The Last Thing (22 page)

“Yeah, right.  What if someone recognized me? What if Mom and
Dad found out? What if they hurt me like that day we went shopping? Something
could happen to the baby.”

“Good. Maybe your parents will pay some attention to their
daughter. And fuck the paparazzi. Who cares about your past? Most of the people
in show business are already screwed up. Your skeletons aren’t anything to be
ashamed of.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I have co-stars who have gone to rehab and have been
caught in scandals. People will be interested in Chase’s new girlfriend, there
is no doubt about it, but they’ll get over it.  You’re about to have a family.
You can’t hide forever. Be with him.  Screw what they think.”

She was right.  If I wanted this new life, I needed to stop
living in my old one. Did I want to risk my privacy for Chase? What if he grew
tired of me in a few months?

 The jealousy I felt when I thought Chase had found someone
new still churned inside. After being numb for so long, it was nice to know I
could still feel this deeply again. I needed Chase all to myself. I wasn’t
going anywhere. I wanted to savor this feeling, a feeling that wasn’t pain.

Chase

Red carpet events were not my favorite. Dressing up in suits
and ties or anything that required pressing wasn’t my style. It wasn’t even for
my movie, but I’d been required to attend thanks to the RSVP of my publicist. Rhea
arranged my date, stylist, and after party plans.  In retrospective, I
suppose this was a load off my mind. I had enough going on as it was. The past
few weeks away from Quinn had been hard, but I wasn’t sure where our
relationship was headed. She had been so open with me that one night, but since
then she had gone back to keeping me at a distance. She needed time. I knew
this, but it was difficult not to fall back into old habits. Girl habits, that
was.

 Chloe was supposed to be my date to the event, but she was
running late. Some type of emergency wardrobe malfunction. The camera lights
flashed in my eyes the second the limo door opened.  I gave them a wide
grin and waved. The lights never fazed me; it was something I’d been around my
whole life.  They all called my name and a hoard of young girls behind red
ropes held out pads of paper for me to sign. Per request of Rhea, I strutted
over to them and obliged to their wishes. Satisfied fans were the best kind.
The security at these types of events was top notch so I let Randall off for
the night. I recognized a few people walking around. Friends of friends, and
people I partied with. No one I really cared to speak with.

“Chase, I love all your shows. Can I get a picture with you?”
a young girl, no older than thirteen with light brown hair, cried out.

 I bent down beside her as she snapped a picture with her
phone.  The poor thing could barely keep her hands steady, but after the
third attempt she successfully snapped a photo that wasn’t blurry.

“Thanks,” she said with a teary mist in her eyes.

 I gave her shoulder a quick squeeze and continued on down
the red carpet.

“Imagine seeing you here.” I turned around to see Harlow
standing there in a long sequined white gown. I let my gaze drift up to her
face, which held a humored smile.

“I didn’t know you would be here, Harlow.”

“It was a last minute decision. Where is the girl of the
hour? Or should I say night?” She moved her head to the side and around me
dramatically as if I were hiding a girl behind me.

“Chloe’s supposed to be my date, but she’s arriving
separately.”

“Really? I’m surprised Rhea allowed that.” She slinked over
to me and gave me a warm hug.

We both walked down the red carpet, stopping for pictures
every few feet.

“How is life?” she asked. “You’ve been practically
nonexistent.”

“Busy. I finished filming a movie, and am in town promoting
this week.”

She gave me a funny look. “There’s something different about
you… yes, you haven’t hit on me! You’ve met someone!”

I was prepared to deny it, but found myself holding back. Harlow
was one of my oldest friends and I needed her advice. I hung my head sheepishly
as if I were caught in the act.

“I have, but she doesn’t want our relationship to be public.”

“I take it it’s not Chloe James then?”

I scoffed. “Hell no.”

“ What’s her name?”

“Quinn.  She’s…..” I browsed the crowd to make sure no one
was listening, but everyone seemed caught up in their own conversations.  “She’s
pregnant.”

Harlow let out a little squeal and brought her hands up to
her cheeks. “Oh my god, Chasey! This is so exciting. What does your mom think?”

“I haven’t told her yet.  Things with Quinn are still new.”

“How did you meet her? I need details.” She moved in quick
and grabbed me by the arm.

“She’s Ginger Teague’s cousin. I met her at a cast party.”

“Ginger Teague has family?” Harlow scrunched her nose in
confusion.

“Yep. Same age. They look nothing alike.” I chuckled,
thinking about how different the two girls were.

“How far along is she?”

“Almost five months. We find out what we are having next
week. At first I was scared, but now it feels like she’s the best thing to ever
happen to me.”

Harlow’s eyes grew wide as someone tapped me on the shoulder.
 I turned to see Chloe standing there with a massive smile on her face. She
smoothed her hands along her massively low cut red dress and turned to give me
a full view of her ensemble.  

 I must keep my thoughts kosher.

It was easy to fall into the façade that we had built around
us. She had a sizzling body, but her personality sucked and I was with Quinn.  I
shamefully looked away from her breasts.

You’re trying to turn over a new leaf. Calm it down.

“Sorry I’m late. Let’s go make people fall in love with us,
huh?” she held out an arm to me.

“We will talk later,” Harlow, promised. She gave Chloe and me
an odd look before turning away. It was apparent that she was confused as to
why my pregnant girlfriend wasn’t at my side. 
Will Quinn ever be by my
side?
I honestly didn’t know.

“Do you want to go get some drinks after the event?” Chloe
asked me. We continued down the aisle, nearing the reporters.

