Falling Stars (Starstruck Series Book 2) (14 page)

“Logan, I know I shouldn’t walk away, but I’m not happy anymore.  I tried to help you, I did … but this is not what I expected when I married you.”  It took everything in her not to lose it.   Alisa never stopped loving Logan, even after she found out his problem had surfaced yet again. She felt selfish for leaving, but she would be killing herself to stay.  It was clear he didn’t want to be helped; not now, not after he got what he wanted out of her.

It made her sick to think about it; had this been his ploy all along?  The big bad movie star gets the girl and just as quickly as she builds the castle around her—he comes with his mighty sledgehammer of bad choices, causing it to come crashing down?  

She couldn’t deny that she still loved him very much, but it was too painful to stick around.  Alisa knew she would never hear the end of it from her mother, and especially her friends, if she allowed this situation to fester.

Whatever makes you happy…
This time, she could hear John’s voice telling her this, and she would heed that advice.  Clearly, she was unhappy in her current place, so she needed to change it.

The relationship they had built, the fairy tale ending that she once coveted and had come to cherish, was falling apart.  Every step she took away from the scene sent another pillar within their marriage crumbling.  Alisa thought about how things might play out if she stayed but considering the flint that lit the wick, beginning with his accusations about Evan, she knew she had to go. His recurring drug use was a fight that she wasn’t willing to have.

He still said nothing.

“I’m going to … I need some time.”

In a matter of seconds she was behind the wheel of her car, driving down the street.  Her eyes were blurred by tears, and she knew she had to pull over to the side of the road before she could make the call.  She hoped she tapped on the right contact, but the phone was already dialing out.

“Hey, I was just about to text you.”

“I see.” She sighed, relieved to hear his voice.

“What’s up?”

“I need to go somewhere ... anywhere. Can I come stay with you for a while?”

“You have perfect timing. I just got home.”

“Thank you.”  She sniffled and used the back of her hand to wipe the mixture of tears and makeup from her face.

“Is everything all right? What’s going on?”

“I just need somewhere …”  

He knew that cue and offered a sympathetic sigh. “Okay, of course, sweetie. Come over, please.”

“Thank you, John.”

Chapter Nine

Three Weeks Later …

“Hey guys! This is Evie Lewis here in San Diego with my friends Joann and Alisa.  We’re just outside …”

Alisa stood beside her friend who was hosting her video log on her online channel.  She put on the expected Hollywood smile and pretended like she was having fun.  She tuned her out as Evie rambled on about what they’d seen and heard at the convention.  There were four episodes of
Family Insurance
left before the holiday, and she was thankful for that.  There’d been so much piled on her plate since the movie tasks were beginning.

“…What has been your favorite part of the city so far?”

“I’ve met up with some great people, been to fantastic restaurants, and had a blast attending the convention.  I have never been to one before.  Seeing people from all walks of life meet up and interact with one another has been so refreshing.  I remember …”

Part of Alisa was proud of Joann.  When they were younger, she wasn’t able to form a coherent sentence in speech class, much less in front of a camera with thousands of viewers watching.

“What about you, Miss Alisa; what’s your takeaway from this visit?”

“What a beautiful and inspiring scene it is here in San Diego.  I’ve lived in California all my life, but I never had the opportunity to dive in and really get to know this place better.  Everyone here has been amazingly friendly, and like Joann said, there are great places to dine, or just hang out and enjoy the view.”  She was on autopilot.  She hated pressing that button, but she was not exactly
feeling
this whole convention business.  

Alisa was sent to attend the panel for
Gateway
with the cast, including: “The Captain”, Brad Took, and one of the villains, Rhiannon Vincent.  Logan had also been at the table.  Evan was present as well, though only in attendance.  Awkward didn’t even begin to describe how things felt.

Still, Alisa managed to answer questions without getting flustered and interacted with her principle actors and Logan without fail. She considered that a great success.

“All right folks, you heard it here! If you’re not wandering about the convention this weekend, make sure you check out everything downtown has to offer!  Enjoy the …”

There was that smile again.  The words her friend was saying went in one ear and out the other.  She wondered why Evie even invited her to be a part of the video.  She was going to gain followers no matter what the content, since she’d just had that photo shoot with Fitness Monthly. Alisa kind of resented her perfect-figured friend, but at the same time didn’t have any desire to do a nearly naked photo shoot herself.

