Fauxmance (Showmance #2)(90)

“Yes,” Nick breathed.

“What about Cam?”

“Dad told us both together. Cam’s angry, but he seems to have accepted it. You know him, he’ll just keep all his feelings locked up. Can I…can I come stay with you for a little while? I need to get away.”

“Of course. You can stay with me for as long as you need.”

“I just have to pack a few things and see if Sharon will cover my shifts at the café. I should arrive later tonight.”

“That’s fine. I’ll wait up. See you then.”

I hung up and exhaled a breath. I had a feeling I wouldn’t get much sleep tonight. Nick would want to stay up and talk things out. It was how he processed. Cameron was the opposite. Like Nick said, he kept everything locked tight until one day I feared he might implode.

“Is everything okay?” Julian asked.

I let my head fall back against the car seat. “It’s just some family stuff.”

“Want to talk about it?”

I glanced at him. I guess we did have some time to kill, and maybe it would be good for Julian to know what had happened to me. How it affected me in later life.

“It’s pretty bleak.”

His expression was wry. “I’m well acquainted with the dark.”

I worried my lip, then finally replied, “After everything that went down at the wedding, my dad told me some stuff about my mum. She hadn’t really died in a car accident.” Julian was quiet while I spoke, listening intently. “She was actually the victim of a break in. I was there when it happened, witnessed the whole thing. I was only two years old at the time, and Dad said I became totally mute afterward. It was years before I started to talk again. I guess that’s where all my fears stem from. I’ve started seeing a therapist, just once a month, but it’s helping me sort through my feelings.”

“Oh, Ellen,” Julian murmured and without warning pulled me into his arms. “I can’t imagine how it must feel to find all that out.”

I sank into his embrace, not realising how much I needed it, how much I needed to tell him that. He stroked my arm up and down, his touch tender, soothing. “Dad told Nick and Cameron today. Nick’s coming to stay with me for a little while. He needs some time to process.”

I blinked away the tears that wanted to fall. They were half due to sadness for my brothers finally knowing the truth, and half due to the fact that I’d missed Julian so, so much. And being this close to him, it felt like all my cells were coming alive again.

I just wasn’t sure if I was being foolishly hopeful. Maybe Julian was just being kind for the sake of working on the film together. But no, he wouldn’t have told me all that stuff about giving up his work if he hadn’t intended for me to draw certain conclusions.

“That day when we…when you ended things. I shouldn’t have left you that money,” I said.

“You don’t need to apologise.”

“Yes, I do. It was a horrible thing to do. It belittled what was between us and I hate that I acted in anger.”

“You’re not the only one who regrets their decisions that day,” he replied and I turned my head to look at him. I saw the honesty in his eyes, the truth of his words. And I…

“I believe you,” I whispered then rested my head on his shoulder.

Julian continued stroking my arm. He held me for the rest of the journey and I felt myself growing closer to him. It was so natural to just relax around him. Neither one of us spoke, not wanting to break the connection. When the car stopped outside my house, I was sad to leave him. I wanted to invite him inside, but I knew Nick would be arriving soon. And anyway, it would be a bad idea to rush things.

Despite my worries, I felt something happening between us. The way Julian was behaving around me felt like he was finally opening up to the possibility of us. To the idea of being with just one person.

He placed a chaste kiss on my cheek then helped me out of the car. When I went inside and closed the door behind me, I slid right down to the floor, where it felt like all my emotions had been scattered.





*



The next morning, I got a text on my phone from an unknown number.

Hey, Ellen. This is Alicia. We never had the chance to exchange numbers yesterday, but this is mine. I was wondering if you’d like to do lunch today?

I stared at the screen for a full minute, trying to figure out how to respond. My coffee was going cold where it sat on the kitchen counter.

“Who’s Alicia?” Nick asked when he walked up behind me.

I shot him an annoyed glance. “Why does everyone think it’s okay to read my messages over my shoulder?”

He raised his hands in the air. “Someone’s feeling touchy.”

I pursed my lips. “Sorry. I’m just a little tired this morning.”

As predicted, Nick and I had been up until the wee hours talking, discussing our childhoods, all the unexplainable things about us that finally made sense. I’d texted Daniel and told him I couldn’t go to dinner. I felt bad for saying no, but I didn’t want to lead him on. It would be worse to give him false hope, especially with my feelings being all tangled up in Julian.

I eyed Nick. “The text is from Alicia Davidson.”

My brother blinked at me. “The actress in your film? Are you two besties now?”