what the people around us would hear and who was desperate
enough to sell a story to a tabloid for a few bucks.

“Can you just get the car?” I begged.

Hudson approached the valet and returned to me, massaging
his hands on my bare shoulders.

“What is it?” he asked again.

I opened my mouth to simply say the word “Ava”, but before I
had the chance, she came sauntering out the front door of the restaurant.
Surrounded by a posse of mean girls, she walked right up to us.

“Well, well, well,” she said as her gaze honed in on Hudson.
“Funny seeing you here.”

Hudson rolled his eyes. “Ava, why are you doing this?”

“I should ask you the same,” she snipped. “You knew I was
coming here tonight.”

“That is not true at all,” he said. He didn’t try to hide
the anger in his voice.

The next several seconds were a blur filled with the flash
of paparazzi cameras that seemed to come out of nowhere and the feeling of
Hudson’s hand on the small of my back, ushering me to his car the moment the
valet driver pulled it up.

As soon as we were safe inside the confines of his Range
Rover, we sped off for safer ground.

“What did she say to you?” he asked.

“What didn’t she say?” I replied as I stared blankly ahead
at the millions of stoplights that were upon us. “She was just saying stuff.
Ava stuff. Just trying to get to me again.”

“Like what?” he pried.

“That her suicide attempt was an act,” I said. “That you’re
using it as a reason to see her. That you two were acting at her place the
other day.”

“Brynn,” Hudson seethed. He reached over for my hand. “You
know none of that is true, right?”

“Yeah,” I said. But like Alec told me, people lie all the
time to get what they want.

“If I really wanted to be with Ava, I would be with Ava,” he
added.

“I know,” I said.

We traveled past iconic streets, touristy areas, and
downtown scenes. Everyone was out having fun. Everyone was out living it up
except us. My stomach rumbled as we passed by restaurant after restaurant. We
couldn’t go to another nice place because everywhere required reservations, at
least for the more secluded tables. We couldn’t go to a McDonalds’ or a diner
either. It would cause too much of a scene. The night was a bust.

“Ava is not your responsibility,” I told him as we walked
into his house. “From now on you need to ignore her. Let her go.”

“Brynn,” he said. He closed his eyes. “It’s not that
simple.”

“No, but it is!” I practically yelled. “It’s really that
simple.”

“She needs help,” he said. “Serious mental help.”

“Again, she’s not your responsibility,” I said. My mom
wasn’t his responsibility either. I felt like a hypocrite in that second and
the irony was not lost on me.

He sat down on the bar stool that rested by the marble
island looking defeated. The poor guy was just trying to do the right thing,
yet he couldn’t win. He couldn’t win with Ava. He couldn’t win with me.

“Hudson,” I said as I climbed onto his lap and wrapped my
arm around the back of his neck. “I am crazy about you. I want this to work.
But you’ve got to cut Ava loose. I really hate saying this, but it’s her or
me.”

His eyes moved to meet mine and he looked as if he’d just
heard the words he dreaded the most. Fear coursed through my veins as I waited
for his reaction, but he said nothing. He gently pushed me off his lap and
headed down the hall to go to bed.

Saturday morning I sat quietly poolside, sipping some hot
English breakfast tea and noshing on some scrambled egg whites with spinach and
feta. The sound of the birds chirping in the trees and the smell of the lush
greenery that surrounded the backyard helped center me and gave me an
overwhelming sense of calm.