“I think I’m going to throw up.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “You’re not going to throw up, Autumn.”
“Yes, I am.”
“No, you’re not.”
“How do you know? I’m the one with the queasy stomach.”
“Autumn, you’re not going to throw up. You have the butterflies, you’re nervous. That’s why you think you’re going to throw up, but you won’t.”
Autumn closed her eyes as the hairdresser tugged and pulled on her dark tresses, arranging them into the perfect style for that night. The day she’d been anticipating, and dreading, was finally here and she couldn’t have been more nervous. The American premiere of Rein of Silence signaled the true start of her career and would either make or break her fame. Critics had been hailing it, and her, for the past month, but she was more anxious about the American public’s reception of it.
The movie was an epic based on the true story of a Jewish woman whose family had been living in Poland at the time of Hitler’s terrifying regime. Autumn had been excited to get the part of the young woman and had put everything she had into making her part a success. Working with a director like Peterson hadn’t left her room to be anything but perfect, and yet she was still worrying over everything that she could have or should have done better.
“The butterflies are the size of birds,” she muttered now to Liz.
Liz rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. “What could possibly go wrong, Autumn? Everyone’s talking about the movie, you, and the hype is huge. People will see the movie because it’s a Peterson film, but, when they leave the theater, they’re going to remember who Autumn Evans is.”
“Did I ever thank you for being the greatest friend a girl could have?” Autumn asked after a moment.
Liz smiled. “It’s always nice to hear it again. Now,” she looked down at the PDA she held. “After this, Paulina’s taking care of your dress and makeup. I picked up the jewelry you’re wearing yesterday, so that’s all set. We’re going to have you dolled up and looking better than Angelina Jolie in no time.”
Autumn pressed a hand to her belly where the butterflies fluttered viciously. “Yeah, but will everyone like me the way they love Angelina?” she wondered to herself.
***
“Aaron! Let’s move!” Nick ran his fingers through his hair as he waited for his brother to arrive. His bodyguard was pulling the car up to the front, and he knew they were already running late. “Aaron, get your ass down here before I beat you!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Aaron muttered as he bolted down the stairs. “I’m here, I’m here. Let’s go.”
In the car, Aaron talked sports with the bodyguard and text messaged someone simultaneously. Nick sat back and watched his younger brother. He loved having a brother, and Aaron was a gift. They got along well for the most part and, even when they were arguing, they were still the best of friends. He’d taken Aaron to get his first tattoo, which Aaron had quickly turned into a habit. He had more tattoos at the moment than Nick had had when he’d been nineteen. As for the drugs…well, Nick didn’t like to dwell on the other things that he’d gotten into.
“We’re cleaning it all up,” he murmured to himself. “Things are going to be different from now on.” Then again, he’d been telling himself that since June, and nothing seemed to have changed that much. “But there’s still time.”
“Hey.” Aaron nudged Nick’s arm. “I hear you met the hot chick who’s in the movie we’re going to see.”
Nick shrugged. “Yeah.”
“And?” Aaron gave him an expectant look. “Is she single or what? Because I heard she’s not that old, and maybe I could, you know…”
Nick’s brows rose. “Are you serious? You want to date someone? I thought you were keeping yourself available for the entire teenage population of LA.”
“Whatever.” Aaron rolled his eyes. “If I can score this one, I won’t even need those younger girls. I’ll have all the older Hollywood ladies lining up for me.”
“Uhh…”
“It’s okay.” Aaron patted his brother’s shoulder. “It’s a grand plan that’s so amazing it takes a while to digest it all. I am a genius.”
The car pulled into a line of cars depositing other actors, actresses, singers, and other celebrities, and Aaron’s attention turned to the flashbulbs and reporters eagerly waiting outside. Nick stifled a long-suffering sigh and wished viciously for one of the cigarettes he’d so graciously quit smoking several months before.
As he followed Aaron out of the car and into the fray of red carpet hubbub, he reminded himself that doing these appearances was going to go a long way towards enhancing his public image and boost his floundering career.
“It’s going to be a long night.”
***
He had to hand it to her. She was good. Really good. He wasn’t big on war movies, especially the kind that caused women to weep, but he was really enjoying this one. Well, not enjoying it as the plot was so depressing, but everyone in the film was fantastic. Autumn’s performance blew him away, as he secretly hadn’t expected her to be that good. He was glad that she’d proven him wrong.
Of course, there had been the few moments here and there during the film when he’d gotten something in his eye, which was making them teary, he told himself. It wasn’t because Autumn was weeping heartwrenchingly over the death of her fiancé or that she held her father’s hand as he passed away in a concentration camp. It was painful to watch, but he certainly hadn’t cried. No way.
