Bad Romeo Christmas: A Starcrossed Anthology (Starcrossed #4)(60)

"Oh, Joshua," she says with reverence. "You look wonderful. So handsome."

"Thanks, Gammy."

"I thought you'd wear the other one I always see you in. Space Trek, or something."

"Star Trek. I thought I'd make a change tonight. Try something different."

"It's lovely. But you seemed more comfortable in the other one."

She's not wrong. This thing is so tight, it's like wearing full body Spanx. My internal organs are screaming.

"Yeah, well ..." I say, "I'm trying to get out of my comfort zone for a change."

She smiles and beckons me forward to where she's sitting on the couch. When I bend down, she kisses me on the cheek and holds my face. "Darling boy, I'm not sure why you want to change, but I thought you were perfect before all the workouts and protein shakes. And I'm certain your lovely lady did, too, so if this is for her, you may have wasted your time."

"I can't just be doing it to be healthy?"

"Of course. But is that why you're wearing that costume?" She gives me one of those looks that makes it feel like she's staring into my soul.

Busted.

"I gotta go, Gammy. Do you need anything? A drink? A pillow? Grand Theft Auto on the Xbox?"

She pats my hand. "I'm fine, bubbeleh. You go have a good night."

"I will." I kiss her on the cheek and slip on my overcoat. Can't risk being heckled on the subway.

"Oh, Joshua?" I turn to her. "Just remember that what you wear isn't who you are. It's what's on the inside that counts."

I smile at her. Trust Gammy to use my identity crisis as a teaching opportunity.

I give her one last kiss. "See you in the new year, Gammy. I love you."

"I love you, too, my sweet boy." She gives me a knowing smile before I head down the hall and out the door.





TWO


The Gang's All Here




"Are you at the party yet?"

Angel sounds so close, I feel like I could reach through the phone and touch her.

If only.

"Just arrived, but I'm hanging outside so we can talk. To be honest, I'm not in a partying mood without you."

She still has another week of filming in Australia, and dammit, I never thought being apart from someone would be this tough. Sure, I missed Elissa when we were studying on opposite sides of the country, but it was nothing like this. Missing Angel is like having a slow-motion heart attack. My chest hurts like hell, and hearing her voice only makes me miss her more. Considering this is my first relationship that's lasted longer than me showering after sex, I have no idea if this is normal or not.

One thing I do know is that our separation is my own stupid fault, because I wanted to come back and help Elissa with the benefit concert. Even though I could tell Angel wasn't thrilled about me leaving, she supported me one-hundred percent. But what she didn't know is that I was also running from how it felt to watch her fall in love with another man every day on the film set, even if it was just an act.

I've never considered myself a jealous person, but watching Angel make out with someone else? I now have a deep, empathetic understanding of how it felt for Dr. Jekyll to transform into Mr. Hyde. Julian is an okay dude, and when it's just the two of us talking about comics or video games, I'm fine. But the second I see him talking to Angel, or worse, touching or kissing her ... Yeah. Veins bulge, muscles tense, and I want to leave fun, affable Josh at the door so needlessly violent Josh can come out and play.

I know my reaction stems from my feelings of inadequacy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong in thinking a guy like me doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hades of keeping a woman like Angel.

To her credit, Angel does a good job of making it seem like we could work, and despite my doubts, I really want to believe her.

"God, Josh, I miss you so much. Did you know it's been next year in Australia for ages now?"

"Yeah? Did you have a good time last night? Party with the cast and crew?" And of course, by cast and crew I mean hunka-beefcake leading man, Julian Dickface Norman. Let's not forget about that stupidly likeable * who's probably gearing up to replace me in her affections.

"It was nice," she says, stifling a yawn. "The producers put on a fancy spread at a venue right on Sydney Harbor. The fireworks were incredible. Julian said they were the best he's ever seen."

"I'll bet." I can just imagine him being all wide-eyed and enthusiastic. What a prick. "So, kiss anyone interesting at midnight?" I'm trying to sound casual, even though I'm gripping my phone so tightly, the plastic case creaks.

Angel laughs. "To be honest, I kissed a lot of people. There was a whole line of them. Men, women, waiters, dwarves, stilt walkers, a couple of Japanese tourists who wandered in by mistake. After the first dozen, I stopped counting. But don't worry, sweetie, there was strictly no tongue. I'm saving that for you."

I lean back against the wall and breathe. "You're trying to make my head explode with jealousy, aren't you?"

"Is it working?"

I let out a weak laugh. Normally, I enjoy her teasing, but right now I'm incapable of thinking about her kissing people without conjuring up an image of her and Julian. I've watched them go at it on set enough to know what their lip-locks look like. Julian kisses her like he never wants to stop, and even though I understand how the sweet heaven of Angel's mouth is responsible for that, he still has no right to feel that way about my woman.