by J Darcy
Especially since he asked her if she wanted to join him for a hike at dawn on Saturday. She couldn’t even begin to figure out how the two of them would work based on their interests, let alone her schedule. Her dream Saturday morning was sitting on her balcony, listening to the calm white noise of the city while reading a chapter of whatever novel was recommended to her by her mother or her sister or her friends. It was most certainly not hiking.
It wasn’t just their different lifestyles that put up red flags for her—it was her own internal monologue. Because whenever she admired his bright blue eyes or his toned body or his charming smile, her brain—and even her heart—was quick to supply her with an alternative suitor.
One with fudgy brown eyes and muscles cut from steel and a boyish, stupid smile that made her heart skip a beat as much as it made her blood boil. Even if she hated Cade—desperately so—and knew she wouldn’t be pursing him romantically, it would be unfair for her to attempt dating when her brain and heart seemed to think otherwise. The traitorous pair were more than welcome to create their own fantasies, but Kellie’s self-respect and the reminder of his past actions won out.
All of this meant she wouldn’t be pursuing a relationship with TJ. She’d toss him some short and sweet explanation about her weariness to date people she worked with, and since he was a good guy, he’d probably smile along with a nod and say he understood her.
But the deviant in her had no intention of shutting down their budding romance just yet. Not when their harmless flirting and friendship seemed to drive Cade wild. She knew he had to have some sort of attraction to her. They slept together and he said as much. She still couldn’t begin to understand his response to their night together last year, even after talking it through in New York, especially since he seemed to show quite a bit of interest in her social life.
Not to mention, his apparent display of jealousy earlier in the week. Cade gave up the opportunity to pursue anything romantically with her, let alone even be her friend. It meant he had no right to be interested in her personal life, especially going as fair as to comment on a potential romance between her and someone else.
Yet even with his past actions on her mind, Kellie still wanted to poke the flame. Maybe part of her wanted to hurt him like he hurt her. Maybe it was just the woman inside of her, who desperately preened and glowed at the attention of a man, especially one as sexy as Cade. Maybe it was some misguided attempt at revenge. She couldn’t be sure.
She was sure, however, that she’d continue to innocently flirt and enjoy her time with TJ. And if Cade was roaming about and happened to see? Well, that wasn’t her problem.
◆◆◆
“You’re doing incredible. Keep it up and we’ll add another set on,” TJ explained, motioning to his rack of weights, “But I don’t want to exhaust you. Jason and Samantha will kill me if I get you to chorography and you can barely move your arms.”
Kellie groaned and laid across the bench, his proud words doing little to ease her exhaustion. “God, you guys do this every day? I’m not made for this.” She sat up and wiggled her arms, wondering why after three days, she didn’t have killer biceps yet.
TJ laughed and handed over her favorite water bottle. It was a Christmas gift from her sister, and together, they sat down and painted a delicate array of flowers across the body of it. It was a prime example of why movies and television shows always got it wrong—the best Christmas gifts were the practical ones. She was still using the packing cubes that her parents bought her last Christmas whenever she traveled.
After a few seconds to catch her breath and gulp down some of the water, she couldn’t help but glance over at the other side of the gym. Cade was busy learning the routine for one of his first fights of the film. Along with their co-star Frankie, they were joined with about four other background actors who would play Frankie’s goonies.
As she watched Cade nod along to direction from Jason, she couldn’t help but stare at his exposed legs in shorts. He had such firm, thick thighs. He was such a muscular man before any of this—she couldn’t imagine why he even needed training prior to the film. He already looked like a superhero.
When a pair of curious brown eyes met her own, she cleared her throat and quickly looked away. Great, now he knew she had been watching him. And now she could feel him watching her.
So, she did what she did best and leaned towards TJ, her hand resting on his forearm. She smiled a toothy grin and motioned to the weights. “I’m up for a challenge. Let’s up the weight.”
TJ was delighted by her words. “Are you up for ten?”
“Um…” She was most certainly not. She was exhausted enough as it was. “Let’s stick to five.”
As she went back to lifting, listening to TJ’s encouraging words as he spotted her, she could feel Cade’s eyes on her from all the way across the gym.
◆◆◆
The rest of the day, however, did not go as Kellie expected. When they broke off for a lunch break—meaning Kellie was done with TJ and would spend the rest of the day learning the chorography for her fight scenes—things were uncomfortably quiet. A couple of tents had been set up in the expansive parking lot, with a catering truck pulled to the front. It was only about twelve people in total, but the studio always fed them, especially when all of them needed to be at peak healthiness for the upcoming film.
Of course, so few people meant only one, long table, and Kellie should have expected that the universe would have thrown her next to Cade. When she did slide into the seat directly across from him, her plate filled with chicken and veggies and quinoa, she was surprised he said nothing.
Cade didn’t say a single word as he finished eating his own meal. He didn’t even make a sound when he got up to grab more food, and this time returned with a plate of colorful melon. In fact, not only was the man unnervingly silent, but he also wouldn’t even look at her.
