21. Charlie

Marissa sits back and sighs happily, her plate scraped clean.

“More?” I reach for another scoop of fettuccine Alfredo, but she shakes her head.

“I can’t eat another bite.”

“Fair.” I pat my stomach. I could probably eat another ton of pasta, but I shouldn’t be having any as it is.

Even though I’ve yet to be signed again, I’ve been religious about my diet and workouts — tonight being an exception. I’ve already learned that a big part of success is being prepared when an opportunity comes knocking.

“What would you like to do tonight?” I ask.

“Wanna watch a movie?”

It’s along the lines of the answer I expected. We’ve been together every night since arriving home after the interviews, either at my place or hers, and we almost always stay in.

The exceptions have been the few times we went out because Marissa said we needed to be seen together as a couple.

Which is odd because we haven’t had any real dates, only fake ones planned for people to see us out as a couple.

I’ve been trying not to overthink it, but it does seem weird. Plus I’m starting to get some real cabin fever. With no practices to go to, there’s no reason to leave my house during the day.

“Let’s go to River North,” I suggest, thinking about the lounge I used to frequent there.

Immediately, her face changes. “Oh. I… dunno.”

“Why not?” I ask.

She shifts in her seat, fingers tracing the edge of her empty plate.

“It’s just… I mean, we’ve been laying low. Going to a popular spot like River North is risky.” Her words hang in the air like a dull warning bell, gnawing at the edges of our comfort.

“But we can’t stay cooped up forever,” I reason, trying to keep my voice steady. “Besides, we’re supposed to be seen together. That’s what you keep saying.”

She folds her arms on the table. “All of the times we’ve gone out since getting back, Isaac knew about those. He’s been grilling me on our date schedule.”

“O-kay.” I still don’t get it. “So what if we go on an impromptu ‘date’? For all he knows, you just called me last minute and set it up.”

Her lips twist. I’m not getting to her.

Which makes me sigh with frustration. Her boss knows all about this “fake” relationship. How could he even suspect that hiding behind it is a real relationship?

A delicate one. A new one.

I don’t want to fuck things up this time around, and I want to be normal with Marissa. Normal people don’t stay hidden away day in and out.

Also…

“So what if he finds out that we’re really dating?” I ask.

“He’d be pissed.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he always finds something to be pissed about.” She rolls her eyes. “That’s just his personality.”

I feel a tickle of laughter dance up my throat but swallow it down. Her assessment is precise. Isaac is the kind of guy who’d find fault in a rainbow after months of rain.

“All right,” I relent, shifting my gaze to the window and watching the rain bounce off the glass. “We’ll stick to the set dates.”

“Thank you.”

I push my fingers through my hair. “But when can we go public?”

My chest tightens. I hate asking the question; talk about putting your heart right out there.

I’m crazy about this girl, though, and that means I’m doing things in a fresh way. Even if it’s uncomfortable sometimes.

She chews on her bottom lip. “I haven’t thought about that.”

I blink at her, the answer feeling like a punch to the gut. “Oh.”

She sits straighter. “It’s not that I don’t want to.”

“What are you worried about? Why does your boss have so much power over you?”

Her face turns red.

“It’s… complicated,” she finally murmurs, her gaze distant. “Making it in the sports agency field isn’t easy, Charlie. Isaac’s got connections. He’s got the power. You cross him, you’re dead in the water. And it’s hard to get a job at any agency as it already is.”

I purse my lips as a cold wash of realization crashes over me. It makes sense — her determination to endure Isaac’s endless criticisms, her reluctance ever to challenge him.

Every day I hear stories about what an ass he is.

I reach for her hand. “Start your own agency.”

“I plan on doing that.” She smiles softly. “I need to get my star client signed first, though, so I have something to show off.”

I guffaw. “I’m your only client.”

She smiles sunnily. “It doesn’t make you any less of a star.”

“Thank you.” I get up and clear our dishes from the table. “So what movie would you like to watch?”

Carrying the plates across the kitchen, I place them in the dishwasher. She still hasn’t answered, so I turn around to face her and find her staring at the raindrops sliding down the window.

“Let’s go out,” she says, turning to me.

I blink in surprise. “What? Are you sure?”

She nods resolutely. “Yeah.”

“What changed your mind?”

She shrugs, a small grin playing on her lips. “Don’t know.”

She stands and moves toward me. “Maybe I’m just tired of hiding.”

Her words ring in the air between us. I feel a thrum of excitement. A shift. Things are changing between us, and I can’t say I don’t like it.

“Where would you like to go?” I ask, trying to maintain some semblance of control over my racing heart.

She shrugs again, looking carefree but with a spark in her eyes that tells me this means something more. She’s stepping out of the shadows cast by Isaac.

“How about we go somewhere… public?” she suggests, her voice teasing.

I laugh at her audacity. There’s a challenge in her eyes, one I’m willing to meet.

“Public it is,” I agree, already heading to grab my wallet and keys.

We leave the warm coziness of my house, stepping out into the drizzle that’s turned into a downpour. The rain pelts us relentlessly, but neither of us seems to mind. We’re caught up in this new dynamic between us, one that feels liberating and exhilarating.

The night stretches ahead of us, unscripted and full of promise, like the blank pages of a journal. And damn it if I’m not giddy to write our story.