“Cut!” Milo lowered the camera from his shoulder and gave them all the thumbs up.  ”Beautiful.  Beautiful! Thank you, ladies. We’ll have this uploaded tonight!”

“Thanks, sweetie. Have a good one!”  Evie hugged him.

Milo waved at them all before he hopped into his car and drove away.

Alisa looked at her watch, realizing it was time to report back.  She was going to see the
Family Insurance
crew at her first convention.

Several photo-ops, signings, interviews, and a massive dinner with the gang ate up the rest of her day, so Alisa decided to retreat to her room.  The girls had given her the option to room with them, but she decided to go solo. She didn’t want to be a bother, and she had the money to accommodate herself, so she splurged.

Evan text her several times to check in with her.

Hey stranger.

Hey.

Are you coming out with everyone tonight? It’s our last night here.

She was at the convention all four days, and since it was a packed itinerary, Alisa did more hiding than anything.  
Probably not. Editor wants me to finish up and get new one rolling.

Come on, you’ve been cooped up in your tower all day.

Sipping her wine, she laughed aloud.  Evan had become notorious for making princess references.

Does this mean you’re going to ask me to let down my hair?

Only if you let me climb up.

She set down her phone. Though a tempting offer to hang out with everyone, she was already turned in for the evening, and she needed rest. It was time for a shower.  Alisa clicked on her mellow playlist and let the music run, stepping under the welcoming shower head which relaxed her aching muscles.  She stood under the running water for a few minutes, rinsing the body wash from her skin.

After towel-drying her hair, she dressed comfortably for the evening. Reaching for her phone, she saw that Evie and Joann wanted to kidnap her for a night out.  She politely refused to party with the crazy single ones.  Logan had sent her a message complimenting her on the outfit that Winnie, her stylist, had picked for her to wear to the panel. He’d attached a picture of him and the boys at the bar and gave her a play-by-play of what she was “missing”. She sighed and hit the delete button.

Is he really just acting like nothing happened?
Alisa asked herself.

Just before she started to feel anxious over the situation, she breathed out slowly. Alisa had reserved this time to breathe. It was
her
time, free from stress, free from emails, free from sobriety.  Accompanied by a fresh and delicious bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as her laptop, Alisa sat out on her balcony. It was a cool night in the coastal city.  Her room was six floors up, overlooking the sea, and a comforting breeze blew through her dark tresses.

For hours she’d been staring at the same thing: a white screen.  The Word software was open, and the cursor was flashing at her from the top of the empty document.  It was time for her to start planning her next book.  Cast outlining was usually where she started, but even now, with all of her experiences and sights seen – she had nothing to write.

There was a knock at her door.  

It made her heart skip a beat; she wasn’t expecting company.  The only people who knew she was there were Evie and Joann, and she’d just seen their check-in at a club downtown.

Leaving the door chained, she pulled it open slightly. Peering in at her was a much unexpected face, making her shriek and jump back.

“Ohmygod.”

He laughed.

“You scared the shit out of me.”  She pulled the chain restraint from the door and let him in.  As he entered, his very expensive Armani jacket fell to the floor. Alisa promptly picked it up and draped it neatly over the desk then rested her eyes on her guest.  

Evan Gable took two steps in and stumbled, bracing himself against the wall between the bed and the bathroom.  “I knew you’d let me climb up.”

“Oh no…” She uttered, “You’re drunk.”

“I…am not.”  Evan pointed at the ceiling, his eyes hazy.

Reaching out to steady him, she got an eye-watering whiff of Jack Daniel’s, his proclaimed favorite.  “You so are.”

“Just had a few beers with the guy from that one production company with the…the vampire things, and then saw the guy from that hunting…”

“Quin?”  Her stomach spun, “You saw Quin?  Who else was with him?”

It was too late to turn back.  She’d already spit out the words, though in his current state of mind, Evan probably wouldn’t be able to assemble the pieces.

“Yeah, he was with his meathead friends, and I had drinks with the vampires.”

“All right, killer, let’s get to the bed.  You need to lie back and just take it easy, all right?”

Alisa led him to the edge of the bed and encouraged him to lie back.  She gently rested his head on a stack of pillows.  

“Don’t mind if I do.” He tried to be playful and tickle her, but she stopped him from getting too out of control.  She pinned his arms back over his head, restraining him.  His eyes widened. “Ooh, well then.”