His peculiar behavior continued even when lunch ended. Through another nearly four hours of training—of Kellie learning to fake kick one of the background actors in the balls and learning how to jump onto what would be a car in the film—Cade was bizarrely quiet. He spoke only when spoken to, and certainly not to Kellie.
She didn’t like it one bit. She especially disliked that it bothered her at all. Cade was such a pain in her ass that his silence should have been something that called for celebration. She should have been jumping for joy and popping bottles of champagne. Instead, she found every spare moment of her time devoted to watching him, and wondering why he refused to look at her, let alone even say hello.
Eventually, when they wrapped up for the evening, all sweaty and tired and knowing they’d be back at it in the morning, she finally decided enough was enough. Especially since the rest of her co-stars and the chorographers were nothing but friendly as they packed up their stuff to leave for the evening. Everyone exchanged pleasant farewells and casual mentions of their evening plans before disappearing to their cars.
Cade did too. Except not to her.
She practically cornered him beside his car, a beautiful black Porsche SUV that was extravagant while also still being practical for the busy freeways of the city. He blended right in with the darkness of the car, given the angry shadow that she could practically feel looming over him.
“What is your problem?” She asked, standing in front of him with her arms crossed and her face set in a scowl.
Cade glanced at her before tossing his bag into the passenger seat. “I’m not sure where you want me to start. Should I explain how my childhood influenced my behavior or…?”
She didn’t appreciate his snark, especially when she was already irritated enough as it was. “You’ve been ignoring me all day.”
“I haven’t.” Kellie really hated his lying. He seemed to think he was protecting his pride, but it just made her hate him more.
She couldn’t help but laugh, even if the situation was anything but funny. “Bullshit. You’ve been avoiding me all day. You didn’t
talk to me at lunch. You didn’t talk to me during training. Hell, you said goodbye to literally every person in that gym expect for me. What gives?”
Cade just shrugged and leaned against the exterior of his car, his eyes moving to watch her. It was the first time since she met his eyes earlier today that he really looked at her. “Maybe I haven’t been in a talking mood.”
She wanted to pull her hair out. She really, truly did. “Do you understand how fucking frustrating you are? I can’t read your mind.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t need to.”
If her arms weren’t so sore from lifting weights and stage fighting, she’d consider punching him. Slapping him. Anything to wipe that stupid look of indifference off his face.
“See, this is exactly why can’t return to the way we were,” She began, her voice heavier than she expected. She wouldn’t get emotional. She couldn’t get emotional. “You keep claiming that you want to be friends, but you sure don’t seem to be acting like it. Friends talk and laugh and hang out together. You didn’t even have the decency to tell me goodnight.”
Cade looked away from her. He didn’t have his usual swaggering finesse. Kellie wasn’t sure if he was tired, or angry, or what, but this wasn’t the Cade she was used to.
After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke up. “I’m sorry. Goodnight, Kellie.”
She stood in stunned silence, watching as he climbed into his car. As the lights went on, she moved away from the vehicle and watched as he backed away. He met her gaze through the clear glass of his windshield, his dark eyes flipping her stomach with expert experience. In seconds, the car was gone, leaving Kellie to stare in its wake.
She wasn’t sure what she hated more—his bizarre behavior, or the fact that she cared so much. Kellie wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him—they were co-stars who respected each other at most. They weren’t friends, or lovers, or anything of the sort. They were two professionals who harbored some animosity.
Yet no matter what she said or did, she couldn’t get him off her mind. Cade Campbell was like a parasite, latching onto her heart and soul with a smoldering fervor that had already burned her once.
If she didn’t protect herself, he’d surely burn her alive this time around.
Chapter 7
Cade dealt with most things he didn’t like in life with avoidance. If life allowed, he’d simply remove himself from the situation or stay as far away from the offending things—or person—as possible. It was precisely why he never officially dumped his high school girlfriend. He just stopped hanging out with her until she got the picture. It was precisely why he practically had to be forced to visit the dentist on an bi-annual basis—there was nothing he hated more than a pair of rubber-gloved hands digging around in his mouth with sharp tools.
He knew it was not the healthiest—or most mature—way to handle things. He knew people have been hurt in the process. But he did it to limit how much he hurt himself. It was why he made the choice to just, well, avoid Kellie if he could.
It was the only way he could focus on his training. Otherwise, he’d spend hours of his day just watching her lithe body get stronger and stronger. Or worse, he’d obsess about every interaction she had with TJ.
Because they had gone on a date.
Cade felt sick to his stomach just thinking about it, and that reaction was as scary to him as it was unpleasant. He managed a week of just not interacting with her—forcing himself not to look her way or engage in any capacity—before she finally approached him and wanted to know what the hell was going on.
Then, she threw his words back in his face. She was absolutely right too, which made the entire situation hurt even more.
But it wasn’t like he was going to change his behavior. If she was going to flirt with TJ for the entire gym to see, then he simply couldn’t be around her. He just…
Well, he couldn’t focus if other people weren’t focusing.
That was the theory he was going with.