“No thanks. I need to get home early.”

“Come on. You basically ignored me the entire time we were
shooting, and now you act like we aren’t even friends.”

“We aren’t friends, Chloe.”  I didn’t need this type of
temptation.

“According to the world, we are dating. You were begging to
get into my pants just a few months ago.”

The frustration had to be showing plainly on my face. Did she
not understand the idea behind a fake relationship?

“I’m with someone else now. Listen, you’re a pretty girl, but
the situation has changed.”

She wasn’t taking my no for an answer.

“We’ll see what Rhea has to say about this…”

“God,” I exclaimed, “you’re so fucking annoying.”

My voice was louder than intended, and a few people close by
turned to look at me. I shrugged my shoulders and laughed it off as if it
wasn’t a big deal. Chloe glimpsed up at me with huge fake tears in her eyes.
She was making a scene, pretending to be the victim. Just as quickly as the
tears appeared, she sneered and grabbed ahold of my arm to steer us into the
theater.

Oh, I see. You’re gonna play that way.

The rest of the premiere went smoothly. I endured Chloe
following me around like a lost puppy and hanging all over me when a camera was
near. By the time it was over, I was ready to get home and take a hot shower to
wash off the stench of Chloe’s perfume.

When we left the theater, the sidewalk was  littered with paparazzi.
Annoyed, but use to the flashing lights, I jumped into my limo unaware
that Chloe jumped in right behind me. She was supposed to be staying for the
after party. The tinted windows of the limo shielded the photographers from
seeing inside, but it didn’t stop them from knocking on the windows and
snapping photos.

“Tell me again why you’re in my car?” I asked her coldly.

“This is the studio’s limo.”

“I’m going home.” I took off my sports coat and threw it
across the limo seat.

“So?”

“I told you our charade is over. The movie has finished
filming. We made our ‘appearances’ and now we go back to our separate
lives.”

“Actually our contract states that we have to lead people on until
the movie premieres, so that means we have a few more months under our belt.”

Shit, how did I forget that detail?

She scooted closer to me before lightly trailing her hand up
my leg.  “You aren’t as fun as your reputation makes you out to be.”

I laughed; only because I always strived to live up to my
reputation.

“You had your chance, my dear. You turned me down plenty of
times. You only think I’ll further your career, but you don’t need my help.
Just look at you!”

She smiled as if I weren’t telling her anything new, which I
wasn’t. She was well aware of how good she looked.

“What does this ‘waitress’ have that I don’t?” She lifted her
hands in finger quotes when she said the word waitress.  She didn’t want
to hear my answer; the first thing that came to my mind was far too cruel to
say out loud. I would never hear the end of it, but still I was never one to
keep my mouth shut.

“Simple, she isn’t as needy.” 

Chloe gasped. “Nobody turns me down. Ever.”

“Get used to it, Chloe.” I groaned.

“Actually…I heard what you had said…” The way she teased me piqued
my interest.

“What are you talking about?”

“I heard what you told Harlow at the premiere. About Quinn’s…condition?”

Thank God, I was an actor. “I don’t know what you’re talking
about. “

“Stop playing dumb, Chase Crowley.  I bet you would
really hate for this to go public. ”

“Listen, I don’t know what you think you heard, but Quinn has
no condition.” Chloe was known for making trouble in the tabloids. She picked
fights via Twitter and called people out in interviews. She wouldn’t keep this
quiet. If word leaked, it would crush Quinn. She wasn’t ready for this to go
public and I would stand by her side until she was ready.

“I would advise you to get your facts straight before you
start spreading rumors.” I added with a tight voice. I wouldn’t let Chloe bully
me around.  I could blow on her and knock her over.  She wouldn’t
threaten my girlfriend or the well-being of my family.

She laughed while reaching down to fiddle with her phone.

“Oh, Chase… I don’t want you. I only want the status that
comes with you. We are Hollywood’s it couple. People worship us! The rumors
won’t settle down now that the movie has finished filming, we still have publicity
and the premiere of the movie. You agreed to this relationship months ago. When
people find out about her, they will look at me and realize you’ve been
cheating on me this entire time. It will be so heartbreaking!” She threw her
head back against the black leather seats and howled with laughter.

“You’re crazy.” I mumbled. I would have to speak to Rhea
about Chloe. Even though I trusted Rhea to do what was best for my career, and
I would do anything she asked, I could not deal with Chloe’s
obsessive quest for fame.  The car stopped, signaling the return to my
hotel. Turning to Chloe, I put my hand out to stop her from moving.

“Don’t follow me inside.”

“But I’m staying here as well.”

So not surprising.  I sighed and climbed out of the
limo. The dark parking garage was silent except for the random echo of a car
alarm going off.

Wait!” she called out as she tried to keep up with me in her
high heels.

“Let it go, Chloe,” I called out, not stopping or turning
around to look at her.

“You’ll be sorry,” she yelled out.

I walked through the hotel room later that evening with only
a towel around my waist. From the look of the clock, it was only minutes before
my scheduled Skype call with Quinn. I’d had my last series of interviews today,
and in a few days I would be on a plane back to the west coast.  There was a
stop that I first needed to make in Miami. I used a hand towel to pull the remaining
water from my hair and sat down at the wooden desk to call Quinn.   It was
almost midnight in New York, but I was wide-awake.

Quinn’s face popped up on my screen. Her hair fell down one
shoulder in a fishtail braid, like the night we had met.

“Hey.”

“Everything okay?” I asked her.

She shrugged. “Can I ask you something?”