Nick had never really paid attention too much in school, and later in tutoring, to the abomination that had been the Holocaust. He knew what had happened, but he’d never spent much time dwelling on it. He’d been too busy to do much more than memorize the requisite facts and regurgitate them on tests. Fortunately, Rein of Silence had shocked and educated him more than the dry materials that he’d learned from in school. It had obviously been Peterson’s objective in making the film, and Nick was suddenly glad he’d come. It didn’t matter that, every time Autumn had appeared on screen, Aaron had mumbled under his breath about her. Nope. And it certainly hadn’t dimmed his mood one bit that he was sitting two rows up from Paris Hilton. Nothing diminished the fact that he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself for two hours—even if the movie hadn’t been as lighthearted as he usually preferred.
He definitely owed Autumn a boatload of compliments.
His chance came at the after-party that one of Autumn’s co-stars had thrown at her home. Nick had watched Autumn smile and talk to all of her well-wishers. Celebrities were notorious for being able to recognize competition when they saw it, and they’d descended on Autumn to discover all they could about her. Luckily, Gabe Peterson’s arrival moved the attention off of her and onto the director, and Nick leapt at the chance.
***
Autumn breathed a sigh of relief as the group she’d been speaking with herded itself over to become Gabe’s audience. She hadn’t had a single moment of peace all night, and she desperately wanted to change out of her clothes and curl up on her couch in pajamas. As excited as she was that the film appeared to be a success and the toughest of critics—fellow actors and actresses—had fully approved of her work, she was tired to the bone. Considering the fact that she hadn’t slept the night before due to nerves, she was currently running on the coffee she'd drank on the ride to the party—along with the several she’d had in the hours before the premiere.
Besides being wired, she hadn’t been able to slip away to call home and check on Lily, and it made her feel like a villain. And, alongside the guilt from neglecting her child, came the screaming pain from the arches of her feet. The three-inch wedges were hellish, and she was determined to ditch them the first opportunity she found. The only thing she was currently thankful about was her dress. The deep purple dress flowed and fluttered around her and allowed her to move comfortably. Now if she could only bury the wedges in a shallow grave…
“Autumn.”
Her tired eyes blinked before her gaze shifted to the man standing in front of her. “Nick. Thanks for being here.” She offered him a smile.
“I’m glad I came,” he admitted, smiling back sheepishly. “The movie was great, and so were you.” He reached into the pocket of the jacket he wore and slipped a white silk rose out of it. “I brought you this.”
Autumn accepted the flower, puzzled. “Thank you. But why?”
“I owe you an apology for the terrible way I behaved when I interrupted your shopping a few weeks ago.” He shrugged. “I didn’t get a real one because I’d have squished it, but this one will last you a while.”
Her fingers stroked the soft petals. “Thanks, Nick. Really.” She couldn’t say why she was really glad he was there, but she was. “And don’t worry about that day in the grocery store. It wasn’t a big deal.”
Nick nodded and tugged on one of dark curls that lay on her shoulders. “You were fantastic, and I’ve been hearing more than a few people saying you might be getting an Oscar nomination. Especially since a couple of the Oscar committee members are here tonight.”
“I…uhh…” Why couldn’t she breathe? Had oxygen disappeared from the atmosphere? No, no. Nick was still breathing. Why couldn’t she breathe?
He patted her arm. “It’s great news, but take a deep breath before you start hyperventilating.”
At his words, she snapped out of it and scowled at him. “Can’t you let me have a moment without ruining it?”
“Sorry.”
She rubbed her fingers over her temple. “It’s okay. It’s just a lot to take in one night, and my head’s been spinning since I stepped onto the carpet earlier. And then all these people that I’ve admired for so long keep complimenting me, and I think I’ve gone to heaven. Ever had that feeling?” She looked up at him.
“Sure. When we were nominated for a Grammy, I don’t think either of the five of us felt the ground under our feet for a month. Wallow in it a little,” he advised her with a grin.
“I intend to,” she replied, returning the smile.
“Hi, Autumn.”
Nick froze, his back to whoever had just greeted Autumn. He’d know that voice anywhere, and he’d hoped to avoid her at all costs.
“Hello, Paris. I’m glad you came tonight.” Autumn smiled up at the heiress towering over her. “You look lovely tonight.”
Nick slowly turned and watched Paris’ eyes narrow when she saw him. “Paris.”
“Nick.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
hey all! i am soooo sorry that it's taken me a while to get this going again, but my computer crashed over a month ago and then i was on vacation for the past couple weeks. anyway, hopefully, i'm back to regularly updating again! this chapter's a short one, but i hope you enjoy!
