Page 100 of Broken Romeo
Jill eyes me and, sensing the tone, hops to her feet, grabbing Nolan’s hand and tugging him into the kitchen. “I need a popcorn refill. Let’s do cinnamon sugar this time!”
I breathe easier with them both gone. “Yes,” I say into the phone. “Nolan was a little, um, raw after rehearsal today and he didn’t want to be alone—”
Holden snorts, a disdainful sound. “I bet he didn’t.”
“You’re the one who told us to take care of each other. You told us to bond. Remember that?”
“Yeah, I meant, like text each other. Maybe a quick phone call to discuss how you each felt today. Not have a fucking sleepover!”
“Calm down. No one is sleeping over,” I say. With a sigh, I peek around to the kitchen where Jill and Nolan are laughing about something.
They look adorable together and curiosity piques inside of me. Nolan’s a total flirt—that’s pretty damn obvious. But he’s beaming at Jill in a way that I’ve never seen.
“Why are you calling, Holden?”
“As I said, I wanted to make sure you’re okay. Trust exercises can put actors through the ringer more than they anticipate.”
I clear my throat and change the subject. “Holden, are you sure you don’t need like, producer approval, or anything to use the show money to pay our rent?” I whisper and look around to make sure Nolan can’t hear me.
It’s silent on the other line. “Like I said to you before, it was a loophole I found. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“So… you don’t need producer approval for it?”
“I did. But I got it. From one of the producers.”
A fission of energy pulses down my spine. That should make me feel better… but it doesn’t.
“I’ll let you get back to your… company,” Holden says.
“Holden, it’s not like that—”
He’s already hung up before I can finish my sentence.
Jill and Nolan come back into the room, freshly popped bowls of popcorn in hand. Jill sets hers down and heads to the bathroom as Nolan comes to stand next to me.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
I don’t want to lie to him. After all, he has worked with Holden before. He knows him really well, right?
“I’m not sure,” I answer honestly. “I think so, but Holden seemed weird when he heard you here tonight.”
Nolan gives me a small, reassuring smile. “I think he likes you.”
‘Like’ isn’t the word I’d use. It’s too generic. Too small to encompass the feelings Holden and I have for each other. Hell, I’m not even sure I know what I feel anymore.
“I think I need to make something clear,” Nolan says quietly.
Panic surges up my spine. Oh, God, no. Is this a profession of love? Has Holden been right all this time, and this has been one big ruse to get into my pants?
“Nolan—” I try to stop him from continuing, but he ignores me.
“Kate, you are talented and beautiful and so fun. You’re chill in a way that few girls I’ve been in shows with are. And I kind of have this stupid, bad habit of sleeping with my co-stars. I’m sure you’ve heard.”
Oh, fuck. Of course I’ve heard. Not only from Holden, but from every Backstage article I’ve read. Anyone who’s ever been in a show with the guy knows how he falls in and out of love with his co-stars quickly. But I don’t say any of that. Instead, I simply nod.
He blows out a breath and rakes his hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, I’m working on that with my therapist. Every one of those times, I was just trying to get back at an ex of mine. But with you and me… I think we could be really good friends.”
I blink, momentarily stunned. “You… want to be my friend?”