The Journalist and Her Actor

Chapter 12

"So... that isn't how the scene was supposed to go, was it?" Carter asked quietly as we shuffled towards the exit of the studio lot in a daze. 

My head was spinning, lost on Dustin's words. Something tells me it wasn't an accident.

I hadn't gotten a chance to ask him what he meant. He vanished after Luke, climbing into the back of the ambulance, sparking a swarm of paparazzi at the front gates at the sudden spectacle of bright lights and bad news. 

What did he mean? Why would someone purposefully do something like that? Was it a prank gone wrong? Something more sinister?

I tucked Carter under my arm, bracing myself for the crowd of cameras beyond the gates. I wasn't ready to be known. To be a potential subject written under someone else's pen name. The name 'Em Springs' had been mentioned in my most recent article, expressing that a new, unknown actress was starring in the movie with Luke, but I had left the details vague. 

And now, the paparazzi were hungry for more, and I had little chance of making it out the front gate without getting mauled.

A sudden car horn stopped me in my tracks. Turning, I spotted a familiar red head rolling down the passenger window of a black car. "Please tell me you aren't actually walking out of here... You are on the wrong side of the fence for that kind of freedom now," Delle said giving me a wry smile. "Get in before that mob rips you apart for inside information." 

Carter opened the back door before I could protest, climbing inside. "Come on Em, we might as well stay alive for another day." 

I scowled after my little brother. "Yeah, Em. Live a little longer," Delle said with a smirk. 

The car took off after I was inside, the windows flashing with cameras as we slowly inched passed the paparazzi outside the gates. Carter watched with wide eyed fascination, fingers pressed to the glass, while I ducked low in my seat, hiding behind my hair, uncomfortable even behind the tinted windows. 

"You're Delle, aren't you?" Carter asked, popping his head between the front two seats once we were free from the cameras.

She smiled. "That's me." 

"And you're Andrew right?" 

I finally took a moment to register the driver of the car. Andrew Walker, Delle's boyfriend and Luke's brother. His jet black hair was pushed back out of his face, strong muscular arms evidence of his time spent working as a carpenter. Where Luke was famous for his work as an actor, Andrew was well known for his ability to make beautiful pieces of art. Unlike his brother, Andrew wasn't known as the rebel sibling, following in his father's footsteps until he was older, quitting his pursuit of law to do what he does now.

"That's me," Andrew replied, a smile in his voice. "What did you think of the bar on the tiki set?" 

Carter smiled widely. "YOU MADE THAT?" 

Andrew smiled. "Yep."

"It's very... sturdy," I supplied. I was never sure how to compliment craftsmanship.

"I would hope so. It's not every day that I am given the task of making something sturdy enough to support a make out session on top of it."

I blushed deeply as Delle's laughter filled the car. I slunk down in my chair again, hiding behind my hair. 

Ugh... Maybe I can convince Laliana to change her script. 

"Gross." Carter wrinkled his nose in disgust before changing the subject back to Delle and Andrew. "My friend Duke is OBSESSED with your reality tv show."