Just Like Me (18 page)

“Did you want something for dessert?”

“No, I’m good.” I said, acting like I found the designs on the table fascinating.

The waiter came back and asked the same question Taylor did. When we both declined, he continued.

“I will bring that check out for you, Mr. Jett.”
              At that, I quickly said no while Taylor said yes. He looked at me, confused.

“No, one check.” He said, nodding toward the waiter. The waiter nodded, about to step away.

“Separate.” I said, catching the waiter’s eye. The waiter raised an eyebrow. “Please?” I added, hoping he would side with me.

“One check.” Taylor insisted. “Thank-you.” And waved his hand, essentially dismissing the waiter. However, the guy didn’t budge and glanced back at me, waiting for me to agree or argue.

“Sir,” I said, realizing he had never given me his name. “Women are striving to become equal in a world dominated by  men, don’t you think I have the right to pay for my own food? As an independent individual?”

The waiter considered this, glancing at Taylor. He raised his eyebrows at Taylor, awaiting Taylor to argue.

“And don’t you think seeing that we live in an independent world, if Mr. Jett insists on paying for my food, it’s depriving me of the right to my own decisions?” I continued when Taylor couldn’t put a thought together.

I caught a whisper of a smile on the waiter’s face; the first time I had seen him break his bored expression all night. Taylor suddenly looked confident and gave me a cocky sideways glance.

“I would argue that old customs suggest that the gentleman should pay for the lady’s meal. You, as a gentleman yourself, would deprive me of my right to pay for the lady’s meal.”

The waiter nodded, looking back at me. I had never been challenged past the women’s rights before. No one had ever dared challenge me on it, they always just gave in. I glanced back up at the waiter, readying a spontaneous response.

“But, really, is he a gentleman?”

I had him. The waiter nodded.

“No.” The waiter said, glancing at Taylor triumphantly. “I wouldn’t. Sorry, Mr. Jett.” Taylor rolled his eyes and shook his head and I gave him a wide smile of triumph. “Separate checks it is, ma’am.”

“Thank-you.” Taylor stared at me, unamused. His expression gradually changed from unamused to subtle admiration.

“Well played.” He said, drumming his fingers on the table. He was obviously a sore loser.

“Thank-you.” I lifted my chin with fake pride.

“But, I must admit Ms. Delaney, it stings that you don’t find me to be a gentleman.”

“I do.” I quickly countered, taking a sip of my water. “But he didn’t.”

Taylor slid the card key through the hotel room door and opened it and allowed me to walk in ahead of him. I had been surprised, but relieved, that he had just gotten a regular hotel room. The presidential had been nice, but overwhelming. The layout of this hotel room was a lot similar to the ones I was used to. A bathroom area, two twin beds, a couple tables and chairs, and a T.V.

“Thank-you.” I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped inside.

“You sound more excited now than when you had the suite.”

“I am.” I went over to the bed and ran my fingers across the cover. Taylor closed the door behind him and leaned casually against the door.

I glanced up, he was watching me again. Arms crossed, observing me as I pulled my hand back away from the bed. I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and cleared my throat.

“Did you pick up your Tony’s?”

“No, I’ll do that on my way out.”

“Not even going to offer me a drink?

              He gave me a flat look.

“You drink?” It wasn’t really a question.
“No.”

“Then why would I offer?”

“You didn’t know I didn’t drink.” I countered.

“Call it intuition.”

I nodded and casually looked around the room again. I looked up as I heard Taylor shift off of the door. He took slow, careful steps toward me. A curious expression played across his face.

“What?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

“Nothing.” He said, closing the last few steps between us. “I was just thinking about where we had left off upstairs before Jerry very rudely interrupted us.”

“I think…I was just about to deny you a kiss.” I teased.

“Oh no,” He said, shaking his head, and gently wrapping his arms around me. “That’s not how I remember it.” He remarked in a low voice.

I met his gaze evenly, picking up on the traces of joking in his eyes. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Was that his heart pounding, or mine?

“I think I was confused by the altitude.” I argued.

“Well, we’re not as high up now.” He teased, and leaned in. I closed my eyes and this time felt his lips against mine. He was soft and gentle, he kept me close to him. His lips moved over mine. With some pressure, my lips parted for him. He tensed but didn’t stop. I ran my fingers through his hair and his grip on my waist tightened. A small groan escaped his lips.

A shrill ring cut through the moment, both of us jumping back away from one another. He swore and jammed a hand into his pocket to take his phone out.

