Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(59)

I put my hand to the base of her neck and gently massaged. She shivered at my touch and some of the tension left her. I thought of her face when she came on my tongue, how her lush lips fell open on a moan, how she breathed my name.

“Hi,” Damon said, almost as awkward with introductions as Ellen was.

“Hello,” Ellen answered so quietly she might as well not have spoken at all.

“So, Ellen, you live close by?” Rose asked, making conversation.

Damon helped her dish up the food and set it on the table. Ellen nodded but didn’t speak. This was going to be a long evening.

I wondered at how she could manage to conduct conversations with me, but not with other people. Perhaps it had to do with the fact I’d met her as Elodie first, and I knew more about her than most.

Rose, Damon, and I chatted about Damon’s latest project while we ate. Ellen remained quiet, only nodding intermittently at stuff we said.

“Did Damon tell you he’s hoping to buy the film rights for the Sasha Orlando books?” Rose put in animatedly.

“Yes,” I said, eyeing Damon. “Your directorial debut. Exciting times.”

“There’s this amazing dance scene in book one, Good Girl, Bad Lady, where Sasha goes for salsa lessons and flirts with her teacher,” Rose added. “Damon says I can choreograph it if the movie ever comes to fruition.”

Ellen dropped her cutlery, making a loud clatter as it fell against her plate.

“Sorry,” she muttered and went back to eating.

Damon ate a bite of casserole, not looking very confident. “Well, that’s if my agent can manage to convince the author’s agent to sell, and that’s a big if. Several movie houses have put in bids and all have been rejected. I’m hoping the author will like my vision. It’ll be an indie project, so it won’t have a big budget. But I think big budgets can sometimes ruin book adaptations. They use all these fancy costumes and wigs and CGI, and it all becomes a little cartoonish. I want to portray the story on screen in a way that feels real.”

Ellen appeared to be listening intently, surprising everyone when she spoke, “What do you mean, in a way that feels real?”

“Well,” Damon elaborated. “It’s not the popular opinion, but I feel like most film adaptations of books don’t work because they try to make it scene for scene the same as the novel. That’s okay when it’s fantasy or science fiction, that’s a whole different story. But when it’s contemporary, they try to make the actors look exactly like the characters, and it all just ends up feeling forced. I think that an adaptation should be just that, the story needs to be adapted to fit a different medium.”

“You’re right,” said Ellen. “There are things that happen in books that just don’t work on screen.”

Damon smiled softly. “Well, I’m glad you agree. Unfortunately, I don’t think my opinion will go down well. Most authors want everything in a movie to be exactly how it is in their book.”

Ellen played with her fork. “You should still give it a try. You never know.” Now she stood. “Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.”

She went, and Rose lifted both eyebrows. “That woman is freaking terrified of us.”

“I told you she had difficulty with social interaction.”

“Yes, but this is a whole other level. She’s been silent since she got here.”

“Not true, she spoke to Damon just now.”

“I still think she should get help. Is she seeing a therapist or a councillor? It’s not healthy that the only way she can cope is by putting on a disguise and pretending to be this Elodie person.”

“Will you keep your voice down? She’ll hear you,” I hissed.

“Okay, I’m lost. What’s going on?” Damon asked.

“I’ll fill you in later,” Rose replied.

The bathroom door opened, but I didn’t hear a flush. I suspected Ellen had been freaking out in there rather than actually using the facilities. I knew she’d heard our conversation, despite our whispers, when she emerged with reddened eyes.

“I think I’m going to go home now,” she said, head down as she grabbed her coat and made a beeline for the door.

“Ellen, wait,” I called and went after her. She was faster than I expected, reaching the bottom of the stairs before I caught up.

“Just let me go, Julian,” she begged and pushed open the door. It was raining out and I hadn’t brought a jacket. I still chased her, grabbing her elbow and pulling her around.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I heard you all talking,” she sniffed, raindrops running down her cheeks. “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone about…about Elodie.”

“It’s just Rose. Rose would never—”

“That’s not the point, Julian. You promised!”

My chest deflated. “I only want to help.”

“Yes, well, helping me is more trouble than it’s worth. You don’t…you don’t know everything about me.”

I stepped forward and grabbed her hands. “Tell me then.”

“It’s not that easy,” she whispered. I hardly heard her over the passing traffic and the rain sploshing onto the footpath.

“Let’s go back upstairs. We can go into my room and talk in private. We’ll catch our death if we stay out here.”