“No! That’s not what I—” She blushed.  “Evan … you need to just relax, understand? I’m gonna get you some ice water.”

“I’ll just take another Jack and …”

“Water.  You’ll have a water.”

The muscles in his face relaxed, and then he frowned.

“I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be right here.” He proudly declared.

Wrapping herself in a hoodie, she slipped on her shoes and marched outside.

There was a group of twenty-somethings at the vending machine.  They were a quiet bunch, until she’d filled her bucket to the brim and started back towards her room.

“I heard Logan Rider is here alone.”  One of the girls uttered.

“Isn’t his wife here? Alisa, or whatever?” The other girl asked.

“I dunno, but he was at the bar with Quin and Christian Neel!” The first girl responded.

The pair of girls squealed, and the two boys who accompanied them groaned.

“Get over it, girls. They’re never going to notice you.”

“You never know.  Hollywood guys are so—”

Shutting the door behind her with some force, she came back to see Evan still lying on the bed.  He had a dazed grin on his face that made it hard to keep from laughing. He patted the vacant spot on the bed beside him, and she took a seat.

The two ended up watching and analyzing his movie
Letting Go
, which was, surprisingly, available on the hotel TV.  She was shocked that he stayed awake for as long as he did, considering how drunk he was. The conversation he offered while inebriated was definitely entertaining.

Evan had all but sobered up in the heat of the discussion, trying to defend the script (which he had co-written) to Alisa, who had some reservations about it.

“I mean, I get why he said that to her, but what does that even mean?”

“It means whatever will be,
will be.
”

“Yeah, I know what that means
  
but that’s like saying
it is what it is…
Man, I hate that saying.” Alisa clenched her fist, and he placed a reassuring hand over it. “Why not just say,
nothing to see here,
move along, kid
, instead of giving her hope and promises for a future he can’t even guarantee?”

Evan laughed. “Calm down, phrase police. It’s just a saying.  You of all people should know a lot of these age-old catchphrases.”

“Was that an age joke?”  She narrowed her eyes.

He raised his hands in surrender.  “I said nothing.”

“I guess it’s sweet.
I guess
.  Maybe I just wish …”

When her voice trailed off, Evan’s ears perked up. “You wish what?”

She could still smell the faint scent of Jack Daniel’s on his breath, and her nose crinkled. Alisa laughed. She shrugged too, letting her shoulders rise and fall loosely.  “I guess I just wish more people were like Gordon.  He’s chivalrous, polite, and upfront.  There’s no real hidden agenda; it’s all cut and dry.  Except when it comes to telling her that
it is what it is
.  He buys her flowers, makes her breakfast … With all of the testosterone-infused machismo overflowing in the market, all of the action flicks; it’s refreshing to see stuff like this.  A slice of life, if you will.”

“So you’re saying you like flowers, and breakfast, and guys like Gordon?”

Looking over at Evan, she let his question settle in.  Logan was once like that; he made her breakfast the morning after blowing her mind in the bedroom.  She remembered waking up wearing his shirt and nearly tumbling when she felt her feet hit the floor; her legs had been like Jell-O.  She could still smell her spinach and mushroom omelet and toast.  He’d even picked a flower from outside to put next to her plate.  She remembered his smile, that gorgeous white smile.  Logan had also showered her with gifts, notably sending her flowers when he was overseas.  He would always check in on her when he was away, calling her by video to see her … but was that just because he was guilty?

Ugh
…
well, it was a happy thought for a second.

“Lis?”  Evan waved.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been a little out of it today.”

“Just today?” He nudged her.

“Shush.” She chuckled and looked down at her feet stretched out beside his.  He’d kicked off his shoes at some point.  She noticed his bright socks at the end of his dark jeans.  

There it was again.  The dawn of silence that opened up in the midst of good conversation.  It happened a lot, but when it came to conversations with Evan, Alisa figured it happened more often than not. She tried not to lose herself in his eyes, but it was difficult.

“I’ll be right back.”

Alisa walked into the restroom and shut the door behind her. She rested against the door and leaned her head back, exhaling audibly. When she turned towards the faucet, she took a hard look at herself in the mirror.  

What was she doing? She was married, for the second time in a matter of 7 years, and here she was again, unhappy.  Alisa was at the age that made her question her judgment, her quality of life and most importantly, what she was going to do from that moment on.  She had a single man in her room, a devilishly handsome one at that, and he was tempting her at every opportunity.