“What, Jerry?” He barked, annoyance coloring his tone. “Ok…fine. Be there in fifteen.” He sounded defeated as he ended the call before getting a farewell out of Jerry.

“They want all the actors of the film I’m working on to come in for an interview.” He muttered, dropping the phone back into his pocket. “I need to get up there.”

“Ok.” My voice was hardly a peep. “It’s just one of those things.”

He nodded, but didn’t seem convinced.

“Can I fly out Friday night? I can use you for a free movie?” He winked but he still seemed to be slightly disappointed.

“I work Friday night.” I answered, feeling the disappointment ring through me too.

“How about Saturday night?”

“I have to work then, too.”

              He scratched his head, considering options.

“I have to be on set tomorrow, Friday morning, and Saturday morning.” He dropped his hand, reeling through the thoughts in his head. He finally glanced up at me.

“We’ll figure something out.” I offered. The high I had been experiencing had shut down. We had different lives, conflicting schedules. It would never work between us.

“Yea.” He nodded. “We will.” He put his hands up to either side of my face. “Kale, we’ll work this out.” He leaned in and kissed me again. A brief, soft kiss that still had the power to leave me breathless.

“Text me.” He said, as he made for the door. “I don’t want to have to beg Jerry for your number. I hate groveling.”

“I will.” I promised him and he nodded.

“Goodnight, Kale.” And just like that, he was gone. And he was on his way to talk to the world. Actually, on his way to make the world fall in love with him. I could just imagine how he’d answer those questions as the cocky Taylor Jett that the world knew. I wondered how the world would react if they saw the true Taylor.

I collapsed on my bed and felt mentally exhausted. What was I getting myself into?

“He
kissed
you?” Lisa was screaming in our dorm, over and over and over…

“Lisa, shush!” I tried, but she was incapable of processing the fact that Taylor and I had kissed.

“
You
kissed him!? You kissed
him
!?” Every time she said it, there was a different inflection on a different word.

“Lisa!” I held up my hands, trying to offer up anything in my power that would shut her up. Here Lisa, take my hands, take my soul, take
something
to be quiet.

“You! Kissed! Taylor! Jett!”

“Yes, Lisa. Yes.” Please, something shut her up.

              I’ve always been used to discussing her physical aspects of the relationship. Whether the guy she dates kisses her right or wrong, how he touches her, when it’s too soon to ask for sex. This was a whole new world. This was me discussing what happened with me and Taylor…and it appeared that she could not handle these types of details from me.

“Was there tongue?” Her eyes were wide and she was hungry for details.

“Lisa.” I made a sick face, wishing I hadn’t opened my big mouth and told her. But I was about to explode, I had to tell someone. And she was my best friend.

“What? It’s just a question. Did he tongue you?”

“No! No…there wasn’t…any…”

“But was it like a simple kiss? Like, one peck and he was done?”

“The second one was like tha-” I slapped a hand to my mouth, but it was too late. It was out there.

“HE KISSED YOU TWICE?!”

              I thunked my head down on my desk. This was hopeless.

“Ok, sorry, sorry, sorry. I just…” She shook her head in disbelief. “I just can’t wrap my head around this. You and Taylor Jett. Man.” Her head was shaking harder and she blinked hard. “You. You are dating Taylor Jett.”

“The second one was like a goodbye kiss,” I said, keeping my head down on my desk, absolutely mortified. “The first one…the first one wasn’t.” I got butterflies just thinking about the first kiss.

“You haven’t kissed anyone since Chris!’

“I know, Lisa.”

“Chris was your first kiss, the only kiss you’ve ever had.”

              I explained to her the roof, and the almost kiss. And then I explained the hotel room, and him having to rush off to do an interview.

“Well, have you even flipped on the T.V. today to see if he was on?”

              I had flown back and barely made my first class. I hadn’t even considered turning that damn T.V. on.

“No but-”

              Lisa was grabbing for the remote, quickly changing the T.V. to the station that featured the 24 hour a day Star Gaze.

“-interview with Reuben Delaney about his daughter, Kale. Her rise to stardom has a lot of people wondering…who is Kale Delaney? So here is a recap of our interview with her biological father, Reuben.”

I heard Lisa gasp as a picture of a familiar…yet unfamiliar face came onto the T.V. His hair had grown more gray than brown, he still wore a full beard, and there were wrinkles now engraved around his face. He had a somewhat nice shirt on and was staring directly at the camera. My father.

“Kale was always a girl who was looking for nice things. We would buy her the best clothes-” His deep drawl was a bit more hoarse than I remembered. I wasn’t used to this calm tone, normally that voice was yelling. “We bought her the best toys, but that was never enough for Kale.”

