Page 45 of The Fake Script
I opt for a quick shower instead.
“Still a fan, huh?” Auston asks, glancing at my T-shirt when I step out of the bathroom.
I look down at my Stardust Sensation graphic shirt and smile. “Not really, but it’s my favorite shirt, and I didn’t want to throw it away.”
He grins. “Yeah, I remember. There was a hole in the neck, even back then, but you kept wearing it.”
My cheeks warm. “You were just jealous of Bobby.”
He snorts loudly. “Puh-lease. Iwas not. Besides, I always thought Kyle was your favorite.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Nope. I was always a Bobby girl.”
“Well, glad we cleared that up.” He offers his signature smile, and I almost burn another hole in my shirt. “You can sleep in the bed. I’ll be fine on the couch.”
I glance at the tiny couch facing the TV and feel a tug of pity. “You won’t fit. Maybe I should sleep on it.”
“Absolutely not. I’m a grown man. I’ll manage. Besides, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable for the next six nights,” he says, walking to the table to grab something from his bag.
“What about you being uncomfortable?” I say, leaning against the bed. “You’re the one who has to work crazy hours.”
He shoots me a reassuring smile, holding his toiletry bag. “I promise you, I’ll be fine.”
I bite my lip, scrutinizing the immensity of the king-size bed. “Or we could both sleep in the bed?” My cheeks catch fire, and I avert my eyes. “I mean, this thing is huge. We probably won’t even notice the other is there, right?” I add with a forced chuckle.
He stares over my shoulder at the bed for a second, then looks me in the eye. “Are you sure? I don’t want to—”
“It’s fine, Auston.” I roll my eyes, perching on the edge of the bed. “We’re friends; we can share a bed. It doesn’t mean anything.”
He clears his throat. “Right. Okay then. Um, I’m going to take a quick shower too,” he adds before taking off his T-shirt in slow motion and—okay, fine. It’s normal speed, but a girl can dream, right? See, that’s why I like books. You can let your imagination run wild. Cue the slow motion.
“Are you okay?” He arches an eyebrow.
That’s when I realize I haven’t moved an inch, too busy ogling him.
“Um, yep. I was just . . . thinking about something.”
He wrinkles his forehead, an amused look springing to his face. “Okay.”
Crap. All that ogling, and I didn’t even glance at his abs.No!I don’t want to look at them. I’ve seen enough.
Grabbing my Kindle from my bag, I sit back down on the mattress. I need to focus on something else. Auston never claimed a side, so I get first dibs. Once I’m comfortable, I pull my e-reader out of its sleeve and start reading my celebrity romance. Okay, I know I said I wanted to think about something else, but in my defense, I’m a mood reader. And right now, I’m in the mood for a movie star romance. Is that so wrong? I don’t think so. It’s called research.
When Auston comes back into the room, he’s wearing a simple black shirt and pants.
“Hope this is okay?” I wave my Kindle. “I wanted to read a few chapters before bed.”
“Sure. What’s that?” He points to the device.
“An e-reader.”
“Oh, that’s very modern of you,” he says, sitting next to me.
“I know.” I chuckle. “I was skeptical too, at first, but I love it. The screen uses E-ink, so it looks like a printed page and doesn’t damage my eyes like an LCD screen would. Plus, it carries all my books, so I don't have to choose which ones to take with me.” Not that I usually go anywhere, but we’ve established I’m a mood reader. “Plus, it doesn't take up much space, and e-books are cheaper than paperbacks.”
Which was really handy back when I could barely afford dinner. Thank goodness for authors accepting me into their ARC teams.
“And what’s on the back?” he asks, cocking his head to see the backside of my Kindle.