Things were less than ideal for the week. Having the weekend off allowed Cade some room to breathe, and he filled his two off days with lazing about the house, keen to enjoy the time he didn’t have to work every muscle or try to ignore Kellie Allen’s perfectly beautiful face.
Eventually, they were back at the gym, ready for their week two of rehearsing and learning the fight chorography. He and Kellie were learning different moves for different scenes, so he was lucky enough to have some time away from her for the first few days of the week. But by midweek, they were back to working side by side, and Cade was back to watching her laugh and smile and glow around TJ’s perfectly built body.
If their date went anything like their involvement at the gym, her and TJ were probably already planning a wedding. They just seemed so happy and it made him sick.
It only got worse when other people began to notice.
“Are they dating?” Frankie asked one afternoon, motioning to TJ and Kellie as they laughed by the water station, “He seems really into her.”
Cade stopped his stretches, glancing over at his co-star. He knew the man only meant well. But he also was married with two kids of his own, so he had no business sticking his nose where it didn’t belong, especially when the answer was as painful as it was.
“I don’t know.” Cade responded honestly. Sure, he knew they had gone on a date, but he didn’t know the specifics. He hadn’t spoken to Kellie since she confronted him the week before, and while he did occasionally have to speak to TJ, it was exclusively related to training.
Frankie hummed and sipped from his water bottle. “I honestly thought you two were dating for the longest time. Must have been all the Cadllie hashtags.” His voice was tinged with humor, “You two have legions of fans shipping you.”
In another life, hearing about their couple name and their fan popularity may have put butterflies in his stomach. But one glance at Kellie and TJ had him feeling like death. He couldn’t do it for much longer. It was starting to affect his work and that’s when he needed to draw the line.
“I think they’re being obnoxious,” Cade muttered darkly, his eyes still locked on Kellie’s laughing form, “The rest of us are trying to work and they’re turning it into an episode of The Bachelor.”
“It’s innocent enough,” Frankie said instead, ever the happy one, “They’re over there and we’re over here.” He jumped to his feet and stretched his arms. “Let’s get back to the mats. I can’t wait to stage punch you.”
But Cade kept staring at Kellie and TJ. He most definitely didn’t agree. Nothing about what he was watching felt innocent.
Because if it was, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much.
◆◆◆
The day only got worse. The flirting only got worse. Cade thought his breaking point would be watching TJ physically pick Kellie up and take her to the lunch set-up outside the gym. As it turns out, his turning point was when he made eye contact with her about an hour before they wrapped up for the day.
She glared at him. Those beautiful, sparkling, hypnotizing emerald eyes shot daggers at him, her hatred of him practically oozing from every ounce of her body. When he considered how she looked at TJ—how her day was spent laughing and smiling with him—Cade truly felt sick to his stomach.
That was his breaking point.
He wasn’t sure what took over him. But as soon as they finished for the day, he lingered around the gym, waiting—watching—as Kellie wrapped up. She was taking a bit longer than the rest of their co-stars, mainly because she was talking to Samantha about some new Netflix comedy special they both really enjoyed. Cade simply had to keep himself occupied without looking suspicious. He hovered by the door, futzing around on his phone, until finally, Kellie started walking to her car.
He quickly sped up to her, meeting her steps stride by stride. Immediately, she looked over to him, both surprised and irritated.
“Ah, so you can ignore me for days but now you want to take a sunset stroll to our cars?” She asked,
her voice laced with contempt, “You’re so fucking hot and cold, Cade.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not the only one. How about yourself? You and your new boyfriend?”
Kellie stopped in front of a nice white SUV, the one she must be using for her extended stay in LA. It felt like déjà vu for him. Another argument with this beautiful woman in a parking lot, the orangey, purple hues of the Southern California sky as a backdrop.
“He’s not my boyfriend!” Kellie spat back, before taking a moment to toss a bag in her back seat, “Not that it’s any of your fucking business!”
Cade laughed and crossed his arms. “You made it my fucking business when you’ve spent the past week and half practically shoving your tongue down his throat.”
She was furious. He hated how beautiful she looked. “Oh, fuck you Cade! I’ve never even kissed him, let alone in front of you or anyone else. Who do you think you are, fucking ignoring me for days on end and then attacking me because you don’t like seeing me hang out with a friend?”
Cade narrowed his eyes and took a step towards her. “But he’s a lot more than a friend, isn’t he? You two went on a date. Maybe more than one. You two are constantly flirting and laughing and having a grand ole time while the rest of us work our asses off. I’m not going to apologize for pointing out that you two are being insensitive.”
Now, she was livid, her once porcelain cheeks painted red. “Insensitive? You want to talk about insensitivity, Cade? You could give a fucking Ted Talk on the topic.” She stepped forward and pushed at his chest, her pale hands and pink nails quite the contrast to the black cotton of his t-shirt, “You care more about your own feelings than anyone else’s. You’re the insensitive, one. Fucking selfish, too.”
“I’m not being selfish by asking that my workday isn’t filled with watching you two gallivant across the mats, giggling and laughing like a pair of schoolgirls.” He shot back, unable to look away from her furious face, “It’s not just me.”