“Bull shit!” I screamed at the T.V. My father continued, unaware of my outburst.

“I knew when she grew up she’d be looking for a rich guy. And with her winning this contest, well, she’s got her opportunity to have all the things she wanted.”

“So you don’t think she’s actually interested in Taylor?” An interviewer asked, somewhere off camera.

My father let out a low chuckle. “No, she’s ain’t. I talked at her a few days ago…she’s just happy to have an income now. This boy is her full-time job.” My father answered.

“Do you think Taylor will stay with her after this interview gets out?”

“She’s probably had some plan up her sleeve, probably goin’ get pregnant or something so she can stay in this rich lifestyle.”

“You mentioned, sir, that Kale has abandoned you?”

“Yes. She’s living this rich lifestyle now, and I’m still in a trailer. Cain’t afford my bills. She won’t reach out an’ help me in my time of need, so I sit here. I’m rotting away, to the brink of death, and she hasn’t tried to help me at all.”

              The camera cut back to Joe and I resisted the urge to hurl the T.V. across the room. I hated him. I hated that man for getting paid to lie about me on air.

“Kale…” Lisa’s tone was colored with disbelief. “I’m so sorry…I can’t believe after all this time…your dad would do something like that.”

              I shook my head and stared unseeingly at the screen. Tears stung my eyes but I quickly brushed them away. I wouldn’t let him get the best of me. Not after what he did to my mother.

              My attention returned to the actual broadcast when I saw Taylor’s face appear on screen. Lisa yelled, and I shushed her quickly, trying to hear.

“Mr. Jett, are you currently in a relationship with Kale Delaney?”

              Taylor had on the same outfit I’d seen him in after he had dashed off to meet with the interviewers. He seemed more polished and put together under the dim interviewing lights.

“Kale is great.” He answered, a lazy look across his face. “I mean, I’m very attracted to her.”

“We have sources that tell us she was never interested in you or your acting career before this competition, why do you think she’s so interested now?”

“I thought these were going to be questions about the movie.” Taylor answered flatly.

“So are you avoiding the question, Mr. Jett?”

“I’m not avoiding your question; I’m just asking what this has to do with promoting our movie.”

“Well, I’m sure your adoring fans must think Kale Delaney is a distraction from your work as the murderer Todd Watson.”

“She isn’t a distraction. None of my past girlfriends have been a distraction for me.” He answered quickly.

“Do you think she’s using you for money?” Taylor shifted in his chair, getting visibly annoyed.

“Her father’s interview is nothing but pure bullshit. He talks about Kale like he just saw her yesterday, when in reality, Kale has been estranged from her father for 10 years. He doesn’t know her, he hasn’t spoken to her. How could he possibly know anything about her?”

I felt my face heat up; hot with embarrassment at realizing the whole world knew these intimate details about me. My life, my past, Taylor’s life…and now our relationship together…it was a drama for the world to sit back and enjoy.

“Mr. Jett, what about her not reaching out and helping her father, in his time of need? How can you be sure there is no truth behind a need for monetary compensation?”

“Why would she reach out to someone who shut her out ten years ago? I mean, what do you expect her to do? Throw him a bone when he begs?” He cleared his throat. “I’m sitting here, right now, declaring to the world that the relationship I have with Kale Delaney is real. It is as real as it gets.”

“So are you officially announcing that you and Kale are in a relationship?”

“In not so many words, yes. I’m saying that everyone should just mind their own business and let Kale adjust. She isn’t used to this. To any of this.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “I am falling for Kaley Delaney, that’s a fact.”

“You can see the full interview of Taylor Jett on his relationship with Kale Delaney tonight at 8 o’clock. In other news…”

I felt like I couldn’t breathe as I stared at the T.V. screen, tuning out now that I was not the topic on Joe’s lips. I heard Lisa behind me.

“Oh. My. God.” I turned and saw her too staring at the T.V., unable to figure out anything else to say.

I looked at my phone, realizing Taylor had texted me.

Well, I groveled and got your number. Sorry if you’ve seen the interview…I probably shouldn’t have given in and talked about us. They pissed me off. Hope you understand. I want to see you soon so we can talk about it. And I’m not dating you just because you’re hot. Just to clarify.

“Man,” Lisa finally said. “He was all cool and collected until they started bashing you. Then he was all like…fuck you…and they didn’t even back off.”

“I know. Apparently it’s going to be like this for a while.”

It’s ok.

I sent back.

I probably would have said the exact same things.