Page 23 of Once Upon a Star

“Dr. Campbell took pity on me after I did a few long days. He told me to take the weekend and Monday off. I almost didn’t believe him when he said it. But it’s true.”

“Do you have any plans for the weekend?” Bash asked.

“It was a bit unexpected, so no. I almost don’t know what to do with myself,” I admitted. I knew it wasn’t a smart move to tell a guy, even Bash, that I was free for the weekend, but it was the truth and I wanted to see him.

“No plans with Ella or Layla?” Bash asked.

“I thought I was going to be working and I think Layla and Nic were going to see his father in Long Island and Ella and Dax were heading out of town.”

“That’s an excellent idea. I think we should do the same thing,” Bash said.

“Go see Nic’s father in Long Island?” I asked. I thought I knew what Bash was getting at but I wasn’t sure. Nor was I sure how I felt about it.

“No. Though if you really want to, I’m sure we can crash their party. I was thinking about getting out of town and was hoping you might join me.”

“Bash,” I said slowly.

“Come on. You’ve had a stressful couple of days. I have, too. I think we both could use a chance to get out of town, relax, and forget about our troubles for a while. I’m not saying anything is going to happen. I’m not saying anything won’t. But I missed you, every day, every moment. And I hope you will give me the chance to make it up to you. This is a chance to do that. I would like us to spend some time, just us. Not at a bar, not when we have work the next day, or any other obligations. Just us.”

He was saying those words again, how he had missed me, how he wanted to make it up to me, and I felt it to my core. I missed him too and I wanted to see what he meant by making it up to me. It was crazy and I knew it was probably going to go very bad in the end, but I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to say yes.

“I probably should do some studying. Get ready for my next shift,” I said.

“You can bring your books with you. I’ll help you study.”

I quickly imagined how he would help me with my anatomy and smiled. I might want to go with him but that didn’t mean I couldn’t make him squirm a little before I did.

“Did you even make reservations anywhere? I doubt you’d find any place we could go on such short notice. Maybe it might be best to plan it for another time,” I suggested.

“No. I already called the place and they are expecting us. Both of us,” he added.

“Both of us. So, it was a foregone conclusion that I was going to be joining you this weekend, huh? Am I that predictable or gullible?” I teased.

“Ara. There are a thousand things that you are, all of them more wonderful than the last, but predictable or gullible are not on the list. I was hopeful. And yes, I thought if I already had the reservations, you would be less likely to tell me no, plus, I thought it would be fun to surprise you. I didn’t think you would be able to go for the whole time but you can, so it’s kismet.”

He was right. I did like surprises but I liked knowing that the person took the time to make the surprise. Bash had done all of that, and it only made saying yes that much easier.

“Are you sure you can be gone all weekend? Don’t you have rehearsal and other obligations in the city? Did you stop to think that I might?” I asked.

“I was hoping you would have even one day free. I will take any and all the time you can give me, but you were the one who said you had three days. Don’t you think you deserve to take them by getting away?”

“You aren’t playing fair. You’re saying all the right things and you know it.”

“I’ve known you for a while. It comes with the territory. Just like you know me. You know I won’t take no for an answer. And I know you’re just stalling until you say yes. How about this? I’ll be at your place in twenty minutes to pick you up. If you’re outside your door. I will take you with me. If not, I will understand and go on my own. Fair?”

He was pushing me to commit and he knew he had me. It would be just like him to drive by my place, make sure I saw him and then drive away. I didn’t want that and he was right, he knew me and knew what I was going to do.

I held the phone closer to my face as I said, “Can you make it thirty minutes?”

Chapter 13

Sebastian

As promised, Ara was waiting for me outside her apartment. I hadn’t expected her to be ready. She was a woman who liked to pack, could be indecisive about it, and would bring more than she needed. I thought for sure she would need more time, especially as I hadn’t told her where we were going.

I expected to get some flack when I showed up but I hadn’t. Instead, she had been standing by the curb talking to her doorman. She hardly let me get out of the car before she put her luggage in the back, waved at the doorman, and got into the car. I could see by her actions and the look of excitement on her face, she was looking forward to this trip as much as I was. It made me even more excited.

It had been an impulse to ask her to come away with me. I hadn’t honestly thought she would agree. Her joining me did feel like a blessing or kismet or the Gods were just smiling down on me. It made the disappointment of the play and the fallout easier to bear. There was nothing that I could do about it. Isla and I had discussed what I could possibly do and I needed to let her see if she could make it work. Until I found out, I wanted to focus on the positive. That included seeing Ara and getting her alone.