Maisie Knowles has hidden her identity and lies to everyone she knows to follow her dreams of becoming a successful author, but when she meets Theo Park, the actor playing the male lead in the movie based on her book, all the secrets she hid so well...
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I'm busy was at the tip of my tongue as a response, but under Theo's expecting gaze, I tripped over my words. "No— I mean, yes."
His expression remained unyielding. "Which is it?"
"No," I said, immediately grimacing. I wanted to slap myself in the face. I was usually a good liar! Why did I fumble so much in front of Theo? "I meant no, I am busy," I corrected. "Very busy."
He didn't appear convinced, pursing his lips. "Uh-huh."
"Well, I think this is a great idea if you could go!" Director Ahn said, a smile breaking out on her face as she turned to me, completely oblivious to my hesitance. "This would be an amazing experience for you, Maisie!"
I tried to tell her with my expression that I very much didn't want to do this. I stared hard at her, eyes wide, lips pressed together, minutely shaking my head.
"She's a little shy," Director Ahn said to Theo, nudging him in the side. "Look at her, though. She looks like she really wants to go, but is too shy to say so, don't you think?"
Apparently, I was terrible at using expressions to convey a message across to someone. My shoulders sagged.
"What are you busy with?" Theo asked me, tilting his head to the side, his black hair falling into his face a little.
"Gaming," I said confidently, already having my answer prepared. It wasn't a lie, either. I did plan on gaming. It made me feel a little proud. Maybe I didn't need to lie all the time.
But both Theo and Director Ahn exchanged knowing glances with each other, eyebrows raised, and I knew it was the wrong excuse. "You can play games anytime, can't you?" Director Ahn asked. "You should take this opportunity, Maisie."
"Is this really something an assistant script writer should do?" I asked, putting emphasis on my fake job title.
"Well, you'd also be helping Theo out," she pointed out.
It was the worst sentence she could have said. I swear I saw the lightbulb appear over Theo's head, and my own words from earlier echoed in mine— if you can think of anything, don't hesitate to ask me.
"I'll walk her out and talk about it more," Theo said to Director Ahn, turning toward her. "I'll see you tomorrow."
She beamed brightly at us. "Sure! Think about it, Maisie!"
I forced a smile on my face and said goodbye, turning on my heel, and heading down the hallway with Theo, each step feeling like I was trudging through mud. Theo had the decency to stay quiet until we were alone, but the minute we reached my car, I could tell he was ready to pounce.
I made my move first. I lunged forward, grabbing my car door, hoping to swing it open and jump in before Theo could stop me. But his reaction was too fast— I'd only opened the car door two inches before his hand shot out and stopped it from opening any further. I put my full weight into pulling on it, but it refused to budge. One look at Theo's muscles showing through his shirt proved to me I would not win this match.
