The Reunion by Kayla Olson(11)
Ransom’s gaze flickers over to mine. “Tried my best to make sure our private life stayed private. For her sake.” The briefest shadow clouds his face, but then he’s bright and beaming. “But, ahhh, hey—on the bright side, the internet took a nice break from analyzing my romantic life for most of today.”
“You forgive me for the kittens, then?” I tease, and his dimples deepen.
“I should buy you dinner for the kittens,” he quips back. “Adoptions have shot through the roof—”
“And so has your social media following,” Bre says, finally finding words again. That was the longest she’s ever gone without speaking for as long as I’ve known her.
Ransom laughs. “You, I like.”
“Bre, Ransom—Ransom, Bre,” I say. “My wonderful assistant—”
“Slash best friend,” she finishes for me.
“Pleasure’s all mine,” Ransom says, flashing his best grin, the one that’s likely responsible for kicking off his entire career. “What about you, Liv? No date tonight?”
“Did you just give her the twinkle?” Ford exclaims, and here we go—it’s like we’re all sixteen again. Ford and Ransom together were always a charismatic mess, feeding off each other’s energy. “I detected a distinct sparkle in your eye, Rance.”
“I saw it, too!” I add, because Ransom has always adamantly denied the existence of the twinkle, and I can’t help myself. And then reality sets in, and I’m hit with the full weight of the question I’ve just been asked: Ransom Joel is curious about my dating life.
I’m not ready to think about what that means.
“No—no date.” I consider adding more—that it’s been years since I’ve even been on a first date, let alone been one half of a steady relationship—but the silence blooms between us, taking up all the space where my words should go.
“So, Bre,” Ford says pointedly, “want to check out the drinks with me?”
Bre’s not oblivious. Ford hooks his arm into hers, and together, they head off in the general direction of away from us.
“It’s good to see you, Liv,” Ransom says, once it’s just us, eyes locked on mine. “I wanted to ask—wanted to make sure—”
His voice drops off, and he runs a hand through his hair. “The way we left things, back when the show ended… I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot of time to think over the years, and in hindsight, I don’t think I handled what happened as well as I could have.” He’s quiet for a beat, and I know the same dark memories must be playing across both our minds. “I’m sure you’ve moved on from it, but I just wanted to tell you, because we’ve got some, um, scenes to do next week. And I want to make sure you know I never meant to hurt you before we get that close again. In the scenes.”
Right. In the scenes.
It’s never been the scenes I’ve worried about. I can be someone else completely when the cameras are on, pretend he’s someone else, too.
“Thanks for what you did back there,” I say, dodging the subject, taking in all the depths of his eyes, light green with subtle flecks of gold. “How you handled that reporter when he asked about my dad. It meant a lot.”
A flush of pink spreads on his cheeks, a rare shy moment.
“They should know better by now,” he says quietly, studying me. I used to be able to read his thoughts, but right now, I can’t begin to guess what he’s thinking.
“This is surreal, isn’t it?” he finally says.
I breathe in the moment, survey the room. So many familiar faces weathered by time and age.
“Surreal’s the word,” I say. “Did you ever think it would all turn into this?”
The first time I ever stepped foot on Girl’s set, it was the strangest feeling in the world to have cameras pointed at me and not my father. He’d rehearsed with me the night before, made sure I’d nailed my lines. After my first day of shooting, we went for milkshakes, extra cherries on top.
I really do wish he could see me now and all the show became.
Ransom’s quiet beside me. He’s always been the sentimental one of the group; whereas his soft side used to read as adorable boy next door, those tendencies now manifest much moodier, more mature. It suits him more than I’m ready to admit.
“We’re the lucky ones, Liv.” His gaze flickers to the starlit ceiling, then back to me. It’s so intense, so classic Ransom, my stomach does a flip. I’m not immune to how devastatingly attractive he is. I’m not immune to the twinkle, either, not even a little bit.
A beat passes, and I’m still feeling around for the right words—but then a dress as bright as our logo catches my eye, layers upon layers of flashy pink chiffon that somehow manage to be over-the-top and elegant at the same time. Ransom turns, looking over his shoulder.
Say what you want about Sasha-Kate, but the girl knows how to make an entrance.
“Guess the party can start now,” Ransom says with a wry grin.
Star-Studded Turnout to Fanline Dinner as Entire Cast of Girl on the Verge Descends Upon West Hollywood
By Ithaca Alexander // Staff Writer, Arts & Entertainment, Sunset Central
The stars came out in full force under tonight’s unbelievable sunset—all eyes were on the red carpet outside the John and Carol Harris Center for the Arts as, one by one, the big names rolled in.