Page 12 of Tricked by my Ex
“I got thejob!” Tyson looked so happy as I stared at his perfect face on my cell phone screen, the time difference only a slight inconvenience as I bit back a yawn.
“I knew you would. Congratulations, babe,” I said, feeling nothing but excitement for him. I couldn’t wait to celebrate. This was a huge deal for him. “So, when do you come back home?”
His face fell, his eyes pulling together in a way that made him look pained. “I’m not.”
I didn’t understand what he was saying.
He’d flown to New York for an audition, but I never realized that he wouldn’t fly right back after it was over.
“What do you mean, you’re not?”
“They start filming in two days. I don’t have time. My mom’s going to come to campus and pack my things for me.”
His mom? Why didn’t he ask me to do it?
“Okay. What about when filming ends?”
“My agent says I should stay here. I’m getting an apartment in the city. Moving in later this week with another new guy.”
By this point, my heart was racing inside my chest, and I felt beads of sweat starting to form. I’d always wanted to see New York, but I was getting the sense that I wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon.
“You’re not coming back, are you?”
He started shaking his head slowly from side to side. “I don’t think so. I heard that when we finish filming, most of the cast takes on movie roles.”
“But…” I stumbled on my words, my thoughts tumbling into one another inside my head. “We live in LA. I’m sure there are plenty of roles here that you can take.”
“Maybe,” he said, but I could tell that he’d already made up his mind. Los Angeles was no longer on his agenda.
“And you don’t get any time off?” I asked, feeling like it was a stupid question for some reason. I should have known more about how this business worked.
“My agent said that taking time off once the ball gets rolling would be career suicide. She doesn’t want me to be deemed a diva or too hard to work with.”
I started shaking my head. “That doesn’t make any sense, Tyson. Taking time off doesn’t make you either of those things.”
“I get what you’re saying, Eve, but you don’t know the business like she does. She said that it could put a hard stop to any momentum I have going, and I believe her.”
He sounded defensive, and I knew right then and there that I was losing him and that nothing I said was going to matter. He’d just gotten the one thing he’d always wanted, and who was I to try to compete with his lifelong dream?
It didn’t feel fair. Why couldn’t he have us both?
“So, that’s just it then?” I asked.
“What’s just it?” he repeated.
“You leave for an audition, and you’re never coming back?” I bit back the shakiness in my voice and wiped at my face to stop the tears from falling.
“I didn’t know this would happen,” he breathed out, his hand moving down the length of his face.
I’d had no idea that when I dropped him off at the airport yesterday, it would be the last time that I’d see him. The last hug. The last kiss. The last touch.
“Are you breaking up with me?” I finally worked up the nerve to ask.
Even through the phone screen, I could tell that he was avoiding looking directly at me. His eyes hadn’t met mine in at least three minutes.
“I don’t want you to wait around for me. I have no idea what my schedule is going to be like. My agent said that everything’s going to change for me once I’m introduced on the show. I’m not going to have any free time.”
“Just say it,” I demanded.